Osprey Observer Valrico August 2022 by Osprey Observer

IN THIS ISSUE: GREENWAYS VISION ...............PG 3 KEY CITIZEN AWARD ..............PG 4 EYE ON BUSINESS PGS 25-26 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT.............PG 37

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF PUBLISHING POSITIVE COMMUNITY NEWS Are you ready for the biggest foam party in Hillsbor ough County? On Saturday, Septem ber 17 from 5-8 p.m., Florida Foam Factory will be hosting a willwillportiontheSmallitedressedly,someandnonswillTheSTRAVAGANZAFOAMatRegent.TherebethreecanblastingfoamaDJspinningfamily-friendfuntunes.ComeasyourfavorsuperherotosupportbutMightyHeroes,organizationthataoftheproceedsbedonatedto.Therealsobera f e prizes every 15 minutes and food trucks.Florida Foam Factory is owned by Air Force veteran Brian Porter, who said, “When I met Tina and spoke to her about her organization, … her passion of wanting to help children battling cancer made me want to help in some capacity.” Tina Downing started Small but Mighty Heroes in 2017, inspired by a lit tle boy named Blakey who fought a tre mendous battle with cancer. The loss of Blakey due to cancer treatment ignited a fire within her to ad vocate, raise awareness and provide support for children and their fam ilies battling childhood cancer. Downing also owns Mighty Heroes Nutrition, a shop ben efitting herandlemonadesshakes,gourmetwhichnonprofitsellsteas,co f ees. She said, “We are able to orgsmallbutmightyheroes.Mightycom.www.floridafoamfactory.Factory,mationdonating.Nutrition,itingSTRAVAGANZA,theHeroesSmalltytheirthesetailoredsignedprogramsmissionhelpfundraisingcontinualdothatwilluscontinueourandfundourthataredetoprovidethesupportthatchildrenandfamilyneeds.”ThecommunicanhelpsupportbutMightybyattendingupcomingFOAMvisMightyHeroesvolunteeringorFormoreinforonFloridaFoamvisititswebsiteatTosupportSmallbutHeroes,visitwww.orpurchaseticketsto the event here: za-2022-tickets-340123898737.florida-foam-factory-foamstravaganwww.eventbrite.com/e/ ObserverOsprey Rd.PinecrestLithia2109 33596FLValrico, EDDMECRWSS CustomerPostal STDPRSTD POSTAGEU.S. PAID FLTAMPA, #2397PERMIT August 2022 Volume 19, Issue 8 Ph: 813-657-2418 Valrico 33 Bier Fest at Busch Gardens runs every Friday through Sunday until Monday, September 5 and is included with park admission. Guests vis iting the park to enjoy Bier Fest are encouraged to join the conversation using #TrillsOnTap on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. For more, visit www.buschgardenstampa.com. See Full Story on Page 11. Chalklines Educational Feature See Page 28 FIRST COMMUNITYFOAMSTRAVAGANZAEVENTWILLSUPPORTCHILDREN’SCANCERCHARITY

Marie Gilmore with Brian Porter at a truly foamtastic and fun event!

By Sara Battaglia

A new health food restaurant lo cation came to the Valrico area as of June 5. Make your way down to Daily Blends in Valrico, where your friends and families can come hang out and have a healthy snack. Danielle Way mire, owner and founder of this es tablishment, stat ed, “I also wanted a family business that included my children. Teaching them responsibil ity, healthy hab its but most of all spending time withThisthem.”shop en courages spend ing time with family and getting closer with those who love you most. It sells smoothies, protein shakes, wafes and donuts. Some fun drinks that it serves include Skittles, Pink Starburst and Wa termelon Crawl. It also has a kids menu with drinks like Blue Raspberry, Strawber ry Blast, Dino Juice, and Green Apple. If you ask, the restaurant always has a flavor of the day, and you can add on vitamin C, collagen, probiotics, immunity boosters, hydration, fiber or aloe to any drink. Something you can start looking for ward to is Daily Blends after dark. Waymire said, “Strength train ing classes, line dancing lessons and other fun things to come. Our walking group started July 14 at Valrico Park at 7 p.m. It will be Tuesdays and Thursdays.” The business has many challenges over on its Facebook that you can prizesgrandwillwhichtive,plepeotomontheachlengesdaythesuchplete,comas21-chalgetacforithave for the Waymire,winners.outside of Daily Blends, has been a realtor in the Valrico area for about six years.“Iam a military wife, mom of four and heavily involved in advocacy for our kids’ ed ucation and safe pathways to school here in Hillsborough County,” according to Way mire. Come down and visit something new and exciting with Daily Blends. Danielle added, “I’d tell a prospective customer to come and give us a try. We have a relaxing fun energy, and our menu is delicious.”Ifyouwould like to know more about Daily Blends, email dailyblendsfl@gmail. com, call 813-409-3642 or check out its Facebook page under the name ‘Daily Blends.’ It is located at 1991 E. SR 60 in Valrico and open Monday through Sat urday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and on Sunday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. & MORE TO VALRICO By Sofa Celis Avellaneda Daily Blends is a new cafe in Valrico ofering healthy smoothies, megateas and protein wafes & donuts. It is owned and operated by the Waymire family. Kira, Danielle & Ian with team member Jessenia Monsalve.

Florida Foam Factory will host a SeptemberAGANZAFOAMSTRAVSaturday,17,5-8p.m.

DAILY BLENDS BRINGS PROTEIN WAFFLES, SMOOTHIES, MEGATEAS

Page 2 Valrico Edition Volume 19, Issue 8

K-9 BAILEY, THE USF THERAPY DOG AT YOUR DOOR WITH A CLICK OF A BUTTON By Sydney Burken

Since December of 2020, students at the University of South Flori da (USF), Tampa campus, have had the opportunity to visit or be visited by therapy dog K-9 Bailey. Her first responsibility is to answer calls related to violent crimes. She will sit with the victim of the vio lent crime and calm them to the point where they are comfortable enough to speak further with law enforcement.Earlierin the year of 2020, it had been dis cussed to have a thera py dog available to the USF community. When the discussion was solidified in who would be taking this responsibility on, ofcer Nicole Marchesano produced a PowerPoint presentation filled with sta tistics and facts on the need and justifica tion to have a therapy dog on campus and available to all students, faculty as well as staf. By December 2020, K-9 Bailey was a part of Marchesano’s team. Marchesano created a ‘Bailey Button,’ which can be found on the USFPD web site under resources. This button allows USF students easy access to requesting K-9 Bailey. K-9 Bailey and her handler, Marchesano are on campus from 8 a.m.5 p.m., Monday through Thursday. How ever, they adjust their schedule when necessary to meet the needs of the USF community. The reasons for requests and the ones at the top of the list are people in need. This can include someone seeking K-9 Bailey due to having high anxiety for a plethora of reasons, such as a loved one having died, dealing with a break-up with a significant other, strug gling to stay focused an exam and more. K-9 Bailey’s job is to provide them with the comfort theyTheneed.University of South Florida community is able to request K-9 Bai ley by simply stopping her if you see them on cam pus, email, call or using the Bailey Button. The Bailey Button is also used for groups who want Marches ano to show up to their dorms for fun, staf meetings for distress or public/so cial“K-9functions.Bailey can be described as my 3-year-old, goofy, sweet, loving mental health crusader. K-9 Bailey has been with me since I got her in December of 2020. K-9 Bailey and I have a multidisciplinary therapy license and … an advanced AKC Canine Good Citizen certification. She is also a graduate of Project Pup, which al lows Bailey to work in hospital settings,” saidForMarchesano.moreinformation on K-9 Bailey and what services as a therapy dog she pro vides, please visit orcontact-up.aspx,trative-services/university-police/about/www.usf.edu/adminisemailusfpdpio@usf.educall813-974-2628.

Photo by Linda Chion. At the July 26 meeting at the Bloomingdale Regional Public Library in Valrico (from left to right): Katie Habgood, senior planner with PSG consulting; John Patrick with Hill sborough County; and outreach consultant Tammy Vrana of Vrana Consulting Inc.

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K-9 Bailey was stopped when walk ing the campus for four students to get a few moments of relaxation and to take their mind of school work.

Paved and unpaved trails for ﬁtness, sports, recreation and transportation, and adding a lot more of them, is representative of the work of Hillsbor ough County ofcials set to update the Gre enways Master Plan, which afects bikers, boaters, equestrians and pedestrians alike. That’s what brought John Patrick, the county’s division di rector for infrastructurestrategicplanning, to the Bloomingdale Regional Public Library in Valrico in July, as well as to the SouthShore Regional Library in Ruskin and the Jimmie B. Keel Regional Li brary in Tampa. An August 1 virtual meeting was scheduled as well. Hillsborough County commissioners, at their March 23 meeting, approved an update to the 1995 Hillsborough Greenways Master Plan. Recommendations for a variety of gre enways, including natural surfaces, paved trails, natural surface trails and blueways (or recreational waterways) were to be pre sented at the board’s August 15 meeting. “The philosophy of the master plan then concerned quality of life infrastructure, pro viding trails as a place to bike safely and take the family for a walk,” Patrick said at the Bloomingdale Library meeting. “Now the philosophy is changing to include trails need ed to go places for work as well.” At the library meetings, attendees lis tened to a project overview, accessible as well on the county’s virtual engagement and education hub, which also asked for com ments from equestri ans, mountain bikers, hikers and more. “We want residents to tell us where they would put their mon ey, we want them to give us input on that,” Patrick said. “Not sur prising, it is Florida, we heard people want shaded trees along the trails. They want shared-use pads, for sharing trails with bik ers and pedestrians, and they want connec tivity. They want to go somewhere.” Indeed, at the Bloomingdale Library on July 26, posted comments included demands for more mountain bike trails and dedicated bike lanes; sidewalk improvements and addi tions; wildlife corridors; destination features, including brew pubs and live music; and con nectivity improvements, such as to schools, stores and restaurants. One comment asked for connecting the Croom Rital Road trail to the Valrico/Lithia area. While broad in many aspects, some rec ommendations were more particular in nature, including one for trail repaving at Alderman’s Ford Conservation Park and one for another canoe launch on the Alaﬁa River. “It’s very important to look at more trails, how we can meet the needs of residents and how many we need as well,” Patrick said. To read online comments and view the Greenways Master Plan update overview, including maps, cost and timelines details, visit www.publicinput.com/D2816.

By Linda Chion

KAT MAHONEY AND HER DAUGHTER V AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATE NEW CHILDREN’S BOOK

Mother and daughter Kat Mahoney and V have authored and illustrated an exciting new children’s book called Astrid & Te Case of the Missing Cupcake.

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Walt Raysick said he was “honored and hum bled” to have received the 2021 Key Citizen Award, which was presented in July.Since its inception in 1977, the award has been given annually to a citizen for “unselﬁshly” contrib uting “time and efort for the betterment of the Brandon community rath er than for personal gain.”

The involvement must be consistent over a pe riod of at least ﬁve years and in a number of well-rounded activities, with an emphasis on the immediate past year, according to Betty Jo Tompkins, who, as executive director of the Brandon Cham ber of Commerce, helped establish the award in 1977 with the chamber’s then-chairman of the board, Julian Craft. “This was not to be an award for volunteer work with the chamber, we made that very clear,” said Tompkins, who has worked 18 years at the chamber. “The award is for peo ple in the Greater Brandon area who have been extremely involved in a wide spectrum of activities, with each year’s winner select ed by the previous winners.” This year, the award, traditionally be stowed at the chamber’s annual dinner in January, was announced on July 21 at the Chamber Member Awards dinner at The Re gent in RaysickRiverview.saidhe was invited to the dinner under the pretense of speaking with Dave Braun about master plans and expansions for the Hillsborough County Veterans Me morial Park and Rear Admiral Leroy Collins Jr. Museum in Tampa. Braun, who was named Key Citizen in 2018, vol unteers many hours to the efort along with Raysick, who ended up missing the July 21 din ner.“I called Dave to tell him I couldn’t make the dinner because of a medical emergency, which is when he told me about the award I was about to receive,” Raysick said. “I felt very humbled, and apolo gized profusely, and for sure I would have wanted to be there in person to collect the award.”Retired 30 years ago as a master chief petty ofcer from the U.S. Navy, Raysick said he served in Vietnam in 1969-70 and was assigned two tours of duty with the U.S. Marines through the Fleet Marine Force. “It was for a sense of duty and pride,” Raysick said about his commitment to mil itary service. “I always wanted to give back, and all my uncles on my mother’s side were World War II veterans.”

Upon moving to Brandon in 2004, Rays ick said he “immediately got involved with programs and patriotic events,” noting his involvement that includes volunteerism with the Greater Brandon Fourth of July Parade, Hillsborough County Veterans Council, AM VETS Post 44, American Legion Post 148, Marine Corps League Detachment 1226, Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay and both the Brandon Chamber’s Military Afairs Council and the Riverview Chamber’s Military Af fairs Committee.

WALT ‘HUMBLED’ TO RECEIVE BRANDON’S 2021 KEY CITIZEN AWARD

Brandon resi dents Kat Mahoney and her daugh ter, V (pen name Voidstarz), have published a book titled Astrid & The Case of the Missing Cupcake . This book is a part of a new series of children’s books. Astrid & The Case of the Missing Cupcake is about Astrid, a 7-yearold Filipino girl with a love for cosplay, video games, bak ing and solving mysteries. Astrid also has a wild imagination that tends to get away from her and sometimes gets her into sticky situations. But this time, Astrid literally has a sticky situation, as there is a missing cupcake. This mystery needs to be solved quickly so it does not ruin someone’s day. Mahoney is the author and V provides the amazing illustrations. Astrid was inspired by the author and based on the life of the book’s dig ital artist and Mahoney’s daughter. V is a high-functioning autistic young adult who was severely bullied in high school and struggles with autism and an anx iety disorder. Her journey with cosplay, video games and artworks was the cop ing she needed to help both the mother and daughter through di f cult times. Mahoney said, “V has autism, so she has always struggled with communi cation, anxiety, social phobia and the ability to ﬁt in with her peers. She was bullied exten sively in high school and cosplay allowed her to reach out to fans with similar interests. She found many kids her age and young er struggled with the same issues and found cosplay a very comfort ingMahoneyplace.” added, “V has been into cosplay since she was in kin dergarten, as mom is a content creator, vid eo game inﬂuencer and cosplayer, so she was raised around the industry.”

By Kathy L. Collins

By Linda Chion Photo by Linda Chion. Walt Raysick, recipient of the 2021 Key Citizen Award, marching in full uniform at the 2009 Greater Brandon Fourth of July Parade.

In addition to a series of Astrid books, the duo is working on a web cartoon se ries.All of the books revolve around gam iﬁcation or what is also known as edu cational entertainment, such as cosplay, video games, board games and STEAM.

Each series will focus on a di f erent as pect within that industry as well as put some focus on autism and how these interests can positively beneﬁt mental health.Mahoney said, “Our mission is to pro vide an insider look for parents and edu cators to understand how geek interests such as cosplay, video games and the like can lead to extensive careers as well as positive mental health.” The book can be purchased at www. astridbooks.com.

RAYSICK

‘CONTINUE THE MISSION’ OFFERS NEW PURPOSE FOR VETERANS, MILITARY SPOUSES AND LAW ENFORCEMENT

‘Continue the Mission’ launches in Pen sacola on June 22, with First Lady Casey DeSantis at the podium to praise the statewide efort.

By Linda Chion

Page 5Valrico EditionAugust 2022 &FISHHAWK/BLOOMINGDALEVALRICOADVERTISING Kerrie Hoening 625-1527 kerrie@ospreyobserver.com EDITORMANAGING Marie Gilmore 657-2418 editor@ospreyobserver.com MANAGERGRAPHICS Denise Graf 657-2418 denise@ospreyobserver.com EDITORLAYOUT Kathi Hayes 657-2418 khayes@ospreyobserver.com MANAGERBILLING Terry Vassalotti 657-2418 terry@ospreyobserver.com ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Kathy Collins 657-2418 kcollins@ospreyobserver.com EDITORASSIGNMENT Kate Quesada 657-2418 kquesada@ospreyobserver.com WWW . OSPREYOBSERVER . COM FOLLOW US: RIVERVIEW, APOLLO BEACH, & SOUTHSHORE ADVERTISING Melissa Hartmann 833-7470 mhartmann@ospreyobserver.com MANAGERMARKETING Jennifer Hurst 657-2418 jhurst@ospreyobserver.com REPORTERNEWS Taylor Wells 657-2418 twells@ospreyobserver.com 2109 Lithia Pinecrest Rd., Valrico, FL 33592 • (office) 657-2418 • (fax) 657-4469 BRANDON & WINTHROP ADVERTISING Melody Gershkoff 300-5152 mgershkoff@ospreyobserver.com CUSTOMER SERVICE Jenny Bennett 657-2418 jbennett@ospreyobserver.com CHRISTIAN ADVERTISINGVOICE Cammie Yick 810-8106 cyick@ospreyobserver.com ASSOCIATED WITH OSPREY OBSERVER 7 TurningTheKeyFl.comKaryn Scech RSPS, PSA, SRES, GRI REALTOR® 11256813-376-0269WinthropMainStRiverview AssistingBuyersandSellersaroundtheTampaBayAreaandbeyond! TheThe“TurningKeyToAmericanDream”

Recruitment is under way for veterans, mil itary spouses and for mer law enforcement ofcers to ‘Continue the Mission’ through career and mentorship oppor tunities aimed toward protecting children. State agencies, working with local veteran organizations and community groups, among others, are set to fill flexible career openings and mentor ship opportunities in the child and family well-being system. Joe Eletto, a veteran and chair of the Mili tary Afairs Committee at the Greater River view Chamber of Com merce, is a fan of the initiative. “I believe a lot of veterans would be inclined to get involved,” Eletto said. “It gives the veterans some self-confidence in their purpose, and it addresses a great need in the community: helping children. It’s a double benefit.” With recruitment events set to spread from Tallahassee through central Flori da and beyond, the Continue the Mission initiative aims to fill positions for child protective investigators and mentors for children in need, as well as for mentors to work with new case managers and inves tigators with the Florida Department of Children and Families (FDCF). Launched as of June 22, Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis heaped praise on the initiative, led by the FDCF in collaboration with the Florida De partment of Veterans Af“Weairs. are not only helping children across the state but also helping veterans and retired law en forcement with their mental and emotion al well-being, who may feel as though they’ve lost their pur pose once they’ve left active duty or have re tired,” DeSantis said. Eletto issued a sim ilar sentiment, seeing in Continue the Mission a greater purpose for addressing the mental health of veterans, “because when you start helping others, you help yourself.”

Given the young age of many retiring veterans, Eletto said, the initiative is spoton in its eforts to provide civilian job op portunities for veterans, along with mili tary spouses and retired law enforcement of“Ifcers.you do 20 years in the service and you retire at age 38, you’re going to want to work,” Eletto said. “A lot of these veter ans want to contribute to the community they live, and especially so when you’re dealing with children and their future.” For more information, visit families.com/continuethemission.www.myﬂ

7TH ANNUAL KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS CHARITY GOLF CLASSIC IN SEPTEMBER Staf Report

A group shot taken from one of the Knights of Columbus’ previous Charity Golf Classics. Tis year’s event will take place on Friday, September 23 at the Bloomingdale Golfers Club. Te Knights of Columbus website QR Code

Page 6 Valrico Edition Volume 19, Issue 8 8/31/2022 8/31/2022

SPAGHETTI DINNER AND AUCTION TO SUPPORT LOCAL CANCER FIGHTER By Sofa Celis Avellaneda Chris (left) and Heather (right) Brightwell.

Heather Brightwell, 37, is an area nurse in a ﬁght of her life. Di agnosed with a rare form of breast cancer called battles.theirmainareanddaughtersChrisHeather.treatment,”cessfullyyearsthyroidwithaftercurrentlyChrissaidadditionalimmunotherapy23ofcompletingmocarcinoma.metaplastic“Iamonoralchetwicedailyafter16roundsIVchemotherapy,roundsofradiation,andsurgeries,”Heather.Heather’shusband,Brightwell,38,isinremissionhisownbattlecancer.“HehadcancerthreeagoandsuccompletedexplainedSheandareparentstoCarlie,12,Cydney,8,whoaremindertorehopefuldespiteongoingcancerInane

The Knights of Columbus’ Charity Golf Classic, sponsored by Mother Seton Council 6724, is preparing for its seventh annual round of golf. This is its first fund raising event since the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020 and will take place on Friday, September 23 at the Bloomingdale Golfers Club, located at 4113 Great Golfers Pl. in Valrico. “The proceeds will be used for charitable events throughout the year,” explained Neil Waid, council community director. “We sup port organizations such as Special Olympics, Lopez Exceptional Center and the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital, along with various other local organizations that are on the club’s list of “Donationsrecipients.”arealsomade to support the Homeless Veterans Outreach, Nativity Out reach Food Bank and veteran families in need each year,” said Waid. Registration will be September 23 from 10:30-11:45 a.m. The fee includes golf cart, range balls, a gift bag, beverages, a graband-go bag and a dinner bufet. Tee of time will be promptly at 12 Noon with a four-per son scramble to add to the excitement of the day.Registration fees are $100 per golfer, $400 for a foursome. Hole sponsor ship is available for $100. There will be prizes for first, second and thirdplace finishers, men’s and women’s longest drive and closest to the pin.This year, there will be four hole-in-one contests. One hole has a 2022 GMC Canyon truck (provided by Ri vard GMC) as the prize, and there are three other $1,000 hole opportunities. There will be additional fundraising op portunities with a live auction, 50/50 con test and rafe baskets. “The Knights of Columbus is a fraternal organization,” Waid stated. This selfless or ganization believes in and supports the true meanings of charity, unity, fraternity and pa triotism.Forindividual and foursome registration forms as well as sponsorship opportunities, visit kofcbrandon.org. You may register and pay by check with registration forms to: Mother Seton Council #6724, P.O. Box 1327, Brandon, Florida 33511. Make checks pay able to: Mother Seton 6724. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, golfer registration or volun teering, please email Chuck Lamarche at clamarche2@aol.com.

ort to help the Brightwell family, Hope Springs, found er of the nonproﬁt Addison Foundation, is coordinating a fundraising event and spa ghetti dinner. Springs has a personal con nection inspiring her drive to help them. Heather was previously her nurse, and she later became a friend. “I am hosting this for Heather and her family because she was there for me when I lost my daugh ter, Addison, 12 years ago. Now she is in her darkest time, and I will be there for her,” explained Springs. The event will take place on Saturday, August 20 from 5-8 p.m. at Center Place Fine Arts & Civic As sociation, located at 619 Vonderburg Rd., Ste. B in Brandon. In addition to the spa ghetti dinner, there will be a 50/50 raf ﬂe, silent auction and lemonade stand with assorted treats. Tickets are available at ingSprings,Augustquestedandets-373578452207,breast-cancer-tickheather-to-beat-com/e/fight-with-www.eventbrite.RSVPsarerebyMonday,15.Accordingtothefundraisgoalis$10,000, and she believes they can achieve it with community support. If you are unable to attend the event, there is a GoFundMe page at ate2001r@yahoo.comRSVPtas-gotta-go.www.gofundme.com/f/roberFormoreinformation,toortodonate,pleaseemailhoporcontactHeather813-777-7709.

Page 7Valrico EditionAugust 2022 Hillsborough County and Publix are team ing up to promote the county’s ofcial emer gency mass notifica tion system, known as HCFL Alert. HCFL Alert is designed to keep you informed about local emergencies, everyday events and county news that are important to you.Publix is currently displaying HCFL Alert posters at its more than 50 stores in Hillsbor ough County to remind residents to sign up for the notification system as we enter the height of hurricane season. HCFL Alert helps resi dents remain informed and receive timely emergency notifications through voice calls, text messages or emails. HCFL Alert is the easiest way for Hills borough County residents to stay connected and alert by receiving the latest emergency notification updates on hurricanes, severe weather, evacuation notices, public health and safety warnings, major road closures and major service interruptions, such as boil water notices. In addition to emergency notifications, HCFL Alert provides information on county news, events, classes, programs and learning and grant opportunities. When you sign up, you can choose which updates you would like to receive and how you would like to receive them. Whether through voice calls, text or email, the alerts will reach residents in real-time.

An HCFL Alert poster at a local area Publix.

• Flexibility in naming the benefciary – As the owner of the 529 plan, you can name anyone you want as the benefciary. You can also change the benefciary. If your eldest child foregoes college, you can name a younger sibling or another eligible relative.

PLEASE

The northeast corner of Falkenburg Road and Causeway Boulevard has brought six new restaurant options to Brandon resi dents. In the new Falkenburg Commons, there are three freestanding restaurants and a strip of restaurant chains. Culver’s was the ﬁrst of the stand-alone buildings to open in 2018. On the opposite end of the plaza, Tex as Roadhouse and Bubba’s 33 operate out of their own buildings. Between the buildings is a strip of counter-service dining options: Potbelly Sandwich Shop, Poke Poke - Sushi Unrolled and Five Guys. “Especially on this side of the Gulf Coast of Florida, there are a lot of Midwest trans plants, speciﬁcally from the I-75 area,” said Potbelly manager Ronnie Asmar. “There are a lot of people that came in here super ex cited that moved to Florida who haven’t had Potbelly in years. So, I’m really excited to be here for those people who haven’t had it.”

Dr. Priya Reddy M.D. FACR Board Certifed Rheumatologist Dr. Gina Prakash M.D. Board Certifed Rheumatologist Dr. Atefeh Vafa M.D. Board Certifed Rheumatologist Teena Lukose PA-C Specializing in treatment of: • Rheumatoid Arthritis • Psoriatic Arthritis • Osteoporosis • Gout • Osteoarthritis • OnLupusSite:•Lab•Ultrasound•InfusionSuite•ClinicalResearch813-672-2243www.SWFLRHEUM.com NewAcceptingPatients MostAcceptedInsurance Two Convenient Locations: 11954 Boyette Rd., Riverview | 4002 Sun City Center Blvd. Ste. 101 INSURANCE!ACCEPTINGNOWTRICARE

• Support for non-college programs – Even if your children don’t want to go to college, it doesn’t mean they’re uninterested in any type of postsecondary education or training. And a 529 plan can pay for qualifed expenses at trade or vocational schools, including apprenticeship programs registered with the U.S. Department of Labor.

SinceOwnerLori,&Client1969

Residents will not re ceive information from the categories that they do not Residentsselect. signing up for HCFL Alert can also find additional in formation on how to prepare, respond and recover from natural or man-made disasters in Hillsborough County on the county’s Stay Safe webpage: fullythingSafetransportation,niorswithregistrationzoneevacuationgov.net/staysafe.www.hcflFromandfloodmapstoshelterforresidentsspecialneeds,seandthosewithouttheStaywebpagehaseveryresidentsneedtoprepareforwhatev

• Payment of student loans – A 529 plan can help pay of federal or private student loans, within limits. Keep in mind that state-by-state tax treatment varies for diferent uses of 529 plans, so you’ll want to consult with your tax professional before putting a plan in Despiteplace.these and other benefts, 529 plans are greatly under-utilized. Only about 40% of Americans even recognize the 529 plan as an education savings tool, and only 13% are actually using it, again accord ing to the Edward Jones/Morning Consult study. But as the cost of college and other postsecondary programs continues to rise, it will become even more important for parents to fnd efective ways to save for their children’s future education expenses. So, consider how a 529 plan can help you and your family. And the sooner you get started, the better. CONSULTATION! CALL.

HILLSBOROUGH Staf Report

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Potbelly is new to Brandon residents and features both sit-down and drive-through options for diners. The restaurant celebrated the grand opening of its second Tampa loca tion (the other is located of Dale Mabry) on June 14. With 23 employees, the fast-casual sandwich shop ofers toasted subs, salads, soups and shakes perfect for a quick lunch or dinner out. “We have a lot of really cool specialty sandwiches,” said As mar. “We’re the only national sandwich shop that sells shakes, and our shakes are really popu lar.”Next door is Poke Poke-Sushi Unrolled, which hosted its grand opening on July 7. Customers can order custom poke bowls with meat, vegetables, sides and sauces. Poke Poke emphasizes serving fresh and nu tritious foods that are ﬁlled with ﬂavor for Brandon“What’sresidents.reallycool about it is that these locations in Florida actually have a boba bar inside of them,” Asmar explained about the neighboring restaurant. “So, they have a full boba drink menu as well as cereal infused iceFivecream.”Guys, located at the opposite end of the strip, will be opening soon as well. The additional two spaces will not be restau rants, but new service-oriented buildings are expected. By Lily Belcher dining and Poke Poke - Sushi Unrolled are two restaurant chains with new locations in Brandon.

COUNTY AND PUBLIX PARTNER TO PROMOTE HCFL ALERT SYSTEM

NEW CAUSEWAY & FALKENBURG PLAZA BRINGS SIX NEW RESTAURANTS

Falkenburg Commons ofers six new

• Possible tax benefts – If you invest in a 529 education savings plan, your earnings can grow federally income tax-free, provided the money is used for qualifed education expenses. (Withdrawals not used for these expenses will generally incur taxes and penalties on investment earnings.) If you invest in your own state’s 529 plan, you may receive state tax benefts, too, depending on the state.

FINANCIAL FOCUS 529 PLANS: UNDERUSED BUT VALUABLE In just a few weeks, students will be heading of to college – and parents will be getting out their check books. Without a college-bound student in your home right now, you might not be thinking much about tuition and other higher education expenses, but if you have young children, these costs may eventually be of concern – so how should you prepare for them? It’s never too soon to start saving and investing. Unfortunately, many people think that they have a lot of “catching up” to do. In fact, nearly half of Americans say they don’t feel like they’re saving enough to cover future education expenses, according to a 2022 survey conducted by fnancial services frm Edward Jones with Morning Consult, a global research company. Of course, it’s not always easy to set aside money for college when you’re already dealing with the high cost of living, and, at the same time, trying to save and invest for retirement. Still, even if you can only devote relatively modest amounts for your children’s education, these contributions can add up over time. But where should you put your money? Personal savings accounts are the top vehicle Americans are using for their education funding strategies, according to the Edward Jones/Morning Consult survey. But there are other options, one of which is a 529 plan, which may ofer more attractive features, including the following:

op tions for customers. Potbelly

er a disaster brings. Residents can also download the 2022 Hillsborough County Disaster Preparedness Guide in English and Spanish at www.hcfl gov.net/disasterguide, which focuses on the four steps to disaster preparedness, includ ing how to make plans for you, your family, your pet and your business. Residents are also encouraged to follow the county’s social media channels on Facebook, Twitter and Nextdoor @HillsboroughFL for additional county information during a storm. Sign up today by visiting www.hcflgov. net/hcflalert and receive vital emergency information during this hurricane season, which continues through Wednesday, No vember 30. For assistance with registering for HCFL Alert, call 813-272-6602.

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ough County Public Library Cooperative’s apps, such as hoopla, Libby, myON, Tumble BookLibrary and Axis 360. To checkout an e-book from these sites, only an active li brary account is need ed. The number of check outs allowed difers with each library site, ranging from 10-30 books. The top ﬁve most downloaded e-books of 2022 include The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave, Apples Never Fall by Liane Mori arty, People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry and The Dark Hours by Michael Con nelly, all No. 1 New York Times Best Sellers. Over 1,053,805 e-books, e-audiobooks and digital magazines have been checked out in 2022. The library had a goal of a mil lion e-book checkouts, which the community has already completed, but the libraries en courage everyone to try and reach two mil lion checkouts by the end of the year. For more information on e-books or to make a library account, visit https://hcplc. org/ or call 813-273-3652. By Deven King Te statistics of e-book and audiobook checkouts throughout four years. Hillsborough County libraries reached over one million digital checkouts so far this year. Jameson Road • Lithia Go Out On a Limb

Page 8 Valrico Edition Volume 19, Issue 8 9912 Indiana St. • Hwy 41 & Estelle Ave • Gibsonton, FL 33534 813.677.1301 First Baptist Church of Gibsonton “We love because He frst loved us.” 1 John 4:19 Doctor Malcom S. Clements- Pastor Traditional Worship Service Old-time Gospel Hymns Nursery ChildrenAvailable&YouthMinistry Sunday School…………. 9:30 A.M. Morning Worship……… 10:30 A.M. Sunday Evening…………. 6:00 P.M. Mid-Week (Wed.)……… 7:00 P.M. HILLSBOROUGH LIBRARIES REACH ONE MILLION E-BOOK CHECKOUTS alwaysonreturnrememberbutanymoreazines,books,tocommunityallowLibrariesthecheckoutmagandwithoutcosts,tryingtotobookstimehasbeen a prob lem for both the li brary and community. Over the years howev er, digital books have become hugely popu lar when it comes to reading. In response to this, local libraries have set up electronic books that people can borrow from librariesHillsboroughthem.Countystartedallowing the community to check out e-books and audiobooks. With e-books, libraries do not have to worry about late, damaged or lost books. Since 2019, dig ital book checkouts have steadily risen, and checkouts have now reached an all-time high. From 2020 to now, there has been an 8 percent increase in checkouts. Each week, there are approximately 44,200 e-books and audiobooks borrowed from libraries. Checking out audiobooks and e-books is a simple process that only requires a library card. With these digital books, they are au tomatically returned, so people don’t have to remember to return their books on time. The e-books and audiobooks do have a re turn day, but it is the same 21 days as the regular books and can be re newed.The com munity thebooksborrowcanfromHillsbor

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR TRAVIS MANION FOUNDATION 9/11 HEROES RUN By Madeline Gardner

Te 9/11 Heroes Run encourages participation by local residents and businesses in the community, such as John Santivasci, owner of Amici’s Pizza & Pasta.

On Saturday, Septem ber 10, the Travis Manion Foundation will host its 9/11 Heroes Run in Lithia at FishHawk Ranch at 8 a.m. While this national service organization for veterans started this event in 2008, this will be the seventh year that Fish Hawk has hosted it on a local level in remembrance for all the heroes of 9/11, including the hundreds of ﬁrst responders who lost their lives serving that day. While the event is held in 90 diferent locations around the world annually and re corded grassrootsinitiallyyearthisparticipants60,000foreventlastalone,therunbeganase

fort to honor Marine First Lieutenant Travis Manion by his family. Before he was deployed to Iraq in 2007 where he was killed in ac tion, he visited New York City and Rescue One, which had lost almost all its men on the day of the Septem ber 11 attacks. Touched by such acts of brav ery, the Heroes Run subsequently serves to express gratitude for and continue the leg acies of Manion, veterans and ﬁrst respond ers who served in or have served since 9/11. While the run serves to beneﬁt this na tional organization and cause, it also con nects members of the community on a local level to remember the tragedy of 9/11 by encouraging citizens of any age to par ticipate either by running, walking, rucking or volun teering. Amici’s Pizza & Pasta, located in the Park Square Plaza, where the run will be held, hands out pizza to the participants as one of the businesses involved in this event an nually. Owner John Santi vasci, who was working in New York during the Sep tember 11 attacks, believes that the 9/11 He roes Run is a great way to highlight the strength of the town and the com mitted efort to being grateful for those who did and still do serve. The proceeds of the event support the Travis Manion Foundation, which strives to unite and strengthen commu nities by training, developing and highlighting the role mod els that lead them. Organized locally by Col. Beau Higgins, wife Elizabeth and his team of volunteers handle registrations and ques tions and were instrumental in bringing this event to the FishHawk community after Hig gins served with Manion on a prior tour. For more information and to register, visit www.911heroesrun.org.

For You!

Page 9Valrico EditionAugust 2022

Itzhak Perlman (shown in the circle), a legendary violinist, will display his talents in his perform with Te Florida Orchestra for its 55th Celebration con cert on Saturday, October 1.

hap.m.Octoberontion55th(TFO)OrchestraTheperformPerlmanstarviolinLegendarysuperItzhakwillwithFloridaforitsCelebraconcertSaturday,1at8attheMa fey Theater, conducted by TFO music di rector Michael Francis. The benefit concert launches the 2022-23 season and supports TFO’s music and education programs. Undeniably the reigning virtuoso of the violin, Perlman enjoys a superstar status rarely aforded a classical musician. He will join the orchestra for its 55th season opener to perform some of his favorite movie mu sic, including the theme from Schindler’s List — which he performed in the Academy Award-winning film — along with “As Time Goes By” from Casablanca, the love theme from Cinema Paradiso and more. Beloved for his charm and humanity as well as his talent, Perlman has received 16 Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Kennedy Center Honor, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Genesis Prize. Perlman has also received multiple distinc tions from U.S. presidents, including a Presi dential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s high est civilian honor, in 2015. For more about Perlman, visit https://itzhakperlman.com/. Concert tickets are $75, $125, $175 and $225. Limited individual VIP tickets will be available for $550. All tickets are available at http://floridaorchestra.org/, the TFO Ticker Center or by calling 727-892-3337 or –CenteratbarconcertconcertandareselectVIP1-800-662-7286.individualandsponsorshipslimitedavailabilityincludepremiumseating,aprereceptionwithandhorsd’oeuvrestheDukeEnergyfortheArtsMaha fey Theater overlooking the St. Petersburg waterfront. Sponsorships of featured guest artist, con ductor, concertmaster and concert program music selections include other benefits. For information, please contact TFO chief devel opment ofcer Susana Weymouth at 727362-5430 or sweymouth@floridaorches tra.org.Thefollowing weekend, Friday to Sunday, October 7-9, Maestro Francis will debut the Hough Family Foundation Masterworks se ries with the iconic Carmina Burana, kick ing of the classical series that includes Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, Rachmani nof ’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and much more. The Raymond James Pops series includes blockbusters such as Harry Potter vs Star Wars and the Beatles’ iconic Abbey Road album. TFO will perform more than 100 concerts this season in venues throughout Tampa Bay. Single and season tickets are available now. The Mahafey Theater is located at 400 1st St. S. in St. Petersburg. The TFO Ticket Center is located at 244 2nd Ave. N., First Floor in St. Petersburg and is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more infor mation, visit http://floridaorchestra.org/. CONCERT FEATURES ITZHAK PERLMAN Staf Report

THE FLORIDA ORCHESTRA’S 55TH CELEBRATION BENEFIT

Yellowfn Realtor Karyn Scech loves to support Rain ing Cats and Dogs Shelter with every home sale.

By Madeline Gardner Bernadette Pello received the Community Leader ship Award for her strong leadership skills and positive impact that extended beyond the Greater Brandon area.

REALTOR MAKES $100 DONATION TO RAINING CATS AND DOGS SHELTER WITH EVERY SALE By Arianna Hooker

GREATER BRANDON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CELEBRATES THE SUCCESS OF LOCAL BUSINESSES

Walt Raysick won the Key Citizen Award, which high lights the devotion and time paid by an actively involved individual in the community for at least fve years.

Matt Lettelleir, president and CEO of the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce, believes that the Chamber Member Awards ofers a great opportunity for busi ness nominees and recipients to accumulate further success within the community.

On July 21, the Great er businessestunitygreateventRoaringunderbusinessesoutstandingleaderssuccessognizeningedwerenomineesinTheHostedcommunity.nessesofandthecelebrateAwardsMemberChamberitsconductedCommerceChamberBrandonofannualtostrengthgrowthlocalbusiintheatRegentRiverview,invitthatevetorectheofandthe’20stheme.“Thisisaopporforin our community to be rec ognized and celebrated by the chamber and other business leaders,” said Matt Lettelleir, president and CEO of the Great er Brandon Chamber of Commerce. “Busi nesses that win see an increase in patron age, trafc and things like that.” Awards ofered were divided into difer ent categories to distinguish the size, age and status of businesses nominated. The employee size distinction awards provide recognition for the success of a business relative to the number of employees on hand by certain intervals. This year’s win ners included Master Garage Door Co. for one to five employees, Kilene Kelly Group for six to 20 employees and Livingstone Schools Inc. for more than 21 employees. The Emerging Business Award is al located to a chamber member who has been in business for less than three years, and this year’s winner was Just Love Cof fee Cafe in Brandon. This year’s Nonprof it/Government Agency Award went to the Angel Foundation FL. Tina Blount received the Leadership Brandon Impact Award, which acknowl edges either a participant or leader in Leadership Brandon who has made valu able and impactful contributions over the past five years. Walt Raysick won the Key Cit izen Award, which cred its individ uals who have devot ed much of their time to multiple ac tivities with in the Bran don area for no less than five years. And Berna dette leadershipofrecognitionphasizeswhichshiptyCommunireceivedPellotheLeaderAward,emthestrongaswellase

Page 10 Valrico Edition Volume 19, Issue 8

Karyn Scech is a residential state agent with Yellow fin Realty. She sells homes in Hillsbor ough, Pinellas, Polk and Pasco coun ties. Scech has been in business for six years with Yellowfin but has lived in the area for over 30 years and has an extensive network.Shebelongs to the Valrico Fish hawk Chamber of Commerce and Hearts & Heels. Hearts & Heels is a women’s networking group in Tampa and Brandon. It allows entrepreneurial women to feel a part of a community while owning theirScechbusinesses.hasavast knowledge of the area and is here to assist buyers and sellers in the Tampa Bay area. She is a good nego tiator and strives to create good relation ships with her clients. “I truly believe a homebuyer/seller de serves an advocate during the process. … Its more than just selling a house,” said Scech.What’s more, for every transaction Scech makes with Yellowfin, $100 is do nated to Raining Cats and Dogs Shelter and Sanctuary. Scech uses her extensive network with the Valrico FishHawk Cham ber of Commerce and Hearts & Heels to help get services and do nations needed for the Raining Cats and Dogs Shelter.Raining Cats and Dogs Shelter is located in Plant City. Its mission is to pro vide temporary and for ever homes for unwanted cats and dogs. They work with causeShelterCatsportsplaceandat-risksheltersmunicipaltogivedogscatsasafetostay.ScechsupRainingandDogsbeitisanokill shelter and a sanctuary for senior dogs and cats instead of them being etherized. Raining Cats and Dogs Shelter takes care of the animals when owners can’t any more.Scech uses her network to help Rain ing Cats and Dogs Shelter when services and donations are needed. She is there to assist families with buying a home, but in the process, she helps out Raining Cats and Dogs Shelter and the animals staying there.Scech communicates well with her clients, and integrity is her goal. Scech strives not only to sell a home but to cre ate long-lasting relationships with her cli ents. For more, visit www.rainingcatsand dogsshelter.com or www.yellowfinrealty. com/karyn-scech/.

forts that extend be yond just the immedi ate Great er area.BrandonEachnom inee was required to give background information on the business, ranging from the legal structure to the annual percentage increase/decrease in revenue. From there, questions pertaining to the history, mission statement and goals of each business were to be answered. For awards allocated to individual leaders, an essay or resume had to be provided. Last ly, partnering with the Tampa chapter of SCORE, a third-party selection commit tee, businesses had to attend one of the four scheduled interview sessions to ﬁ nalize the category winners for the actual ceremony.Whiledistinctions are made for each category, Lettelleir pointed out that there are common threads between the nomi nees.“Businesses that have given back to the community, are strong and some house hold names in the area — I think that those are certainly some similarities be tween all the winners,” he said. For more information, please visit www.brandonchamber.com or call 813689-1221.

Tina Blount received the Lead ership Brandon Impact Award for her dedication and positive impact on the Leadership Brandon Program for the past fve years.

Two members of Te Hive Inclusive Community participating in a cooking class.

Bier Fest at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay returns as fes tive as ever, with secutiveitsevent,Thisandwithbrews,internationalsonal,includingdrinksmoreparkthroughoutcabinstheservingthan50options,sealocalandalongciderssours.popularnowinﬁfthconyear,allows

THE HIVE INCLUSIVE CREATES NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR DISABLED COMMUNITY

Page 11Valrico EditionAugust 2022 Inclusion of all people in a com munity is import ant. For that goal, a new group called The Hive Inclusive, created by Tonya Whitlock, makes it a priority to give the disabled com munity more op portunities to in teract with others. Whitlock came up with the idea for The Hive Inclu sive due to her son, Trace, who is 28 years old and has cerebral palsy. Whitlock said her son “watched his other siblings move out and live their own lives” and that “he wished to have the opportunity to do the same.” This sparked an idea to create a group where disabled people could inter act with everyone in the community. Currently, the local area has no inclu sive living and a lack of social activities for the disabled, leading to most disabled people being part of ‘the clif,’ meaning they are segregated from the local com munity. The Hive Inclusive was in the making back in January 2020 to resolve this. However, in March 2020, COVID-19 put the project on hold. It started back up again in October 2021, where a team of four people would meet weekly to work on creating The Hive Inclusive. In June 2022 the team began planning to create their own build ing to run The Hive Inclusive in. Right now, the group operates out of Bayshore Baptist Church and meets weekly. On Saturday mornings, there are instructor-led classes, and on Satur day nights there are social events. The classes are target ed towards the dis abled members of The Hive Inclusive. During classes, the members learn and work on many skills. Local people come in and teach class es based on their profession. Some classes include a local chef teaching how to make mac and cheese, a local artist teaching how to make abstract paintings and a local writ er teaching members how to tell a story. Later at night, there is then a social event where all members, disabled or not, are encouraged to come. At the event, there are food, drinks and activities, such as karaoke, with the main goal of having fun as an inclusive community. The Hive Inclusive collaborates with Hope4Life, which is a caregiving agency, and CUP (Cofee Uniting People). It also partners with local sponsors and people in order to gain money for future activ ities and programming. Currently, the group is working on creating housing in the Tampa metro area that is afordable, multigenerational and inclusive. If you or someone you know is inter ested in joining The Hive Inclusive, you can buy a membership online at https:// theinclusivehive.org/ for $10 a month or $90 a year. For more information, visit Facebook @theinclusivehive, Ins tagram @inclusivehive and LinkedIn sive-community/.www.linkedin.com/company/hive-incluat

BUSCH OKTOBERFEST MENU FOR BIER FEST Staf Report

GARDENS LAUNCHES NEW

By Ella Martin

A Bier Fest sign at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, which is occurring every weekend through Monday, September 5.

guests to sip, sample and savor, enjoy the tunes from rising local artists, step into immersive animal habitats and top-of a day of festive fun with Flori da’s most thrilling rides. Bier Fest runs every Friday through Sun day until Monday, September 5 and is in cluded with park admission. This year’s menu is a match made in heaven for all the foodies at heart. Guests can pair their brew of choice with all-new Oktoberfest-inspired menu oferings that include bratkartofeln, konigsberger klopse, pretzel bratwurst, sauerbraten sliders, potato pancakes, brisket poutine, cheese pierogies and Ruben brats. New featured Tampa Bay area drink favorites include Cigar City Fancy Papers Hazy IPA, Leaven Brewing Cheeky Blonde, Tampa Bay Brewing Reef Donkey, Bitburg er Premium Pilsner, Coppertail Free Dive IPA and Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc. For refreshing local ciders and sours, new options include Keel Farms Agrarian Two Henrys Mango Cider, Cigar City Homemade Appe Pie Cider, Crooked Thumb Strawberry Sour and Flying Boat Raspberry Passionfruit Sour. The best way to get a taste of ev ery is with a sampler lanyard, which can be redeemed for any food or beverage item ofered throughout the festival. Sampler lanyards start at $35 and are avail able bersMem12.eightofquantitiesinﬁve,andPasshave access to an exclusive 15-item sampler for the same price as a 12-item sampler. Guests must be 21 years of age or older to consume alcoholic beverages. Bier Fest is included with park admission, and one of the best ways to experience this year’s event is by becoming an Annual Pass Member for $13/month plus tax with no down payment. With an Annual Pass, guests will enjoy 12 months of visits with special beneﬁts like free parking, free guest tickets, access to special VIP events, sav ings on merchandise and more. Guests can also purchase the 2022 Fun Card, which ofers park admission through Saturday, December 31 for one low price, or take advantage of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s limited-time BOGO ticket sale. Guests visiting the park to enjoy Bier Fest are encouraged to join the conversation us ing #ThrillsOnTap on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. For more information, visit www.buschgardenstampa.com.

McKay Bay Scalehouse and Transfer Station workers restoring one of the recovered bikes.

Nurses have also taken part in special trainings to improve their resume and cre dentials in order to increase the quality of care and love for patients. They are also encouraged to engage in patient activities to increase the sense of community at Su perior“OurResidences.biggestaccomplishment is all the new management staf here in the facili ty are all working together, collectively as a team, to increase the level of care and bring the facility back to its previous lus ter,” Knight said about the change in man agement when Healthcare Management Partners took over the 22-year-old facility in SuperiorOctober. Residences is located at 1819 Providence Ridge Blvd. in Brandon. For more information, visit superiorbrandon. com or call 813-657-8587. To schedule a tour or inquire about employment op portunities, email Superior Residences through the form on the website.

SUPERIOR RESIDENCES OF BRANDON OFFERS QUALITY CARE TO LOCAL PATIENTS

By Lily Belcher Superior Residences ofers a fun and engaging envi ronment for memory care patients.

TAMPA SOLID WASTE WORKERS RECOVER AND RESTORE BIKES Staf Report

10 of them were recovered and restored to tip-top, use ableAccordingshape. to the city’s website, www. tampa.gov, the transfer station is a site for the “temporary deposition, consoli dation and aggregation of waste. From here, waste can be divided, sorted and taken to the correct disposal location, whether it is our Waste-to-Energy Fa cility or o f -site recycling service to re cover materials such as metals.” Every day, tons of debris are disposed of at the McKay Bay Transfer Station. Workers notice many items that can be reused or donated that end up in the waste stream. Once items hit the tipping floor, they cannot be recov ered, so it was quick thinking and action that allowed these workers to re cover the bikes. The proac tive actions of the workers kept the bikes out of landfills and now the 10 bikes are find ing a new home. Teens mentored by the nonprofit Take The Time mentoring group (TTT) recently visited McKay Bay to receive the bicycles. TTT mentors Tampa teens on etiquette and exposes them to commu nity service projects across the city. Solid waste interim supervisor Fred rick Sanders, the nonprofit’s founder, invited the teens and their families to receive the bicycles on July 22. “This is a great way to give back to teens in need while educating them on what it means to reduce and reuse items. These bikes would have made it into a landfill, but now they have found a new home,” said McKay Bay Transfer Station supervisor Nathan McGri f McKay Bay Scalehouse and Transfer Station is located at 114 S. 34th St. in Tampa. For more information, visit www.tampa.gov/solid-waste.

City of Tam pa Solid Waste workers are re storing bicycles for a local non proﬁt organiza tion dedicated to proximatelyOutandwerebeforeeredworkersfacility,ofplans30ernoticedStationandBayRecently,Tampamentoringteens.McKayScalehouseTransferworkersahaulwithclosetobikeswithtodisposethemattheandtherecovthebikestheydumpeddiscarded.oftheap30bikes,

f of certified nurs ing assistants that provide complete care to those living at the Brandon location. Superior Residences focuses on provid ing quality care through engaging activi ties to improve the quality of life for their patients. Each week begins with worship music and Bible study time on Sunday. Throughout the week, patients can partic ipate in bingo, trivia games and crafts to fill each day with activities that are physi cally and mentally stimulating. Visitors are allowed to see their loved ones in the common area, but coronavirus restrictions prevent them from visiting the 46 rooms, which are divided into two wings: Crystal and Blossom. Each com munity has four staf per shift, including a medical technician and three certified nursing assistants. “We help them with all their activities. We try to keep them engaged physically and mentally as long as possible to ensure they have a better quality of life,” said sales director Troy tients.tosiciansetc.,matological,tal,includingdonevicesessary.bathing,likesictanceinvolvesTheirKnight.careassiswithbafunctions,eatingandifnecAllserarealsoin-house,denvision,derasthephycomeinseethepa

Page 12 Valrico Edition Volume 19, Issue 8

catedResidences,Superiorloo f Prov idence Road in Brandon, ofers a safe and en gaging assisted living, memory care home for diagnosed Alz heimer’s and dementia pa tients. Superi or and48currentlyResidenceshaspatientssta

Page 13Valrico EditionAugust 2022

Page 14 Valrico Edition Volume 19, Issue 8 LAKE BRANDON VILLAGE 11325 Causeway Blvd • Brandon (813) 655-1237 BRANDON SOUTH 2010 Bloomingdale Ave • Valrico (813) 571-05696amHours:-10pm

OSPREY GET A TASTE OF THE Arianna Hooker

SUMMER INTERNS

Arianna Hooker Newsome High Hooker is 16 years old and a rising junior at Newsome High School. She wants to go to a Christian college and plans to double major in mass communica tions and entrepreneurial studies. Hooker wants her career to have some part in jour nalism, so she wanted to do this internship to gain more knowledge of the ﬁeld since she has only worked for her school newspaper. Hooker’s favorite part of this internship has been the opportunity to continue crafting her writing skills and getting to interview people all over the community. “I chose this internship because I remem ber seeing the article about the summer in terns for the Osprey Observer when I was in grade six, and ever since, I made it a goal to do this internship,” said Hooker.

NEWSROOM By

SYDNEY BURKEN SOFIA CELIS NICK EDWARDS

Ella Martin Newsome High School Martin is 15 years old and a rising junior at Newsome High School. She plans to attend the University of Florida and wants to major in accounting and then work in a city later. She has a family of six and four dogs. Martin has enjoyed being able to practice a new type of “Mywriting.favorite part of interning is getting to interact with new people in the community, as well as learning more about events and places,” said Martin.

DEVEN KING ARIANNA HOOKER ELLA MARTIN

Madeline Gardner University of Florida Gardner will be a freshman at the Uni versity of Florida in the fall. She is 18 years old and plans to major in English at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Florida. Gardner’s favorite part of this internship has been being able to reach out and interview people all over the community while being able to discuss both important and wholesome matters. The internship has reminded Gardner of all the good in the community that should be“Icelebrated.wantedto intern with the Osprey Ob server because I saw it as an opportunity for me to expand on my writing capabil ities while immersing myself in a wide variety of topics to choose from. I think it’s a great way to merge my writing aspi rations and dreams with the reality of ap plying those goals to practical positions,” said Gardner.

Soﬁa Celis Avellaneda Sumner High School Celis is 17 years old and a rising senior at Sumner High School while doing the dual enrollment program with Hillsborough Community College. She plans to major in communications. Celis likes this internship because she has gotten a chance to learn more about writing and how to complete interviews with diferent people. Celis’ favorite part of this internship was “learning the ropes and really under standing how to ask the right questions and go into as much detail as possible,” she said. Nick Edwards University of Central Florida Edwards is a student at the University of Central Florida. He is 19 years old and is a criminal justice major while pursuing a minor in English literature. Edwards’ favorite part of this internship has been talking to his interviewees because it has allowed him to meet people and hear about their life experiences.

Every summer, the Osprey Observer allows local high school and college students to ex perience a taste of the journalism world with internships that gives students a chance to learn the ins and outs of the newspaper in dustry. This year, the Osprey Observer wel comed eight interns for their summer in ternship, Sara Batta glia, Sydney Burken, Soﬁa Celis Avellaneda, Nick Edwards, Made line Gardner, Deven King, Arianna Hooker and Ella Martin. Sara BattagliaDancing for a Difer enceBattaglia is 27 years old and the owner of Dancing for a Diference; she previous ly was a dance major at the University of South Florida but ended up with a degree in general studies due to an injury. Batt aglia wanted to intern because she loves writing and making connections in the community.“Iamcurrently a business owner of Dancing for a Diference and know how important making connections in the com munity is,” said Battaglia. Sydney Burken University of South Florida Burken is going to be a senior at the University of South Florida in the fall. She is 21 years old and has a political sci ence major and a minor in mass commu nications with a concentration in media broadcasting and journalism. Burken’s fa vorite part of this internship has been the ﬂexibility of it, from being able to choose her topics to getting to decide the angle of her article. Having multimedia interview options gave Burken the chance to learn her strengths and weaknesses as a writer and improve upon them. “I chose this internship because it is a local newspaper with a lot of recognition and gives me the opportunity for in-per son interviews, over-the-phone interviews and email interviews,” said Burken.

SARA MADELINEBATTALGIAGARDNER

Deven King Pensacola Christian CollegeKingis 20 years old and a junior at Pensac ola Christian College, where she is majoring in journalism. King plans to become a journalist and wants to be a travel writer.“My favorite part about interning was get ting to meet new people and learn about the dif ferent small organiza tions and people in Bran don,” said King.

“I chose to apply for this internship be cause it will jumpstart my career and give me an opportunity to practice working with others and hone my writing skills,” said Edwards.

Page 15Valrico EditionAugust 2022 New Friends. New Beginnings.

servicevidingisFilterHeroesHowever,challenging.TheH2OatWaterWarehousededicatedtoprothebestofwhilekeepinginaccordancewithitsbeliefsoftruthandtransparencywhileconducting

Page 16 Valrico Edition Volume 19, Issue 8

TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL AND TOWER RADIOLOGY CREATE TGH IMAGING POWERED BY TOWER Staf Report

The H2O Heroes at Water Filter Warehouse, a lo cal water ﬁltration company, has re branded to a su perhero theme for its business. While water ﬁltration is not something that is associated with being fun and exciting, with Dan the Water Man, it canDanbe.

Tampa General Hos pital (TGH) and Tower Radiology have taken the next step in expanding their footprint by renam ing Tower Radiology to TGH Imaging powered by Tower. In January of this year, Tampa General an nounced it had fully pur chased Tower Radiology, expanding its statewide outpatient sites to 83 with the addition of Tow er’s 21 imaging centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa General was previously a 50 percent partner in Tower before this recent purchase of the remaining 50 percent ownership interest. After decades of working closely, it was a natural fit for Tower and Tampa General to come together to combine Tower’s 25 years of industry expertise and Tampa General’s drive to deliver world-class patient care through innovation to enhance the quali ty and coordination of outpatient care and achieve the optimal patient experience and outcomes.Underthe leadership of Sherri Lewman, senior vice president of enterprise imaging, TGH Imaging powered by Tower will bring together essential assets that will signifi cantly increase access, maximize efciency and enhance quality to benefit patients and physicians in the area. “This purchase builds on the long history of success and partnership between Tower Radiology and TGH to bring world-class care to Tampa Bay,” stated Lew man. “The endeavor will al low TGH to streamline care between the inpatient and outpatient settings, ensuring our patients receive a seam less and high-quality expe rience across the system of care. Additionally, increasing our footprint by 21 locations means that Tampa General patients can get the care and diagnostics they need closer to Namedhome.”tothe enterprise imaging position in January of this year, Lewman brings more than two decades of experience to her role. She is a certified nuclear medicine technologist (CNMT) and holds a master’s degree in health administration from Flori da Atlantic University in Boca Raton. Future plans call for more investment in innovation and expansion of the outpatient radiology footprint throughout the state while con tinuing to set the standard in radiology with excellent service and advanced technology. TGH Imaging powered by Tower is ac credited in nine radiology modalities by the American College of Radiology, has been awarded a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence and designated as a Lung Cancer Screening Center. Tower’s 65-plus board-certified radiologists hold certifica tions in all 11 radiology subspecialties and participate in the academic missions of research and teaching through serving as faculty for USF College of Medicine, Depart ment of Radiology. For more information, go to www.tghimaging.com.

Kelleher, owner of The H2O Heroes at Water Filter Warehouse, said, “We decided to brand ourselves The H2O Heroes because it’s fun and memorable. We have also trade marked ‘The H2O Heroes’ because we plan to get nationwide with our brand.”

The H2O Heroes at Water Filter Ware house was founded in 2017 and has since made an enormous impact on the commu nity. Over the years, The H2O Heroes has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in products to various charities; Flint, Mich igan residents; Hurricane Maria victims in Puerto Rico; and Hurricane Dorian victims in the “TheBahamas.H2OHeroes provide a bright light in a really dark, dishonest industry by provid ing quality products, fair pricing, transpar ency in all we do and outstanding customer service,” said Kelleher. The H2O Heroes at Water Filter Ware house strives to be the best in the industry by setting itself apart with its core values, excellence, integrity, innovation, communi ty and passion, which are at the heart of the company. Finding the right people in the water ﬁltration industry can be itself in the highest ethical manner. The H2O Heroes at Water Filter Ware house provides many diferent services, including whole house ﬁltration systems, water system repairs and more. Their services are available for residen tial and commercial properties in Hillsbor ough, Pasco, Polk, Pinellas, Manatee, Sara sota and Charlotte counties. The community has responded positively to this superhero rebranding. The H2O He roes has also wrapped their trucks in the superhero theme found all over the com munity.TheH2O Heroes at Water Filter Ware house also has a mobile showroom that it can set up in the neighborhood to provide free water testing and product informa tion.The H2O Heroes at Water Filter Ware house can be found at 3110 Lithia Pinecrest Rd. in Valrico between the Walmart and Subway. For more information on The H2O Heroes and its product details, services, etc., visit www.theh2oheroes.com.

SUPERHERO THEME COMES TO THE H2O HEROES WATER FILTER WAREHOUSE By Arianna Hooker Te H2O Heroes’ mobile showroom informationprovidingaboutitsservices.

Photo Courtesy of TGH Imaging powered by Tower. Sherri Lewman, senior vice president of enterprise imaging at TGH Imaging powered by Tower.

NEW OFFER FROM TAMPA BAY THRIVES INCLUDES MORE IMMEDIATE MENTAL HEALTH CARE Staf Report Shown are all the organizations and programs striving together to help individuals fgure out what support they might need for their mental health. Book online: www.freedom-ma.com Located at: 3212 Lithia

Rd. Suite 102 (In the Crunch Fitness Plaza) Valrico,

Page 17Valrico EditionAugust 2022

• A connection to a licensed clinical social worker at Northside Behavioral Health Cen ter who will provide in-person help to pave the path to feeling better. All of these options is968-6529).OKAY844-YOU-Let’sbyavailablearecallingTalkat(844-Itafree,conﬁ dential support line for mental health that is available 24/7.

FITNESS, FUN & FRIENDS! ENROLLING NOW FREE!CLASSFIRSTIS

• An appointment at one of 10 local Ad ventHealth Express Care at Walgreens lo cations where a staf member will assess needs and provide referral to a telehealth counselor for additional support.

GOLDEN EARS SANCTUARY OFFERS ELDERLY AND SICK DOGS WITH A LOVING HOME

With the pandemic and inﬂation, taking care of pets has be come more expensive especially for pets that are sick or elderly. In Wesley Chapel, Jennifer Langston started Gold en Ears Sanctuary to take care of such dogs. Golden Ears Sanctu ary is completely oper ated by Langston with the occasional help of volunteers; the care taking, cleaning and the sanctuary’s social me dia content is all done byTheher. Sanctuary is complete with an acre of land, chickens, tur keys, a tortoise and ﬁve cats, and the dogs are entirely cage-free, have free access to the out doors and have their ownCurrently,beds. the Sanctuary has 18 dogs that all live with Langston in her home. Langston takes in dogs that are 10 years or older or have severe medical conditions and were abandoned by their owners. Langston said, “Golden Ears was created as a sanctuary for senior hospice dogs. A lot of senior and extremely medical-needy dogs are abandoned at shelters or worse sometimes, so I strive to provide a loving home for the dogs.” On the Golden Ears Sanctuary website, Langston has Amazon Wish Lists that people can purchase things for the dogs. The community is also able to help through donating money with AmazonSmile shopping, In Memory donations and donating regularly through the sanctuary’s website. People who work at businesses that double donations can also register Golden Ears Sanctuary in their company’s matching program.OnSaturday, August 20, the sanctuary will have its fourth annual Pins for Pups Bowling Fundraiser at Pin Chas ers in Tampa. The cost is $20 and includes three rounds of bowling, shoes and a donation to GoldenLangstonEars.founded the sanctuary in 2019 after having two older dogs of her own that she couldn’t take care of anymore and giving them up to someone she thought could take care of them. But when she found out that the lady wasn’t taking care of them, she got them back and commemorated their memory by starting Golden Ears so she could help other old and sufering dogs, wanting them to have a caring and loving home as they pass. For more information or to donate, call 813-789-3371 or visit https://goldene arsrescue.org/.

• A referral to a licensed counselor at Tampa General’s Urgent Care powered by Fast Track on Water Street in Tampa to help navigate next steps.

Dogs at Golden Ears Sanctuary having snuggle Sundays with volunteers.

Jennifer Langston with Benson (left) and Cole (right).

By Deven King

“The process of finding help and waiting for your first appointment can be an over whelming process,” said Carrie Zeisse, pres ident and CEO of Tampa Bay Thrives. “We are grateful for the vision and commitment of our community leaders who have come together to add additional access points for mental health support.” Colony Reeves, star of Netflix’s Selling Tampa, was announced as an ambassador of Tampa Bay Thrives and shared that she has sought help for depression and still sees a therapist.“Whatyou see is a mask,” said Reeves. “Many people have masks on to hide what they’re going through or what they have been through. And more people have masks on than we Accordingknow.to Mental Health America, Florida ranks 49th in the country in terms of access to mental health services. Also, roughly 64 percent of Floridian adults with mental illness, over 1.8 million people in to tal, are going untreated, an estimated 54 percent of whom are covered by insurance. For more information, visit https://tampa baythrives.org/ or https://letstalktampabay. org/. Pinecrest FL 813.777.0887 American Taekwondo Association (ATA)

Through fromandUSFpaCenterpital,GeneralCare,tHealth,withpartnershipaAdvenBayTampaHosCrisisofTamBayandHealth,supporttheHillsborough County Commission, Community Foundation of Tampa Bay and Tampa Bay Lightning Foundation, Tampa Bay Thrives recently announced new access points for individuals seeking short-term ap pointments for their mental health. The Let’s Talk line, which launched last year, provides the first step in helping callers figure out what support they might need for their mental health. This new extension to service now has several additional options to connect directly to help, including: • Short-term telehealth bridge counseling for individuals facing long wait times to get into their first appointment. This service is provided by the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and University of South Florida’s Depart ment of Psychiatry.

• Programs for Kids and Adults • Discipline, Self Esteem, Life Skills • Member of

Page 18 Valrico Edition Volume 19, Issue 8

FINDING BROWN BATS IN THE ATTIC? CALL A PROFESSIONAL

As summer and all its fun kicks into high gear, bat infestations should be the least of the wor ries for the season. How ever, while such an issue may not be at the top of the agenda, wildlife ex perts and homeowners with experience in this department warn that it is better to be aware and take preventative measures now. With continued land develop ment, there is a higher chance of brown bats finding their way into homes and businesses as opposed to their natural habitats.“Ashuman develop ment progresses, they have less and less nat ural habitat. In Florida, their natural habitat is large, old-growth trees. They’ll get into cavities in trees, underneath the bark,” said Marc Salveson, owner of Got cha Wildlife Removal LLC. “When they have less of that available, they’ll start looking elsewhere.”Signsofan infestation range from actual sightings of bats around homes or business es to the smell of ammonia or presence of guano. The species is drawn to smaller open ings around roofs, usually using unsealed softs as entry points in attics and other open“Batsspaces.only need a dime-sized space to get into something. The softs need to be sealed. And not just specific entry points where they could get in, they need to be sealed all around your home,” said Jules Cas tellanos-Ford, owner of a rental in the FishHawk GardenCastellanos-FordDistrict. had experienced an infesta tion in 2017 and believed the issue to have been solved until her tenants reported the news of a re turned bat presence this past June, a result of the home not being entirely sealed of. As they are protected during their mating season until Au gust 15, Castellanos-Ford had to acquire a permit from the Florida Wildlife Commission first before she could call Salveson. The removal process usually takes between five and seven days fol lowing an inspection. Af ter sealing all around the building, a one-way door system is installed to allow bats an exit before the final entry point is sealed of. However, just scheduling a general inspection is also recommended to lower the chances of having to deal with this procedure.Whilethey can be pests, Salveson stress es the importance of still protecting bats. “They are our number one natural de fense. We definitely want to save the bats. Choose a company that loves them as much as we do and take a humane approach,” said Salveson who adds that communities and parks can add bat boxes to deter attic living. For information, visit www.gotchawildlifere moval.com or call 813-205-5877. By Madeline Gardner Brown Bats only need a dime-sized opening in the softs of homes or busi nesses to enter and begin roosting.

Warning signs of a bat presence or infestation include the smell of ammonia, presence of guano and bat sightings around the home at either sunset or early in the morning.

EventmonizedcallyHolistiPresentsPlannersCruiseHar

Charity Dinner And Texas Hold ’Em Poker Tournament

Local cat and kitten rescue

yournextstepisthecure@aol.com.orevent.alia/yournextstepisthecurehttps://runsignup.com/race/ﬂ/lithforadditioninformationandtoregisterfortheIfyouareinterestedinsponsoringdonatingtotheevent,pleaseemail

ECHO Thrift Named One Of The Best Of The Best In Tampa Bay

Plant City Community Cho rale Seeking Singers

A Kitten Place Rescue Looking For Vendors And Sponsors For 5K Run

The Plant City Community Chorale will begin rehearsals on Monday, Au gust 15 at the First United Methodist Church, located at 303 N. Evers St. in Plant City, in preparation for its fall concert. Rehearsals are every Monday night from 7-9:30 p.m., and it would love to have new members join them. It has members of all ages who sing songs from all genres, and most of all, they have fun. If you love to sing, go and see what it is all about. Additional information can be found on its web site at www.pccchorale.org, by email ing pccchoraleseretary@gmail.com or by calling 813-965-7213. RP Funding Center Conces sion Stand Goes Cashless

Texas Hold ‘Em, ECHO, Bobby van Deusen & More...

Your Next Step Is Te Cure 5K Run Your Next Step is the Cure 5K run in Lithia will be taking place on Saturday, October 1. You can either run the easy 5K route from Park Square in Lithia or sign up for the new virtual option, which is especially helpful to encourage fami ly and friends who do not live locally to sign up. All monies raised goes directly to the Melanoma Research Foundation. Visit

The ECHO Thrift store, located at 424 W. Brandon Blvd. in Brandon, has been presented with a silver award in the Best of the Best People’s Choice Awards presented by the Tam pa Bay Times. Last year, it received a bronze recognition, and it couldn’t be prouder of its amazing staff and volunteers who bumped them to re ceiving the silver award. Every dollar earned from sales at the thrift store goes right back into its mission of pro viding immediate and long-term solu tions for our neighbors in need. Addi tional information can be found on its website at www.echofl.org.

The RP Funding Center in Lakeland has gone cashless at its concession stands. All payments at the conces sion stands will be by credit card, debit card and mobile payment only, including Apple Pay. By going cash less, the venue will help pre vent loss from human error or theft, pro mote safety and enhance the asexperience,visitorcashless transactions reduce wait times. Cash payments will still be accepted at the RP Funding box office for all other transactions.

St. Stephen Catholic Church Announces XLT Praise And Workshop Events

Page 19Valrico EditionAugust 2022 THERAPY SERVICES: ARTICULATION • APRAXIA AUDITORY PROCESSING • AUTISM • SENSORY FEEDING DISORDERS Serving local area families for over 19 years! (813) 368-2485 Park Square - Fishhawk 16144 Churchview Dr., Ste. 109 (813) Apollo368-2485Beach 417 Apollo Beach Blvd. TAMPA BAY SPEECH, LANGUAGE & READING CLINIC

XLT stands for ‘Exalt’ and is de signed for participants to spend time in the presence of the Lord. The Blessed Sacrament, which Catholics know is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Lord, is placed in a monstrance for ado ration. There is time for self-re ﬂection, community prayer, and contemporary Christian music. With the Blessed Sacrament exposed, XLT Praise and Worship is one of the most powerful forms of prayer outside of the Holy Mass. XLT Praise and Worship will take place on the second Friday of every month from 7-8 p.m. at the St. Stephen Chapel, located at 10118 St. Stephen Cir. in Riverview. For more information, visit its website at www.ststephencath olic.org.

A Kitten Place is holding its annu al Black Cat Hal loween Run on Sunday, October 30 at Twin Lakes and is looking for vendors and cor porate sponsors for the event. Last year, the 5K run had over 175 participants. If you are inter ested and would like more information or register for the event, please email akittenplace@gmail.com.

Cruise Plan ners of Valrico is presenting a women-only event, Holistically Har monized Retreat. The event will take place from Friday to Sunday, October 7-9 at a central Florida mansion. It is meant to help attendees replenish their spirits, rejuvenate their minds and bring balance to their bodies. It will also help teach the different methods of self-care. Services includ ed in the weekend are facials, massag es, yoga classes, cooking classes and self-care classes. All food and drinks, plus a swag bag, are also included. For more information, visit its website cally-harmonized.https://cpofvalrico.square.site/holistiat

The FishHawk Poker Group is hosting a dinner and charity Texas hold ’em poker event to raise money for the BH3 Foun dation. The event will take place on Sat urday, August 20 at Summerﬁeld Cross ing Golf Club in Riverview. Dinner will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. and the poker play will begin at 7 p.m. You can attend the dinner for only $20, or for $80 you will enjoy dinner and the poker play (please see the registration for tournament details), including the chance to win a $500 Visa gift card. Rafes and silent auctions will also take place during the event. To register, please visit form.jotform.com/200496151363047.https://

Compiled by Jenny jbennett@ospreyobserver.comBennett

Up Up And Away Florida Makes Donation To Flight To Honor Up Up and Away Florida Inc., a 501(c) (3) nonproﬁt proudly presented Polk County Veterans Council a donation for their upcoming Flight to Honor Mission #8. The Up Up and Away Florida hot air balloon festival held this past May was a three-day event that included hot air balloons, bands, attractions and ven dors. For more information on Up Up and Away Florida, visit its website at www.upupandawayﬂorida.com.

Hope For Her Health Habits Classes Hope for Her is a safe place where women experiencing crisis and trauma ﬁnd the strength, skills and support they need to rebuild their best lives. Its Health Habits classes start again on Monday, August 15 and will be held every Monday from 6:15-7:30 p.m. at Hope For Her, located at 140 Yar brough Rd. in Brandon. Topics covered will include introduction to classes (Au gust 15), emotional health (August 22) and spiritual health (August 29). Call 813-309-3357 for more information.

“I am blessed to have a cozy bed to sleep in each evening and I want others to feel comfortable at night too, and I want them to know that they are loved. I have empa thy and care about others,” said Wainright. “I have learned that when a caring person gives from their heart, they are giving oth ers a brand-new start.”

After creating over 30 mats during quar antine in Delaware, Shawna Wainright resumed this project when she relocated to Sun City Center and recognized a need for them in the area.

Dawoud Bey & Carrie Mae Weems: In Dialogue is on view at the Tampa Museum of Art, 40 years of work by Dawoud 1972” IN YOUR HOME

Page 20 Valrico Edition Volume 19, Issue 8

Bey and Carrie Mae Weems. DIRECTORY OF LOCAL BUSINESSES Advertise in this directory for just $50 per ad ,or as low as $200 per month (INCLUDES ALL 5 EDITIONS) Call Us Today! (813) 657-2418 or Visit OspreyObserver.com PAINTING PROFESSIONAL PAINTING SPECIALISTS Celebrating 30+ Years In Business “20 Year Osprey Advertising Partner” ESTIMATESFREE ALL WORK GUARANTEED Residential & CommercialInstallationCommercial&RepairRefrigeration(813)671-2555 HEAT & AC Family Owned and Operated Fans & Fixtures • Panel Changes Boat Docks • Pool & Spa Wiring Generators & Surge Protectors Remodels • Exterior & Specialty Lighting www.BryanHindmanElectric.com813-672-4084 Florida State Certifed Electrical Contractor | EC#13004922 ELECTRICIANYARD GREETINGS Specializing in YARD GREETINGS that make any day a celebration! Serving Riverview, Brandon, Plant City, Fishhawk, Lithia, Valrico and surrounding areas. signgypsiesriverview.com signgypsiesriverviewf@gmail.com 813-530-9618 Residential and TNTtermiteandpestcontrol.com(813)716-9196CommercialLOCAL&FAMILYOWNED“DYNAMITECUSTOMERSERVICE” PEST CONTROL ACCOUNTING GARY D. MEYER Certified PubliC ACCountAnt • Accounting & Bookkeeping • Compiled Financial Statement Presentations • Tax Return Preparation for Individuals, Corporations, LLC’s and Partnerships • Consulting for New Business Startups • Financial & Estate Planning 813-971-4067 gmeyer4@tampabay.rr.com Serving the Tampa Bay Area Since 1980 4 Point Inspections Wind Mitigation Roof Buyer/SellerRe-certifcationsFullHomeInspections813-842-0740tracer.inspections@yahoo.com HOME INSPECTIONS 861 Lithia Open813-653-9595Pinecrest7Days$5OFF(NEWCUSTOMERSONLY) BARBER BARBER DOG TRAINING allamericandog.net813-685-6666 • Puppy Training • Obedience Training • CGC & Therapy Training • Service Training • PTSD Training • Protection Training • Aggression or County Citation “Since

TAMPA MUSEUM OF ART PRESENTS 40 YEARS OF GROUNDBREAKING PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAWOUD BEY AND CARRIE MAE WEEMS Staf Report

SLEEPING MATS FOR THE HOMELESS FASHIONED OUT OF PLASTIC BAGS By Madeline Gardner

bringing together

For more information on this event and others by the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, please call 645-1366 or org.melanie@southshorechamberofcommerce.email

On July 22, sleeping mats cre ated out of recy cled plastic bags and pillows were distributed at Bell Shoals Church in Apollo Beach for the South County At-risk and Home less Outreach Event. Following a request for plas tic shopping bags from the com munity in May, the South Shore Chamber of Com merce made use of Sun City Center resident Shawna Wain right’s idea to fashion close to 2,000 plastic bags into six 4 ft. x 5 ft. sleeping mats for homeless citizens in the community. Wainright first developed this idea work ing at a retail boutique in Delaware where the sales staf was responsible for unpack ing the merchandise and then disposing of large amounts of clear plastic bags. “I thought that there must be a way to reuse and recycle the clear bags as well as the used colorful plastic shopping bags accumulating under my sink,” said Wain right. “So, I Googled ‘uses for plastic bags’ and was excited to discover that the bags could be crocheted into plastic mats for the homeless.”Duringthe pandemic, Wainright created more than 30 mats and delivered them to a nonprofit organization in her home state of Delaware to distribute to the homeless from there. She resumed this project once more after she relocated to Sun City Cen ter and noticed a need for sleeping mats. Joining the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, she was able to execute this mission at homeless outreach events. Each mat requires be tween 300-350 plastic bags that must first un dergo the cleaning and preparation process. The bags must be examined for traces of food or holes before they are either discarded or flattened and trimmed to assume a rectangular shape, which are then folded again into groups of three and fash ioned into strips. These strips are next fas tened together and rolled into balls of plas tic yarn, totaling 700 balls used to develop the six sleeping mats. Colorful and striped, these mats are de signed to withstand the weather of each season with water resistance and insula tion qualities. Portable and lightweight, each mat is paired with a heart-shaped pillow as well.

A 40-year retrospective by two of to day’s most influential photo-based artists, Dawoud Bey and Carrie Mae Weems, is on view at the Tampa Museum of Art (TMA) until Sunday, October 23 for the first stop in a nationwide tour. Organized by the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) and sponsored by Bank of America, Dawoud Bey & Carrie Mae Weems: In Dialogue is the first exhibi tion to bring their work together exclusively. “We’re thrilled to partner with GRAM to bring such a historically significant exhibi tion to Florida,” said Michael Tomor, Penny and Jef Vinik executive director at TMA. Chief curator of GRAM Ron Platt said, “Dawoud Bey and Carrie Mae Weems have always sought to create works of art that expand the way we think about the world. Both artists have been united in their com mitment to amplifying authentic Black ex periences and images, recognizing those important perspectives and insights were overlooked and sorely lacking within the field of photography.” Both born in 1953, Bey and Weems found motivation for their art in the changing American social landscape of their youth. Since meeting in a photography class taught by Bey at the Studio Mu seum in Harlem in 1976, they have been intellec tual colleagues and close friends, each exploring similar themes of race, class, representation and systems of power throughout their careers. “Carrie Mae Weems and I have been carrying on a personal conversa tion for more than 40 years,” said Bey. “We both see ourselves in conver sation with history, both broadly and within the sphere of African American culture. We’ve nurtured each oth er’s burning desire to contribute meaningful ly to the long history of Black expressive ex cellence. Hopefully, this exhibition [curated by] the Grand Rapids Art Museum reveals that the conversation that Carrie and I have had has both buoyed each other’s work and produced something of lasting meaning and value.” In Dialogue pairs the artists’ work in five sections that emphasize both their distinct artistic approaches and their shared inter ests and concerns: Early Work, Broadening the Scope, Resurrecting Black Histories, Me morial and Requiem as well as Revelations in the Landscape. Also featured are videos by Bey and Weems showing their approaches to the moving photographic image as an ex tension of their still photographic series. For tickets and information, visit tam pamuseum.org or call 813-274-8130. Lo cated at 120 W. Gasparilla Plz. in Tampa, the Tampa Museum of Art is open Monday through Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., with Thurs days being from 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

VALRICO RECOVERING AFTER LIGHTNING STRIKE

YOUTH

By Michelle Caceres

River Hills resident and lightning strike victim Levi Stock is recovering at home with his family.

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Levi was discharged from Tampa Gen eral Hospital on July 4 and continues to recover at home. He was prescribed burn ointment and painkillers, and he has bruis ing on his body where the lightning trav elled through his body. “Every day he’s getting better, and the doctors expect him to make a full recov ery,” said Derek. Levi said he feels pretty good, but some times he feels pain in the lower half of his body. Doctors have told him to lay low and take it easy — not easy for an active 11-year-old boy. He looks forward to be ing able to play outside and go swimming again.While this wasn’t how he planned to spend his summer vacation, he is thankful for everyone who has helped him get bet ter. He’s also thankful for his congregation at FishHawk Fellowship Church, who sent him get-well cards and letters. “It feels pretty good to know that peo ple have been praying for me,” he said. One exciting development is the family will soon be getting another family mem ber.“When he was in the hospital, I told him that if he got better, we’d buy him a bearded dragon as a pet, something he’s always wanted,” said Derek, who plans to make good on his promise. Levi has already picked out a name for his new pet:DerekFranky. said he has learned a few things from this expe rience: His son is a trooper and a tough kid, he is grateful for ev eryone that has helped his family during this challenging time and being CPR certiﬁed can save a life.The family looks forward to getting back on the water, but their boat, which Derek spent two years refurbishing, was irrepa rably damaged by the lightning strike. “All the electronics are fried and smoke was coming out of the engine,” he said. Derek hopes to get another boat one day to help his family get back on the wa ter. “The sooner I get another boat, the sooner we can get back on the water and remove any fear they have,” he said.

A River Hills resident struck by light ning on June 30 near Riverview’s Williams Park is making progress on the road to recovery. While Levi Stock, 11, doesn’t re member much of what happened that day, it’s a day his family will never forget. He and his parents, along with his 9-year-old sister, Ivy, were on the family’s Ranger fishing boat when the strike oc curred. His father, Derek, had taken a halfday of work to spend time with his two youngest children while his older children (Maya, 15, and Toby, 12) were at a church camp. The family put the boat in the wa ter at Williams Park and then spent some time fishing. As the afternoon got warm er, the family decided to anchor of Pine Key Tampa Bay, also known as Beer Can Island, to cool of by swimming in the Derekbay.noticed dark clouds rolling in from the west, so they de cided to head back to Williams Park. “We thought we were being proactive because we were one of the first boats to leave the island,” he said. They approached the boat ramp, feeling relief that they would soon be of the wa ter. While they could see lightning strikes far of in the distance, the sun was shin ing and it hadn’t started raining yet. Levi was at the front of the bow, getting ready to jump of with a rope to dock the boat when a bolt of lightning struck him, en tering through his tailbone and exiting out his left foot. The force stopped his heart and knocked him into the water. His dad quickly jumped into the water after him and the pair were pulled out of the water by good Samaritans, who hauled them onto their boat. Levi was un responsive, so his dad immediately began performing CPR while his mom called 911 from their own boat. A few frantic minutes later, sherif ’s ofcers arrived and attached Levi to an automated external defibrillator. An am bulance arrived soon after and rushed the boy to Tampa General Hospital. When his family, who had driven separately, arrived at the hospital, he was incoherent. “They didn’t find any internal burning or brain swelling, but the doctors told us it takes time for the brain to reboot,” he said.

Report

By Sharon Still

New brides will be inspired by Satin & Lace Bridal Boutique owners Peter and Alison Farnan as the couple celebrates 35 years of marriage.

SATIN 35 OF

MARRIAGE

& LACE BRIDAL BOUTIQUE OWNERS CELEBRATE

YEARS

Page 22 Valrico Edition Volume 19, Issue 8 Are you in volved in a community or ganization and have an idea for a restoration or education proj ect in Tampa Bay? If you are, then you may be interested to know that the Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP) is now accepting Bay Mini-Grant project proposals.TheTBEP Bay Mini-Grants are competitive cash awards of up to $5,000 provided to community organizations for projects that address restoration and edu cation priorities in Tampa Bay, empowering participatory science, promoting environ mental ethics and stimulating community stewardship.Projectsmust address one or more of TBEP’s Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) priorities: clean waters and sediments, thriving habitats and abundant wildlife as well as an informed, en gaged and responsible community. Each year, TBEP highlights a specific CCMP action to prioritize for Bay Mini-Grant funding. This year, projects supporting the prevention, eradication and/or management of invasive species in Tampa and its water shed will be prioritized for funding. Past Bay Mini-Grant projects have includ ed Florida native plantings at local parks, marine educational workshops for Tampa Bay teachers, bird nesting documentaries and citizen science projects researching en docrine disrup tors in andneighborhoods16.day,isBaytionmeadows.seagrassTheapplicadeadlineforMini-Grants5p.m.onFriSeptemberSchools,othernon profit and for-profit organizations from Hillsborough, Mana tee, Pasco and Pinellas counties may apply. On average, 20 projects are funded each year with about $90,000 in grants. A ‘Golden Mangrove Award’ is given every year to the outstand ing Bay Mini-Grant project as determined by the TBEP Community Advisory Committee. All Bay Mini-Grants awarded to commu nity organizations for education and resto ration projects are funded by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program Specialty License Plate, or the ‘Tarpon Tag.’ The Tarpon Tag is one of the least expensive specialty plates at just $15 per year, and all of the revenue goes directly towards protecting and restoring Tampa Bay. To obtain a Tarpon Tag and di rectly support this grant program for years to come, simply visit your local DMV. Additional Bay Mini-Grant information, including grant eligibility, application review criteria and grant priorities can be found sscolaro@tbep.org.ro,competitiveassistancesearch/bay-mini-grants/.https://tbep.org/our-work/restoration-reatForquestionsorwithtransforminganideaintoaproposal,contactSheilaScolaTBEPcommunityprogramsscientist,at

Buying a wedding dress is at the top of the list of important days in a woman’s life. At Satin & Lace Bridal Boutique, guests are treated like royalty with pri vate appointments, a dedicated bridal consultant and a champagne toast when the bride says yes to the perfect dress.Satin & Lace Brid al Boutique owners Alison and Peter Farnan are a true testament to the institution of mar riage, as the couple is celebrating 35 years of marriage and looking to help other couples plan their important day. “Our mission from the start is to create an exceptional experience for brides as they look for that perfect dress for their wedding day,” said Peter, noting the com pany tag line: ‘The Experience Brides & GroomsSelectionsDeserve.’are available from main stream designers like Justin Alexander, as well as its own label, The London Collection. The Amelia Page Collection, named after the Farnans’ ﬁrst grandchild, is due in August. Dresses range in price from“We$1,200-$2,500.areappointment only and that is so that each bride and her party can have a private appointment,” said Alison. She added that there are two large brid al suites, and that the bride is ofered a bridal walk experience to music of her choice. “We celebrate that ‘She said yes’ moment with a toast to com plete the experience,” saidWhilePeter.the spotlight is on the bride, Satin & Lace Bridal Bou tique recently teamed up with Jim’s Formal Wear, the largest pro vider of men’s formal wear in the country, to er its suits, tuxedos and accessories for rental or purchase. “There are so many exciting tique,happeningdevelopmentsatourboubutthemostex citing experience for us is always hearing a bride say yes to her perfect dress,” com mented Peter. When asked about making a marriage last, after 35 years together, Peter and Alison agreed that honesty and commu nication are necessities. “Be prepared to compromise and support each other to achieve not only your joint ambitions but also your individual dreams,” advised Pe ter.Satin & Lace Bridal Boutique is locat ed in Winthrop Town Centre at 11286 Sullivan St. in Riverview. Appointments are required. It is open on Monday and Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m.6:30 p.m., Saturday from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 12 Noon-5 p.m. The shop is closed on Tuesday. Call 813-381-4110 or visit www.satinandlaceboutique.com to set an appointment or ﬁnd out more.

TAMPA BAY ESTUARY PROGRAM NOW ACCEPTING 2022 BAY MINI-GRANT PROJECT PROPOSALS Staf

Page 23Valrico EditionAugust 2022 <<< Alex (Owner) with his sons... “Our next generation of roofers!” Family owned business serving our neighbors since 1981! Celebrating 41 Years Serving our Community Thinking it’s time for a new roof? Do you think your roof may have wind damage? DO NOT REPLACE YOUR ROOF WITHOUT LETTING US TAKE A 813-643-8333LOOK! www.CertifedRoofers.com ROOF REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT SERVICES

Page 24 Valrico Edition Volume 19, Issue 8 August 8-21 | Early Voting August 23 | Election Day Absentee ballots are out - make your voice heard SPONSORED BY Learn more about the district’s needs and plans August 23rd Primary Election Hillsborough Schools Millage Referendum Help Strengthen Public Education for students, teachers and the future of our community This primary electon, voters are asked to approve the Hillsborough Schools millage referendum that would increase funding for the district around $146 million annually for four years. Funding is needed to combat the efects of a natonal teacher shortage and compettve job market to retain and recruit teachers and staf and enhance programs for students. At least 75 percent of the funding would be used to compensationincreaseforteachers&staff What Your Tax Dollars Will Support Increase salaries to retain & recruit teachers & staff Protect & expand Art, Music & Physical Education Prepare students through Workforce Education Referendum endorsed by Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association Hillsborough School Employee Federation Hillsborough Association of School Administrators League of Women Voters South Tampa & Tampa Bay Chambers Tampa Bay Partnership Your Investment in Education 1 mil = $1/$1,000 assessed home value Example of the increase for a $250,000 home Inadequate state funding, combined with the effects of a critical national teacher shortage and competitive job market, are impacting our district. Every dollar of this referendum would remain in our community and public schools to ensure all students have a qualified teacher—giving kids the best education possible. -Kim Jowell Hillsborough Education Foundation CEO 75%

V2922813-452-6380LithiaPinecrestRoad|Valrico,FL33596alricoOralSurgery.com

SEDATION

ValricoAugust 2022, Vol. 19, Iss. 8

Eggs Up Grill Features In 727 To Celebration813

Remodel Of Plant City Tractor Supply Company Now Complete Tractor Supply Company has completed the remodel of the entire Plant City store, which it said will transform the shopping ex perience for customers. The enhanced store features an improved layout for convenient and accessible shopping as well as a new Customer Service Hub with upgraded digi tal tools to help customers ﬁnd what they need. David Holland, manager of the store, said, “We are excited for customers to visit our new space that now features more prod ucts than ever before, including our new ap parel department, expanded feed and thatWeassortment.broaderselectionfoodandtoolknowcustom ers will love these upgrades as much as we do.” The Plant City Tractor Supply is located at 1803 Jim Redman Pkwy. To learn more about Tractor Supply Company, visit www. tractorsupply.com. T&J Painting Is Hiring T&J Painting is looking for a positive painter who wants to grow with a fam ily-owned company. Wouldn’t it be nice to come and work for a company that actually appreciates you, thanks you for all your hard work and has beneﬁts for you? If you are tired of not feeling appreciated, then maybe a change is what you need. Call T&J Paint ing at 813-723-9124 to see how you can join its amazing team.

Join Eggs Up Grill as it joins in The Identity Tampa Bay’s annual 727 to 813 celebration. The celebration is an annual series of events held in the Tampa Bay metro area with the goal of highlighting the unique communi ties. Eggs Up Grill has a special menu for the event featuring unique breakfast, brunch and lunch entrees such as strawberry cheesecake pancakes and smokehouse mac and cheese bowl. The 727 to 813 celebration runs until Saturday, August 13. Eggs Up Grill is locat ed at 3920 U.S. Hwy. 301 in Riverview and is open seven days a week. For more information, visit eugriverview on all social media platforms. New Partner At Valrico Law Group Valrico Law Group is excited to welcome new partner Percy King to the practice. Valrico Law Group’s goal is to provide big firm experience with small firm personal attention. The practice’s focus areas are planning,andinjuries,personalwillsestatepro bate, family law, tax law, business law and insurance law. Valrico Law Group is located at 3626 Erindale Dr. in Valrico. Additional information can be found on its website at www.valri colawgroup.com. Back-To-School Specials At Bay Beauty Aesthetics The end of the summer is almost here, and soon the holiday season will be here. Too much sun can damage your skin and induce wrinkles and deepen fine lines, but Botox may help rejuvenate the skin. Bay Beauty Aesthetics is ofering a back-toschool special for Hillsborough County teachers, school admin istrators and other members of staf. They will receive an addi tional 10 percent of an already reduced price of $10 per unit for Botox. Bay Beauty Aesthetics is located at 3448 Lithia Pinecrest Rd. in Val rico. Additional Information can be found on its website at www.baybeautyaesthetics. com or by calling 813-404-4098.

Congratulations To Andy Tekampe With TNT Termite And Pest Control Congratulations to Andy Tekampe of TNT Termite and Pest Control! He scored an A on his Florida Termite Exam and is now fully certiﬁed in pest control and termite control. Contact Tekampe with any pest or termite control questions at 813-468-8574. TNT Termite and Pest Control serves the Brandon and surrounding areas. For more information on its services, visit its website at www.tnt termiteandpestcontrol.com.

Andy Tekampe aced the Florida Termite Exam.

Latitudes Tours Rec ognized As A Traveler’s Choice Award Winner Latitudes Tours of Ruskin has been recognized by Tri padvisor as a 2022 Travel er’s Choice award winner in the tours and outdoor activities category. The award celebrates businesses that have received great reviews from travelers on Tripadvisor over the last 12 months. As chal lenging as the last year was, Latitudes Tours stood out by consistently delivering positive experiences. Captain Dave, owner of the business, said, “Every tour is unique, from the music selection to the narration. We always put the customer ﬁrst and tailor each tour experience to the people we have on board.” For a limited time, Latitudes Tours has a sum mer special in which kids under 12 cruise free (10 a.m. tour only) with a paying adult. Call 813-641-1311 to reserve your spot. Latitudes Tours is located at 580 Bahia Beach Blvd. in Ruskin. For more information on tours, visit its website at www.latitudestours.com.

Tom DMDBackerisJason E DMDdwards IV

• WISDOM TEETH REMOVAL • DENTAL IMPLANTS •

Summer break is the perfect time to remove wisdom teeth!

REDESIGN MAKES 2022 OUTLANDER AN IRRESISTIBLE RIDE! OUTLANDER SEL Tires: Website:FuelWheelbase:255/45R20106.5inchesLength:185inchesWidth:74.7inchesHeight:68.8inchesWeight:3,803poundscapacity:14.5gallonsCity:24mpgHighway:30mpgBaseprice:$33,745Priceastested:$38,590www.mitsubishicars.com

MAINTAIN A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE WITH NEW VITALITY’S 8-WEEK PROGRAM By Makenzie Atkins

George & Trula Reynolds participated in New Vitality Centers’ eight-week program and are feeling confdent.

Mon-ThursHours:9-5Friday 9-12 That Outland er you may have driven or heard about in the past, toss it all out. and wider, open ing up more legroom space for rear-seat passengers. And make that a seven-seat er with a third row. Sharing a chassis and power train with its corporate cousin Nissan Rogue, the 2022 Outlander is equipped with a 2.5-liter, inline four-cylinder engine that puts out 181 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 181 pounds-feet of torque at 3,600 rpm. However, the slightly noisy continu ously variable transmission continues as is, to our detriment. Our test vehicle had the Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) so it would be more than a relief if it were taken o f the beaten path, such as gravel, mud and even snow if you drive up north this winter. A MacPherson strut front and multilink rear suspension handles un even bumps on the road with confidence. The electric power steering conveys an immediate and communicative feel. No doubt, the Outlander sports a fresh look with horizontal LED headlights and fog lamps, flanking what the Japanese carmaker terms a “dynamic shield” grille with the familiar Mitsubishi emblem. The rear too shows o f a horizontal-themed, T-shaped tailgate. The cabin is now even roomier with plentiful head and leg room for sec ond-row seat pas sengers. Space in the third row, found only in another small SUV, the VW Tiguan, is minis cule. The analog in strument cluster of speedometer and tachometer with silver accents hosts digital fuel and tem perature gauges. Several comforts are o f ered, such as tri-zone auto AC, thickrimmed leather tilt/telescopic steering wheel, eight-way driver and four-way power and heated front-passenger seats, 9-inch infotainment touchscreen display, panoramic sunroof, power liftgate, 12.3inch digital display and power windows. Safety features at no extra cost include dual front, side and airbags, side curtain airbag, rearview camera, active stability and traction control, blind spot and lane departure warnings, lane change assist, rear-cross tra f c and hill start assists, four-wheel antilock brakes, anti-theft alarm, electronic parking brake, daytime running lights and tire pressure monitor ingThoughsystem. deficient in power, the four-cylinder and brand-new Outlander is a tempting proposition. After all, it makes up for the deficit with consider able cargo and passenger space, decent fuel mileage (our mixed driving average was around 26.8 mpg) and a price that isn’t astronomical, so to speak.

The itcabin.mostfasciatrain,abeencompacttionfourth-generaall-new,MitsubishiSUVhasrebornwithfreshpowerextendedandanalluxury-likeEssentially,isnowtaller,longer

By Nitish S. Rele nitishrele@gmail.com

Page 26 Valrico Edition Volume 19, Issue 8 Ready to lose weight and actual ly maintain it? Of tentimes, it can be hard to maintain a fad diet and keep of the weight you have lost. That’s why New Vitality Centers, a young company in Bran don, wants to help you feel comfort able in your own body and change your life with its eight-week pro gram.Reaching and staying at your goal weight is very important for living a healthy life. Maintaining a healthy weight prevents cardio vascular disease, high blood pres sure, diabetes, joint issues, poor circulation and much more.

Instead of indulging in a quick overnight weight loss fad, New Vitality’s Clean Start Weight Loss program works with you for eight weeks to help you succeed with an easily maintainable lifestyle change. The Clean Start program is a mix of the keto diet and intermittent fasting that evolves into a sort of Mediterranean diet. Though a keto diet consists of mainly eat ing meat and cheese, you do get carbs when partaking in the Clean Start program, just in a healthy way. By including intermittent fasting, you encourage your body to use the fat as energy instead of storing it or using it for“Wemuscle.both feel so much better and have a lot more energy. This is a program, but I don’t like calling it a program because it is a way of life for us. We love the way we look and the clothes we can wear again. Most im portantly, we are much healthier,” client Trula Reynolds said about the experience she and her husband, George, have had.Depending on how much weight you need to lose, the eight-week program can be re peated a couple of times to reach your goal. The program in cludes coaching, initial blood work, appetite suppressants to help with the lifestyle transition, lipotropic injections to help maintain energy and burn fat, a guidebook, keto strips to test whether your body is in a state of ketosis and weekly InBody weigh-in. For more information on this and other antiaging services and products ofered by New Vitality Centers, or to schedule a con sultation, please contact New Vitality at 813-436-0708 or https://newvitalitycen ters.com/.

FAMILY-OWNED GECKO FLOOR CARE HANDLES SERVICES PROFESSIONALLY

Dennis Napoli, between his sons Eric (left) and Kevin Napoli (right), holding the Best of the Best People’s Choice Award for Best Carpet Cleaning that Gecko Floor Care won in 2019.

By Taylor Wells

Page 27Valrico EditionAugust 2022 When it comes to cleaning your floor, not only is there much work to do but also there’s quite a bit of know-how needed, such as the proper cleaning solutions, methods and equip ment. If you have flooring that must be cleaned, getting pro fessionals like Gecko Floor Care is best. Gecko Floor Care is a family-owned and operated business that has been around for seven years now. It be gan with founder and owner Dennis Napoli wanting to operate a business with his whole family, including his wife, Lori Napoli, and their two sons, Kevin and Eric. The family came from Cleveland to live in Florida in 2015 and started the com pany soon after. “We moved down here and started from scratch. I had had some experience with steam cleaning in the past, but I decided to go into Gecko Floor with my sons,” said Dennis.“Iwanted a business that they could grow, and basically I always wanted to have a family business with them,” he added. Gecko Floor Care provides services for both residential and commercial properties, typically doing residential cleaning between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. and saving commercial cleanings for later in the day to not interrupt businesses’ operating hours. Its services in clude cleaning carpets; area rugs; tiles and grout; wood, concrete and luxury vinyl floors; and upholstery, and it also does pet stain removal and pressure washing.AtGecko Floor Care, its cleaners are expe rienced, trained pro fessionals, as they did training through the Carpet and Rug Insti tute and IICRC. What’s more, the business was presented with the Best of the Best Peo ple’s Choice Award for Best Carpet Cleaning in 2019 and 2020 by the Tampa Bay Times “These are truly the best floor cleaners out there! I’m beyond happy to find out that it’s a father and son team as well,” said custom er Jessie D. Ronnie N., another customer, said, “Just had our tile, grout and an area rug cleaned and couldn’t be happier. We’ve used Gecko Floor Care a couple of times now and always happy with the results.” So, no matter the spill, stain or filth, you can be assured that Gecko Floor Care will make your floors good as new. Plus, every thing it uses is kid and pet-friendly. For information, visit www.geckofloor care.com or check out its Facebook page @geckofloorcare. To book an appointment, call 813-924-7344.

Page 28 Valrico Edition Volume 19, Issue 8

PROPERTY TAX INCREASE FOR SCHOOLS ON AUGUST BALLOT

BRANDON TERMITE & PEST CONTROL #1 Bug Muggers Since 1973 Main Ofce: 108 S. St. Cloud Ave. • Valrico • Fax 685-3607 • 6am-6pm Serving: Clearwater-Lakeland-Orlando-Plant City For a FREE ESTIMATE call (813) 685-7711 TermidorTermidor 10 Year Guarantee Against Subterranean Termites MEMBER WEST FLORIDA (Take Out Only) 27 Years in NowRoomYBORBrandon!OPEN! Care partners of those with any type of memory loss, whether family, friends or professionals, need to be equipped with the knowledge to best support their loved one. Gain this knowledge at our NEW hybrid support groups being held via Zoom and in person at Tessera of Brandon. Hybrid Dementia and Alzheimer’s Support Groups Come a little early for refreshments! 1320 Oakfeld Dr. Brandon, FL 33511 | 813-607-6880 Fourth Tuesday of Every Month at 6:30 pm Meeting in person and via Zoom!!! Zoom Meeting Number 897 6781 0479 Password: evening Fourth Wednesday of Every Month at 2:00 pm Meeting in person and via Zoom!!! ZOOM Meeting Number 869 4044 7508 Password: support #ALFacilityLivingAssisted13150 WE TAKE THE PAIN OUT OF PAINTING, AND PUT THE WO BACK IN WONDERFUL! (813) 723-9124 or (813) 670-8565 www.tandjpaintingf.com Residential • Commercial Exterior Repaint Specialists License #L20000250797 NOW EXPERIENCEDHIRINGPAINTERS!!BEAPPRECIATEDFORYOURHARDWORK!!CALLTODAY! ispropertytionproperty$1,000taxtoerspublicmillagetheyelectiongustthehaveCountyHillsboroughvoterswillachanceinTuesday,Au23primarytodecideifwanttopayataxtofundschools.Thequestionvotfaceiswhetherpaya$1millionor$1foreveryoftaxablevalue.Thenextquesformanyownerswhatthatmeans

Hillsborough County Public School District is asking voters to approve a property tax increase to fund salaries and educational programs. Shown is Alafa Elementary School in Valrico.

We enter a new academic year full of confidence and excitement as Hills borough County Pub lic Schools is ranked 19th in the state, its highest ranking in history. The incredi ble achievement was realized through the hard work and ded ication of teachers, support staff, leaders, students and families. This celebration is only the beginning of what we will achieve together.Hillsborough Coun ty Public Schools is unveiling fresh initiatives and a new school in 2022-23. We are thrilled to add the Dorothy C. York Innovation Academy under the leadership of Prin cipal Missy Lennard to the tradition of excellence in south county. This pre-K-8 school offers another educational op tion to meet the needs of our growing student population in this area. Our district is also expanding accel erated learning to 13 more high schools and one middle school by adding the Cambridge AICE Program. Under this rigorous pathway, students can earn 100 percent Bright Futures Scholar ships without an SAT score require ment, opening new opportunities for secondary education while decreasing economic barriers. Cambridge AICE was piloted at Sumner High School and will be expanded to Shields Middle School and East Bay and Riverview high schools.

GAINING MOMENTUM FOR THE NEW ACADEMIC YEAR By Superintendent

By Brad Stager

South county will also benefit from a new Bridge to Biliter acy program at Sum merfield Crossings and Dawson elementary schools. It is designed to develop Spanish pro ficiency for students by providing a full Spanish immersion experience for 50 percent of the day, learning academ ics in two languages on an alternating ba sis. Funded by the De partment of Defense, the initiative is slated to expand from two to seven schools within four years. Finally, our district is embarking on a new federal reimbursement program that will offer meals at no cost to more than 80 percent of our student body. The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) allows schools where 40 percent or more of students are categorically el igible for free school meals to provide free meals to all students on that cam pus. More than 170 schools will benefit from this program, which decreases pa perwork for parents, schools and nutri tionWhilestaff.student performance will re main top of mind, so will mental well ness. Our district has received additional funding from the state to bolster coun seling services, including our Mobile Response Unit for students in crisis. We stand ready to remedy the effects of the pandemic while looking forward with optimism as we embark on our quest to become a top-10 school district. Addison Davis in terms of actual cost and impact to their budgets. According to the school district’s web page ex plaining the tax, “a prop erty valued at $246,808 (median market value in Hillsborough) with a homestead exemption applied, an owner would pay about $18.48/ month or $222/year.” An estimated $146 million is expected to be raised annually for the four-year term of the tax, which will begin on July 1, 2023 and end on June 30, 2027 unless renewed bySchoolvoters. district ofcials cited a stafng shortage they want to address with higher pay as a major reason for needing the tax, especially with the high rate of economic inﬂation in the Tampa Bay area. They said the district needs to hire about 400 teach ers and other instructional employees and almost 600 support personnel to have the district fully stafed. The Hillsborough Coun ty School District is the seventh-largest school district in the United States with 220,000 students who are taught by 14,181 teachers. The dis trict has a total of 23,815Districtemployees.o f cials said the tax would allow them to provide instruc tional employees, such as teachers and counselors, with an average $4,000 annual pay increase and give about $2,000 more per year to support staf, like bus drivers and cafeteria workers. Some of the new revenue will be used to increase art, music and workforce education opportunities for students. The district said it will hire 45 art teachers, 67 music teach ers and 37 physical education teachers for elementaryHillsboroughschools.County Schools Superin tendent Addison Davis said the district has worked hard to align its budget between needs and funding during a challenging time.“We’ve had to make some very difcult, hard choices over the last two years,” he said in a video about addressing ﬁnances, which is available on the district’s website. Early voting in the election begins on Monday, August 8 and runs through Sun day, August 21, with Election Day and the end of the primary election voting cycle oc curring on Tuesday, August 23.

By Deven King

SOUL CIRCUS COWBOYS SHOW LIFE IN THE SUNSHINE STATE WITH NEW SINGLE

Photo courtesy of Hillsborough Education Foundation. Teachers shopping at Hillsborough Education Foundation’s Teaching Tools Resource Center.

Soul Circus Cowboys’ latest album cover, Rolling Across America - Home Stretch.

Page 29Valrico EditionAugust 2022 August 10 is the first day for Hillsbor ough County Public they’llryingersfriends,ofexcitementwearwhatfocusedsome(HCPS).SchoolsWhilekidsareonthey’llortheseeingothareworwhetherhaveapencil or paper to help them succeed in school. In HCPS, three out of five students are from economically disad vantaged families, and many can’t aford the basic supplies their children need as they head back to their classrooms. Hillsborough Education Foundation (HEF) believes a lack of resources should not be a barrier for students to learn. That’s why in the last school year, HEF provided more than $4.1 million in free supplies to students and teachers at the highest needs schools through the Teaching Tools Re source Center. It was a record-setting year for supply distribution, which shows that the need to support the most vulnerable students is greater than ever, given recent financial hardships for many families. The Teaching Tools Resource Center, lo cated at HEF at 2306 N. Howard Ave. in Tampa, reopened on July 25 for the 202223 school year. Teachers in HCPS Title I schools can shop for core school supplies and other resources needed for their class rooms twice per semester at no cost to them. Last school year, one shopping trip was worth an average of $418 in supplies — that’s an an nual savings of nearly $1,700. All too of ten, dedicat ed teachers will Need2022gotheirforepocketsofsuppliespurchaseouttheirownbelettingstudentswithout.AKidsinsurvey found one out of three teachers spent more than $500 of their personal funds on ma terials for students in the 2021-22 school year.The community can support students and teachers and help stock the store’s shelves by hosting a supply drive at their business or organization, shopping from HEF’s Am azon Wish List at tion.com/.LearntheingratespactstrategicallyTogethertoportingonestablishedtionfoundation.com/donateschoolsupplies.themost-neededmakingregistry/wishlist/30C9IAR0FOBXOwww.amazon.com/gp/oradonationsoHEFcanpurchasethesupplies.Learnmoreaboutwaystogetinvolvedathttps://ducaHillsboroughEducationFoundationwasin1987asanonprofitfocusedstrengtheningpubliceducationbysupteachersandempoweringstudentsachieveacademicandpersonalsuccess.withcommunitypartners,HEFinvestsininitiativesthatimteachingquality,increasegraduationandbuildequityineducation,bolsterathrivingworkforceoftomorrowandsustainableprosperityofTampaBay.moreathttps://educationfounda HEF PROVIDES FREE SCHOOL SUPPLIES TO TEACHERS AT HIGHEST-NEEDS SCHOOLS Staf Report

Florida is a unique state ﬁlled with var ious wildlife, plants, and cities. It is also the home of southern rockSoulmusic.Circus Cow boys released its new est single, “Sunshine State,” on June 20. The song is a tribute to Florida that shows of all the beautiful things Floridians ex perience every single day.Billy McKnight, one of the band’s main songwriters of “Sun shine State,” was born and raised in the Brandon area, there fore knowing all of the incredible things here which inspired him to write the song. The band released their music video and track on July 4 with a concert at The Toast ed Monkey to celebrate Independence Day.Billy McKnight, the lead singer in Soul Circus Cowboys, said, “I believe anyone who sees this video that is from Florida will get it immediately and anyone who is not from Florida will want to visit im mediately.”In2009, McKnight and Dewey Buxton formed a duet called Midnight Buckstone. They then grew into Soul Circus Cowboys when Ron Zebron, James Caulk and Ste ven O’Reilly joined their group. The band has produced four re cords and 12 videos. McKnight’s biggest piece of advice to any one starting out in the music industry is to be all in. He said, “If you make the commit ment, you have to go all in. Just like any choice in life, you might think some thing is safer, but as long as you learn your craft and as long as you be honest and true to yourself and the music that is in side your body and get it out properly, you’ll be safe.”

The music group toured from June 24 to July 2 around the bay area, including St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Clearwater, Lakeland, Tampa and Ellenton. Soul Cir cus Cowboys’ music, such as their latest song, “Sunshine State,” is available on ev ery music streaming service and on their website.Formore information or to purchase their concert tickets, visit www.soulcir cuscowboys.com or email Michelle Guten stein-Hinz at michelle@parklifeunlimited. com.

games necessary to earn the title due to the single elimination structure of the tourna ment.“We play together as a team,” said coach Jim Ost ing. “Player development is a big part of our program … working from a young age, working your way up, learning the game the right way and being funda mentallyOsting’ssound.”team came out swinging, scor ing an early two runs in the championship game. Georgia hit a three-run homer bring ing the score to 3-2, but a big top of the fourth gave Ostingers the 8-3 lead. The team would tack on three more runs to win the championship game 11-3. The hot bats of Ostingers’ hitters, led by tournament MVP Evan Dempsey and paired with the commanding pitching rotation, allowed the team to outscore opponents 66-16 in the seven-game stretch. Dempsey, who will graduate from Newsome in 2023, went 4-for-4 in the championship game with a grand slam and, of the 436 teams worth of ballplayers, earned the MVP title. Osting attri butes his team’s success this season to the emphasis on fun damentals and selﬂess team work. The group of juniors are at a difcult point in their high school career with some team mates having already signed with their dream college and others still seeking the deserved attention from scouts. In some clubhous es, this would cause ani mosity within the team, but Osting congratulated his group of athletes for the unity they showed in working toward their shared goal. “All of our programs and the culture of our programs are built on ‘It’s all about us together,’” said Osting. “It’s a collective group, and these guys have taken it upon themselves to be great teammates and build on our philosophy of the program.”

OSTINGERS BASEBALL ACADEMY’S 17U TEAM WINS PG WWBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

By Lily Belcher

Ostingers Baseball Academy’s team of 18 athletes won the WWBA World Championship on July 14.

SUMMERFIELD CROSSING GOLF TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANTS CAN WIN $10,000 By Sydney Burken

While the championship team was a group of 18 rising seniors, Ostingers Base ball Academy fosters a love of baseball in all students from the ages of 8-18. A core handful of this year’s champions have been with the baseball academy since a young age and led the team as veterans of both the sport and Ostingers Baseball Academy. Ostingers Baseball Academy is located at 8711 Lithia Pinecrest Rd. in Lithia. For more information, visit the website at ost ingbaseball.com.

allOstingerschampionship,FightinglongaftergiaagainstgiaonshipWorldGamewonemy’sBaseballOstingersAcad17UteamthePerfectWWBAChampiinGeoronJuly14theGeorBomberstheweektournament.forthewonsevenconsecutive

Kerin Clakin is the owner of Te Kerin Group and your point of contact for any hole-in-one contest questions or other event needs.

Page 30 Valrico Edition Volume 19, Issue 8

Kerin Clarkin, also known as Mr. Riverview, is doing it once again. That is, he has partnered with Summerfield Cross ings Golf Club to throw a hole-in-one golf contest on Friday, September 16 from 5:30-10 p.m. where participants will have the chance to win a huge cash prize.Clarkin’s goal behind the hole-in-one contest is to bring continuous fun to the communi ty at no cost. The first 100 people to sign up get a chance to go for a holein-one, and the winner will earn a huge cash prize. If no player is able to make a hole-in-one, everyone, player or not, will be able to play closest-to-the-pin, and the winner will receive a special surprise. During this event, there will be food and drinks available for purchase in theTheclubhouse.Summerfield Crossing hole-in-one tournament is not the first event Clarkin has thrown with Summerfield Crossings Golf Club. His main goal behind each event thrown is to bring fun and free activities for families to take part in and children to enjoy. In previous years, Clarkin has done Christmas toy giveaways, food truck events and Connect Four events in the hopes of bringing enjoyable entertain ment and functions to the Riverview com munity.Notonly has he part nered up with Summer field Crossing Golf Club, but he has also done so with the YMCA for an extreme Easter egg hunt in the past and is current ly teaming up with ‘On Bikes,’ a charity in Tampa that builds bikes for chil dren in need. He also runs a Food and Fun Blog called Fun Tampa that covers all kinds of food, drinks and activities available in Riverview, Tampa, Clear water and other areas. The purpose behind his blog is to help more people be aware of the functions and great food being ofered around and outside the Riv erview“Therecommunity.aretwo goals to doing these kinds of events — one is to continuously get our community together and to have fun. I am just trying to provide as much fun and excitement to our community as I can,” said SummerfieldClarkin.Crossing Golf Club is lo cated at 13050 Summerfield Blvd. in Riv erview. For more information on how to sign up for the hole-in-one tournament or other events and projects Clarkin is a part of, please visit https://thekerin.com/, check out his Facebook page at ‘The Kerin Group,’ email kerin@kw.com or call 813699-1800.

KELLER WILLIAMS TONY BARONI TEAM OFFERS ‘BUY WITH CASH’ PROGRAM TO HELP CLIENTS By Lily Belcher

Page 31Valrico EditionAugust 2022

Expires 8/31/2022

The Great Cycle Challenge started in 2015, and after just seven years the event has grown to become one of the biggest cycling events in the United States. In this event, people of all ages, abil ities and states across the country set themselves a personal riding goal and challenge themselves to pedal to fight kids’ cancer. This year, the challenge will take place throughout the month of InSeptember.sevenyears, a community of rid ers from all 50 states have ridden a total of 25,647,476 miles and raised $52,524,379 in support of research to develop better treatments and find a cure for childhood cancer. “My goal is to pedal 210 miles throughout the month of Sep tember,” Carey said. “Why am I doing this? Because cancer is the larg est killer of children from disease in the United States. Thirty-eight children die of cancer every week. My challenge will be tough, but it’s nothing compared to what these brave kids and their families face every day of their lives as they battle this terrible disease. Kids should be living life, not fighting for it. So, I am taking on this challenge to end childhood cancer and save little lives.” The community that Carey loves has stepped up to help him as well. So far, he has raised over $1200. His goal is $1,500, and he hopes he will beat his goal. “All funds raised will support Children’s Cancer Research Fund to continue their work to develop innovative treatments and find a cure for childhood cancer,” Carey said. If you would like to learn more about the 2022 Great Cycle Challenge, visit its web site at www.greatcyclechallenge.com. If you would like to donate to Carey’s Great Cycle Challenge, you can visit his do nation page at com/riders/willcarey/oall.www.greatcyclechallenge.

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Te Tony Baroni Team promises the best real estate experience to their clients.

Will Carey of Valrico truly has a love and passion for the community. He recently signed up for the 2022 Great Cycle Chal lenge, which is a cycling challenge taking place during the month of September to help fnd a cure for childhood cancer. By Libby Hopkins

The Keller Wil liams Tony Baroni Team brings a cre ative oentsatatecurrentapproachmarketingtotherealesmarketwithnewwayforclitomakecash fers through the new ‘Buy With Cash’Cashprogram.o fers are almost 40 per cent more likely to beat financial bids pa’strueisestate.acompetingwhenforpieceofrealThisespeciallyforTamrealestate market, which sees 40 percent of customers using cash to make a bid on a home. The program allows their clients to get approved for a cash loan through their partnership with Home ward, a real estate agency that works to give clients more leverage to buy the homes they want. “Really, you can just go buy a house first, not have to move twice … and put your house on the market after,” ex plained Tony Baroni about the benefit of being able to buy and then sell when looking for a new home through the Buy With Cash program. “It’s a new-age way to make things way more convenient and easy.”The Tony Baroni Team is also hosting an other Call In To Win on Friday, August 12 and are planning to give away four tickets to a Buccaneers preseason game against the Dolphins. The team of 18 real estate agents will give away $2-$5 for each partic ipant who calls in or fills out the online form during the Call In To Win giveaway. The money raised will go to Operation Lotus to help the Baker family who lost their home in a fire in the begin ning of July. Two agents on Baroni’s team have helped so lidify the buythen-sell model the team is hoping to show clients. Lead buyer specialist Kate Conroy and lead list ing agent Craig Kellner have built success ful mini teams that allowed them to sell 161 listings combined while afrming the importance of this model. Their work has also helped the Tony Baroni Team grow and reach more real estate customers.

Will Carey of Valrico truly has a love and passion for the community. He has been involved with various local organizations such as Tampa Bay Harvest and Winthrop Arts Mobile Art Factory to name a few. Many thought Carey would never retire, but he did and found it to be lackluster. “I retired in 2018 and I was very active in the community, so I was looking for something new to do,” Carey said. “When I came across the Great Cycle Challenge, I had some selﬁsh motives because I want ed to do something that kept me physically active. When I found this challenge, I fell in love with it.”

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“Our mission is to deliver the promise to our clients. The way we do that is, right up front, we tell our clients we’re going to give them the best real estate experience they’ve ever received,” said Baroni. After the Tony Baroni Team delivers on that promise, they hope their customers will leave them a ﬁve-star review and refer their friends and neighbors to the team.For more information on the Tony Bar oni Team, please visit www.tonybaroni. com or call 866-754-1278.

VALRICO RESIDENT TAKES CYCLE CHALLENGE TO HELP FIND CANCER CURE

Sesame Street Live! Make Your Magic visits Lake land on Saturday, September 17 at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland and ev eryone’s invited on this amazing journey with Elmo to discover the “power of yet” in Sesame Street Live! Make Your Magic In partnership with the nonproﬁt educa tional organization Sesame Workshop, this Feld Entertain ment® production features favorite Ses ame Street pals Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Big Bird and more in a magical adventure live onstage. In this latest Sesame Street Live! adventure, Elmo is inspired to learn a magic trick when he meets magician extraordinaire Justin, who has come to Sesame Street to perform a magic show. But there’s one problem: Elmo doesn’t know how to do magic! Through Justin’s encourage ment to practice, work hard and never give up, Elmo embarks on an extraordi nary journey. He learns that it’s OK to make mis takes and that magic can be found any where when you believe in yourself and the power of what’s yet to be. Cookie Monster and Gonger uncover the science and fun of baking while Abby Cadabby experiences the transformative abilities of caterpillars. Big Bird learns about the magnifying magic of shadow puppetry while Rosita orches trates a rhythmic beat using everyday objects around her. And artist Grover mixes up the pigment power of the three primary colors. With high-energy dance numbers and a soundtrack that’s sure to get everyone out of their seats, Sesame Street Live! Make Your Magic is an inspirational in troduction to live theater and the art of illusion that the en tire family will enjoy. Feld Entertain ment® is the world wide leader in pro ducing and presenting live touring family entertainment experiences that bring people together and uplift the hu manForspirit.more information about Sesame Street Live! , follow its social media chan nels at Facebook @sesamestreetlive, Twitter @SesameStLive and Instagram @sesamestreetlive and subscribe to its YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/ SesameStreetLive.Forticketprices and to purchase tickets, visit www.sesamestreetlive. com (ticket pricing is subject to change based on market demand). For ticket in formation, you can also call the RP Fund ing Center Box O f ce at 863-834-8111 or visit the RP Funding Center’s website at www.rpfundingcenter.com.

BUSINESSES

Page 32 Valrico Edition Volume 19, Issue 8 Two eyes are al ways better than one. That is just one of the reasons that interior designer Melissa Moore-Adair of ThursbyerhomestylistcorandorsSassSouthernInteri&MoreLOVEDepropertyandstagMechellerecently decided to collaborate their businesses in order to deliver full-service design projects from start to finish.Thursby and Moore-Adair met through networking groups and quickly became friends. Soon after, the pair decided that joining forces on certain projects would be beneficial for both of their businesses as well as the clients they serve.Southern Sass Interiors & More is a residential and commercial design studio. Moore-Adair said her passion resides in kitchens, baths, whole-home renovations and new builds specifically, while Thursby focuses on decor and furnishings. The com bination of the two gives them the ability to provide the complete package. “My specialty is occupied home staging and decorating, so my choice is to transform your home using what you already own before considering purchasing something new,” commented Thursby. “It just made sense to collaborate and deliver clients a well-thought-out project from start to fin ish.”

By Sharon Still Melissa Moore-Adair and Mechelle Tursby have pooled their design talents and resources to create beautiful areas like this kitchen.

SESAME STREET LIVE! MAKE YOUR MAGIC IS COMING TO THE RP FUNDING CENTER Staf Report

This anderaect.throughoutsigntentionclientsexperiencefull-servicegivesthefullatoftwodeprofessionalstheprojItallstartswithmeetingtouncoveachclient’svisionthenworkingtoturnitintoreality.Priortostartingaproject,theclientispresentedwitha

virtual 3D design of designat ed spaces and mood boards of decor and furnishings. “I am one of the few designers that utilizes a 3D design soft ware when creating interior spaces,” explained MooreAdair. “This allows my clients to view their proposed spaces prior to any demolition taking place or ﬁnalizing selections.” Both Moore-Adair and Thursby have ex tensive training and hone their skills through certiﬁcations and continuing education, keeping up to date on techniques and trends. They are ready to tackle any project, from a one-room makeover to a complete home renovation.Moore-Adair announced that later in the year, the duo will have some big collabora tions with a few well-known local business es.“Be on the lookout for a future ribbon-cut ting ceremony as well,” she added. For information about LOVE Decor, visit www.love-decor.com or call 954-805-6546. Visit www.southernsassinteriors.com or call 813-344-4922 for details about Southern Sass Interiors & More.

LOCAL TEAM UP FOR ONE-STOP DESIGNER SERVICES

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE

FLORIDA DIABETES RELIEF GIVES GREAT RESULTS AFTER JUST A FEW TREATMENTS

OODC20

A home or commercial building inspection is an examination of essential systems, from the foun dation to the roof, with the findings documented to inform interested par ties, such as owners, buy ers and sellers, as to the structure’s condition. In an active real estate market like the one that the Tampa Bay area is ex periencing, the competition can get intense enough that important building construction or system de tails might be overlooked in the pursuit of closing a sale. That’s where profes sional inspectors like Tyson Martin, owner of Tracer Inspections in Lithia, play an essential role in ensur ing a building meets legal standards for a sale and that existing problems are brought to light so they can beMartinaddressed.said he started Tracer Inspections two years ago after working in the inspection industry for a company where he acquired the kind of profession al experience and expertise that he could draw upon to match his Bachelor of Sci ence degree in geology. “What that brings to the table is knowl edge of erosion, water flow patterns, po rosity, permeability of the earth around dwellings as well as knowledge and under standing of local radon concentrations,” he wrote in an email. Martin added that ex isting homes can reflect not only an owner’s ar chitectural taste but also their level of skill in home repair and maintenance. “My concern for DIYtype repairs is the lack of knowledge for what has been done. If a buyer skips a home inspection or gets the wrong inspection firm, things can be missed, and the homeowner/buyer ends up with costly repairs, or worse, risk to life and limb.”Tracer Inspections pro motes itself as providing personalized service to clients, using technology such as drones which can be used to inspect roofs, minimizing the need to walk on shingles that can break as well as the risk of injury from a fall. Mar tin, who is certified by the International Association of Certified Home In spectors knowingemphasizes(InterNACHI®),thevalueoftheconditionof a property and being able to properly eval uate remedial options if needed. “My guiding principle is to educate the client on their property and ofer solutions to issues that are appropriate, cost-efec tive and mitigate risk.” To learn more about how Tracer Inspec tions can assist “When you need accurate insight into your investment,” as its website states, visit www.tracerinspections.com or call 813-842-0740. AND EDUCATES PROPERTY CLIENTS By Brad Stager

TRACER INSPECTIONS SERVES

MaryAnne Coleman has seen great results after just a few weeks of treatment at Florida Diabe tes Clinic with Rhoderick Manhattan, PA-C.

Self-repairs need to be carefully evaluated for efectiveness and safety during a home inspection, according to Tyson Martin of Tracer Inspections. Drones can safely evaluate a roof’s condition as well as changes in the terrain around a home, such as erosion. Retired LPN MaryAnne Cole man called a new Apollo Beach clin ic, seeking relief from her diabetes symptoms after battling the disease for more than 20 years. She found a new business, Florida Diabetes Relief Centers, of fering an insulin IV therapy that treat ment customized for every patient that has the goal of reducing insulin dependence and re versing side efects from long-term di abetes.“Iread an article online about the clinic and I saw that it was in Apollo Beach,” said Coleman. “I was having a real issue with neuropathy and I was trying to get relief from it.” Coleman didn’t want to rely on medica tion for pain or relief and was looking for a more holistic method of relieving her symptoms.“Myresults have been amazing,” said Coleman who has been a patient for three months. “I think it was just after a couple weeks when the neuropathy was almost fully gone, along with the pain, and I have found that I don’t need as much insulin.” Florida Diabetes Relief Centers pro vides a groundbreaking patented therapy called physiologic insulin resensitization (PIR), where insulin is administered as a hormone rather than a drug, “which allows us to address the primary cause of diabetes and meta bolic failure at the cellular level,” said Dr. Eric Edgerton, D.C., owner of Flor ida Diabetes Relief Centers.Coleman has en joyed her treat ments and appre ciates the group setting. “First of all, it’s a very well-run center,” she said. “I think that the idea to get people into a group setting to talk to other patients is very therapeutic. This allows us to net work and discuss our issues and see if we have things in common.” To start treatment, patients make a consultation appointment and go over treatment and insurance coverage op tions. A patient then goes into an in duction phase, which can be one to two times weekly, and then ﬁnally a mainte nance“Thephase.idea behind the treatment is to reverse the cellular damage caused by diabetes,” Dr. Edgerton. The new Florida Diabetes Relieve Cen ters is located at 417 Apollo Beach Blvd. in Apollo Beach. For more information, call 813-322-6090 or visit www.ﬂorida diabetesreliefcenters.com.

By Marie Gilmore

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HSTB will provide stools to sit on, books to read and treats for the animals. Books include animal tales, stories of the animal-human bond, and ones that teach empathy to readers. Children are also welcome to bring their own books. They have the option to read to adoptable dogs, cats or rabbits, or all three. Education manag er Jessica Tiso said, “It helps children with reading comprehension, phonics, literacy skills and helps the animals with numberAccordingsocialization.”toTiso,theofparticipantsvaries,butinthebusiersummermonthstheyhaveanaverageof45kidsaweek.Theprogrammeetsyear-roundeveryTuesdayandThursdayfrom2:45-4p.m.Thesta f at HSTB does ask that children preregister on the website at

FLORIDA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES NEW PRESIDENT-ELECT

The 2023 Florida Strawberry Festival takes place from March 2-12. For more in formation, visit www.ﬂstrawberryfestival. com or its Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages (#BerryFest23).

“I love the festival and feel that Kyle will bring a great ‘teamwork’ perspective and lead this great organization well in the fu ture,” continued Davis. “Kyle has a genuine love for people, is a good family man and will be a great ﬁt for our team. We are honored to have him.”

The Florida Straw berry Festival an nounced today that Kyle Robinson has become its new president-elect, efective immediately. He has replaced Paul Davis, who is retiring in April of 2023. As stagets,dayofand2023alongsideRobinsonpresident-elect,willworkDavisfortheFestivalseasondirectlyoverseeallthefestival’sday-to-operations,budmarketingand

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Page 34 Valrico Edition Volume 19, Issue 8

visitPawsadoptingthroughcommunityturn)TNVRanimals,vides501(c)(3)org/service/paws-for-literacy/.humanesocietytampa.https://TheHumaneSocietyofTampaBay,anonproﬁtorganization,proshelterforhomelessandat-riskadoptions,hospitalservicesand(trap,neuter,vaccinateandreservicesforthegeneralpublic.ThecanhelptheHumaneSocietydonating,volunteering,fostering,orparticipatinginprogramslikeforLiteracy.Formoreinformation,https://humanesocietytampa.org/. HELPS LOCAL CHILDREN IMPROVE READING SKILLS By Sara Battaglia Isla Gershkof reading to animals at the Humane Society. Jaydan and Micah Coleman recently had fun reading to the animals.

PAWS FOR LITERACY

f Davisng. will continue his role as president of the festival while work ing with the board of directors and associate directors and providing the full benefit of his expertise, leadership and guidance to ensure a smooth and successful transition through the end of his term. “Kyle will be the 12th president/general manager in the festival’s 92nd-year history,” said Davis. “The board of directors and I are confident that Kyle is the right person for the job. He has worked security at our Fes tival for 25 years now and knows our event so well. I have worked with Kyle and know firsthand his work ethic and his compassion for those under his command.”

Kyle Robinson, the Florida Strawberry Festival’s new president-elect. What better way to motivate children to read than pairing them up with a furry friend to read to? The Humane Society of Tampa Bay (HSTB) ofers a free program called Paws for Literacy that pro vides children who love animals a time to inter act with them while at the same time improv ing their own reading skills. Children ages 5 and up can read to an imals in need of homes who also beneﬁt from the companionship and interaction.Members of the Cole man family recently volunteered with the program. Danielle, the mom, said, “It brought the animals joy, made my kids glad to read in the summertime and gave them something helpful to do with their time.” Jayden, age 10, said, “My favorite part about reading to the animals was that they seemed happi er to have someone spending time with them.” And Micah, a rising second grader, said, “My favorite part was spending time with them and making them happy.”

Robinson, a lifelong Plant City resident, served as a colonel within the Hillsborough County Sherif ’s Ofce before retiring. Throughout his 27-year career, he has had an outstanding record of service, work ing in the Criminal Investigations Division, Special Investigations Division, Department of Patrol Services and Professional Standards Section.“Thefestival has been a large part of my life; some of my fondest memories were made here. It’s an incredible opportunity to serve the festival and this great community,” said Flori da Strawberry Festival President-Elect Kyle Robinson. “I am conﬁ dent moving into this new position because the festival has an en gaged, experienced and knowledgeable board of directors and associate directors to rely upon for guidance. The insight I’ve gained from my ex perience in working the festival with the Hillsborough County Sherif ’s Ofce has pre pared me to ofer festival guests with qual ity customer service interactions. Not too many people can say they have worked two dream jobs in their lifetime. I am blessed.”

Page 35Valrico EditionAugust 2022

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The Village Players will pres ent Monty Py thon’s Spamalot , a musical com edy, in August. Spamalot will be held at the Vil lage Players’ the ater, the James McCabe Theatre, located at 206 N. 5th St. in Valrico. Spamalot will be presented on Friday, August 12, 19 and 26 and Saturday, August 13, 20 and 27 at 8 p.m. There will be two matinees on Sunday, Au gust 14 and 21 at 3 p.m.Tickets are $18 for general ad mission and $15 for seniors, military and students. You can purchase the tickets by calling the box o f ce at 813-480-3147 or visitingVeteranthevillageplayersvalrico.com.actoranddirectorDominPazo

By Kathy L. Collins

MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT COMES TO VILLAGE PLAYERS IN VALRICO

By Ella Martin Tracy Riggio, owner of Cook Resoration. A canvas before and after resto ration.

is directing Spamalot . This musical com edy is based on the 1975 low-budget ﬁlm Monty Python and The Holy Grail . King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table embark on a surreal, low-budget search for the Holy Grail in which they encounter many very silly obstacles. In 2004, Monty Python and The Holy Grail was named as the best British picture by ﬁlmPazofans.said, “I picked this show because, coming out from COVID, I think people need to laugh a lot. I am excited because I know a lot of our patrons have never seen it. Not everyone can af ford to go to New York or even to the Straz Center. I like to think we can bring a little bit of Broadway to them.” Spamalot has a lot of fun stu f happening. It is tough to take it all in at once because it’s ab surdly funny. You can bring anyone to the show, even those who do not know anything about Monty Python. Pazo added, “With all the politics and news that can just make you depressed, this show, because it is Monty Python, is so funny and silly, I can not imagine any one coming and not leaving feeling they had a great night out.” Pazo is very complimentary of his cast and crew. “I am very proud of them. There are so many songs and lines, and it is just nonstop. My cast and crew never miss a beat. They work hard and it will pay o f .” For more information and to get tick ets, please visit thevillageplayersvalrico. com. Evenings August 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 27 (Curtain 8pm) Matinees • August 14, 21 (Curtain 3pm) Directed by Domin Pazo Fans of musical comedy do not have to travel to Broadway to see a great show. Te Village Players will present Monty Python’s Spamalot this August at its historic theater, the James McCabe Teatre in Valrico.

Page 36 Valrico Edition Volume 19, Issue 8 Is your old artwork in bad condition, causing you to want to throw it away? Well, now there is a solution that allows you to restore and preserve your artwork. Tracy Riggio runs Cook Res toration in Valrico, ofering museum-quality fine art conservation and restoration services.CookRestoration can pre serve your canvas as well as frames and ofers original fine art for collectors or in terior designers. Cook Res toration started in 2013, when Riggio had to leave her job as a conservator when she relocated from Atlanta to Augusta, Geor gia. Riggio explained that she started the business “out of necessity because the area had zero art res toration businesses, so if I wanted to stay in that field, I had to start my own.”When Riggio moved to Florida, she brought her business with her, allowing the Valrico area to have access to her talent. Riggio gradu ated from the Atlanta College of Art with a BFA. However, she gained most of her knowledge on conservation by “learning from people who had come before us in this business, and they had learned the same way.”Once Riggio graduated college, she had a variety of art related jobs, but when she was ofered a job at Durrett Studio & Gallery, a fine art restoration studio in Mari etta, Georgia, she gained a passion for restoration. The women who owned the stu dio trained her; Riggio end ed up working for her for several years, expanding her skills and knowledge of res toration.While working there, she was given the opportunity to manage the frame resto ration side of the business. Even at just 24 years old, Riggio gained a name for herself in the restoration art industry. All these op portunities led to Riggio opening her own business in For2013. the conservation and restoration process to be done, there are a series of steps. First, all artwork starts with a consultation to assess the needs. Next, a service is decided on for the artwork. These services include cleaning, canvas stretching to inpainting and more for can vas. For frames, services include structur al repair, regilding and more. This process takes between two to four weeks.

Overall, Cook Restoration is an amazing way to restore any artwork ranging from museum art to artwork with a sentimental value, such as a gift from a spouse. For informationa, visit www.cookresto ration.com.

NEW LOCAL BUSINESS COOK RESTORATION ALLOWS YOU TO RESTORE MEANINGFUL ARTWORK

Area artists are encouraged to enter artworks in the Brandon League of Fine Arts upcoming art show known as Artworks 2022. Tis is a juried art show open to all artists who live and work in the area, regardless of whether they are members of BLFA.

are $20 and can be purchased online at emphasizeHessGrammyGaronrence’swithsarband,DocJackronFrankFrankthisKup.grass-tickets-391970754077rence-jon-garon-a-special-night-of-bluewww.eventbrite.com/e/jack-laworatKrazySpaceislimited,anditisexpectedthateventwillselloutfast.KrazyKupisownedandoperatedbyTrunzoandhiswife,WendaTrunzo.said,“JackLawrenceandJonGaaretwogreatsofthebluegrassworld.LawrencewasthemusicalpartnerofWatsonsincethe1980s.JonGaron’sComfortStation,wasjoinedbyVasClementquiteoften,andhealsodidtimetheJohnDenverBand.”Frankadded,“ThiswillbeJackLawﬁrstperformanceatKrazyKup;JonplayedTheLoftthispastMarchwithAwardwinnerClayandBrennanforasold-outcrowd.Wecannotoverhowtheconnectionbetween

The Brandon League of Fine Arts (BLFA) is hold ing its Artworks 2022 art show this September. The BLFA would like to invite local artists to enter new artworks in the show. The show will be held in the Mook Gallery at Center Place Fine Arts & Civic Association, located at 619 Vonderburg Dr. in Brandon, from Thursday, September 1 to Tuesday, SeptemberInterested30.artists may submit new artworks to be juried. New artworks is deﬁned as work that has been completed af ter September 2016 and not previously shown at Center Place or in a BLFA competition. Artworks should be brought to Center Place on September 1 between 9:30 a.m.12 Noon. A judge will jury each artwork. If accepted, the artwork is eligible for awards, which total over $1,000. Artists will be no tiﬁed by 3 p.m. if they are not accepted, and their artwork must be picked up by 5 p.m. that same day. This year’s judge is Alice Anderson, an award-winning artist. Artists may enter up to two pieces. Art can be 2D or 3D. Artists should review all rules regarding framing, size and hanging. The rules and entry form can be found at www. blfa.us.Theshow is open to all artists within the Tampa Bay area. The entry fee for nonmembers is $35 for one entry and $50 for two. The entry fee for BLFA members is $25 for one entry and $40 for two. Membership in BLFA is $35 annually. An opening reception will be held on Thurs day, September 15 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Center Place. Awards will be an nounced at that time. Christopher Klein, president of BLFA, said, “This is an open show. This show highlights the very high quality of art we have in the Tampa Bay area. It is a good experience for any artist to enter and be mixed with high caliber artists. Even if you are not accepted, you are still happy to be a part of it.” Klein added, “The opening reception is open to the community. It is good for the public to see the art which includes water color, oil paintings, photography, mixed me dia, sculptures and more. They also get to meet the artists.” For more information, please visit www. blfa.us.

Krazy Kup, a unique and fun cofee house lo cated in down town Plant City, is excited to an nounce that it will host a special Bluegrass Night event on Thurs day, October 6. This Bluegrass Night will feature Jack Law rence with Jon Garon. The event will take place from 7-8:30 p.m. in The Loft at Krazy Kup.Tickets

In addition to special events like Bluegrass Night, Krazy Kup ofers monthly events. On the second Friday of each month, it ofers Movie Trivia Night. On the third Friday, you can attend Retro Movie Night. On the fourth Friday, enjoy Bluegrass Night. On the ﬁrst Saturday of each month, it has Bluegrass Jams, and on the second Saturday it ofers Open Mic Night. Frank said, “We do this for the love and joy that music brings to not only the audience but, just as importantly, to the musicians. They love to perform here, and they show it with engaging enthusiasm. We ofer live entertainment weekly from rock to faithbased music and everything in between. We have become a very popular venue for the bluegrass community. Our Bluegrass Jam night is free to jam and sit back and enjoy.” Krazy Kup is located at 101 E. J. Arden Mays Blvd. in Plant City. For more informa tion, please visit www.krazykup.com.

Page 37Valrico EditionAugust 2022

BLUEGRASS NIGHT AT KRAZY KUP FEATURING JACK LAWRENCE AND JON GARON

audience and the bands are our best success.”The Trunzos started hosting events in The Loft in 2013. Frank said, “The Loft at Kra zy Kup ofers a unique opportuni ty to enjoy quality, award-winning bluegrass talents in one of the most intimate venues in the area. It is like being in the band up close and personal.”

A CALL TO ARTISTS IS ISSUED FOR ARTWORKS 2022

Page 38 Valrico Edition Volume 19, Issue 8

Page 39Valrico EditionAugust 2022

Te Florida Association for Career and Technical Education (FACTE) has named Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) Superintendent Addison Davis the CTE Superintendent of the Year.

The toforcededicationsuperintendent’sthemitteeThedentCTEAddisonSuperintendentlicoughnamed(FACTE)nicalCareerAssociationFloridaforandTechEducationhasHillsborCountyPubSchools(HCPS)DavistheSuperintenoftheYear.awardscombestowedhonorforthetoworkdevelopmentpreparestudents for high-paying careers in demand in our Superintendentcommunity.Daviswas presented the award at the school board meeting on July 26 to honor his expansion of CTE programs throughout the district. One of the central focuses of his tenure has been to help ﬁll critical labor gaps in our community by preparing students for in-demand jobs upon“FACTEgraduation.would like to recognize Super intendent Davis’ positive impact on Career and Technical Education within Hillsbor ough County Public Schools. The success of the Future Career Academy is one of many incredible initiatives we believe makes a tremendous diference in student success. It is clear that Superintendent Davis rec ognizes the importance of career pathways which allow students to earn multiple in dustry certiﬁcations preparing them for career advancement,” said Marsan Carr, executive director of FACTE. “Superintendent Davis has empowered his leadership and staf to ensure new and seeitlogistics,structionmedical,aschoolsthreeininstrumentalDavisvelopment.workforceinourcreatedprogramsinnovativeareforstudentstheareaofdeMr.hasbeencreatingnewhighwithfocusonconandandisexcitingtothiswork

After paging through the Florida-Friendly Land scaping™ (FFL) Guide to Plant Selection and Land scape Design, I identified 14 native plants that are my favorites. The top five were hard to choose and are firebush, beach sun flower, climbing aster, coontie and blanket flow er. Ornamental grasses are not included because I recently published an article about muhly and fakahatchee.Ourecosystem contains many native plants which provide shelter and food for birds, butter flies, bees and other animals. Your site con ditions, sun, shade, mature size (height and spread), soil pH, soil moisture and texture should be considered when making plant selections.Firebush, Hamelia patens, a fast-grow ing, large shrub, can reach a height of 5-20 feet and a spread of 5-8 feet. It can sur vive in full sun or partial sun/shade and has low to no salt tolerance. The orange-red flowers attract birds, bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Some people prefer the darker green foliage in the shade; others prefer the orange/red/yellow leaves in full sun. This shrub dies back if there is a freeze, but shoots appear when the temperature warms and post-pruning. Beach sunflower, Helianthus debilis, a fast-growing perennial, can reach a height of 1-4 feet and a spread of 2-4 feet. It has high drought and salt tolerance and prefers full sun. This plant attracts butterflies and birds, sports year-round flowers and is a great ground cover. We have it around our two-level pond in the Bette S. Walker Discovery Garden at our ofce Climbingcourtyard.aster, Aster carolinianus, can reach a height of 1-12 feet and a spread of 2-4 feet. It pre fers full sun and does well in partial sun/shade. Its lavender fall flowers at tract birds and butterflies. This plant is in the mint family.Coontie, Zamia flori dana, is a fast-growing, native, palm-like plant. It can reach a height of 1-5 feet and a spread of 3-5 feet. Coontie is highly drought tolerant, easy to propagate from seed, at tracts birds and butterflies and is the sole larval food source for the Atala hairstreak butterfly.Blanket flower, Gaillardia pulchella, a fast-growing, native perennial, can reach a height of 1-2 feet and a spread of 2-3 feet. It has high drought tolerance, prefers full sun and produces yellow/orange/red summer flowers that attract butterflies. You can order a free copy of the FFL Plant Selection Guide from the Southwest Florida Water Management District at locatedthetions,md.state.fl.us/resources/free-publications.www.swfwForassistancewithhorticulturalquescallusat813-744-5519orvisitusatUF/IFASExtensionHillsboroughCounty,at5339CountyRd.579inSe fner. Contact Barber at her at labarber@ufl. edu. Beach

ADDISON DAVIS NAMED SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR BY FACTE Staf Report

honored by an esteemed organization like FACTE,” said Scott Brooks, executive direc tor of CTE. “I am truly honored to be the CTE Su perintendent of the Year and deeply ap preciate FACTE for taking notice of the important work we have just begun here in Hillsborough County Public Schools. Strengthening our career and technical ed ucation oferings will have impacts not only on our students but also on our community as we work collectively to ﬁll a critical la bor shortage in key areas in our communi ty,” said Davis. Davis began his tenure as superinten dent for HCPS, the nation’s seventh largest school system, in March 2020. He is a member of the Children’s Board, American Heart Association Board, Junior Achievement Board, Starting Right Now Board, Tampa Bay Chamber Ex Ofcio Board, Stratz Center Board, and Trustee for Florida Palms. For more information on HCPS and Davis, visit www.hillsborough schools.org.

FirebushSunfower

GET THE DIRT: MY FAVORITE NATIVE PLANTS BY LYNN BARBER, FLORIDA FRIENDLY LANDSCAPING™ AGENT

Page 40 Valrico Edition Volume 19, Issue 8

Osprey Observer Valrico August 2022

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