New Tampa Neighborhood News, Volume 30, Issue 21, October 18, 2022

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1 For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 21 • October 18, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net Neighborhood News @NTWCNews The Residence Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel Features Our Area’s First & Only Rooftop Bar! See pgs. 28-29 for details! Volume 30 Issue 21 October 18, 2022 SAVE PEBBLE CREEK!?! Residents are still trying to prevent the closed PC Golf Club from being developed. See page 8 OUR UPDATED DINING SURVEY! Even if you’ve already voted, you can try again to win great free dining prizes! See pages 20-21 HA LONG BAY IS OPEN! New Asian fusion eatery on BBD offers delicious Vietnamese favorites & more! See page 34 TIME TO VOTE! Local elections: Incumbents face challenges from newcomers. See pages 3 & 6-7 LONG TIME COMING! Nora Paine smiles as she checks out the stage area of the New Tampa Performing Arts Center, which will soon be home to her New Tampa Players. See pg. 4!
Photo by Charmaine George
Election Day — Tues., Nov. 8! Early Voting — Oct. 24-Nov 6!
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Previewing The Midterm General Election On Nov. 8!

Considering the conten tious state of politics in our state and country these days, it shouldn’t be too hard to understand why this is one of the most important nonPresidential General Elections in recent memory.

On the ballot for those of you who live in New Tampa, in addition to races for U.S. Sena tor, a new Representative in the U.S. Congress and Governor of Florida, are also-important races for the State Senate (as well as State At torney General, Commissioner of Agriculture and Chief Financial officer), Florida House and three Hillsborough County Commission seats up for grabs. If that’s not enough, there also is a one-percent surtax to pay for county transportation improvements and three State Constitutional Amendments on the ballot.

However, considering New Tampa’s long-standing reputation for not turning out for anything other than elections for U.S. President, it remains to be seen if the voters at our precincts can duplicate New Tampa’s turnout — which actually beat the countywide turnout — for the 2018 midterm election (64.7%-61.6%).

Below are the biggest races on the Nov. 8 ballot. Please note that we did not have space for the entire ballot, but you should have your official Sample Ballot by the time this issue reaches you.

NEW TAMPA’S NOVEMBER 8 GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT County Commission District 2 (see pg. 6)

Ken Hagan (REP; Incumbent)

Angela Birdsong (REP) County Commission District 5 (Countywide)

Donna Cameron Cepeda (REP)

Mariella Smith (DEM; Incumbent) County Commission District 7 (Countywide)

Joshua Wostal (REP)

Kimberly Overman (DEM; Incumbent) County Court Judge, Group 14 (Nonpartisan Election)

Melissa Black Mike Isaak

Hillsborough County Referendum — Funding for Countywide Transportation Improvements by Levy of One Percent Sales Surtax

Should transportation improvements be funded throughout Hillsborough County, including Tampa, Plant City, Temple Terrace, Brandon, Riverview, Carrollwood and Town n’ Country, including projects that: — Build and widen roads, — Fix roads and bridges, — Expand public transit options, — Fix potholes, — Enhance bus services, — Improve intersections, and — Make walking and Biking safer

By levying a one percent sales surtax for 30 years and funds deposited in an audited trust fund with citizen oversight?

Yes or No

See ad on page 11 for more information!

U.S. Senator

Marco Rubio (REP; Incumbent)

Val Demings (DEM)

Dennis Misigoy (LPF)

Steven B. Grant (NPA)

Tuan TQ Nguyen (NPA)

_____________________ (Write-in)

Representative in U.S. Congress, District 15 Laurel Lee (REP)

Alan M. Cohn (DEM)

Governor & Lieutenant Governor

Ron DeSantis/Jeanette Nuñez (REP; Incumbt)

Charlie Crist/Karla Hernandez (DEM)

Hector Roos/Jerry “Tub” Rorabaugh (LPF)

Carmen Jackie Gimenez/Kyle “KC” Gibson (NPA)

State Attorney General

Ashley Moody (REP; Incumbent)

Aramis Ayala (DEM)

Chief Financial Officer

Jimmy Patronis (REP; Incumbent)

Adam Hattersley (DEM

Commissioner of Agriculture

Wilton Simpson (REP)

Naomi Esther Blemur (DEM)

State Senator - District 23

Danny Burgess (REP)

Mike Harvey (DEM)

State Representative - District 67 (see pg. 7)

Lisette Bonano (REP)

Fentrice Driskell (DEM)

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NEW TAMPA’S NOVEMBER 8 GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT (cont.)

New Tampa Performing Arts Center Has Arrived!

Nora Paine looked around with won derment at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC), a week before its scheduled official ribbon cutting.

While she was surrounded by con struction materials as she stood on the not-yet-completed stage, it was easy for her to imagine what the soon-to-be home for the New Tampa Players (NTP), the local acting troupe founded 20 years ago by Doug Wall, will look like.

“It is really hard to believe,” Paine says. “I really wish Doug was here to see this. We’re very happy, but it’s also bittersweet.”

Wall passed away from cancer in 2017.

The NTPAC scheduled its ceremo nial ribbon cutting for Oct. 13, which was after we went to press with this issue, although the first performances in the new facility may still be a ways off.

Paine, NTP’s producing artistic director, said she is currently seeking to secure rights to a number of familyfriendly plays for the Players’ first perfor mances in their new home.

NTP has operated out of a num ber of places over the years and cur rently performs at the Uptown Stage, a

blackbox theatre at the University Mall on E. Fowler Ave. She hopes her troupe can christen its new home sometime in February or March.

“It has definitely put a spring in people’s step in our group,” she says. “Once we’re inside the building, we’ll finally have a home, and that is what we’ve been looking for 20 years.”

Commissioner Ken Hagan, who toured the facility with Paine (and whose district includes New Tampa), said the new performing arts center will be managed by the county, which will seek a new management company next year, after failing to find a suitable company in its previous efforts.

“We’re going to create an advisory board comprised of New Tampa leaders

and those with experience and interest in the arts,” Hagan said. “That advisory board will work with county staff on opera tions and different elements of the facility.”

Hagan said the county eventually wants someone with a strong back ground in fund raising to run the facility, so the NTPAC can one day be financially self-sustaining.

The 20,000-sq.-ft. performing arts center was designed by Fleischman Gar cia Architects. It is expandable to 30,000 sq. ft. with the addition of a second floor, which would require additional funding down the road. The NTPAC features a 350-seat theater and four other rooms that can be used by the community for a variety of purposes, including classrooms, as well as a state-of-the-art lobby with box office.

Hagan says his goal is for all the lo cal arts companies, like the New Tampa Dance Theater and America’s Ballet School, to put on performances at the NTPAC instead of at USF or other theaters.

“I’m extremely proud of this facil ity,” Hagan says. “It will be a wonderful centerpiece for all of New Tampa. It took longer than any of us wanted (to get it open), but everyone is going to be able to enjoy it.”

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Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan (left) and New Tampa Players producing artistic di rector Nora Paine have been waiting nearly two decades for the New Tampa Performing Arts Center.
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Birdsong Mounts Another District 2 Challenge To Hagan

In 2002, when Ken Hagan first entered politics, north Hillsborough County, including New Tampa, was a Republican stronghold.

But the times, they have-a-changed.

Nowadays, not only is Hillsborough County blue, with 50,000 more regis tered Democrats than Republicans, but New Tampa also has followed suit.

But, that’s not all. In addition to New Tampa’s already blue-ish tint, Hagan was dealt a blow when District 2 was redrawn earlier this year, moving out some of the more reliable Republi can voters. As a result, Hagan is feeling the pinch as the General Election on Tuesday, November 8, draws nearer (with early voting running from October 24-November 6, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.).

His campaign to hold onto his Dis trict 2 seat, which represents most of the New Tampa area he used to live in, has been the most difficult of his career.

“The district has shifted,” Hagan says. “But, we’re still confident we will win.”

Hagan, who grew up in Carrollwood but lived in New Tampa for more than a decade, won his first election for the Dis trict 2 seat in 2002 by more than 17,000

votes. In 2004, he defended that seat with a victory margin of nearly 30,000.

In 2010, he ran for the countywide District 5 seat, and de feated Linda Saul-Sena by 32,000 votes.

A prolific fund raiser who quickly became one of Tampa Bay’s most powerful politicians, Hagan ran for the District 2 seat again in 2018 and was expected to win easily.

However, he was nearly washed out in a blue wave. Political neophyte Angela Bird song was outspent $500,000-$30,000 but only lost by 6,000 votes, or 52%-48%.

It was shocking, and so was this: Hagan only won two New Tampa pre cincts, and Birdsong received 3,000 more votes overall from New Tampa residents.

Hagan, however, continued to push for some big ticket items in New Tampa. The New Tampa Performing Arts Center (see story on pg. 4) held its ribbon cut ting last week, and Hagan has been work

ing on that project for two decades.

Branchton Park off Morris Bridge Rd. is getting a massive upgrade, and the county broke ground on that project last month. And, Hagan is pushing forward with plans to build New Tampa’s first indoor recrea tion facility in the Cross Creek area, hoping to break ground early next year.

Hagan has a beefed-up resume to show New Tampa voters.

And, he has raised $397,560 – far more than any other county commission

er running this election cycle — while Birdsong has raised only $65,590. Hagan also had outspent Birdsong through Oct. 7 by a $56,000-37,000 margin.

But will it be enough?

New district maps may provide Bird song with the last little push she needs to knock Hagan off the County Commis sion, which is controlled by Democrats.

The map proposed by Commissioner Pat Kemp — which despite objections by commissioners Hagan, Republican Stacy

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Angela Birdsong (center), with Hillsborough County commissioners Mariella Smith (left) and Pat Kemp; District 2 incumbent Ken Hagan (right photo, center) talks to K-Bar Ranch residents at a recent town hall held in the community.

White and Democrat Gwen Myers — passed by a 4-3 vote earlier this year and removed GOP-voting areas in Seffner, Valrico and Thonotosassa from District 2, while adding a large swath of the more Democratic-leaning University of South Florida area.

Hagan says the whole process was “offensive” and called it “the most parti san political exercise I’ve gone through.”

Birdsong, 61, acknowledges that the new maps helped her make the decision to run again, with the district shifting from +2 percentage points for Republican voters to +7 percentage points for regis tered Democrats.

“It’s going to be a footrace,” she says. “But, we like our chances. It looks very good for us.”

An insurance agent and mother of one, Birdsong said she has campaigned on many of the same issues she did in 2018, namely transportation, workforce training and affordable housing.

She has also made a concerted effort to reach out to minority groups that she feels are growing in northern Hillsbor ough County but are unrepresented in the county.

She has met with CaribbeanHispanic, Muslim and LGBTQ groups, and continues to try and draw as many different underrepresented voters into her campaign as possible.

“I really would like to do more to

help minority businesses do business with Hillsborough County,” Birdsong says. “I really want to work with minority young people entering high-paying union jobs. You know who can pay the rent? People with high-paying jobs.”

Birdsong has lobbed familiar charges at Hagan — that he is beholden to de velopers, for one — and says it’s time for a change. Hagan has served as a county commissioner for 20 years, and Birdsong says she will bring a fresh perspective to the area’s changing landscape and needs.

“He’s a career politician,” Birdsong says. “It’s time for him to retire.”

Hagan, however, says his experience has yielded a number of improvements in his district, especially for New Tampa. A longtime advocate and key player in the widening of Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Hagan always has been active in our area.

While larger issues involving infla tion, immigration and abortion dominate the national landscape and make separat ing Democrats and Republicans easy, the effect county commissioners can have on those issues is minimal. That’s why Hagan says blue wave or red wave, local voters should focus on results.

“The reality is, with local govern ment, people shouldn’t look as hard at partisanship,” Hagan says. “The gover nor, President, Congress, I get it. But locally, it should be, man, who is going to deliver the goods? And I’ve done that.”

Retired Army Lt. Col. Challenges Driskell

Democrat Fentrice Driskell has become such a political force that last time she defended her State House seat in 2020, no one ran against her.

Not this time, though.

Retired U.S. Army officer and cur rent Heritage Isles resident Dr. Lisette Bonano says enough is enough, and a year of prayer convinced her to jump into the State House District 67 race, which includes representation of much of New Tampa.

“This is a calling,” she says. “Things are happening around us, things are changing, and I can’t just sit back and let this keep going on.”

Bonano, who retired as a Lieuten ant Colonel after serving tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, says inflation, immi gration and restoring family values are just some of the key issues on which she is focused.

She says she voted for former President Donald Trump twice, and says she was opposed to the Covid-19 lockdowns (“It wasn’t necessary... we’ve had worse, like the flu, but those numbers were never publicized”), thinks the recent presidential election was stolen (“I saw the facts...it was stolen”) and claims that “elites” who you don’t hear or see are “control ling America” in ways the Communist Party did in Europe.

“We’re a free nation and we need to keep it that way,” Bonano says.

Bonano thinks most of those at the Jan. 6, 2021, rally at the U.S. Capitol were there for peaceful reasons and were “set up.”

Her views could not be any more diametrically opposed to those of Driskell’s, who is the incoming House Minority Leader and considered to be a rising star in the Democratic Party.

But, Bonano has no issues address ing what she says are major differences between her and her opponent.

While Driskell is single, Bonano is a (divorced) mother and grandmother with experience raising a family, and was an educator at home, giving her an edge when it comes to relating to voters.

“I feel I can engage more with the people,” she says.

Bonano, who has a Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership, says she is active in the community, visits the Haley VA Hospital on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. and is there for wounded warriors. As a retiree, she also says she will have more time to spend in the community, which she claims Driskell does not.

“I’m not going to be there for a paycheck,” she adds.

And when it comes to abortion, Bonano is willing to accept some leeway for the health of the mother, but prefers trying to save both lives regardless of the situation, including rape and incest.

“I am not against saving a mother, but my thing is, let’s save the mom and save the child,” she says. In the cases of rape, even when it’s by a family mem ber, Bonano says the focus is always on the woman’s rights, when it should be “there’s another body in there.”

“Let’s come to a middle ground where we save both lives,” she says. “That’s where (Rep. Driskell) and I are different...I want to save lives.”

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Dr. Lisette Bonano chats with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio at a Hillsborough GOP event earlier this year. (Photo: Courtesy of Lisette Bonano)

Both Sides Making Case In Pebble Creek Fight

Save or develop?

Over the next year, those are the questions to be answered when it comes to what to do with the shuttered Pebble Creek Golf Club golf course.

The debate is ongoing.

On Oct. 4, a Save Pebble Creek Rally was held at the Glory Days Grill on Bruce B. Downs, and organizer and Peb ble Creek resident Leslie Green said she was pleased to draw a bigger crowd than expected — roughly 130 people.

The most important guest, however, may have been Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan, whose District 2 includes Pebble Creek and the rest of unincorporated New Tampa.

Hagan could play a key role in the decision whether or not to grant develop ers — currently GL Homes — the zoning they will need to build new homes on the 149 acres of what are now overgrown greens and fairways.

If Hagan is reelected in November, he will vote “yes” or “no,” along with the other six county commissioners, likely sometime next year if GL Homes pro ceeds with its plans.

Hagan said he hasn’t made any deci sion yet, but Green said he talked with al most everyone who showed up to the rally

and feels he is on the Save Pebble Creek side.

“I feel that he is 100 percent on our side,” said Green, who has lived on the golf course for 30 years and has run the Save Pebble Creek Facebook page since 2019.

“I have a feeling that he’s sincere in what he’s say ing to us, and he understands the situation. He will do what the community wants, so the community needs to be showing him what they want.”

GL Homes held two meetings with Pebble Creek residents to share their proposals (which include new lakes like the one above), a week after more than 100 residents attended a Save Pebble Creek Rally. course, which he closed on July 31, 2021.

What the entire community wants remains to be seen. Green is part of the smaller Pebble Creek Village Home Owners Association (HOA), which represents 303 homes. Another 1,050 homes are in the larger Pebble Creek HOA.

A week after the Save Pebble Creek rally (after we went to press), GL Homes held two meetings — one by zoom on Oct. 13, and an open house at the Hilton Garden Inn in Wesley Chapel on Oct. 15 — to make its case as it considers whether to enter into a deal with Bill Place, who owns the golf

While GL Homes has issued surveys and held a number of smaller focus-group meetings with residents, both of its events last week were open to everyone. Most of the information also is available online at PebbleCreekFacts.com.

According to GL Homes, Pebble Creek’s land use is Res-4, meaning four homes per acre (nearly 600) can be built on the 149 acres. However, GL Homes says it only plans to build roughly 250 single-family one- and two-story homes, leaving 69 acres of open space.

Place says that is a compromise for those residents opposed to development because of the loss of green space.

Some of that open space will consist of four passive parks, tennis courts and other amenities. according to Place. “I love what I’m seeing so far,” he says.

Place said GL Homes intends to convert 17 acres into lakes, including a fishing area. “They want the residents who had the golf course view to have nice water views,” he says.

Although it is unclear if a formal vote of residents will ever be taken, Place says he is feeling more support now that some of GL Homes’ plans have been laid out.

Green, however, says GL Homes is just attempting a “brainwashing” and the resi dents she has spoken to are unimpressed.

“They tell me there’s nothing there that would change their minds,” Green said. GL Homes, if it proceeds, would likely file plans with the county in early 2023, setting off a process that would take 6-9 months. Eventually, it will come before the County Commission, which would vote on the development.

Until then, the debate will go on.

Hagan said ultimately he will support whatever is determined to be best for Pebble Creek residents. He said, however, that he did tell rally-goers to buckle up.

“I told them if they oppose this, they need to be prepared for a long-term fight,” Hagan says. “This is going to take quite some time.”

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Happy 10th Anniversary, AdventHealth Wesley Chapel!

When the plans were unveiled for Ad ventHealth (then Florida Hospital) Wesley Chapel a decade ago, there was no question that Wesley Chapel’s first hospital was much needed in the growing community.

But, Dr. Robert Rosequist, the Chief Medical Officer at AHWC, said he didn’t expect the response the hospital received when it opened its doors for tours a week ahead of its Oct. 1, 2012, official opening.

“We thought maybe 1,000 people might come, but 8,000 showed up,” says Dr. Rosequist. To accommodate everyone, partly due to an elevator that could only take up 20 people at a time, the tours lasted from 7:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Some peo ple waited in line for more than an hour.

Dr. Rosequist thought he’d be home in time for the Tampa Bay Bucs Monday Night Football game against the St. Louis Rams that night. But, when his wife called asking where he was, he told her he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to make it.

Ten years later, Dr. Rosequist, who is still the hospital’s chief medical officer, says that day was just the beginning of something special. “It has been a wonderful experience,” Dr. Rosequist says. “The 10 years have just flown by.”

AHWC may not have been the first large business in Wesley Chapel, but you

could argue that, to date, it has made the most impact.

Although the Porter family also has seen the development of a college, a major indoor athletic complex and a mall in its Wiregrass Ranch Development of Regional Impact, developer JD Porter always points to the hospital when asked what his family’s greatest contribution to the area has been. Built on the very land Porter grew up on, with contributions from Tom Dempsey at Saddlebrook Resort and many others, AHWC gave the local community a place to go for medical (including emergency

medical) services and has proven to be an anchor for the community.

“I think we were really the catalyst for the growth here in Wesley Chapel,” says Connie Bladon, the director of community outreach for AHWC. “When you think back to when we built the hospital, there wasn’t much around us. When the hospital went in, everyone felt more comfortable moving into the area. You always want a good hospital, (as well as) good schools, safety and security, things like that. Having the hospital here catapulted the growth of Wesley Chapel. Eve rything (else has) sprung up around us.”

Dr. Rosequist feels that the hospital has achieved many of its goals, especially those established when it changed over from Florida Hospital to AdventHealth Wesley Chapel on Jan. 2, 2019. He says that when the change was made, AHWC’s management came up with four main things that people wanted in their medical care: to feel safe, to feel loved, that doctors were accountable for their care and for it to be as easy as possible to get that care.

“If you can do those four things,” Rosequist says, “everybody is going to love you.”

In 10 years, the hospital definitely has made its mark, not just by market ing its name on facilities like the Center

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AdventHealth Wesley Chapel (above left) has offered state-of-the-art technology (above right) and a car ing staff since the hospital first opened as Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel in Oct. 2011 (photo on pg. 12). See “AHWC”
on pg. 12
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from

Ice skating rink complex and the indoor basketball arena at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County (both off of S.R. 56), but with medical ser vices that have been lauded nationwide.

Since opening, the hospital has in vested more than a total of $400 million in expansion and additional services to provide its award-winning care to more than 800,000 patients. To name a few, AHWC doctors have performed more than 56,000 surgeries and delivered more than 5,000 babies.

A few months after opening, the doors swung open in early 2013 to the hospital’s popular 100,000-sq.-ft. health & wellness center, which is now called the Ad ventHealth Wellness Plaza Wesley Chapel.

There’s more to come, too. AHWC was designed for growth to accompany the incoming (and still ongoing) Wesley Chapel housing boom. Rosequist, who was on the planning board, said its familiar U-shape was designed to look like the open arms of Jesus, with the intention of having six stories on each of the three wings — north, central and south.

Originally, it opened with just three stories and 83 total beds, because AdventHealth management wasn’t sure how fast the hospital would grow. It turned out to be very fast, indeed.

Including a major expansion in 2016, AHWC has grown from 83 beds to 169, from four operating rooms to 12, and from 20 emergency room beds

to 35. There is still room for the hospi tal to expand to 300 total beds.

AdventHealth also has added the Central Pasco Free Standing Emergency Department into the Lutz community and two medical office buildings adja cent to the hospital, the Wellness Plaza and, in 2021, when AHWC teamed up with the Moffitt Cancer Center on a new three-story, 100,000-sq.-ft. outpatient cancer and research center.

AHWC was named as one of News week ’s Best Maternity Hospitals and the team delivered more than 100 babies in August 2022 alone, a new record for the facility.

The hospital has also achieved 14 consecutive Leapfrog ‘A’ grades, the only rating system focused exclusively on hospital safety.

And, when it comes to community partnerships, AHWC is all in, having provided more than $307 million in community benefit services.

The hospital helped usher the community through the Covid-19 pan demic, and the community responded by providing meals for overworked doctors and nurses during the most desperate months of the pandemic.

“Being the first hospital out here was just gratifying, being a part of that,” Dr. Rosequist says. “I’m just so glad the community dug in with us and helped and watched us grow.”

For more information about AdventHealth Wesley Chapel (2600 BBD Blvd.), call (813) 929-5000, visit AdventHealth.com or see the ad on pg. 13 of this issue.

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‘AHWC’ Continued
pg. 10
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Organic Safe Lawns Delivers A Safer Approach To Green Lawns

Keeping lawns green, free of pests and healthy is Organic Safe Lawns’ specialty. Whether it’s because your kids play in the grass or your pets like to run around in the yard, making sure they stay danger-free is a big deal for owner Jim Schanstra.

In fact, he says it’s why he started his business in the first place.

Schanstra suspects that exposure to DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) as a youngster had something to do with his wife Julie developing non-Hodgkin’s large cell lymphoma cancer. DDT was widely used in the U.S. in agriculture as a pesticide and as a household insecticide in the 1940s and 1950s, only to be banned in 1973.

Julie won her fight against cancer, with help from the Mayo Clinic in Roch ester, MN, but it was a constant reminder to Schanstra of the potential effects of chemicals used in the environment.

In 2006, just before a scheduled sales meeting with an organic fertilizer manu facturer, Schanstra says that one of the associates said that he’d read a recent news article that claimed Florida was using more chemical-based fertilizers and pesticides on residential properties than the rest of the U.S. combined.

“That statement hit me like a light ning bolt,” Schanstra says. “It was in that

Jim Schanstra says you can get green, healthy lawns with all-natural products, despite conven tional thinking that harmful chemicals are more effective.

moment that I decided to do something about it. That was the conception of Or ganic Safe Lawns.”

In January of 2010, Organic Safe Lawns, Inc., became a Florida corporation.

By NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS research company. Organic fertilizers will make up 7% of the $3-billion fertilizer market, thanks to a number of issues — including demand for organic food prod ucts and rising awareness of the potential negative effects chemicals can have on your health and the environment.

“When I started out, that was my big, hard sell — how do I tell people we can re ally do it?,” he says. “If we can grow fruits and vegetables organically, why can’t we grow grass that way? That was the concept in my mind.”

Schanstra isn’t alone. The demand for organic fertilizers will grow 5.8% a year through 2024, according to Free donia Group, an international industrial

That also extends to lawns, which are gathering places for millions of families and their pets.

Schanstra works closely with one of the top organic fertilizer manufacturers and pioneers of the industry. The prod ucts — fertilizers, pesticides and herbi cides — used by Schanstra and Organic

Safe Lawns are certified by the Organic Materials Review Institute or OMRI, an independent testing company that certifies organic products. He says the products use a proven technology that was origi nally designed for fruits and vegetables, although Organic Safe Lawns deals strictly with lawns and ornamental plants.

Organic Safe Lawns, Inc., has now designed and manufactured more than 30 different organic fertilizer products of its own that are owned and trademarked by the corporation.

While most typical fertilizers are made up of synthesized chemicals, Schanstra says the products he uses are mostly mined from the shale level of the earth, where healthier and more acidic soil exists. There are richer supplies of micronutrients, en zymes and bacteria found in this soil than in other fertilizers.

“There’s no downside with our ferti lizers,” Schanstra says.

Other lawn companies also use mined products, but they are converted into a granular form — those little balls you see in your grass after the lawn company has wrapped up — by incorporating bind ers and fillers to keep their shape. That’s where Schanstra says carcinogens are often entered into the mixture.

“Once those little balls dissolve, those chemicals end up running off into our

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aquifers, which are sometimes only a foot or two deep below, and can get into our water, streams and ponds and cause algae blooms,” he says.

Typical fertilizers come in two types of encapsulation. The first is water-based, meaning the fertilizer is released by coming into contact with water. The second is a polymer, or plastic encapsulation. Its releas ing agent is heat.

Schanstra says those forms of release may be fine for more moderate northern climates. However, Florida’s famously er ratic weather — sometimes too much rain and often too much heat — can sometimes cause the release of a month’s worth of fertilizer in a week or even a day.

Using chemical fertilizers and pesti cides may lead to greener lawns — due to their higher concentrations of nitro gen — but they also can lead to the same typical lawn problems so common here in Florida. These problems include fungi and diseases, chinch bugs, webworms and mole crickets, all of which are often found in high-nitrogen soils.

“The cheapest way to get green grass is with high-nitrogen fertilizer,” Schanstra says. “We found that by reducing the ni trogen level (in the products Organic Safe Lawns uses), we almost eliminate fungus and pests.”

Schanstra also says that high-nitrogen fertilizers push top growth and weaken root structure. Over time, the lawn’s root system can’t sustain the foliage.

“A weakened root structure is like candy to bugs,” Schanstra says. “After us ing our treatment, you’ll see the bugs mov ing over into your neighbor’s yard.”

Chemical-based fertilizers are de signed to be absorbed through the leaf (called foliar absorption). All of the organic fertilizers that Schanstra uses are absorbed through the roots. And, he adds, they are all water-soluble liquids that are safe for pets, wildlife and humans.

“When we apply organic fertilizers, we’re spraying that into the soil,” he says. “The only way the plant absorbs it is into the root system. My grass will grow a little bit slower, but my roots will be stronger.”

Top-coated lawns treated with syn thetic pesticides and herbicides put people and pets in danger. Why do you think peo ple applying pesticides wear rubber boots? Because, Schanstra says, they don’t want to get any of the application on themselves.

In that case, he adds, why would you want you, your children or your pets to track that into your house?

“The dog goes over into the neigh bor’s yard to pee, and they’re chewing on their paws when they get back,” Schanstra says. “Kids crawl around and play on the grass and absorb it when they walk in it.”

The chemical herbicide Atrazine is still used widely across the U.S. and Florida to prevent pre- and post-emergence of broadleaf weeds, especially during the sum mer. It was found by the Agency for Toxic

Here are some important ways Jim Schanstra of Organic Safe Lawns says you can help keep your lawn green and healthy:

1. Check you irrigation regularly. Make sure all the heads are working properly. Check that all heads pop up through the lawn and spray fully. If they do not pop up check to see if the turf has overgrown the heads. If so, take a small spade and cut the turf away from the heads, and check spray for clogged nozzles, which may need to be removed and cleaned. Uncontrollable spray could mean a broken head, which would need to be replaced.

2. Follow Florida University Watering guidelines! Apply ½” to ¾” of water at each interval. This translates to approximately 20 minutes on a spray zone, pop up in the turf, spray heads in the bushes; 45 minutes per interval on rotor heads that spray and rotate like on a golf course; 30 minutes on drip ir rigation found in the bushes.

3. Never water at night! Set up your ir

Substances & Diseases (ATSDR) to have adverse effects on the endocrine systems of mammals and that it likely also contributes to some birth defects.

“A lot of lawn companies will blanket your yard with Atrazine,” Schanstra says. “It costs just five dollars for a 600-gallon mix. They use it because it’s cheap.”’

But, Organic Safe Lawns’ technicians offer a safer chemical solution for weed control, which is spot-treated throughout the year. It isn’t as cheap as Atrazine, he says, but generally, the stronger root system his lawns have developed lead to fewer weeds anyway.

rigation system to complete its cycle by 8 am. This allow the water to go into the soil, and the sun will dry the leaf blades preventing unwanted fungus.

4. Never water midday! The sun will burn the leaf blades like a magnifying glass lens.

5. Proper mowing is very important! Mow every week in the growing season, April 1st through November 1st. Mow every other week in the winter months. Why is this important? Weeds grow much faster than turf. Allowing the turf to grow 10 days to 2 weeks in the growing season will allow the weeds to get to seed head, and then by mowing you will be planting weeds all over your yard.

6. Sharpen your blades monthly for a clean crisp cut.

7. Never mow wet grass. This will cause the cut to rip and tear the turf blades weak ening the plant.

“We are about the process and the materials,” Schanstra says, “as opposed to using harmful chemicals with regard to weed control.”

Schanstra says he recommends treat ment every 30 days, and that it isn’t any more expensive than hiring the lawn care chains.

Organic Safe Lawns, Inc., services homes in Tampa, New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes. For ad ditional information, call (813) 3939665, email organicsafelawns@verizon. net, visit OrganicSafeLawns.com or see the ad on page 39 of this issue.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 21 • October 18, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net 17Neighborhood News @NTWCNews

At Spark Church, Members Are Sparking Change In Wesley Chapel

While Spark Church is just a little more than a year old and is still relatively small, Pastor Garrett Hamblen says the church is already making an impactful difference in the community.

Members gather weekly for wor ship on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. at the B&B Theatres at The Grove movie theater (located north of S.R. 54, just west of I-75). But, they actually do much more than just that.

The church members have chosen to focus on four community needs they see in Wesley Chapel and the surrounding ar eas, including foster care, human traffick ing, schools and pregnancy care centers.

“We are moving forward in a lot of big ways,” Pastor Garrett says, “and do ing things that have never been done in our area, that I’m aware of.”

For example, Pastor Garrett says that the church members are working to create a foster care support network, with the goal of bringing other churches on board to support the efforts.

“We had 15 people go through training from a national-level organiza tion that teaches churches how to do this,” he says. “We want to rally around foster families in the area — even though

currently there are none in our church — and meet their physical needs, such as buying new clothes or a bed for a kid who gets dropped off at 2 a.m., or even have our children’s ministry do babysit ting for foster families.”

He says church members also are working with Bridging Freedom, a local organization that supports minor victims of human trafficking, offering a thera peutic safe home campus community for girls, ages 12-17, who have been rescued from forced prostitution.

Spark Church has formed a partner ship to provide support that includes painting, landscaping, helping with the property and working on building a new home, as Bridging Freedom is expanding.

Pastor Garrett says his messages on Sunday mornings currently are focusing on the same theme.

“Each week, we pick a new problem in the community, look at what the Bible says about it, and talk about what the church should do about it,” he says. “Then, we go out and work towards that.”

While Spark Church is growing in the number of people who attend, Pastor Gar rett says it’s also growing in “depth,” with 90 percent of its members serving the church at least once a month. The people who find the church tend to be those who are passionate about making a difference.

“They’ve been to churches that don’t do a ton of outreach, but they want to go deeper,” he says. “They want their lives to be more meaningful. They want to go out and fight for our community.”

He says they also want to do life together — and not just on Sunday morn ings. Pastor Garrett says an astounding 95 percent of church members are involved in weekly “core groups” of people who meet together to study the Bible, support each other and develop friendships. The church also has interest groups, where people go out to dinner together, or get together to do crafts, play disc golf, or pursue some other hobby.

This sense of connectivity may be formed because so many people experi enced the isolation of the Covid-19 pan demic, and are now ready to get back into the community and make friends. And, Garrett says the church is ready to respond.

He says he moved to the area several years ago, when he took a job at Loving Hands Ministries, a drug rehabilitation pro gram in Dade City. He also served as the

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Pastor Garrett Hamblen and his wife Katterine are celebrating the one-year anniversary of Spark Church, which holds its services at B&B Theatres at The Grove at Wesley Chapel.

young adult pastor, then executive pastor, for Calvary Assembly of God in Dade City.

He is licensed as a minister through the Assemblies of God and also has a Bachelor’s degree in Business and an Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, both from Indiana State University in Terre Haute.

Garrett and his wife Katterine live in Wesley Chapel, just a few minutes away from the movie theater where the church meets.

On Sunday mornings, Spark Church takes over one wing of the theater, offering worship in a large theater, kids’ church in a smaller theater, and a nursery in a birthday party room. He describes the kids’ areas as “locked down” for safety, in a corner of the building where no public traffic passes by. Miriam Ventilato lives nearby in Wes ley Chapel and joined Spark Church with her family a little over a year ago.

She, her husband, Tony and their teenage kids — ages 18, 15, and 13 — are all involved in the ministries of the church, from singing with the worship team to put ting out advertising flags to draw attention to the church’s meeting location.

“It’s not just one-and-done on Sun day,” Miriam says. “It’s doing small groups, working in ministry together, and volunteer

ing together. You really become like a family, and people notice when you’re not there.”

That great sense of connectivity and willingness to work together leads to the outreach that she and others who partici pate in the church think is so important.

“We’re basically showing people the love of God through tangible ways however we can,” Miriam says, “whether that’s through partnering in work days or looking for opportunities to serve wher ever there’s a need.”

Miriam adds that it’s easy to get on board with the idea that her church can make a difference in big community prob lems, just by touching one life at a time. It starts with her pastor and is encapsulated in the name of the church.

“I think that Pastor Garrett is conta gious,” says Miriam. “He says, ‘What fills, spills.’ So, we want to fill ourselves up with things that make a difference so we can spill it out into the community, just sparking each other to bring change.”

Spark Church meets at the B&B Theatres Wesley Chapel–The Grove 16 (6333 Wesley Grove Blvd.) every Sunday at 10 a.m. For more information, visit SparkPasco.com or see the ad on pg. 30.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 21 • October 18, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net 19Neighborhood News @NTWCNews

Another Chance To Win Free Dining!

Whether or not you’ve already entered our 2022 Neighborhood News Reader Dining Survey & Contest, you still have time to enter again. We realized, as soon as our first New Tampa entries began coming in, that we didn’t give some of you enough information to properly provide answers to some of the categories in order to enter — and win free dining prizes in — this year’s contest.

The first problem was that we asked you to name your Three Favorite Restaurants in New Tampa (NT) and Wesley Chapel (WC). But, we assumed logic would dictate that one restaurant can not be your favorite, 2nd favorite and/or 3rd favorite place to eat. Even if a restaurant has locations in both of our distribution areas (for example, The Brunchery), that restaurant still can only be named as one of your three favorites and will only be counted as one vote for that restau rant, so please name three different res taurants as your number 1, 2 and 3 favorite places to eat in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel.

Two other categories that caused confusion were that we asked you for your Favorite Dish and Favorite Appetizer in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. We wrong fully (again) assumed that our readers would realize that we were asking you to name not only your favorite dish, but the restaurant that serves your favorite version of that dish.

Of the first 200 entries we’ve received, however, at least 40 or 50 of them just answered “coconut grouper” as their favorite dish or “onion rings” as their favorite ap

petizer, without telling us which restaurant actually serves their favorite grouper or onion rings. Yeesh.

And, considering that this is a Dining Survey, we didn’t think anyone would write in non-dining options when we asked you for your Favorite KRATE at The Grove. Al though we enjoy Katie Beth’s Boutique and MaeBerry Co. as much as the next guy (or girl), these are clearly not places to eat, which is what we are looking for in a Dining Survey.

Check The New Entry Address!

And finally, although we are happy about our move, we regret the timing — in the middle of this year’s contest — of us leav ing our old address on S.R. 54 to move to our new location at the Medallion Corporate Park, also in Wesley Chapel. As of Oct. 1, we already are at that new address — 2604 Cypress Ridge Blvd., Suite 102D, Wesley Chapel, FL 33544. Therefore, even though we have given the U.S. Post Office our change of address (which means that all mail received at our old location should be forwarded to us), in order to guarantee that your mailed entry will reach us on time, please use the new address (which does also now appear on the entry form).

Of course, the new mailing address doesn’t affect the entries you’ve made on our website — NeighborhoodNewsOnline. net — but if you know you got any of the categories mentioned above wrong, feel free to send us a second entry anyway. — GN

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MEXICAN RESTAURANT

LATIN (NOT MEX.) REST.

CREAM/FROYO/GE

NEW YEAR, NEW RULES!

There are 24 categories in our 2022 Reader Dining Survey on this page. Please fill in as many categories as you like, but to be eligible to win this year’s FREE Dining Gift Cards (to the restaurant of your choice), you MUST tell us your top three favorite restaurants (of any cuisine type) in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel AND provide an answer in at least 18 of the 24 total categories. Please note that this year, your votes will still count if you don’t provide answers to at least 18 categories, you just won’t be eligible to win this year’s prizes.

Three winners will be drawn at random from all correct entries, whether you enter by mail or at NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net by no later than Wednes day, November 23, to win a $100, $60 or $35 gift card to the restaurant of your choice. Mail-in entries must have all requested personal info (right) & be mailed to our NEW address: Neighborhood News 2022 Dining Survey & Contest, 2604 Cypress Ridge Blvd., Suite 102-D, Wesley Chapel, FL 33544. — GN

RESTAURANT

RESTAURANT W/BEST SUSHI

BEST

OR WINE BAR

FAVORITE COFFEE SHOP

2022 Dining

Cypress Ridge Blvd., Suite 102D, Wesley Chapel, FL

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 21 • October 18, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net 21Neighborhood News @NTWCNews 1. 2. 3. BEST NEW RESTAURANT NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS 2022 READER DININGSURVEY FAVORITE DISH IN NT/WC FAVORITE APPETIZER IN NT/WC FAVORITE DINING KRATE AT FAVORITE RESTAURANTS IN NEW TAMPA & WESLEY CHAPEL (must be 3 BEST
BEST
BEST ICE
BEST PLACE FOR BURGERS IN BEST PLACE FOR PIZZA IN BEST FRIED CHICKEN/WINGS BEST RESTAURANT FOR STEAK BEST BREAKFAST/BRUNCH REST. BEST FULL LIQUOR BAR IN BEST BAKERY/DESSERT IN BEST AMERICAN RESTAURANT BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT BEST GREEK/MEDITERRANE BEST ASIAN RESTAURANT BEST THAI RESTAURANT BEST INDIAN
BEER
YOUR NAME________________________________________ COMMUNITY YOU LIVE IN (Epperson, Tampa Palms, etc.) YOUR DAYTIME PHONE #________________________________ YOUR EMAIL Enter online or by mail by Wednesday, November 23! Neighborhood News
Survey & Contest 2604
33544 To Enter Online, visit: NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net
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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 21 • October 18, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.netNeighborhood News @NTWCNews

Rejected!

Janita Lamar (#9) and Naree Kately go up for a block during Wharton’s 3-0 win over King on Oct. 3. Mia Saavedra and Josiya Teague led the Wildcats with 11 and 10 kills, respectively, in the victory. The Wildcats were 10-9 at our press time, and will head into this week’s Class 6A, Dis trict 10 tournament with hopes of making it to the District championship match for the ninth consecutive year. (Photo: Charmaine George)

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El Dorado Furniture Hosts A Spectacular Grand Opening!

El Dorado Furniture store, which opened the weekend of Sept. 24, has taken the furniture store concept and glamorized it.

At a VIP event on Sept. 22, flutes of champagne and strawberries were handed to guests entering the massive 70,000-sq.-ft. store, which was alive with bright lights, a live band and a number of spreads of food. Even so, it was impossi ble to miss the sprawling rooms of elegant furniture throughout Wesley Chapel’s newest furniture business, located at 25171 S.R. 54 (technically in Land O’Lakes), across from Miller’s Ale House.

The weekend of El Dorado’s open ing, the first 200 families that arrived received $200 gift cards; the first 100 on

Sunday received a free comforter set.

Weekend visitors to the two-story showroom were treated to an experience, something that is not offered by other fur niture stores. Instead of walking aimlessly between living and dining room set-ups, you are taken down El Dorado Blvd., a strip resembling an old-fashioned city street, right down to the benches and street lamps. Stained glass and Egyptian hiero glyphics dot the facades. The “boulevard” winds around the showroom, opening up to what feels like individually themed furni ture shops, more than 20 in all, offering a stunning array of high-end offerings.

El Dorado, which offers same-day de livery service to a fairly wide area, carries its

signature Carlo Perazzi collection, its top seller, as well as many others. It is truly a showroom that you need to see to believe.

And, every business needs a good story, so here’s El Dorado’s:

In 1966, Manuel Capó, the son of Simon Capó, who started Casa Capó in Cuba in the 1920s, fled Cuba after the Castro regime rose to power. He and two of his sons, Luis and Carlos, escaped on a small sailboat named “El Dorado.”

Just seven months after arriving in the U.S., Manuel and his sons opened their first furniture store in the heart of

the Little Havana neighborhood in Miami and named it after the boat on which they sailed to freedom — El Dorado.

Today, El Dorado Furniture has grown into the largest Hispanic-owned furniture retail enterprise in the U.S. The Wesley Chapel location is the second in the Tampa Bay area, and El Dorado has 18 showrooms across Florida.

The store’s hours are Mon.-Sun., 11 a.m.-7 p.m. For more information, visit ElDoradoFurniture.com or call (813) 440-6999. John C. Cotey; photos by Charmaine George

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Residence Inn Features Wesley Chapel’s Only Rooftop Bar &

For locals who have been asleep the last ten months, the Wesley Chapel/New Tampa area’s first and only rooftop bar is serving food and drinks at the Resi dence Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel, which is adjacent to the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County.

According to the company’s VP of Openings & Transitions Tom Haines, the Marriott-branded Residence Inn was designed by Mainsail Lodging & Development to be not only the perfect complement to the Sports Campus, but also to the explosive growth area known as Wesley Chapel.

“In addition to sports, Wesley Chapel has a lot of new businesses relocating people here and is becoming a health care medical mecca,” Haines says. “I live here, my kids go to school here and we love Wesley Chapel.”

Mainsail, which was founded by Joe Collier in 1998, now has 13 hotel proper ties in Georgia and the Tampa Bay area (including the Fenway Hotel in Dunedin and the Epicurean in South Tampa) and six more in development, with 1,100 total employees and more than $200 million in annual revenues.

As for the local Residence Inn, Haines says Mainsail decided to build it because Collier was the chairman of the Hillsbor

ough County Sports Authority, which made an attempt to get RADDSports (the private partner of Pasco County that man ages the programs at the Sports Campus) to develop a Sports Campus-type facility there, “and RADD kept Mainsail involved here. This isn’t our usual build, but there was the draw of sports, which presented an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”

The hotel is the first-ever Residence Inn with a rooftop bar. It is a 128-room all-studio hotel with 65 studio king suites, 24 studio kings with conservation views, 19 studios with two queen beds, 8 one-

bedroom king studios, 8 one-bedroom studios with two queen beds and 4 twobedroom suites with one king and one queen bed. All of the suites feature a pullout sofa sleeper, full-sized refrigerators, kitchens and all amenities for cooking.

Other on-site amenities include complimentary breakfast, an outdoor swimming pool (that is heated in the winter), a fitness center, 24/7 Market, on-site laundry with washers & dryers, rental bicycles (where the first hour is free) and outdoor grills, as well as onsite meeting space for up to 26 people.

The Wesley Chapel Residence Inn has a new general manager and director of sales, Rebecca “Becky” Hayes, who brings a lot of enthusiasm for the hotel and the community with her to her new jobs.

“I’m really looking forward to get ting out in this community and meeting more people,” she says, “especially with the holiday party season coming up. This hotel is great for any kind of social event.”

Plus, if you book your holiday party for up to 100 guests by Oct. 31 for any Sun.Thur. (Nov. 14-Dec. 23), your venue rental (a $500 value) will be waived and you’ll receive a complimentary champagne toast.

Skybox — Food, Drinks & Fun!

Whether you or your out-of-town

visitors stay at the Residence Inn or not, you should still check out our area’s only rooftop bar to have a few drinks and a lit tle something to eat.

The Skybox’s appetizer “Bites” include Bavarian pretzel rolls with beer cheese, spinach & artichoke dip, shrimp, crab & parmesan dip and the current favorite — loaded kettle chips with pulled pork or chicken, nacho cheese, chili, jala peños, pico de gallo, olives & sour cream.

There also are grilled southwest chicken, BBQ pulled pork and roasted veggie wrap sandwiches, salads and a reasonably priced kids’ menu, as well as

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a variety of desserts.

Skybox bartenders also serve a great selec tion of premium alcohol craft cocktails, fine wines and craft beers.

For more information about the Residence Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel (2867 Lajuana Blvd.) and the Skybox Roof top Bar, call (833) 214-9098, visit Mar riott.com or Skyto pRooftopBar.com or see the ad on pg. 35 of this issue.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 21 • October 18, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net 29Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
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Lexington Oaks Golf Club Wants To Host YOUR Big Event!

Over the past few years, I’ve written quite a few stories about Omari’s Grill at Lexington Oaks Golf Club, because owner Anass El-Omari is a classically trained chef who serves great food at the restaurant named for him.

However, over the past year or so, Anass has recognized that most of the peo ple dining at his golf course were, of course, golfers who didn’t necessarily care about his delicious pastas, steaks, fresh fish and other more upscale options. So, even though I personally am not thrilled about some of the changes to the menu, I still love the burgers, grilled chicken and chicken Philly sand wiches and the Philly cheesesteak sandwich. People also rave about the mozzarella sticks, onion rings, shrimp tacos (far right photo on next page) and Colombian-style empañadas.

An avid low-handicap golfer himself, Anass says, “Most golfers want sandwiches, burgers, wings and other faster items. So, that’s all we’re serving at Omari’s now.”

In addition to the beautiful, equestrianthemed par-72, 6,748-yard public golf course, Anass and his wife Susana Herrera are now focusing on hosting special events at their 7,000-sq.-ft. clubhouse, which comfortably seats 100 people inside, and 40 people on the screened-in patio outside, plus still more people on a second outdoor patio that doesn’t have a screen.

“Our clubhouse is a great place for birthday parties, weddings, rehearsal din ners, quinceañeras, baby showers, memorial services, seminars and. of course, golf tour naments,” Susana says. “We average at least two of these events every month.”

Anass and Susana have only owned the golf club and course for four years, but revamped the course’s greens in 2019 and expanded and finished renovating the club house itself last year. The Lexington Oaks clubhouse also features a full-liquor, fullservice bar and a nice pro shop for golfers.

And, although both the course and restaurant are open to the public, there also are golf memberships available. There also is league golf play almost every day of the week. The league and other golf info appears on the website LexingtonOaksGolf.com

The course hosts about 20 tournaments each year, and will again be home to the 2nd annual RADDSports Charity golf tourna ment in December (see ad on pg. 12).

The Place For Your Big Event!

According to its website, Lexington Oaks Golf Club’s impressive clubhouse is “the perfect location for your big day. We will personalize your event to make your wedding or other special day a moment you and your guests will treasure for a lifetime. We offer customized food and beverage menus, audio visual equipment, full-service bars and builtin public address systems. Our staff is specifi

cally trained in food and beverage operations and customer service. Our service goal is to anticipate every need before you ask and to exceed your expectations.

“If you’re looking for an even greater experience, Lexington Oaks Golf Club of fers an array of special touches to enhance your big event. We have put together a comprehensive listing of our menu options

(there are a lot more than just the Omari’s menu), services and other information.”

Best of all, the price is always right. If you compare Lexington Oaks Golf Club’s rates with other golf courses and/or banquet facili ties in the area, I’m personally confident you won’t find better (or even comparable) food, drinks or professional service for less anywhere else. Jannah and I hosted the baby shower for

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our granddaughter Rosie there more than three years ago and everyone who attended raved about the food, the room and the service.

In other words, even though Omari’s Grill is no longer serving the fresh fish or pastas I loved for dinner, you can’t go wrong hosting your next big event or golf tourna ment at Lexington Oaks Golf Club!

Lexington Oaks Golf Club (26133 Lexington Oaks Blvd.) is open every day from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Omari’s Grill is open for lunch & dinner Wed.-Fri., for lunch only Sat.-Sun., and is closed Mon.-Tues. For more information, call (813) 9077270, visit LexingtonOaksGolf.com or see the ad on pg. 37.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 21 • October 18, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net 33Neighborhood News @NTWCNews

Ha Long Bay Vietnamese & Asian Fusion Restaurant Opens!

Congratulations to my new friends Nhan Nguyen and her husband Hai Chu and their family, the owners of the new Ha Long Bay restaurant, which is now open in the space at 20685 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. previously occupied by Aroi Thai-Tsuyu (not to be confused with the still-open Arroy Thai on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel).

Several months ago, we announced in these pages that the new restaurant would be a new location of Hana Sushi, but when that deal fell through, Nhan and Hai

jumped at the opportu nity to open the fourth location of Ha Long Bay (the others are in St. Petersburg, Dunedin and Largo). Nhan and Hai also previously owned Ocean Blue Sushi Bar in Carrollwood.

The new Ha Long Bay features a variety of Vietnamese and Asian fusion favorites, includ ing pho soup (top left photo), banh mi sand wiches (left), Chinesestyle stir-fry dishes (bot tom right) and fried rice (bottom left), Japanesestyle gyoza dumplings (bottom left), poké bowls, rice combination plates, sushi and a large variety of boba teas. Beer, wine and saké should be available soon, too.

The new Ha Long Bay is managed by New Tampa residents Kay and Mandy Vongsa. “They are like family to us,” Nhan says. And, with food like this, they’re kinda feeling like family to me, too.

For more info, call (813) 406-4917 or visit HaLong BayNewTampa.com.

34 For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 21 • October 18, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 21 • October 18, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net 35Neighborhood News @NTWCNews

Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar Coming To Same Plaza As Chicken Salad Chick!

If there is one hole in the growing Wesley Chapel dining scene, it might be the lack of a true seafood place.

That hole will be getting partially filled soon.

A Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar is in the process of being built in the same mini-plaza as the recently opened Chicken Salad Chick next to the Costco off S.R. 56 on the extension of Wesley Chapel Blvd.

The 4,162-sq.ft. oyster bar will have a 535-sq.-ft. patio and started the permitting process in July.

Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar has 10 locations in North Carolina and four in South Carolina, as well as single locations in Maryland, Georgia, Illinois and Texas.

The Wesley Chapel location, which is expected to be casual and no-frills like its other locations, is part of a Florida expansion that will add new restaurants in the Space Coast and Ocala areas.

Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar’s go-to items are the oysters on the half shell, although they also are served steamed and char-grilled.

Other seafood items include scallops, ahi tuna, shrimp, snow crab legs and calamari, as well as American bar staples like chicken wings, burgers, fries and macaroni and cheese bites. Also on the menu are tacos, po-boy sandwiches and shrimp ‘n grits, and, of course, beer and cocktails.

For more info, visit TheShuckin Shack.com. — JCC

Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar is coming to the S.R. 56 area near Costco.

Macondo Coffee Shop Opens In Former Degajé Location In The Grove!

Casiani Contreras spent a lot of his time in college drinking coffee.

In between earning marketing and finance degrees from Florida International University in Miami, Contreras would spend his time studying at Macondo, a local coffee shop. He would start his day with a coffee and maybe a breakfast sandwich and, by lunch time, he was ready for a smoothie and perhaps a quinoa bowl.

Now, Contreras, 29, owns his own coffee shop. On Sept. 19, he opened Macondo Cof fee Roasters in the former location of Degajé, in The Village at The Grove.

Contreras and his wife Anna (photo), his dad, mom and uncle completed the labor of love together, with help from his family

and business partner Rommel Medina.

In the era of massive chains like Star bucks dominating the coffee market, Macon do is a nice change of pace. The Colombian coffee is painstakingly sourced and brewed — the cold brew is a 12-hour process — and the decor is hip and urban and, like everything at The Grove, Instagrammable. Contreras hired someone from Miami to put the impressive menu on the chalkboard behind the counter.

On it you can see a variety of handbrewed 100% Colombian coffees, breakfast and lunch sandwiches and wraps, paninis, salads, healthy bowls and smoothies.

Contreras made Macondo in Wesley Chapel happen. He said he sent the owner of the original four stores in the Miami area a

long email, telling him one day he’d love to own a store of his own. He encouraged them to franchise, and they granted his wish.

For more info about Macondo Wesley Chapel (6027 Wesley Grove Blvd., Suite 101), visit MacondoCoffee.com or call (813) 991-5010.

JCC

36 For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 21 • October 18, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net Neighborhood News @NTWCNews

Umu Japanese & Thai’s Spectacular Grand Re-Opening!

Congratulations to Dew, Preeya & Will (1.-r. in top right photo), the own ers of Umu Japanese & Thai restaurant (2653 BBD Blvd., in the same plaza as The Hungry Greek & Dickey’s BBQ Pit), which held a North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) ribbon cutting in conjunction with its Grand Re-Opening on Sept. 20.

Umu, which was closed for two weeks and for lunch for a while longer, as more focus was being placed on its upscale din ner items, is open again for both lunch and dinner and members of the NTBC got an amazing preview of Umu’s new and revamped menu items during the event.

In addition to huge platters of the restaurant’s always-outstanding sushi, Umu served delicious BBQ pork belly, pad Thai, shrimp fried rice (which I couldn’t sample, but look at it!), gyoza dumplings, crispy chicken katsu and more.

In other words, if it’s been a while since you visited Umu, you need to go try it again soon — and please tell the owners I sent you!

Umu Japanese & Thai is open for lunch and dinner every weekday and for dinner only on Sat. & Sun. For more informa tion, call (813) 591-6121 or visit UmuJapanese.com. — Gary Nager; all photos on this page by Charmaine George

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 21 • October 18, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net 37Neighborhood News @NTWCNews

HOME IMPROVEMENT

JUNK HAULING SERVICE! We handle all types of furniture removal — bdrm sets, chairs, mattresses & box springs • Hot water heaters & hot tubs - take apart & remove • Construction material • Carpet removal • Es tate, eviction, yard, garage & attic clean-outs • Ofc, home & factory • Comm’l/res’l. Gorilla JunkremovalExperts.com. For appts, call/ text Nigel @ 888-346-5865.

CUSTOM INT. WINDOW COVERINGS!

Cust. fabrication of all types of window cover ings — plantation & hurricane shutters, vert. blinds, roller, cellular, woven wood & Roman shades, cellular vert., panel tracks, retract. awnings, motorization experts, alum., wood & faux wood blinds & more! FREE installation on orders over $250! Call Henry @ 813-9486363, email TampaBlindsbyDesign@gmail. com or visit TampaBlindsbyDesign.com.

AMBLER ENTERPRISES Home Improvement. Call James at 813-385-6402. 30 Years of exp. Specialist in Kitchens & Bathrooms. Referrals upon request. All interior work: Dry wall, 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 below!

WESLEYCHAPELPRESSUREWASHINGCOM.

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.

HOME IMPROVEMENT (Cont.)

RAYMOND PAINTING. Ext. & Int. Svcs. Ext:

Painting, pressure washing, clean & seal pav ers, 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.

DRY WALL SPECIALIST. Not a handyman. Af fordable, Quality Work repairing water damage, ceilings & walls, re-texturing, popcorn removal, room addt’ns, cracks, holes, plaster & stucco re pair. 26 years exp. WC resident. State Certified. Call Ron for a free estimate: 813-784-5999.

TREE SERVICES

FITZPATRICK’s TREE SERVICE, INC. 27-yrs of Prof. Service. Licensed & Insured. Free Esti mates. Tree Trimming & Tree Removal. Stump Grinding. Dead-Wood Removal. Affordable Rates. 24-Hour Emergency Storm Service. Free Mulch. Call 813-495-9541 or 813-788-TREE.

COMPUTER & BUSINESS SERVICES

DO YOU HATE YOUR COMPUTER?!? WE CAN HELP YOU! Troubleshooting, Installa tion, Networking & Virus Removal. WE COME TO YOU! Residences & Businesses, more than 25-Years Experience. 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 free estimate!

FOR SALE

Holland Lop-Eared Dwarf Baby Bunny Rabbits! Full grown will be in the 3- or 4-pound range. Call 813-407-1990 or visit PattysPetsLLC.com or facebook. com/PattysPetsLLC

CLEANING SERVICES

Rosseler Solutions has the cleaning solu tion your home or company needs. We are specialists in Basic Cleaning, Deep Cleaning, Move-In & Move-Out, Commercial & PostConstruction Cleaning. Please contact us for a free estimate. Call Roseli or Anne at 401.543.4638 or 407.338.8700.

A-to-Z CLEANING & ORGANIZING. Home & Ofc Cleaning & Organizing Svcs! We use our own supplies. Affordable & Reliable. FamilyOwned & Operated. WC resident. Weekly & BiWeekly / Deep Cleaning/ Move-In / Move-Out. Serving WC & NT. Call today for a FREE No-Obligation Quote: 813-462-1270. Local references supplied upon request.

MARY’S CLEANING SERVICES. We provide flexible domestic & office cleaning. “Jesus is the Lord.” Give us a call at 352-206-8809 for a free estimate or email marynovociclo@ gmail.com.

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 813531-0154 or e-mail: bcleanings@hotmail.com.

MISCELLANEOUS

FAITH COMPASSIONATE HOME CARE.

Providing medical & non-medical home health care services: Nursing services, Friendly companionship, Home health aide, respite care, live in, bowel care service & education, medication & case management, Spinal Cord Injury patient care & more. Call (813) 602-4431 for information & pricing. Private pay only with affordable rates.

AUTOS WANTED! Autos/trucks/small camp ers/small boats wanted! We pay top dollar! Any condition, Free Removal 24/7. For more info, call (813) 461-0062.

ELITE RIDES. Private rides in a sanitized 2020 Tesla, plus concierge services. Airport, schools, medical appointments, shopping, etc. Courteous, reliable professional. New Tampa to Tampa Int’l Airport - $40 (one way). Driver vaccinated w/two shots. Cory Lake Isles resi dent. Call/text 813.765.2037.

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.

JASMINE LANDSCAPING, INC. Complete lawn maint, including Tree, palm & hedge trimming, planting, mulching, stones, sod replacement. Gutter cleaning, leaf removal & more. Cited by your HOA? Ask about our HOA Compliance Special, our Fall/ Spring Special & FREE estimate! Lic’d & insured. Accepting new resid’l & comm’l accounts. Visa, MC, PayPal, Zelle, AmEx. Call or text 813-420-4465. Now hiring FT workers.

38 For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 21 • October 18, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net Neighborhood News @NTWCNews N ew T ampa & w esley C hapel Classifieds
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POOL SERVICES _

ALLSTARPOOLSOFTAMPABAY.COM. Pool cleanups & acid washing of old pool finishes. Marcite, quartz & pebble finishes from $3K. We offer cool decking, Eurocrete & paver decking options. Paver, river rock sealing, leak detection & in-ground vinyl liner replacements avail. Quality salt & ozone generators, pumps, motors & filters. Serving NT & WC since 1990. Call/text 813-244-7077 or visit AllStarPoolsofTampaBay.com.

TRANQUILITY POOL SERVICE. New Tampa owned & operated. Great Pricing w/outstand ing customer service! LICENSED, BONDED & INSURED. See why we are New Tampa and Wesley Chapel’s #1 Choice!! Call or Text Chris today @ 813-857-5400 or visit Tran quilityPoolService.com. New customers get ONE MONTH FREE!

All Neighborhood News Classified Ads appear in both New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News!

Here are our Classified ad rates: 7 issues — $120 13 issues — $200 26 issues (1 year) — $300!

To order yours, visit neighborhoodnews online.net/Classified Listings

POOL SERVICES (Cont.) _

NEIGHBORHOOD POOLS. Wesley Chapel owned & operated since 1999. Weekly service. No long term contracts. Mention this AD for one-month Free service. Call 813-907-7322 for details or text Joe at 813-758-7608.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 21 • October 18, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net 39Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
40 For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 30, Issue 21 • October 18, 2022 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net Neighborhood News @NTWCNews

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