SEEKING ANOTHER TERM New Tampa’s Luis Viera seeks another term on the Tampa City Council. See page 6 MUSIC LESSONS, ANYONE? The USF School of Music is conducting a uniquely musical research study. See pages 24 & 26 THE POKER NIGHT MURDERS! Former forensic psychologist’s first novel is set in New Tampa. See pages 28-29 EDITORIAL Our editor responds to those critical of his July 26 editorial. See page 3 The Living Room Is Open At The Shops At Wiregrass! See story on page 36!
For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net Neighborhood News @NTWCNews Volume 30 Issue 17 August 22, 2022 On paper, Wharton may have the best team in school history. But, can they make it happen on the field? See story on pgs. 30-31! IS YEAR?THETHIS
Photo by Charmaine George
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But, just as I did when I lived (and cast ballots) in New York, I have never voted strictly along party lines. I have always voted for the candidates and referendums I believed would do the best job of protecting my family, my business, my city, county, state and country.
I received about four or five emails and/or phone calls to our office about my recent editorial, which ran in both the July 26 New Tampa and Aug 9 Wesley Chapel issues. All of these emails and phone calls have claimed that I am anti-Republican (or, at least, a RINO), antiDeSantis, pro-Democrat and anti-American, but nothing could be further from the truth. One woman who didn’t leave her name or number and had her number blocked (likely be cause she knew I would call her back to discuss her call) said that if she ever saw me out in the community, she’d walk up to me, scream and give me the finger to my face. “Do you know what the Democrats have done to this country, a-hole?,” I believe were her exact words.
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Editorial
Responding To Those Who Criticized My July 26 Editorial
While I don’t agree with everything Gov. DeSantis has done during his time in office, I greatly appreciate that he kept my business and so many others open during the pandemic and I definitely will still vote for him in November because I believe he is the best candidate in the race. Charlie Crist is a flip-flopper who can’t make up his mind what he is and Nikki Fried boasts about being a “true” Democrat, but based on the many terrible things the Democratic party has done nationwide, I can’t support a gubernatorial candidate who clings to an agenda I don’t support.
New NeighborhoodTampaNews 28949 State Road 54 Wesley Chapel, FL 33543
The only reason I started with the gover nor’s race in my editorial is because it’s one of the “biggest” elections being decided in Flori da in November, not because I support Crist or Fried. If my critics had read the entire editorial (and their comments suggest that maybe they didn’t), they’d see that I was much more fo cused on trying to get people in the communi ties I have served for almost 29 years. who tend to ignore voting in Primary Elections, to cast a ballot this time around — especially those who don’t think public school teachers are paid enough, because they definitely are not.
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Early voting for the Aug. 23 Primary Election in Hillsborough County will be over by the time this issue reaches your mailbox.
I and my sons (both of whom make more money than I ever have) all received public school educations only from Kinder garten through college and we all had won derful teachers who deserve to make (at least) a living wage, too. Since the millage referendum in both Pasco and Hillsbor ough counties will only appear on the Aug. 23 ballot, those who choose to not vote until November will likely (in my opinion) make it much harder for these two ballot measures to pass, especially in Pasco. The one thing I do agree with that the emailers pointed out is that I did neglect to mention China as a major national issue and I do believe that President Biden and the Democrats dominating Congress have made our country less safe with many of the stances they’ve taken with regards to China, Russia, North Korea and our enemies in the Middle East. I hope the Republican party can take back at least one, if not both, of those legisla tive bodies in order to keep better checks on policies that don’t make sense to me. No, I never voted for Pres. Trump (nor did I vote for Biden or Hillary Clinton, however) because I didn’t like him person ally and he’s done nothing since he left the White House to change my opinion of him. But, despite that fact, I do feel our military and our country were stronger when he was our President than they are now.I’llalso just remind everyone — as I always have when I receive emails/calls like these — is that page 3 is my Editorial page, where I give my opinions each issue on a particular subject. The problem that so often happens is that people 1) often don’t read the entire editorial and, even when they do, 2) they don’t believe I’m entitled to my voice my opinions in my community newspa pers, on page 3 or otherwise. But, after 29 years of putting my opin ions out there for tens of thousands of people every two weeks, I wouldn’t still be in business if most of our readers shared that belief — even though they may also disagree with me from time to time. And, despite how some readers may feel about me, I will always sup port anyone’s right to disagree with me — and appreciate that they still read the Neighborhood News despite their feelings towards me.
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Phone: (813) 910-2575
Correspondents
Producer/MultimediaSpecialist
Morgan Conlin Valerie Wegener
Gary Nager Managing Editor / Photographer John C. Cotey
First of all, RINO or not, I am a regis tered Republican who voted for Gov. DeSantis and most (but definitely not all) of the Repub lican candidates in most of the elections since I’ve lived in Florida — which is now almost 30 years — and I don’t believe I’ve ever not cast a ballot in any of those elections (including every city election in March of odd-numbered years when I lived in New Tampa from 1995-2009).
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Nothing that appears in New Tampa Neigh borhood 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 necessarily reflect the pub lisher’sTheopinion.deadline for outside editorial submis sions and advertisements for Volume 30, Issue 19, of New Tampa Neighborhood News is Thurs day, September 8, 2022. 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 submis sions 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 respon sible for errors in advertising beyond the actual cost of the advertising space itself, nor for the validity of any claims made by its advertisers.
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The pages of the Neighborhood News also show that I always have staunchly supported our military and charities geared to help them.
“This would be great for New Tampa,” says District 2 Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan. “People are always looking for things to do, especially in the summer when it is the hottest, so having an indoor facility is ideal.”
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It will include indoor activities like basketball, vol leyball and pickleball, and will feature a new outdoor playground and splash pad.
The rec center would be a nice consolation prize to replace a proposed regional city/county park in K-Bar Ranch that has been stalled. The county, which was going to pay for the park, and the city, which was going to run it, couldn’t agree on whether to make the park active (with baseball and softball fields) or passive (green space with walking and hiking paths), so the proposal was nixed.
By JOHN C. John@NTNeighborhoodNews.comCOTEY
The open house took place after we went to press with this issue, but you can check out Neighborhood NewsOnline.net for our coverage of the open house. It was the public’s first chance to weigh in on a recreation center the Neighborhood News first wrote about back in SetFebruary.tobelocated at Cross Creek Park (more com monly referred to by locals as Pride Park) on Bassett Creek Dr. next to Pride Elementary, the recreation center will be similar to those built by the county in other areas, such as Carrollwood and Westchase.
The rec center will feature an all-purpose court that can be used for basketball, volleyball and cricket, as well as large community rooms for meetings and other events, as well as inside restrooms. There also will be a parking lot with roughly 75-80 spaces. Outside the rec center, a new playground and splash pad will be constructed.
Hagan says the project already has $2.3 million secured for construction — $1.3 million from park im pact fees and another $1 million he helped get added during the recent county budget conversations.
He says the county owns two parcels of land in Live Oak, and it may sell the one that was last ap praised at $4 million to help fund the rest of the cost of the rec center.
If the rec center at Cross Creek Park doesn’t go through (due to lack of resident or county approval) then the money from any parcel sale would go towards the upgrades at Branchton Park on Morris Bridge Rd.
Will the potential for contributing to snarled school traffic and adding vehicles to what many K-Bar Ranch residents feel are roads that are ill-equipped outweigh the benefits of having New Tampa’s first public indoor recreation center as well as a splash pad and upgraded playground?Thatwas just one of the questions county plan ners were hoping to get answers to from New Tampa residents at an open house held on Aug. 15 in the Pride Elementary cafeteria.
Cross Creek Park currently has two outdoor basket ball courts, two kickball/baseball fields, picnic shelters, and a playground. But, all are showing their age, and the only bathrooms are two port-a-potties near the fields. According to conceptual plans (above), those fields, often used for baseball practices and cricket games, will be replaced by the rec center (in peach) and a new reten tion pond. (There are two baseball/softball fields across Bassett Creek Dr. but they are overgrown over and not maintained.) The outdoor basketball courts will remain.
New Tampa already has a YMCA (which requires a membership to use) and the city-owned New Tampa Recreation Center (which is tailored towards dance and gymnastics), but there is no county-owned indoor gym or recreation center that caters to basketball, volleyball and pickleball players, to name a few of the sports that Hagan says will be played at the new facility.
Residents Get Their Say About New Recreation Center
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Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera, who represents the New Tampa area as part of District 7, likes to joke that he only won his first election by a mere 65 votes in a runoff. In his second election, however, he trounced opponent Quinton Robinson 76.2 percent to 23.8 percent. After building a strong list of ac complishments and being attentive to New Tampa, where he has lived for 16 years, Viera thinks a third term is in order. He officially filed for reelection earlier this month.
Tampa City Councilman and long-time Hunter’s Green resident Luis Viera officially files to run for a third term.
Creek/Live Oak/K-Bar Ranch areas will be able to bypass Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. by driving north on Meadow Pointe Blvd., which leads all the way to busy S.R. Ready56.
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Viera, who fancies himself as a throwback politician focused more on bridge-building and working with op ponents to get things done, says there still are a number of transportation and fire rescue needs, like a fire station in K-Bar Ranch, that he says he will tackle if Connectionreelected.
The New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC) ribbon cutting is of ficially set for Friday, October 7, says Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan, who represents New Tampa in District 2. The 20,000-sq.-ft. NTPAC, which can be expanded later to 30,000 sq. ft., will have a 343-seat theater with retract able seating among its other features.
The Tampa City Council election isn’t until March 7, 2023; Viera does not have an opponent yet. “I feel like I have a lot more work to do for the district, and the City of Tampa,” Viera said. “There’s a lot more things to be done.” Viera played a significant role in ral lying New Tampa residents to be more active politically and impacted a city budget that led to funding for the New Tampa Recreation Center expansion and the building of the New Tampa Sensory & Autism Friendly Park, the first of its kind in the city. The Sensory Park is under construction and will hold a ribbon cutting later this year.
According to Viera, the openedCounty)PointearisingRegardless,typicallybeingCityRanchPointeand-opened-and-closed-againclosed-MeadowBlvd.connectorroadtoK-BarwillbeofficiallyvotedonbytheCouncilonAugust27.Vierasaystheitemcouldendupontheconsentagenda,whichdoesn’trequireanydebate.“Idon’tseeanyproblems(withthevote),”Vierasays.TheconnectionbetweenMeadowBlvd.(inWesleyChapel/PascoandK-BarRanchPkwy.wasaroundMay30forutilityworkerstofinishtheirwork,buteagerK-BarRanchresidentsimmediatelybegandrivingonthenewextension,forcingthebarricadestobeputbackinplace.Thelong-awaitedconnectorhasbeenbacktobeingclosedsinceearlyJune.NewTamparesidentsintheCross
A splash pad, pickleball and basket ball courts, two dog parks and hiking trails are just some of the amenities planned for Phase 1 of the new park, which will be just south of the cur rent Branchton Park, which sits on the southwest corner of Morris Bridge Rd. and Cross Creek Blvd.
For Branchton Park A massive upgrade to the current Branchton Park will break ground on Wednesday, September 14.
Viera Files For Third Term & New Facilities Near Openings
The second phase could include a Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office mini-sub station at the park, according to Hagan. Hagan also has said a second phase could include a possible public-private partnership (PPP) with a zip line or “challenge” course for the park.
By JOHN C. John@NTNeighborhoodNews.comCOTEY
The NTPAC is located behind the Vil lage at Hunter’s Lake shopping plaza, across BBD from the entrance to the Hunter’s Green community.
PAC Opening Set
Vote Coming
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“I was practically on ‘E,’” Harrison said. “So, I was committed once I was in line.” Afterwards, the workers from AFP paid their bill inside. They managed to serve 101 vehicles in an hour, while turning away dozens of cars. Those lucky enough to get the discount paid a total of $3,241.56 to fill their tanks with 1,362 gallons of gas. The Marathon station was charg ing $4.07 at the time of the fillup event, leaving AFP to pick up the $2,301.78 difference — the cost of spreading their message (along with a few free hats) about government waste.
There haven’t been too many times this year that you would see Andrea Ramos smiling as she pumped gas into her 2020 Jeep Sahara. On August 1, however, the West Meadows resident and about 100 other people were grinning from ear to ear as they filled their vehicles with gas priced at just $2.38 a gallon. The cheaper gas at the Flatwoods Marathon on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. was offered for one hour only by the Americans For Prosperity (AFP) as part of its “The True Cost of Washington” campaign.Ramos said that it usually costs about $90 to fill up her Sahara. She had about a quarter of a tank when she got in line for an hour wait, and then spent $42.10 for 17.6 gallons to top off her tank. “That’s cheap. I’ll take it any time I can get it, especially with this,” Ramos said, pointing at her Jeep, which she says gets just 14 miles to the gallon. Jeeps, vans and pickup trucks were the most common vehicles filling their tanks. Brandon Azzolini saw the event ad vertised on Instagram in the morning and drove all the way from Riverview to fill his 2022 Jeep Gladiator Mojave. He used some of his $50 savings to buy a pizza at the Sbarro inside the gas station before heading back to work. Michelle Saffor said she drove up from South Tampa in her 2017 Dodge Caravan to put $30 in her tank, getting 12.5 gallons worth. “I ain’t seen 12 gallons in a loooong time,” Saffor said. “You can’t beat that theseBrandon’sdays.”
Making a shorter trip was Wesley Chapel’s Michael Rogers, who found out about the cheaper gas that same morning. He decided to take his chances anyway. Although the line at one point extended to the I-75 interchange, turned right at the 7-Eleven and wrapped past the Home Depot and Steak ‘n Shake, Rogers got in before it backed too far up. “It was a great deal, so I didn’t want to miss it,” Rogers said. “When I got here (about an hour before the event), I realized I had a chance.Rogers filled the tank of his Ford F-150 truck, which was 75 percent empty, for about $40. He said it usually costs him $110 to fill it. Another Wesley Chapel resident, Amanda Harrison, put 19.9 gallons of gas in her 2021 Dodge Caravan for $47.71, saving about $63 from her usual $120 fillup.
By JOHN C. John@NTNeighborhoodNews.comCOTEY
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Long Lines But For One Hour, Cheap Gas For New Tampa
Taylor Solomon had one of the biggest trucks to show up, a bigwheeled 2015 Chevy Silverado. She filled it up, with 24 gallons for $58. “It usually costs me $120-$130 to fill up,” she said. “That’s a big hit, so it was worth the trip.”
Andrea Ramos of West Meadows and Wesley Chapel’s Michael Rogers were able to take advantage of the cheap gas offered for one hour only at the Flatwoods Marathon station on BBD Blvd. in North Palms Village on Aug. 1, along with 99 others. Many people who lined up for the reduced-price gas provided by Americans For Prosperity (below) ended up missing out because of the one-hour time limit. (Photos by Charmaine George)
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The mystery about what grocery store might be coming to The Grove at Wesley Chapel has brewed for more than a year, since it was first teased on social media, but the answer finally may be close to being Accordingunveiled.torecords filed with Pasco County, potential unnamed de velopers will meet with county planners Oct. 18 in a pre-application meeting.
TIME TO WINE AND DINE
Business Notes — Updates On The Grocery Store At The Grove & More
It’s official — Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant is coming to WiregrassAlthoughRanch.we first told you it was coming in early June, the much-antici pated eatery finally submitted its plans to Pasco County in July for a 10,570-sq.ft. restaurant. It will be located at the northwest corner of S.R. 56 and Lajuana Blvd. (the road that leads to the Wire grass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County), just east of the existing Cul ver’s Accordingrestaurant.to its website, since it was founded in 2005 in Illinois by CEO Tim McEnery as that state’s first winery/ restaurant, Cooper’s Hawk has received more than 500 wine awards from various local, national and international wine competitions.In2021,Copper’s Hawk was named by USA Today as the top winery restau rant in the U.S. in a reader’s survey. It is expected to open in Wiregrass Ranch sometime in mid-2023.
SPORTSAcademyCOMPETITIONSports+ Outdoors (AS+O) has been one of the longestrumored stores coming to the Cypress Creek Town Center North area. It was
Code Ninjas is coming to the New Tampa Cent er on the corner of BBD and New Tampa Blvd. (Rendering)
By JOHN C. john@ntneighborhoodnews.comCOTEY
If The Grove still plans on adding a grocery store component to its massive redevelopment, then all signs seem to point to a Super Target, which is basically regular Target store that sells the usual clothing and other household items, com bined with a full-size grocery store.
NEW PUBLIX TENANTS
The bad news — if that is the size of the building, you can likely rule out any of the trendy and hip grocery store ideas bandied about online. The square footage of the proposed building is more than twice what you would find at any Publix, Sprouts, Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.
Two of New Tampa’s Publix-an chored markets are getting new tenants, according to permitting filed with the City of Tampa. In the New Tampa Center plaza at the corner of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and New Tampa Blvd., a Code Ninjas will be opening in between the GNC and 18th & Main salon. Code Ninjas says it is the world’s largest and fastest-growing kids coding franchise, with hundreds of locations in the U.S., Canada, and the United King dom. It will offer monthly memberships for kids trying to learn how to code. Nearly five miles to the east, at the corner of Cross Creek Blvd. and Mor ris Bridge Rd., Cross Creek Commons is finally filling the space left open more than a year ago by Subway with Bonez & Pawz, a company that was incorpo rated last year but appears to be so new, we can’t tell you what it is. However, based on the name, and the fact that it’s located next to a veterinarian’s office, we’re assuming it has something to do with pets.
The preliminary plan reveals a 147,000-sq.-ft. retail building, with nearly 500 parking spots, located on the parcel of land just south of The Grove’s main property, across Pink Flamingo Ln. from Cost Plus World Market.
However, there already is another Super Target in Wesley Chapel, located at the corner of County Line Rd. and Bruce B. Downs Blvd., although proxim ity to other stores doesn’t stop big names like Publix, Walmart or Starbucks. According to The Grove, nothing has been signed with any grocer, so we’ll have to wait and see. If the grocery store plans have been scrapped entirely — and we don’t think they have — then your guess to what the large retail building might be is as good as ours.R.I.P. to the Trader Joe’s Brigade.
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The first Tampa Bay store, in Pinellas Park, is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The Wesley Chapel location will open sometime in 2023.
Academy is similar to DICK’s Sporting Goods, as it sells a variety of hunting, fishing, and camping gear, along with name-brand sports equipment and apparel, footwear and bikes.
For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net 13Neighborhood News @NTWCNews on some of the original maps touting the area long before many of the businesses that are up and running were ever men tioned. And finally, it’s just about here.
AS+O, headquartered in Katy, TX, a suburb of Houston, has more than 260 stores, and says on its website that its 2021 sales exceeded $6.77 billion.
One of the nation’s largest sport ing goods and outdoor sellers, AS+O is in permitting to open a 63,700-sq.-ft. store on the same lot as (and adjacent to) PopStroke, which already is under construction, behind the Chipotle and Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar on the north side of S.R. 56, across from the Tampa Premium Outlets.
AS+O is one of a number of busi nesses coming up in the coming months near the Wesley Chapel Blvd. and S.R. 56/54 intersection, such as St. Luke’s Eye Center (next to Miller’s Ale House), El Dorado Furniture (across S.R. 56 from Miller’s, which is opening soon), Chicken Salad Chick (next to Zaxby’s; see story on pg. 36) and Har ley Davidson of Wesley Chapel less than a half-mile north of 56 on Wesley Chapel Blvd.
“Tampa Bay is not only known for its enthusiastic sports fan base but also boasts renowned fishing, beaches and outdoor activities,” said Sam Johnson, Academy’s execu tive vice president of retail operations.
The sporting goods chain opened its most recent store in Panama City, FL, but the Wesley Chapel location will be just the second in the Tampa Bay area and the 15th in Florida.
Academy Sports + Outdoors will open in the Cypress Creek Town Center North area north of S.R. 56 sometime next year.
“Whether you’re soaking up the sun on the beach, hitting the bay, or heading to a Lightning game, our team is eager to serve the local community and make it easier to have fun and gear up by provid ing great value and unmatched service.”
The local LUNA group meets at St. Mark’s on the third Thursday of each month, from 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. While the group took a break over the summer, its next meeting will be held on Thursday, September 15. All are welcome to attend. You do not have to attend St. Mark’s or be of any particu lar faith tradition to participate in the support group, and there is no need to RSVP in Anyoneadvance.who has questions or needs more information, can call the church at (813) 907-7746. Cancer Support For You
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When Mariela Labrador, a longtime parishioner of St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church on Cross Creek Blvd., found herself a caregiver for a loved one with cancer, she looked around for resources and support from her community.AsanativeSpanish-language speaker, she found it helpful to connect with oth ers who understood what she was going through, and where she could communi cate without any language barrier. She found Latinos Unidos Por Un Nuveo Amanecer (Latinos United for a New Dawn, or LUNA) online at Luna CancerFL.org. LUNA’s mission is to reach out to the Spanish-speaking commu nity to help cancer patients, survivors and their Overfamilies.time, Mariela began volunteer ing for the organization, which has been part of the Tampa Bay community for more than 20 years, and eventually, she became a member of the organization’s Board of EarlierDirectors.thisyear, Mariela says, she de cided to connect her work with LUNA to her church and organized a support group to meet at St. Mark’s for Spanish speakers who are facing cancer. She says she hopes to grow the group to be large enough to support bringing in guest speakers on relevant topics, such as nutrition, relaxation, or pain management. But, at this time, she is focusing on build ing relationships and growing the group so people can share experiences and lean on each “Atother.this point, I’m concentrating on reaching out to the community and identi fying the needs,” Mariela says.
By CELESTE McLAUGHLINCorrespondent
Habla Español? There’s
Deacon José Moronta and Mariela Labrador have organized a cancer support group that helps break down the language barrier for Spanish-speaking people. They group meets at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church the third Thursday of each month. (Photo: Charmaine George)
FCS was founded in 1984 and has nearly 100 lo cations in Florida. According to its website, FCS uti lizes a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to cancer treatment and specializes in innovative clinical research and cutting-edge technologies. FCS claims to offer patients access to more clinical trials than any other private oncology practice in Florida. Over the past five years, most new cancer drugs approved for use in the U.S. were studied in clinical trials with FCS participation prior to approval.
The five-story Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch will be the largest hospital in Wesley Chapel. Its 300 planned rooms are more than AHWC (148) and the upcoming BayCare Hospital (60) combined. AHWC has room to expand to 300 rooms, which could even tually give the area 660 total hospital rooms.
More Health Care Headed To Wiregrass Ranch Area?
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The 3,200-bed system includes 10 award-winning hospitals, 9 hospital-based emergency rooms and 7 free-standing ERs.
“Their phasing plan and aggressive style and size of the facility they are going to put in makes a big statement, from our perspective,” Porter says.
John@NTNeighborhoodNews.comCOTEY
Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch also will have a new neighbor. Florida Cancer Specialists (FCS) & Research Institute (see map) has filed plans with Pasco County planners for a two-story, 56,559-sq.-ft. medi cal facility about a quarter mile east of where the new Orlando Health hospital will be located.
On July 12, Orlando Health announced it would be building a multi-level hospital in the Wiregrass Ranch Development of Regional Impact. Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch will be a 300-room facility at the northeast corner of the S.R. 56 and Wiregrass RanchOrlandoBlvd. Health Wiregrass Ranch, AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and AdventHealth Tampa (on E. Fletcher Ave.) will all be approximately the same distance — about 13-15 minutes — from the center of New Tampa.Ifthatseems like a lot, it’s not, says Wiregrass Ranch developer JD Porter (see story on pg. 16).
Another hospital has been announced as coming to the Wesley Chapel/New Tampa area, giving local residents a host of choices. Orlando Health has made it official — it will be Wesley Chapel’s hospital No. 3, joining AdventHealth Wesley Chapel (AHWC) and the soon-to-be-finished BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel, which is scheduled to open in AHWC2023.andBayCare are both located on Bruce B. Downs Blvd., a few miles from each other.
FCS will be located at the southwest corner of Hueland Pond Blvd. and S.R. 56. and will be the second major cancer center facility in Wiregrass Ranch. The 28,000-sq.-ft. Moffitt Cancer Center at Wesley Chapel opened on the AHWC campus in May 2021.
“Quite honestly, I doubt it’s the last announce ment of something of that nature that you will see before end of the year,” Porter says. “A lot of people want to be here.” For now, Orlando Health’s property purchase is expected to close later this fall. The hospital has filed plans with Pasco County and had a pre-application meeting with county planners on July 25. The new hospital is expecting to break ground by the end of the year. “At Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital, we will provide a broad range of health care services, all in one convenient location,” said John Moore, sen ior vice president of Orlando Health’s West Region. “Patients will receive exceptional emergency and inpa tient care from clinical experts in multiple specialties, the highest quality diagnostic services, and seamless access to all of Orlando Health’s trusted primary and specialty care providers.” Orlando Health, founded more than 100 years ago, is headquartered in Orlando, and is a not-forprofit healthcare organization with $8 billion in assets.
By JOHN C.
With careful direction — “It’s critical that it comes off as well-designed,” Sheridan says — Wiregrass Ranch’s Town Center is set up to Withsucceed.housing developments like Espla nade 55+ (860 homes), Estancia (1,184), Persimmon Park (450) and an entirely new, yet-to-be-named 2,000-home subdivision to be built east of Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. be hind the proposed Town Center, there will JD Porter isn’t looking to develop Wiregrass Ranch with just anything. He wants earth-shakers and differencemakers. He wants heart-stoppers and jawdroppers.HewantsAdventHealthunicorns.Wesley Chapel? That was a unicorn.“Noone believed that was happening,” he says of Wesley Chapel’s first hospital.
When it comes to restaurants, high-end establishments like Cooper’s Hawk (see pg. 12), which will open next year, will be cho sen over many of the national chains you see on the west side of I-75. In fact, Porter says he can see another 5-6 restaurants coming to Wiregrass Ranch in the same category as Cooper’sAlthoughHawk.he can’t say which ones until later this year and early next year, he says to get a good idea, take a look at some of the more upscale restaurants along Boy Scout Blvd. in the Westshore area of Tampa, where you’ll see at least two or three restaurants that will be coming to Wiregrass Ranch in the future.“We’re looking at higher caliber and quality,” says Sheridan. “We’ve turned down quite a few places and elevating who we’re talkingSheridanto.” says some smaller restaurants that will bring a more local hometown feel also fit into the plans. Both Porter and Sheri dan say finding the right balance between big and small, and local and national, is the key to building a successful Town Center.
One major component of the Town Center, which Porter hasn’t mentioned before, will be a potential four-year college, keeping with the education corridor concept hatched years ago along Mansfield Blvd. (home to an elementary and high school and Pasco Hernando State College, a twoyear institution).“Ithink(a4-year college) would be a
By JOHN C.
“We are laying the groundwork,” says Sheridan. “We are having active conversa tions with users who will be a key part of the Town Center. It’s all about finding the right blend.”There are plenty of options, and Porter and Sheridan say they are in no rush to make any of them.
Porter says the Wiregrass DRI, which is being developed by his family’s Locust Branch, LLC, and extends from S.R. 56 north to S.R. 54, and west to east from Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. to Meadow Pointe Blvd., will soon have its biggest miss ing piece.While it doesn’t have any publicly an nounced tenants just yet, Porter and Scott Sheridan, the chief operating officer of Locust Branch, LLC, are making the kind of careful choices that will cement the roughly 100-acre Town Center as what they expect to be the downtown area of not only Wesley Chapel, but north Tampa as well.
John@NTNeighborhoodNews.comCOTEY
16 For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
great fit,” he says. “It would benefit every one in the Portercounty.”alsosays that he’d like to see an ethnic grocery store, maybe a local butcher, baker and seafood guy, among a large assort ment of small family-run businesses. “I want it to be somewhere you go if you want something authentic,“ he says. “Where people don’t mind paying a little extra for something real.” Porter also wants plenty of civic uses. He says he’d like to see someone relocate their Master’s degree, MBA or nursing programs to the Town Center. According to Porter, Pasco County already has asked to reserve 75,000 sq. ft. of office space at the site in order to build a county center. Also exciting are the possibilities — and there’s already been talks — of mid-rise buildings with structure parking. “That changes the skyscape,” Porter says. “It changes what we’re going to look like. It’ll be done better than anyone else in the county….and in North Tampa, by far.”
The Shops at Wiregrass?
Porter’s Wiregrass Ranch Keeps Taking Shape
JD Porter thinks the Town Center he has planned for Wiregrass Ranch will serve as a downtown area for all of the North Tampa area as well. (Photo: Charmaine George)
“I don’t think our family thought that was possible,” he says of Wesley Chapel’s first mall.Pasco Hernando State College? The Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County? Raymond James Financial (which chose Wiregrass Ranch out of 78 different sites, according to Porter)? And, most recent ly, Orlando Hospital (see story on pg. 15)? Unicorns all. “Every time there’s been something that would be the holy grail, whether by chance or we’ve just done things the right way or a combination of both, we’ve gotten them,” Porter says. “Then, when you get them, you’re like, ‘Okay, what’s next?’” Those unicorns, which have provided jobs and people to the area, now surround what will be the centerpiece of the 5,100acre Wiregrass Ranch Development of Regional Impact (DRI) — the long-awaited Wiregrass Ranch Town Center.
Restaurants, Too!
‘Programmed Green Space’ And, for those who worry that brick and mortar are going to one day envelop the remaining country charm of Wiregrass Ranch, Porter says he is not just giving lip service to making sure plenty of the land he grew up on “There’ssurvives.goingto be programmed green space throughout the Town Center,” he says. “We will create something everyone talks about, but never delivers. We’ve prob ably spent as much time planning that out as what the streetscape will look like. It’s everchanging. We’ve got the ability to do some really creative stuff. It will shine in a way that nothing else has. I think that’s fair to say.”
“No town center, no downtown has had this much space set aside ahead of time,” Porter says. “In today’s environment, there’s nobody that would sit on property that valuable in order to let it grow. We’ve already started planning by how we’ve over sized it in order to see what it actually could be, versus what can we throw in here just because we sold everything around it. That, to me, makes it much more attractive as a canvas. Nothing is forced.”
For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net 17Neighborhood News @NTWCNews be plenty of customers for whatever Porter brings to “Thetown.most important aspect of getting this stuff is making sure that you’re not only successful on a Thursday and Friday night, but that you’re staying busy as hell all the time,” he says. “When your doors are open, you’re all packed up. That’s the thing we’re addressing way more than anybody else in the county.”Tofeed those future retail and commer cial tenants, the Town Center will receive the benefit of foot traffic from Orlando Hospital and Raymond James Financial employees, which will number more than 5,000, a sports campus that already attracts thousands of athletes and their parents every month, not to mention the schools and a mall that will be walking and biking distance away. And, that doesn’t even include the rest of the Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills and New Tampa residents that are within a short drive. In fact, from K-Bar Ranch in New Tampa to the proposed Town Center will be less than a 10-minute drive. Patience, Porter says, will soon pay off for everyone in Wesley Chapel. “As soon as you see Orlando Hospital start doing stuff, you’re going to start seeing the infrastructure in the Town Center come at the same time,” Porter says. “Then, it becomes a reality vs. we have cow pens there now. It becomes easier to sell it. Now that we have an announcement, now that we have permitting, we’re actually set up to start telling a significant story.”
She says she continues to get great reviews on the surgeries she does with her “magic wand,” a carbon dioxide laser that she says makes very precise incisions, which helps minimize both bleeding and recovery time.
Some patients receive insurance-based services, typically after being referred to Dr. Rosh by their primary care doctor or dermatologist. For example, some patients need surgery or treatment to restore the function of their eyes, for conditions such as droopy lids, eyelid malposition, thyroid eye disease, tear duct surgery or recon struction after cancer surgery. Others receive aesthetic treatments, such as lower lid surgery, laser skin re surfacing, ear lobe repairs, upper lip lifts, photofacials and laser peels.
Dr. Rosh, who recently was named a “Best of the Best” Cosmetic Surgeon in Tampa Bay, Gold Award winner, by the Tampa Bay Times, says that even functional surgeries often result in patients not only being able to see bet ter and feel better, but also have a nice aesthetic look when they are done. “The functional and cosmetic sides blend together a lot,” says Dr. Rosh, “like, if patients do upper lid surgery through their insurance but then decide they want lower lid and skin resurfacing, too.”
‘Dr. Rosh’ Celebrates A Year Of Helping Patients Look & Feel Better
She says that at this time of year, people want to have a nice glow for the
She says her cosmetic patients typi cally also want to look refreshed — or like a better version of themselves — but not change how they look. “I feel like the word has gotten out,” she says. “We’re doing surgeries in our office that people are happy with in terms of speedy recovery, less downtime and it’s easier to come in and get picked up when there’s none of the stress in volved with going to the hospital.”
“Dr. Rosh,” as her patients call her, says her practice is growing, as people discover the benefits of coming to her for cosmetic services to improve the look of their eyes, faces and skin.
18 For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
The procedure she performs most often removes excess fat from under the eyes, and she typically adds laser skin resurfacing to remove fine lines. “When we’re doing surgery in the office, patients can look at it right when we’re done,” she explains. “We sit them up and show them the mirror and their eyelids are lifted, the bags are gone, and the skin looks great.” And, she adds, “Most surgical patients can drive in around three days and may be bruised or swollen for 1-2 weeks. And, most of the swelling re solves within a month.” While surgery volume has picked up, so have patients coming in for nonsurgical treatment options, such as pho tofacials, which require no down time, and help to get rid of red and brown spots or patches on the skin, including helping patients with rosacea.
By CELESTECorrespondentMcLAUGHLIN
(L.-r.) Lisa Fahey (front desk and insurance specialist), Dr. Roshni-Ranjit Reeves and Susan Gregor (lead ophthalmic technician and first assistant) work together to help you not only see better, but look better as well. (Photos: Charmaine George)
“It’s aesthetics, but it’s also func tional,” Dr. Rosh says. “I want to help people see better and feel better, too.”
It’s been one year since Dr. Roshni Ranjit-Reeves officially opened her Ocu lofacial Surgery & Cosmetic Institute on S.R. 54 in Lutz, a mile or so west of the Tampa Premium Outlets.
Dr. Rosh has received outstanding reviews for her non-surgical cosmetic procedures, such as Botox® treatments, and she is happy to help her patients look and feel their best. holidays without any down time. Her es tablished patients often don’t see her over the summer while they’re busy traveling, which she says is fine as long as they are wearing sunscreen, using antioxidants to protect from UV damage and on a good medical-grade skincare routine.
“I was so happy with Dr. Rosh,” she says. “I got the results I was looking for, but not only that, her people skills also are amazing. She’s just such a kind, caring, fair and honest individual.”
However, that changed when she met Dr. Rosh. “She made me feel so comfortable,” Lupi says. “I knew right away I wanted her to be my doctor.”
“I’ve always worked out and I’m in good shape,” says Lupi, “but age is something that nowadays you have the opportunity to have some help with, so hey, why not?” Dr. Roshni Ranjit-Reeves’ Ocu lofacial Surgery & Cosmetic Insti tute is located in the same building as the Medi-Weightloss Center at 24420 S.R. 54 in Lutz. For ap pointments and more information, including current specials, see the ad on page 34, call (813) 303-0123 or visit DoctorRosh.com.
Lupi also appreciates that Dr. Rosh makes herself available to her patients.
“Then, they come in during the fall and let me laser away any sun damage from the summer,” Dr. Rosh says.
Last September, Lupi had a proce dure to lift her upper and lower eyelids.
Dr. Rosh earned her Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from the University of South Florida’s Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Anthropology and Biomedical Sci ences from USF. She then completed her ophthal mology residency at the USF Eye Insti tute and an oculofacial and reconstruc tive fellowship at the Duke Eye Center. She is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and The American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Re constructive Surgery. GreatLupiResultsButler attended the Grand Opening of Dr. Rosh’s office last year. She says she had been thinking about having a procedure done on her eyes and even had consultations with some specialists, but hadn’t found the right doctor yet.
“She basically held my hand the whole recovery. Every time I have something that concerns me, like a little bump on my eye, she says, ‘come see me.’ It ends up being nothing, but she takes care of me.”
Lupi says she recommends Dr. Rosh to all of her friends.
The week of Aug. 15-19, Dr. Rosh had a special camera in her office to look at blemishes, damage from the sun and ultraviolet light, and redness under the skin at a microscopic level. “There’s a double mirror, so the patient and I can both see the same thing,” Dr. Rosh says of the camera. “It’s a nice way of looking at the skin in an objective way at a microscopic level and then, we can tailor our plans accordingly.”AboutDr.RoshDr.Roshcame home to the Tampa Bay area with her husband, Dr. Corey Reeves, and their baby daughter after Dr. Rosh completed a fellowship and practice at Duke University in Durham, NC. Now, their daughter is a toddler and the couple has a baby boy on theSheway.says she’ll take a few weeks off this fall, so her schedule is very full lead ing up to her maternity leave, and her intention is to start performing surgeries again in October.
For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net 19Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
Blue Heron Senior Living, located on Eagleston Blvd. off Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Seven Oaks near the new (opening in 2023) BayCare Hospital, had a staggered opening in June 2021. The 159,000-sq.ft. retirement home offers four distinct lifestyle communities for residents — including assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation. “We are a very unique community,” says Community Relations Director Lilly Gonzalez. “We are the only community in the Wesley Chapel and New Tampa area that combines assisted living, memory care, skilled rehab and long-term care, all on oneEvencampus.”beyond Wesley Chapel/New Tampa, the combination of all four ser vices is Gonzalezrare. says the goal of Blue Her on is to provide care and services to its residents, so they can have the independ ence to do the things they enjoy. Family members, she says, can visit and spend quality time with their loved ones know ing they are being cared for properly. “When their family comes, they can enjoy the visit without having the burden of having to care for [and ask], ‘Did you take your pills, did you take a shower, did you drink your water?,’” Gonzalez says. “They can rest assured that we took care of those responsibilities.”
Candy Spitzer searched extensively for the perfect retirement home. Her criteria included a place near her children, where she didn’t have to cook or clean and where she could still have neighbors. She found the community she was look ing for at Blue Heron Senior Living & Memory Care. “I wanted to be with people who would be similar to my age so that we could still talk to and really communicate with each other,” says Spitzer, a 78-yearold Blue Heron resident. “Blue Heron was so far above any of the other places that I went because I never saw that ability for us to be able to get together as much as we can here.”
small gatherings or just relaxing. The main dining area, which serves up to three meals a day to residents, is behind the lobby, and also has an open kitchen area, called The Bistro, for graband-go snacks and drinks, including cof fee and a wine tap for residents to enjoy while watching television or mingling with new Whenfriendstheweather is right, an out door patio beckons. It features a gas grill, a putting green and plenty of umbrellacovered seating for those who choose to look out over a sizable pond. It also is a perfect area for live music, which residents are treated to on occasion. Blue Heron also has an art studio/ gallery, a spa/salon and a life enrichment center.Gonzalez says the fourth floor might be the residents’ favorite — “It has a lounge area and it’s really a pretty place to watch the sunsets,” she says. Some apartments have balconies that overlook a courtyard and the pond as well, offering beautiful views. To provide peace of mind, Covid-19 regulations are in place at all Blue Heron communities. Employees are regularly test ed for Covid-19 and residents are required to wear masks in the common areas. This has not, however, done away with the community aspect of Blue Heron, Gonzalez says. She recalls a time when residents did not want anyone to be excluded, so they pushed two tables together in the dining room. Gonzalez says the residents take pride in the community and make it comfortable and inclusive for everyone, which is something management also encourages.“It’sreally a precious thing,” she says. “They’re able to feel comfortable
An Array of Choices Spitzer is just one of about 83 resi dents who currently live in the assisted living community. There are 18 studio apartments, 43 one-bedroom apartments and 12 two-bedroom apartments to choose from. Residents of the 73 apart ments — some are occupied by couples — can partake in social, educational, spiritual and health-oriented activities. Residents also are welcome to leave their homes to shop or go out to eat, Gonzalez says, which is something Blue Heron residents like to do often. Resi dents also receive a pendant, often worn like a necklace, that they can press in case they need a care team member for assistance.BlueHeron offers a host of ameni ties. In each assisted living apartment, there are full-sized refrigerators, a washer and dryer, television and telephone service, as well as WiFi, which along with the other utilities, are all included in the monthly price. The lobby has comfortable seating and a gas-fired fireplace, ideal for
Blue Heron Senior Living Offers The Best Of Four Worlds!
The sunsets at Blue Heron Senior Living in Wesley Chapel are an added bonus to go with a long list of amenities for residents in Assisted Living and Memory Care. (Photos courtesy of Blue Heron)
20 For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
By ISABELLACorrespondentDOUGLAS
For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net 21Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
Skilled Nursing & Rehab “Skilled nursing and rehabilitation services are for patients who need more acute services for thatNewChapelnitylivingonlynursingforAdmissionsDirectorCedeno,saysillnesses,”injuriessurgeries,varyingorLenee’theoftheskilledside.ItistheassistedcommuinWesleyorTampaoffersboth
short-term rehabilita tion services and long-term nursing care on-site. There are 106 private suites in the health and rehabilitation center, as well as a “Return to Home” program that includes advanced therapy equip ment, physical, occupational and speech therapies, virtual reality workouts and neighborhood amenities.
Memory Care is its own separate neighborhood, and features its own dining room (top left) and 22 studio apartments (top right), as well as a number of security measures to keep the residents safe.
“Our whole vision is for rehab to home,” Cedeno says. “To get patients stronger so that they can return home or to assistedAssistedliving.”Living or Memory Care residents who have a medical need that requires a skilled nurse or intense rehab can just transition over and get the help they need before returning to their regular apartments.Assisted Living and Memory Care are independently licensed with the state of Florida, and the skilled nursing has a distinct license for their service spe cialty, Gonzalez says. Both areas of the community offer skilled, certified and licensed staff members through Resident Aides, Medication Technicians, Certified Nursing Assistants, Licensed Practical Nurses and Registered Nurses. A variety of doctors visit residents and patients, including cardiology, podiatry, psychol ogy and many other specialties. Residents in Assisted Living can maintain their current primary care physicians if they choose to do so. Another unique touch offered by Blue Heron is its respite stay program. If a family caregiver needs to go out of town for a few weeks and can’t leave a parent or older relative alone to care for themselves, they can stay at Blue Heron like they would a hotel, provided they meet the same requirements as a regular resident. These respite stays won’t be available forever because, eventually, Gonzalez says, Blue Heron will be at 100-percent oc cupancy. But until then, “it is a service to the community.”Thosesame caregivers also can benefit from a free support group offered by Blue Heron on the third Wednesday of every month, from 3 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Eileen Poiley from the Byrd Alzhei mer’s Center & Research Institute at USF hosts the free monthly forums. The forum are designed to help Tampa-area caregiv ers cope with any stress and guilt, deal with loved ones who may no longer recognize them, are caring for a relative who is exitseeking or are in physical and cognitive decline. Gonzalez says roughly a dozen or so caregivers attend, and everyone is welcome.Thelong list of amenities and the growth of the community are two of the main reasons why Spitzer is overjoyed with her choice. For people wondering about living at Blue Heron, she says it is the best senior living community she’s looked at in the area. “I just wish more people would un derstand that it’s not a punishment for their children to take them like my sons brought me,” Spitzer says. “It’s become a joy and I would hope that older people will begin to look at this as being their new home and that you can live a very nice Bluelife.”
Heron Senior Living is lo cated at 5071 Eagleston Blvd. in Wes ley Chapel, and its hours are MondayFriday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m., and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on the weekends. For more information, call (813) 454-0513, visit SeniorLivingAtBlueHeron.com or see the ad on page 29 of this issue.
enough to display this and engage other new residents and make them feel com fortable — that’s unique.” For Blue Heron residents with de mentia, the community offers a secured, but intimate memory care community, which allows residents to thrive and not be overwhelmed. Offering a smaller homelike environment also ensures the person alized attention and programming these residentsGonzalezdeserve.says that with Memory Care, “it’s all about engagement with planned events, scheduled outings, mean ingful and purposeful programs that keep our residents stimulated, within their own familiarSheenvironment.”addsthatthe Memory Care community provides a supervised neigh borhood for residents, while also allowing them to maintain their independence. “For those who may have a tendency to try to walk away and go look for a loved one or go look for their home and wander off, well then, the independent area in assisted living is no longer safe for them,” she says. “Memory Care is a secured neighborhood and provides that safety and peace of mind.” While the 22 Memory Care studio apartments may all be similar, the front of the “cottages” vary, with some designed with brick, stone or wood.
“We all have our areas of specialty and interest,” he explains. “That’s what makes us so powerful.”
The doctors of AllergyTampa.com include (l.-r.) Dr. Amber Pepper, Dr. Richard Lockey, Dr. Mark Glaum and Dr. Seong Cho. All four doctors see patients at their offices on BBD Blvd. and South Tampa and also teach at the University of South Florida. (Photos by Charmaine George)
22 For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net Neighborhood News @NTWCNews AllergyTampa.com
Dr. Richard Lockey, Dr. Mark Glaum, Dr. Seong Cho and Dr. Amber Pepper diagnose and treat various al lergic and immunologic diseases in both children and adults. These include allergic nose and eye problems; other respiratory issues such as asthma; food, drug and insect allergies; various forms of allergic skin disorders, including atopic eczema, urticaria (hives) and contact dermatitis; acute and chronic sinusitis; and systemic allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis.
The doctors also are also experts in treating immunodeficiency diseases — patients who are abnormally susceptible to infections.Thefour of them are set apart by their commitment to research and educa tion in the field, treating patients in private practice while also conducting re search at the University of South Florida (USF) Division of Allergy & Immunol ogy Clinical Research Unit (CRU). The private practice office and CRU make up the top floor of a medical building near the corner of Fletcher Ave. and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., and the practice is found online at AllergyTampa.com. Richard Lockey, M.D., founded the practice in this location in 1984 as Academic Associates in Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Nearly four decades later, he continues to practice alongside a team of professionals who are all Board-certified in both internal medicine and allergy and immunology and who pride themselves on excellent patient care. All four also educate residents and medical students at USF and supervise a nationally recognized program to train allergists and immunologists. In that ca
By CELESTE McLAUGHLINCorrespondent pacity, they do clinical research and have been involved in many of the innovations in the specialty of allergy and immunology over the past several decades.
“Because of our research back ground,” says Dr. Cho, “we take a scientific approach to diseases. We are all currently involved in doing research on both the university and clinical side, so we have more scientific understanding.” Their goals are to improve the qual ity of life of their patients with allergies and immunologic diseases and make them self-sufficient in caring for their own health and the health of their chil dren and families. They also continue to improve the diagnosis and treatment of allergic and immunologic diseases. While Dr. Lockey says that there’s nothing wrong with a doctor who chooses only to focus on seeing patients, physicians join his team because they also want to do academic research and train new physicians in the specialty.
Doctors Combine Clinical Practice & Research
A Little Background Dr. Lockey earned his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from the Tem ple University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, then subsequently joined the faculty of the USF (now Morsani) College of Medicine as a Professor of Medicine. Dr. Lockey also has served as president of the World Allergy Organization and is a past presi dent of the American Academy of Al lergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), of which all of the practice’s specialists are members.Dr.Glaum earned his M.D. degree at the Hahnemann University School
For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net 23Neighborhood News @NTWCNews of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. He completed a fellowship in allergy and clinical immunology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, also in Philadelphia. His areas of interest include how the body responds to substances that cause allergic reactions and advanc ing diagnostic techniques, such as rhi noscopies (examining nasal passages with specialized instruments).
Dr. Cho received his M.D. degree as an otolaryngologist — an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor — from Kyung Hee University School of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea. His allergy and immunology training was completed at the Northwestern Uni versity Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago,“BeingIL.an ENT is unique,” Dr. Cho says, “I have more expertise in sinus problems. Often ENTs and allergists work together, but my training and background gives me a better perspective of bothAnd,sides.”likethe other doctors in the practice, Dr. Cho explains that the ongo ing research and university experience means they take a scientific approach to treating patients, as well. Dr. Pepper earned her M.D. degree from USF in 2013, then completed her residency in internal medicine in 2016 at USF and a fellowship at the practice through USF’s Division of Allergy & Immunology.Whileall of the doctors are able to treat nearly all allergy and immunology issues, there are times when they rely on each other to handle very complicated cases. They say that some local allergists refer to them when a patient has a par ticularly intricate issue. For example, Dr. Cho’s background as an ENT means he’ll sometimes handle nasal allergy testing for patients of his colleagues, if skin and blood tests are negative for allergy responses and the patient requires that nasal allergy testing. The doctors provide the community with pollen counts, including pollen counts from mold spores, year-round. In the spring, they provide pollen counts from trees. In the summer, they provide counts for grasses and, in the fall, for weeds. They are experts in both out door and indoor allergies cause by mites, molds, animals and other allergens.
Drs. Lockey, Glaum, Cho and Pep per recommend that patients always look for physicians with expertise and ongo ing training to meet your specific needs. They intentionally stay up-to-date on medicine and treatment at the forefront of medicalPatientsscience.cansee Drs. Lockey, Glaum, Cho or Pepper at their North Tampa office, which is located at 13801 BBD Blvd., Ste. 502, or in the South Tampa office, located at 1906 W. Platt St. To learn more about the services they provide, visit Aller gyTampa.com, call (813) 971-9743, or see the ad on page 27.
Dr. Lockey has been serving area residents for nearly four decades, and also has served as president of the World Allergy Organization and is a past president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
Jennifer Bugos, Ph.D., is heading up a study at the USF School of Music that will examine the effects of music training interventions on memory and motor function. (Photo: Charmaine George) See “Music” on pg. 26
“One of the key components of the study is that the task must be novel — or new – to participants,” explains Dr. Bugos. “We’re looking for people with three or less years of previous formal private musical training and not currently reading music and engaging in musical performance.”
USF Music School Seeking Participants For Cognitive Study
Music touches people creatively and socially, but it also deeply affects our brains.
Jennifer Bugos, Ph.D., first considered that idea when she was much younger, as a secondary caregiver for her grandparents. With her grandfa ther’s ability to speak declining to the point where he could barely utter a sentence, she would play the piano, and he would sing every word to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Nearby, her grand mother was in a near vegetative state, but her toe would still tap along to the music. These experiences led Dr. Bugos to her life’s work, studying, as she says, “what it is about music that is so special.” Her background in music education includes Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Master of Edu cation and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music Education, plus studies in gerontology and postdoctorate study in neuropsychology. She serves as Associate Professor of Music Education in the School of Music at the University of South Florida (USF), with two decades of research and a 22-page curriculum vitae detailing the research she has done to understand the connection between music and cogni tive performance, among other accomplishments. “Music is a powerful stimulus that we know can help to improve memory,” she says. “It’s a powerful way to exercise the brain.” Last year, the National Endowment for the Arts chose USF as one of just six nationally designated re search labs in the area of “the arts, creativity, cognition and learning.”Asprincipal investigator, Dr. Bugos will lead researchers who will study the effects of music training interventions — specifically, subjects will participate in music classes — on memory and motor function. The study is called Cognition and Coordination Across the Lifespan in Music, or the acronym CALM. It is open to adults ages 18-25, as well as to adults over age 60, with plans to recruit children ages 8 to 12 in the future. Participants should have no or very little formal training in music.
“Many of our previous participants can play for their own enjoyment or report playing ‘Happy Birthday’ for their grandchildren. Dr. Bugos says. “Some even per form at church or just for their own enjoyment.” She adds, “It’s a very rewarding experience. Music
24 For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
She defines “previous formal private musical train ing” as one-on-one instruction. If someone has partici pated in a band or chorus in high school, or something similar, that would not disqualify them from participat ing in the Thosestudy.whodo participate will be randomly as signed to a group for their music lessons. Because the groups are assigned at random, participants will not get to choose the type of music lessons they will re ceive. The classes will meet twice a week for 12 weeks and study participants are asked to also practice at home 30 minutes a day, or three hours a week. There are various classes available to accommodate different schedules.Cognitive training interventions contain task nov elty, progressive difficulty, practice components, social elements, and are “ecologically valid,” which means that individuals can use the new skill in everyday life.
By CELESTE McLAUGHLINCorrespondent
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The first session begins in Septem ber, but new sessions will begin every four months, so those who are interested can feel free to reach out, even if their schedule doesn’t permit them to partici pate in the September sessions.
Continued‘Music’from pg. 24
training contains all of the active ingredi ents of a cognitive training intervention.” Because the programs are struc tured as cognitive training programs, Dr. Bugos says, “They are a bit more intense than a traditional music lesson.” She ex plains that it’s important for the lessons to be rigorous — and for participants to attend regularly and practice at home — so they can see gains. She also notes that the programs are engaging and that people who partici pate will notice benefits in terms of cog nitive performance. They also will make social connections. She says previous participants still sometimes get together for coffee, for example. Lessons are offered free of charge, and participants will receive all materi als and access to instruments for the duration of the program. In addition, they are required to participate in four research sessions, for which they will be compensated. USF parking passes also are provided.“It’sagreat program,” Dr. Bugos says. “There are cognitive benefits, mo tor system benefits, and learning a new skill that can last a lifetime.” Additional studies are open for participants who are currently cancer pa tients or have experienced heart failure. All studies require participants to follow Covid-19 procedures, including wearing masks during the lessons.
Partners include Kuumba Dancers and Drummers and the Patel Con servatory at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. The Gasparilla Music Foundation also is a partner on a series of studies examining the effects of music training on coordination and cognition in children.Tosee if you qualify to par ticipate in the study, or for more information, contact Dr. Jennifer Bugos at (813) 974-2753, email her at BugosJ@usf.edu or see the ad on page 36.
26 For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
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Located only about five miles south of Tampa Palms, off the Fowler Ave. exit of I-75 in Temple Terrace, the opening of Kiran C. Patel Elementary for the 2022-23 school year represents a unique opportunity for students in ourThearea.new 650-student Patel Elementary, a Hillsborough County charter school which held its official ribbon cutting (photo above) on July 25, is on the same Dr. Kiran C. Patel Campus for Innovative Learning as Patel High (with 600 students) and the Terrace Commu nity Middle School (660 students). The event was attended by many local and state dignitar ies, including U.S. Senator Rick Scott, who sent a video of congratulations. At the ribbon-cutting event, Patel Elementary co-founder Ashok (Ash) Bagdy introduced Dr. Patel (above, right) as the new school’s “founder, visionary and benefactor” and a “global humanitarian who has donated hundreds of millions of dollars for education, health care, arts and culture in North America, Asia andWhenAfrica.”Ash finished his introduction, Dr. Patel thanked his own parents for ensur ing that he had a great education and said his goal has been to do the same for students in his native India, as well as in Africa and the U.S. He said that Patel Elementa ry, whose mascot is the Pioneers, is based on the principle that, “in the early, formative years, if you don’t provide the right environ ment then you know for sure you’ve missed the boat.” Dr. Patel also touted the importance of kids being able to complete their education “from elementary through high school at one location. That is an important choice that we can now offer to every one of our (elementary) students.”
Ashley Galfond (center right photo), the Patel Elementary principal who spent eight years as an assistant principal in Hillsborough public schools (most recently at Chiles Elemen tary in Tampa Palms), spoke of her excitement to open Patel with 288 students in grades K-2. “The strategic plan of beginning small allows us to build the family culture here at our school. Each year, we will add six new classes of kindergartners and, before you know it, these incoming second graders will become fifth graders and we’ll have a full K-5 school.”
Best of all, she said, during the school’s Open Houses, “the children have been asking the questions and zipping from room to room, imagining their lives as Pioneers.”
For more information about Patel Elementary (10739 Raulerson Ranch Rd.), call (813) 444-0660 or visit PatelEl ementary.org. — Gary Nager, with photos by Charmaine George
Patel Elementary Charter School In Temple Terrace Is Now Open For 2022-23
But, when he contacted me by email a few weeks ago, asking about Neighbor hood News advertising rates, I responded as I always do — asking him about the nature of the business he was trying to promote and whether he was interested in New Tampa, Wesley Chapel or both of ourWhenmarkets.hesaid that he was looking to promote his first-ever self-published nov el — entitled The Poker Night Murders — I was intrigued. I told him, as I have many authors before, that if he would send me a copy of the book, I’d take a look at it and possibly write something to try to help him sell more copies.
Poker, Murder & New Tampa
Even though I was still living in Hunter’s Green when retired forensic psychiatrist Donald Taylor first started hosting weekly poker games at his home in the same community, I don’t believe I had ever met “Don.”
We ended up speaking on the phone at length about the book, which is based both on Don’s weekly poker nights at his home and fictional accounts of mur der cases, none of which, he says, were based on actual murderers he was called on to interview and testify about their mental states by either the courts or the attorneys involved in the cases.
to read it...at all.
The reason is not only due to my at tention span, but also because I knew that even if I didn’t love the book, I could get through it in just a few sittings without it affecting my deadline schedule.
New Tampa resident and retired forensic psychiatrist Donald “D.R.” Taylor hopes this article will help sell more copies of his first-ever novel — The Poker Night Murders.” (Photo provided by Don Taylor)
By GARY NAGER length — only 125 pages. The murders themselves take place over only four consecutive Thursdays, with each poker night played out in a single chapter of this four-chapter book.
28 For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
notsubjectestedmeing”MurdersHuluShort-SelenaMartin-MartinGomezseries“OnlyintheBuilddefinitelymadeevenmoreinterinthebook’smaterial.Andno,Idoregretmydecision
New Tampa Resident’s The Poker Night Murders Has Local Fla-
The second thing that immediately ap pealed to me was how Don — who goes by the pen name “D.R. Taylor” in his novel — would weave actual No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em poker hands (with graphic illustrations showing the cards as they are played) and the various players’ reactions to how other players played those hands into the story. Although I love to play poker, I have always kind of hated Hold ‘Em because I tend to, especially in lower stakes games, stay in as often as possible to see the “flop” cards, just as the character in the book named Cody, who is known to all of the other players as the worst player in the game, usually does, almost all of the time to hisIndetriment.thebook,“D.R.” says his fictional players decided at some point during the weekly high-stakes ($1,000 buy-in; more on this below) game at the home of the charac ter based on him — retired forensic psychia trist Dr. Ronald Turner — to only play Hold ‘Em “after the televised poker boom began in 2003.” Don admits that “the stakes and the implied incomes of the players have been magnified for dramatic effect,” noting that
Now, although I’ve done precious little reading for pleasure since I started editing thou sands of pages every year for my publi cations nearly 30 years ago, and never really was too big on murder mysteries as a reading genre, I agreed to at least read the first chapter or chapters to get a feel for the book. The fact that Jannah and I cur rently really enjoy the Steve
One of the things that appealed to me immediately about the book was its
For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net 29Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
And, while I would guess that The Poker Night Murders skews more towards a male audience because of the amount of poker included in the story and the lack of much in the way of sexual overtones, the book was definitely a page-turner for me. Rather than my anticipated “few sittings,” I devoured the book in just two.
he “thought readers would be more inter ested in a game where people won or lost $2,000, rather than $37.” Don also goes into detail about not only the rules (for the uninitiated readers) but also the intricacies of Hold ‘Em, which made me realize even more why I never really won playing it. But, what really hooked me were all of the New Tampa and Tampa references — Ciccio Cali, Acropolis, USF, the Lightning, Bruce B. Downs Blvd., South Tampa, the Seminole Hard Rock Casino and even a local female TV anchor who never got pro moted because of Kelly Ring. I don’t know if these references will be lost on readers outside of our area, but it definitely made the book more fun for me. As for the murders themselves, I’ll admit that I focused on only two of the many major characters from the very be ginning (and one of those two did actually “do it”), but Don did such a great job of making you doubt your sleuthing skills that right up until the “Fourth Thursday” (final) chapter, I wasn’t sure whodunit.
I congratulate Don, his editor Kath leen Strattan and his illustrator and book designer John Reinhardt on a job well done. Will there be a sequel? “let’s see how this one sells,” Don says. “But, you neverSpokenknow.” like a true mystery writer. Donald Taylor’s The Poker Night Murders is available online (only) on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble for just $14.95 per copy. It’s not currently available in stores, but, as Don says, “We’ll see about it in the future.”
onship favorites in the Metro Division of State Class 3A. It won’t take long to get an idea of how good this Wharton team can be. Jesuit went 15-0 last season, won the Class 6A State Championship, finished ranked No. 5 in the country (according to (September14No.Classpens,”movingthemuchportunitytrainlong,”thelast1,976andHighSchoolFootballAmerica.com),returnsRBJoquezSmith,whohadyardsrushingand29touchdownsyear.TheystartthisyearrankedNo.32intheU.S.,andMaxPreps.comranksthemNo.6inFloridaandNo.2inClass3A.WhartonisNo.9intheState.“Weareinwait-and-seemode,andbestpartiswedon’thavetowaitWilliamssays.“That’sagravyonbiscuitwheels.It’sagreatopforourprogram.”Williamsdoesn’twanttoputtooemphasisononegame,especiallyfirstone.“We’regoingtobebetterforwardnomatterwhathaphesays.TheWildcatsstillhavetogetoutof3M,District4,whichincludesState3-rankedTampaBayTech(Octoberontheroad)andNo.8Armwood30athome).Thosetwoteamswere3-0against
The last time Wharton was led by a football coach that was a former AllAmerican at the University of Southern California, won a Rose Bowl and went on to play in the NFL, the Wildcats made it all the way to the Class 5A State Championship game way back in 2002. Those who remember that guy, Richard “Batman” Wood, might be get ting a case of déjà vu this year.
Mike Williams, a former All-Amer ican at the University of Southern Cali fornia who won a Rose Bowl and went on to play in the NFL, is entering his third season as the Wildcats head coach, and he might have the best team in the school’s history. On paper, Wharton is loaded head ing into the 2022 season, which kicks off Friday when it hosts Jesuit. Williams is quick to temper his team’s expectations. Wharton return stars like leading rusher Arkese Parks; line backer and tackle machine Cam Camp bell; junior linebacker Booker Pickett, Jr., and senior defensive back Dijon Johnson, who have 70 college offers between them; as well as the entire offensive line. What positions they don’t have re turning due to graduation they have filled with enough transfers to make the NCAA transfer portal look tame, with 4-star running back Stacy Gage, rated the No. 2 back in the country for 2024, heading up a group of more than a dozen new players from at least 10 different high schools. “That doesn’t mean (anything),” Wil
john@ntneighborhoodnews.comCOTEY
By JOHN C.
30 For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
Since replacing David Mitchell in 2020, coach Mike Williams (in gray) has compiled a 16-5 record, including 3-2 in the State playoffs. (Photos: Charmaine George)
Wildcats Reloaded For State Run
liams says. “I firmly believe just because you get talented kids, it doesn’t equal win ning. You must have the right kind of kids, that will be good teammates and work for the success of others. You get some ‘me’ kids, who want to know what’s in it for them, so it’s a fine juggling act.”
The prep pundits may not agree — they see a team that is one of the champi
Dijon Johnson, who re-opened his recruiting after initially committing to Ohio State, is ranked as the 10th-best cornerback prospect in the country, and leads a very strong cover group. Jamari Thomas, from Sumner High, is a rising star and John Doan was an All-Confer ence player for Steinbrenner last year. Wharton has such a glut of riches that Williams can claim to have the county’s fastest…punter. William Hine line, the Hillsborough County champion and State qualifier in the 200 meters last spring, has decided to move over from wide receiver and handle kicking duties for the“It’sWildcats.anexciting time,” Williams says. “You want kids to set high goals and winning State is the highest goal. There’s a feeling here that we are on our way, but you try to fight the feeling of thinking that you’ve already arrived. There’s still a lot of work to do between now and December.”
Quarterback Jackson Jensen (top left) and running back Stacy Gage are two of the key newcomers expected to have a major impact on the Wharton football team, which is ranked No. 9 in Class 3A.
Wharton last year — handing the Wildcats their only blemishes in a 9-3 season — with TBT ending the Wildcats’ season in the third round of the playoffs 42-6. No matter how closely you look, it’s hard to see many holes on the Wharton roster this season.
For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net 31Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
Three quarterbacks transferred in, with Jackson Jensen, who threw for 1,450 yards and 11 touchdowns for Carrollwood Day School last year, earn ing the starting spot over Noah Bryant (Chamberlain) and Luke Sather (Tampa Catholic).Gage, a youth football legend in Tampa in his younger days, transferred in from IMG Academy, and has 42 col lege offers. He will start in the backfield alongside promising Nahiem Doctor, who ran for 400 yards at Tampa Catholic last year.“They are built the same way,” Williams says. “Some guys say they have thunder and lightning. At Wharton, we have thunder and thunder.” Parks — who ran for 570 yards and seven touchdowns last year, is a smaller, shiftier back who can go the distance every time he touches the ball — will get some carries but also play a bigger role in the receiving game, teaming up with Deandre Newton, Tyrese Smith and Javaughn Singleton, all juniors.
The duo will be a handful for op posing offensive lines, and free ends C.J. Green and Jeremiah Jacobs for additional sacks. Jacobs had nine sacks as a fresh man but missed almost all of last season with a knee injury. Williams is excited about his return, and Green started on the offensive line in 2021. “He told us he was tired of block ing people, that he wanted to hit some people,” Williams says. “He’s been one of our biggest surprises of the offseason.”
Everyone is back on the offensive line, including center Eddy Dominguez and twins Tolu Onikeku (a guard) and Lolu Onikeku (tackle). Pickett’s younger brother Kenyon, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound freshman, and Chamberlain transfer Stone Ferguson also are in the mix for starting jobs. On the defensive line, two notable newcomers at defensive tackle will start — junior R.J. McCollough, who played for Jesuit last year, and senior Zyon Nobles, a Zephyrhills Christian transfer who recorded 24 sacks in 2021.
Booker Pickett, Jr., and Campbell head up a strong linebacking group. Pickett had 22 sacks last year, while Campbell added four to go with a teamhigh 105 tackles.
“If you’ve got 4 or 5 of him on your team, you’re hard to beat,” Williams says. “He’s everything you want in a footballTylerplayer.”Green and Andre Ellis, two juniors, also will see time at linebacker.
“If Jimmy buys in, he can have a huge year,” Short says.
New Field, New Attitude, Winning Season? Pats Hope So!
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The offensive line is small, and will be built around junior tackle/guard Hudson Brown, who is the biggest starter at 6-foot, 235 pounds, and sophomore center Doug Ruggero. Both also will play on the defen sive line, which is a work in progress.
Coach Chris Short will once again be working with a small roster of about 30-35 players, and is unlikely to have enough kids for a junior varsity team. However, he is optimistic the Patriots can improve on last year. Although they lost their last eight games, they aver aged 23 points per game the last three and pulled out a 7-6 win over King in the spring jamboree, creating some enthusiasm.Unfortunately, because the play ing field at Freedom was being replaced all summer and the weight room was unavailable due to construction at the high school, Short couldn’t hold summer workouts and build on that spring win, so he’s hoping some of that enthusiasm is still left “We’veover.got a lot of young guys that didn’t see much playing time last year that we are eager to see,” Short says. “We’ll be relying on them this year.” Two of those young guys will be under center — sophomore Hassan “Duke” Corley and Tampa Catholic junior transfer Austin Swank. Freedom will employ a two-quarterback system while running the triple option this year. Corley is more athletic, and Swank is more of a thrower, but both are capable signal callers, Short says. “We’ll use each of their strengths to our advantage,” the coach adds.
Carson, a natural wideout who had to play running back last year and led the team with just 224 yards rushing, will be counted on to be one of the wings in the triple option. Carson says he is gunning for 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. Short wants to get the ball in his hands in space as much as possible.
Linebackers Aubin Maka Maka (four sacks last season as a junior) and Hafiz give the Patriots some talent in the middle of the defense. Maka Maka is still new to the game, playing just his second year, but is Freedom’s best-looking prospect at
Junior Osman Hafiz and sophomores Jordan Gentry and Devin Lee will share the carries in the backfield, and Bradley “Tre” Cole and Chris Xander-Gomez will get time and carries as well.
Freedom senior Jimmy Carson is a confident kid. Despite living through an 0-9 season in 2020 and last year’s 1-9 re cord, when he looks out at his teammates practicing on the school’s new artificial turf field, he sees possibilities. “New teammates, new field, new offense,” Carson says. “To be honest, I see a 7-3 record this season. And, if we’re lucky, we’ll make the playoffs.” Carson, the Patriots best playmaker, is counting on breaking out this season and taking his teammates along for the ride. He is one of only two seniors on a Freedom team hoping to end a string of losing seasons dating back to 2014.
6-foot-4 and 220 pounds. Bradley Cole, who played for Free dom as a freshman before transferring to Tampa Catholic and Wharton last year, is back for his junior season, and will be joined in the defensive backfield by sophomore Jordan Gentry and junior RomellShortTaylor.says he has enough young tal ent to improve on last year’s record, but his District, 3M-4, consists of three pow erhouses who are considered State cham pionship contenders in 2022 — Wharton, Armwood and Tampa Bay Tech. Otherwise, the non-district schedule could yield a few Freedom wins. Hafiz says a new group of leaders is ready to rewrite the Freedom narrative of the past few years. “We’re like an upwards graph,” says Hafiz. “If you’re looking at the stock market, it’s like that, we’re going up.”
(Left-right) Offensive lineman Hudson Brown, linebacker Aubin Maka Maka and wing/wide receiver Jimmy Carson will be counted on to help Freedom improve on its 1-18 record over the past two seasons. (Photos: John C. Cotey)
By JOHN C. john@ntneighborhoodnews.comCOTEY
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34 For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
Congratulations to Zach and Christina Feinstein of The Feinstein Group on the recent opening of their second location of The Living Room at the Shops at Wiregrass. The Wesley Chapel location of The Living Room is larger and has more indoor and outdoor seating (with live music on weekend evenings) than the original location on Main St. in Dunedin, and definitely has at tracted lots of locals to fill those seats since its soft opening on Aug. 8. Known for its amazing craft cocktails, like the Humidor, Bourbon Smash and “Oatgeat” Mai Tai, Executive Chef Joshua Rhynes also has created a menu of delicious Snacks (like flash-fried pork dumplings), Shareables (including tuna poké), Handhelds (e.g., Korean street tacos), Soups & Salads (roasted tomato bisque and Kale, Caesar!) and entrées like the perfectly spicy chargrilled pork chop (photo by Charmaine George) marinated in habanero salsa, with cilantro lime rice, avocado, roquette, zucchini and squash, fresh shrimp garganelli pasta and more.
So, even though I’m from New York and lived and/or worked in Manhattan for about 10 years, I never remembered seeing a Nepa lese restaurant featuring the cuisine of Nepal, a small country located in the Himalayan mountains between China and India. So, when I found out that Gorkhali Kitchen (named for a soldier from a certain region in Nepal), located at 10044 Cross Creek Blvd. in the Cross Creek Center plaza (in the former location of India Gate restaurant), was going to be the first Nepali restaurant to open in the entire Tampa Bay area, I had to check it out.
— GN The Living Room — Now Open At The Shops! Now Open: Gorkhali Kitchen & Nova Pizza!
There also are great daily specials like the Social Hour (Mon.-Fri., 3 p.m.-6 p.m.), with greatly reduced drink and select snack (at the bar only) prices, Taco Tues., Whiskey Wed. and endless mimosas and bloody Marys for $25 Sat. & Sun. One thing that some folks have been concerned about is the fact that The Living Room Wesley Chapel adds a 20% service charge to every check, but it is posted on the menu, at the bar and every table, as well as mentioned by every server. The Living Room (2001 Piazza Ave., Ste 100) is open for lunch and dinner every day. For more information, call (813) 934-7911 or visit TLR.restaurant.
And, while the menu also features many dishes from India (including delicious tandoor oven lamb chops), I had to try at least one of the most authentic dishes from Nepal, the pan-fried chicken and veggie momo dum nplings (photo). Momos also are available steamed, deep-fried, in a soup broth and just with veggies. I also really enjoyed the Nepalese fried rice with egg, veggies and soy sauce. Please tell my new friends Menora, Reena, Ponam and Rajesh that I sent you. For more info, call (813) 388-6404 or visit GorkhaliKitchenTampa.com.Meanwhile,eventhoughitdidn’t open until the day after we went to press, Nova Pizza (see ad, far right) is now open in the Pebble Creek Collection at 19651 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in the former location of both Windy City Pizza and Full Circle Pizza. And, even though some folks aren’t happy that Nova Pizza doesn’t offer Chicagostyle pizza, yours truly and others are thrilled it has NY-style ‘za and Italian fare. — GN
36 For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
AlsoMerveilleux!nowopenat the KRATEs is Ato “Edible Art,” the sister restaurant to ZukkuSan Sushi Bar & Restaurant on S.R. 56 (see ad below) Ato features a variety of “curated” and create-your-own masterpiece poké bowls (love the ahi tuna bowl above) and sushi bur ritos, as well as some of our favorite Zukku-San appetizers (including sautéed, eel-sauce-slath ered Zukku and the fried gyoza dumplings). And, while Ato is well worth a trip to the KRATEs on its own, but there are other newbies to try, too. Other eateries at the KRATEs that also are getting close to opening, albeit without yet announcing their respective opening dates, are Boba Mac’s (mac & cheese and boba teas), Café Zorba Greek Cuisine, Pisco Express Peruvian Chi nese Cuisine and 365 Café. Oh, and a big shout out to my new best friends, Tracy and John Dimillo of Ur ban Sweets, for serving the best chocolate chip cookie sandwich I’ve had in years! I already loved Tracy’s cupcakes and other desserts, but you have to try the cookie sandwiches! — Gary Nager; Ato photo above by Charmaine George
For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net 37Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
More Eateries Now Open At The KRATEs!
Only a few restaurants have yet to open at Phase 1 of the KRATE Container Park at The Grove at Wesley Chapel — and the word is definitely getting out that KRATE is a great destination for a wide variety of cuisine types from all over the world. Bakery X (pronounced “Eeks” en Fran çais) Authentic French Bakery did finally open on Aug. 3, and if you love authentic French croissants, breads and pastries as much as I do, you have to check it out! In addition al to traditional butter croissants and a few varieties of French bread, Bakery X also bakes its own pain Suisse (Swiss-style croissants with custard), pain du chocolat or almond (choco late or almond croissants) and more (photo below).
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PATY CLEANING SERVICE. Comm’l or resid’l cleaning service. We have our own supplies & 6 years of exp.Free estimates. Call 813 943 6054 or email patycleaningservice@hotmail.com. B CLEANING SERVICES: Over 18 years exp.! Comm’l & Resid’l; Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly; New house & post-construction clean-up; Window cleaning; Move-in & move-out cleanings; Pressure washing; FREE estimates.; Refs. avail. Call 813-531-0154 or e-mail: bcleanings@ hotmail.com.
ENTERPRISES Home Improvement. Call James at 813-385-6402. 30 Years of exp. Specialist in Kitchens & Bathrooms. Referrals upon request. All interior work: Drywall, Texture Paining, Doors, etc. Use us once & you won’t need to look elsewhere. Google us to see pictures: Wesley Chapel Ambler Enterprises. See our display ad at the bottom of this WESLEYCHAPELPRESSUREWASHING.COMpage!
A-to-Z CLEANING & ORGANIZING. Home & Ofc Cleaning & Organizing Svcs! We use our own supplies. Affordable & Reliable. Family-Owned & Operated. WC resident. Weekly & Bi-Weekly / Deep Cleaning/ Move-In / Move-Out. Serving WC & NT. Call today for a FREE No-Obligation Quote: 813462-1270. Local references supplied upon request.
Soft pressure ext. house cleaning, screen enclosures, pool decks, driveways, sidewalks, fences, roofs, paver sealing & deck staining. We clean everything. No job too big/small. Exp. the difference when you hire a pressure cleaning pro. Licensed & insured. Owner operated. Call for a free estimate 813-433-6015. RAYMOND PAINTING. Ext. & Int. Svcs. Ext: Painting, pressure washing, clean & seal pavers, stucco, roofing, leaks & wood rot repair. Int: Painting, plastering, ceiling & wall repairs & tiles. Licensed & Bonded. References available. Free estimates. Your Neighborhood Arbor Greene Resident! We work 7 days. Call 813-994-5124.
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COMPUTER & BUSINESS SERVICES DO YOU HATE YOUR COMPUTER?!? WE CAN HELP YOU! Troubleshooting, Installation, Networking
AMBLER
DRY WALL SPECIALIST. Not a handyman. Afford able, Quality Work repairing water damage, ceilings & walls, re-texturing, popcorn removal, room addt’ns, cracks, holes, plaster & stucco repair. 26 years exp. WC resident. State Certified. Call Ron for a free estimate: 813-784-5999. & Virus Residences & Businesses, more than 25-Years Ex perience. Contact Jeffrey Blank at 813-973-4507, visit WSICA.COM or email Wsica@wsica.com. PROF’L TECH SUPPORT in your home or small biz. A+ Cert. computer tech w/20 years exp. Maint. & Repairs, Upgrades & Tutoring. More affordable than chains! Friendly, personal svc. Tech jargon explained. Remote assistance & refs. avail. Call (813) 957-8342 for a free estimate!
MARY’S CLEANING SERVICES. We provide flex ible domestic & office cleaning. “Jesus is the Lord.” Give us a call at 352-206-8809 for a free estimate or email marynovociclo@gmail.com.
___ LAWN, & LANDSCAPING_____ ALL DIMENSIONS LANDSCAPE & EXTERIORS, LLC. Complete resid’l & comm’l landscape, hard scape & softscape. Mulch & decorative stone. Patios, decks, retaining walls, property maintenance & lawn care. Sod & lawn install’n, artificial turf, fencing, railings, soft & hard pressure washing, painting. We do anything exterior. Call (724) 541-2535 or (813) 485-6661 for a 25% discount on labor & materials.
38 For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 30, hapel Classifieds
Removal. WE COME TO YOU!
For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net 39Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
40 For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 17 • August 22, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
