Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News, Volume 30, Issue 10, May 17, 2022

Volume 30 Issue 10 May 17, 2022

OPEN, BUT STILL PROBLEMATIC! PROBLEMATIC!

The long-awaited Diverging Diamond Interchange at I-75 & S.R. 56 has finally opened, but not everyone is satisfied with it...at least not yet. See pg. 8 for details.

Drone photo by Charmaine George

EDITORIAL

One editor’s view of the DDI & ‘rucking’ to help a Wounded Warrior.

See page 3

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KRATE GRAND OPENING! The KRATE Container Park at The Grove’s Grand Opening is June 4.

See pages 4-5

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EDWARD JONES The investment giant cuts a ribbon at its new Wesley Chapel office.

See page 20

ICE DREAMMMIN’

Supply chain issues can’t stop Wesley Chapel’s favorite ice cream shop.

See page 34

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One Editor’s View Of The DDI & ‘Rucking’ To Help A Wounded Warrior

By GARY NAGER it will be when all of the lanes are open and Editorial all of the traffic signals are timed better.

Jannah and I have lived west of S.R. 56 for the last three years, so the interchange at I-75 and 56 has been a major thorn in our side from Day One. Because Jannah works at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County about three miles east of I-75, she has driven over the interchange almost every day. Because I work on S.R. 54 a mile or so east of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., however, I have had a choice of taking 75 north from 56 to 54 or taking Wesley Chapel Blvd. to my office. And, even though the latter has only one lane in each direction and often has backups of its own, I basically have avoided the I-75/56 junction like the plague.

When the new Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) opened on May 1, however, I decided to bite the bullet and cross over and/or use I-75 every day since then and, I’m happy to say, most of those trips have definitely been way easier than what I used to encounter at Wesley Chapel’s own “Malfunction Junction.”

Heading east on 56 to 75 south, even though there have been backups, they’ve been nothing like what I used to experience.

Heading east over 75 on 56, I have waited through several progressions of lights, but only once more than 10 minutes. Heading east on 56 to turn on 75 north has been about the same.

When I have come from the BBD exit of 75 north to the 56 exit, despite backups of a mile or more, I’ve yet to wait more than a couple of minutes to make the left onto 56 west towards where we live. I’ve also not really had a problem when I’ve turned right onto 56 east from 75 north, although I’ve seen a lot of people complain on social media about that one because of the new traffic signal at that location.

The two biggest delays I’ve found, and the Florida department of Transportation (FDOT) is aware of them, have come when I’ve taken 75 south from S.R. 54 to the 56 exit and turned right (westbound) towards the outlet mall, as well as when traveling west on 56 from the Sports Campus over 75 — especially during the afternoon rush hour. It took me almost 20 minutes to get from the Mercedes dealership to Zukku-San on Friday afternoon, which is similar to what we would experience before the DDI opened.

One thing that has helped make some of the delays worse are the drivers themselves. Too many people are texting/looking at their phones, staying in the wrong lanes before trying to force their way into the lanes they really needed to be in at the last second and not starting to go when their light turns green. If you wait 5-10 seconds to go when you’re first at the signal, you’re making the problems worse, so please put down the phone and pay attention so we can all get where we’re trying to go faster and safer.

I also attribute some of the issues to people genuinely not understanding how the new DDI works, but once you’ve driven through it in every direction, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t see how much better Neighborhood News

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‘Rucking’ For A Wounded Warrior!

Danny Locascio, the owner of Impact Fitness in Lutz, is hosting a community “ruck-raiser” event (“rucking” fund raiser) in partnership with Impact Fitness’ non-profit organization, Heroes Adapt, on Saturday, May 21, 7:30 a.m.

Locascio, who was the guest speaker at the After Hours Rotary Satellite Club of New Tampa on May 4 (held at the new Skybox Rooftop Bar at the Residence Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel), said the event will raise funds to directly benefit a local wounded warrior who is a long-time member and adaptive athlete at

Impact Fitness and will include three moderate intensity workouts, along with three shortdistance rucks (walks/runs with full backpacks) coordinated by the Impact Fitness staff.

All proceeds from the ruck raiser will go towards purchasing adaptive fitness equipment designed specifically for use by adaptive athletes in wheelchairs and the equipment will be donated to the wounded warrior vet for use in his own personal gym.

The event will be hosted at Impact Fitness (21145 Leonard Rd, Lutz) and all ages are welcome. To register for the event or to donate, please visit the “Heroes Adapt” Facebook page. For more information about Impact Fitness, call (813) 345-8209 or visit impactfitnessusa.com.

Danny Locascio of Impact Fitness in Lutz, was the featured speaker at the Rotary Satellite After Hours Club meeting on May 4.

Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News 28949 State Road 54 Wesley Chapel, FL 33543 Phone: (813) 910-2575

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Publisher & Editor /Ad Sales Gary Nager Managing Editor / Photographer John C. Cotey Correspondents Celeste McLaughlin Isabella Douglas Lead Video Producer/Multimedia Specialist Charmaine George Graphic Designers Morgan Conlin Valerie Wegener Billing Assistant Jannah Nager Nothing that appears in Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News may be reproduced, whether wholly or in part, without permission. Opinions expressed by Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the publisher’s opinion.

The deadline for outside editorial submissions and advertisement reservations for Volume 30, Issue 12, of Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News is Monday, May 30, 2022.

Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News will consider previously non-published outside editorial submissions if they are double spaced, typed and less than 500 words. Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News reserves the right to edit and/or reject all outside editorial submissions and makes no guarantees regarding publication dates. Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News will not return unsolicited editorial materials.

Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News reserves the right to edit &/or reject any advertising. Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News is not responsible for errors in advertising beyond the actual cost of the advertising space itself, nor for the validity of any claims made by its advertisers. © 2022 JM2 Communications, Inc.

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KRATE Balls Of Fire, It Finally Opens (June 4)!

The KRATE Container Park at The Grove has opened in bits and pieces over the past few months, but on Saturday, June 4, the park will finally celebrate its Grand Opening.

More than 70 percent of the 94 repurposed shipping containers will be “officially” open for business — although many have been open for months — and the celebration will be marked by live music at a new bandshell, family events and plenty of food and shopping.

The Grand Opening celebration on the 4th is scheduled from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., with nighttime entertainment from 6 p.m.-9 p.m.

“Opening KRATE was mission impossible,” Grove developer Mark Gold of Mishorim-Gold Properties says. “We did not expect a pandemic, supply chain shortages, and a backlog in permitting.

But, we did it and everything we promised we would do has become reality. We are proud of the sense of community we have built here at the Grove at Wesley Chapel and our KRATE park and look forward to providing even more opportunities to bring together friends, families, and neighbors.”

KRATE is just one part, but perhaps the crown jewel, of The Grove’s transformation, which began when Mishorim-

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Things Gifts in February, says she is excited to see KRATE take another step toward reality. Davis sells a variety of personalized items, like her popular Wesley Chapel-branded home decorations, and says local consumers will be pleased by the variety of different kinds of shops in the KRATE, which include a children’s boutique, a Budget Blinds showroom (see story on pg. 22) and a huge variety of different cuisines from around the world, including Puerto Rican, French, Hawaiian, Mediterranean and JapaIf you have never visited the KRATE Container Park at The Grove at Wesley Chapel, or you haven’t been in a while, nese influences and more. many more of the repurposed shiopping containers are now open. You can check out everything that is open at KRATE’s “The park is still in its Grand Opening event on Saturday, June 4. (Photo by Charmaine George) infancy and there’s a lot of room for growth, so I Gold Properties, a partnership between and permitting snags. But little by little, think as more people know that it’s open, Gold and Mishorim Real Estate, bought the containers were transformed inside it can become something special,” says the 200+ acres for $62.7 million in 2019. and outside — thanks in large part to Davis, who added her business has been Gold has since poured more than $100 artist Whitney Holbourn, whose handhitting sales goals and doing very well million into renovations, including $20 painted, business-themed murals adorn since opening. million or so for a container park he the exterior of each shop — into an attracShe is not alone. Some of the restautive, outdoor shopping park featuring 70% promised would be one-of-a-kind. rants, like the Bacon Boss HQ, TJ’s Hot restaurants and 30% retail businesses.

KRATE faced a number of obstacles Dogs and Mojo Grill Latin Fusion, have Nickole Davis, who opened All Good to opening, primarily due to Covid-19

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been regularly selling out and running out of inventory, a sign that the public is eager for the KRATE, despite the fact that the parking areas around the shipping containers themselves have been closed to vehicular traffic, due to the fact that the area has still very much been a construction zone.

But, portions of the parking area between the various KRATEs have opened, including by the Bacon Boss HQ (nearest the stage at the north end of the park) and other parking areas around the other KRATEs should be open in time for the Grand Opening event on June 4. And, although it’s a bit of a walk, there also is plenty of KRATE parking in the lot in front of the big box stores at The Grove, including World Market and Dick’s Sporting Goods. Gold also promises that a separate KRATE parking lot is coming to the south end of the container park (north of the Outback Steak House) that should be done “soon.”

Open eateries at the KRATE include: Tasty Ramen, El Prince Mediterranean, Shake-A-Salad, The Fryroom, La Creacion Express (see pg.

37), Mojo Grill Latin Fusion, Provisions Coffee & Kitchen, The Bacon Boss HQ, TJ’s Hot Dogs & the Brew Bar (see pg. 37).

Open KRATE retail shops include: The Rebellious Hippie, Maeberry Co., Katie Beth’s Boutique, the Pasco EDC’s Smart Start, All Good Things Gifts, We Rock Rocks, Gadgets

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Emergency Room & Budget Blinds.

And, although some of these may open by the time this issue reaches you, still food & beverages coming soon to KRATE are: Boba Mac’s Tea & Eats, Tacos El Patron, Yummy Tablas, Chamo Bites Venezuelan Food, Subzero Nitrogen Ice Cream, Blush Wine Bar, Urban Sweets, Falafel Factory, Pisco Peruvian Chinese, Ato Japanese, 365 Café, Palani’s Hawai’i Noodles, Bakery X, Bebo’s Cheesesteaks, Sugar Pop!, Flipn’ Fries, Higher Flour, Rhythm Pon Grill & Café Zorba.

Retail outlets still to come include: Insane Vape & Smoke Shop, Blush Wine Bar, Center Ed, The Snapbox Selfie Studio, Tonella’s Flower Shop, The Toy Jungle, Grove Cigars, 2 Extreme Tattoos, Valiart Jewelry Designs & Life Essentials Refillery.

Also Coming Soon...

In addition to KRATE, Gold continues to fill the rest of The Grove property.

New businesses slated to open in the near future include: Woodie’s Wash Shack, Five Below, Bealls Outlet/Home Centric, Starbucks, a national rental car chain, a national grocery store and a miniature golf course.

“We are the ultimate shopping and entertainment destination, not just for Wesley Chapel, but for the region and around the world,” Gold says.

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Apartment Study Presented, But The Debate Goes On

By JOHN C. COTEY John@NTNeighborhoodNews.com After a year-long string of restrictions on developing multi-family projects, or apartments, in the Wesley Chapel area via a moratorium that was both expanded and extended, a study was supposed to answer the question once and for all: Does our area already have enough apartments?

However, the answer remained muddied following the long-awaited presentation by consultants Calvin, Giordano & Associates and Lambert Advisory to the Pasco Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on May 3.

Lambert’s Eric Liff said that, based on supply and demand analysis, there are entitlements for 1,200-1,500 multi-family units in Wesley Chapel, and a demand for 1,300-1,700 multi-family units over the next 10 years.

“In our estimation and our understanding, that does not represent an oversaturation of multi-family units,” Liff told the commissioners, adding that he did not foresee demand waning in the future and that, no matter how many units came online, occupancy was likely to remain high — at between 90-97 percent.

However, District 2 Commissioner Mike Moore, who represents the Wes-

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ley Chapel area that had been under the moratorium (which expired April 1), said Liff’s numbers didn’t include an apartment complex opening later this year or another potential 370-unit multi-family development that had a pre-application meeting the previous week with county planners.

Moore said that, according to his math, “the demand has already been met,” before later claiming the report proved him right (even if Liff didn’t appear to agree with that statement and said on multiple occasions that there was no oversaturation).

It was Moore who championed the six-month moratorium last spring, and then helped the BOC extend it another six

months. He said too many sites that were supposed to be used for commercial and job development were being re-zoned for apartments, and claimed the original area — between S.R. 52 to the north and S.R. 56 to the south, as well as U.S. 41 to the west and Bruce B. Downs Blvd. to the east — had more apartments than it needed.

The 55-page report did not agree with that assessment nor did it definitively settle the debate.

Regardless, District 4 Commissioner Jack Mariano suggested the moratorium was “solid” and should be kept in place for another 10 years. He had to be reminded by county attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder that the moratorium had expired and could not be put back into place

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When Mariano asked what recourse the BOC had when new plans for apartments were submitted, Moore said, “Say no.”

That may actually be an easier sell, considering that just before Liff’s presentation, the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (TBRPC) did a presentation of their own and recommended that the county needed to add 150,000 jobs to offset its commuter imbalance — 70 percent of employees leave the county daily to go to work.

Moore, who announced he will be retiring at the end of his current term later this year, has said all along that he has no issue with fulfilling entitlements for multifamily units already granted in MPUDs, but drew the line at surrendering land — especially in the S.R. 54/56 corridor — that could be used to produce jobs.

“I’m only here for six more months,” said Moore, “but what I’m hoping for is six months after that, the future boards take into consideration what the (TBRPC), what some of us on this dais have been saying for a number of years. We need to save these sites for job creation, not just for today, but for future generations… don’t take industrialized land and put apartments up…we should not be switching out industrial (including office and retail) job-creating sites for multifamily along those corridors.”

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Mixed Reviews For New Diverging Diamond Interchange

By JOHN C. COTEY John@NTNeighborhoodNews.com Roughly 100,000 vehicles go through the S.R. 56/I-75 interchange a day, and there’s a good chance that many of the drivers of those vehicles have had a choice word or two for the traffic they invariably got stuck sitting in almost since 56 first opened.

Now, at least some local drivers will admit that their choice words finally may be replaced by “Yippee!”

The long-awaited and frequentlywished-for solution to one of the area’s biggest traffic problems is open for business. With a few critical touches during a two-day weekend closure April 30-May 1, the troublesome interchange was converted from a conventional diamond interchange into the highly-anticipated Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI).

“This was the ‘big’ change for the project,” said Florida Department of Transportation spokesperson John McShaffery. “The changes Sunday created the DDI traffic configuration, which is the major feature of the project.”

At around 3:30 p.m. on May 1, FDOT allowed limited traffic through the interchange, opening two throughlanes in each direction of S.R. 56 over I-75, as well as all of the entrance and exit ramps at the interchange. All the previous signs, road stripings and markings were changed to accommodate the new configuration, says McShaffery, and some of the traffic signal phases at the interchange ramps were eliminated.

The primary features of the $33.6-million DDI are the crossing lanes over the interchange. Both lanes of westbound and eastbound traffic will cross, or diverge, from the right side over to the left while traveling over I-75, and then back to the right side on the other side of the interstate.

An additional lane in each direc-

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For some local residents, the jury is still out as to whether or not the new Diverging Diamond Interchange at I-75 & S.R. 56 is helping traffic flow.

tion will open sometime in the next few months, as construction crews continue to work towards the project’s completion later this summer.

While traffic was light on a Sunday afternoon, with many cars likely still using detours around the area, the interchange took on its first batch of rush-hour travelers the next morning and fared pretty well, according to McShaffery.

“Traffic is flowing very well,” McShaffery said. “Early observations show that traffic is getting across I-75 faster than before and clearing the traffic signals on each side of the interstate in fewer signal cycles.”

There has been quite a bit of nitpicking on social media, however, especially regarding the concept of crossing lanes and backups at specific locations and times, although McShaffery says everything is clearly marked and drivers need only to follow the signs, and the lights coming off each side of I-75.

“Two groups of users may find their route slightly slower at times –

traffic exiting northbound I-275/I-75 to eastbound S.R. 56, and traffic exiting southbound I-75 to westbound S.R. 56,” McShaffery said. “These traffic movements used to be ‘freeflowing’ merges onto S.R. 56, but are now controlled by traffic signals, due to the new DDI configuration.”

One of the early proponents of the DDI, District 2 commissioner Mike Moore, gave the new interchange a thumbs up. It was Moore who, with help from state legislature, originally helped expedite the construction from an original completion date of 2024.

Then, at a Board of County Commissioners meeting on October 2020, Moore, who lives in nearby Seven Oaks, complained about the lack of work being done on the interchange. The following summer, the original contractor (DAB Constructors) was replaced with Superior Construction Company Southeast, LLC. At our press time, Moore said he had driven through the interchange multiple times since it re-opened.

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“Even though it’s not fully open and additional lanes (and better traffic signal timing) will become available in the coming weeks, traffic is already flowing better,” Moore said. “I’ve heard a number of positive remarks from my constituents.”

The DDI may appear confusing, but it has been lauded for its safety and traffic flow features. According to FDOT, more of the interchange footprint is used for traffic, and one of the reasons it was chosen is due to its ability to handle heavy left turn volumes, which have been pronounced at the Wesley Chapel interchange whether trying to get on I-75 southbound or exiting I-75 northbound. After years of battling the traffic jams at the congested interchange that many considered to be the worst in Wesley Chapel, the future promised by local officials and FDOT appears to have arrived.

“When it’s fully operational,” Moore says, “it’s going to be night and day from what we’ve been used to.”

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A Fresh Start For The New River Library Nearly a year after it unofficially opened following major renovations, the New River Library at 34043 S.R. 54 finally got its official Grand Opening last month.

The library was closed from October 2019 through a soft opening in April 2021, receiving a major upgrade that was extended by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The New River Library was officially rededicated with a ribbon cutting and ceremonial release of butterflies on April 21, attended by Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore, Pasco Libraries regional manager Angelo Liranzo, other library officials and the architects of the project.

Liranzo praised the efforts of landscape architect Celia Nichols, who transformed the outdoor space at the library.

“What we have now is completely different and totally transformed into something so wonderful,” he said. “Instead of just a community garden...we have 28 planter beds that can be reserved for a quarter at a time.

Liranzo added that all of the planter beds already have been checked out and

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that there is now a waiting list.

The library also has a larger and brighter lobby, two soundproof study rooms and a larger one for bigger groups,

four new family bathrooms, a larger children’s area, a teen room and an upgraded scanning and printing area.

The new outdoor study area and com-

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munity garden are highlights. The garden has four water barrels, a butterfly garden and sensory items for children who are on the autism spectrum.

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Happy Birthday, New Tampa Regional Library!

By JOHN C. COTEY

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Lisette May was so excited about a library being built near her Hunter’s Green home that she was the first one there the day the New Tampa Regional Library opened in May of 1997.

The library staff handed her a bouquet of flowers for being the library’s first-ever patron. She was accompanied by her then-5-year-old daughter Lindsey (6-year-old Lauren was in school that day), and Lisette remembers marveling at the modern design and layout, the view of the lake out back and the stuffed animals and bean bag chairs in the children’s area.

“There was a lot of anticipation,” says Lisette, who checked out a half dozen books, a movie on videotape and signed her daughters up for the summer reading programs while she was there.

“It was very exciting for everyone. I remember thinking, wow, they did a really good job with this.”

On May 4, the New Tampa Regional Library (NTRL), which also has often been the library of choice for residents of Wesley Chapel, turned 25 years old.

Lisette still visits, impressed by all of the library’s new additions and offerings, and happily recollects her years taking

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(Above) More than 25 years after being dedicated to our community, the New Tampa Regional Library is still the heart and one of the jewels of New Tampa. (Photo: Charmaine George)

her children to story times or just to sit and enjoy a book with them.

“I always felt like going to the library made you feel like you were part of a really great community,” Lisette says. “We would go and see our neighbors there; the kids would see their friends from school there.

It was a great place to see your friends and educate your kids.”

The story of how the NTRL came to be is one of Said Iravani’s favorites. The longtime Heritage Isles resident thinks about it almost every time he drives by the library on Cross Creek Blvd. — which, of course, is almost every day.

More than three decades ago, a

group of Hunter’s Green and Tampa Palms residents, headed by a retired librarian, put hundreds of hours into a grassroots movement, calling city and county officials and cajoling a local developer to donate the land, with the goal of building a 25,000-sq.-ft. state-of-theart regional library that is arguably the heart of the New Tampa community and, while perhaps a little underappreciated, may be its greatest resource.

“It’s such a great story,” says Iravani, who has written a few of the pages himself as the former president of the Friends of the New Tampa Regional Library, a group dedicated to raising

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funds for programs and equipment the county’s budget does not cover. The still-active Friends group held its most recent book sale at NTRL on May 6-7.

The first thing you may notice when you walk into the NTRL lobby is the Jeri Zelinski Community Room, which was dedicated to the library’s patron saint in 2004, two years after her passing.

Zelinski, the retired librarian and founding president of Friends of the Library, which was formed in 1990, is credited as being largely responsible for securing the library for New Tampa.

With help from friends like Lorraine Clewis of the Tampa Palms Ladies Club, the New Tampa Community Council (led by then-president Frank Margarella) and others, Zelinski forged partnerships and soon began attending Tampa-Hillsborough Library Advisory Board and County Commission meetings.

Zelinski (right in photo below) developed a close alliance with then-County Commissioner Jan Platt (left in photo), who helped push through a .10mill property tax to pay for the library.

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The Tampa Palms Ladies Club also played a big role in helping circulate petitions, and Zelinski did all she could to find a home for the library. It could have ended up in Tampa Palms, but its developer, Ken Good, only offered 1.6 acres of land, according to The Tampa Tribune, which was not enough for a regional library.

Clewis had to withdraw from the library effort due to family obligations, which could have been a big blow to the Friends. But, Zelinski continued to look for land, expanding her search to the Cross Creek and Pebble Creek areas.

Eventually, however, Zelinski contacted Markborough Florida, the developers of Hunter’s Green, and helped secure 3.6 acres just east of Hunter’s Green Elementary and west of the future Benito Middle School.

“Quite simply, there wouldn’t be a library without Jeri Zelinski,” says Iravani, who has fought against efforts to name the library after anyone other than Zelinski, and was active in efforts to begin an expansion project in 2008.

That effort was tabled but is still under consideration.

On May 2, 1997, a black tie-optional gala was held at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club to celebrate the opening of the library. The grand prize that night: two round-trip plane tickets to Lima, Peru.

Two days later, the New Tampa Re-

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gional Library opened its doors at 9 a.m.

Wendy Prasad, administrative librarian and the NTRL branch manager since 2017, says that despite changing reading habits and the effects of technology on libraries in general, the New Tampa Library is still going strong.

Last year, more than 72,000 people visited the library, and it has consistently been one of the most popular libraries in the county’s system.

“There are so many things we provide the community,” she says, including a main reading room, a separate children’s room, Grandma Claire’s Early Learning Hive, robust summer reading programs, meeting and study rooms, free WiFi and computer use and a wealth of online services.

The library continues to be a place that can open up the world to newer and older generations.

When it first opened, this newspaper published stories about the videotapes, audio cassettes and compact discs that were available to check out. How times have changed — you can now check out a 4K video camera the size of a couple of packs of gum.

“We have definitely evolved,” Prasad says. “And I think you’ll see us continue to evolve.”

The NTRL is located at 10001 Cross Creek Blvd. For more information, visit HCPLC.org.

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Garden Shop Is A Natural For Great Living (& Other) Gifts!

By JOHN C. COTEY

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Kim Bowerman wasn’t about to be caged in during the Covid-19 pandemic. So, she set out to remake her backyard.

She took a large patch of grass, and transformed it into a walk-through garden, with a pathway winding through plants, decorations and a fountain. What started as a regular old backyard became her very own outdoor paradise.

And, what started as her outdoor paradise became the inspiration for Garden Shop, a new garden and gift boutique designed to bring you the same joy and wellness Kim was able to discover during Covid.

“It was kind of a way to keep myself busy, and I just fell in love with plants,” Kim said. “This just kind of evolved from that.”

Garden Shop is located on U.S. 41 in Land O’Lakes in the Elite Pavers building, which also is owned by Kim. “We can be tricky to find,” Kim says, “but once you do find us, you’ll never forget us.”

The boutique, which has been open since January, certainly does leave an impression. It is a unique and intimate shop that offers hand-crafted living décor, macramé, plant containers and indoor and so-called “air plants” (which grow on other plants and things like tree branches) with all the essentials — all natural of course — to help them flourish. Garden Shop also sells all-natural oils and bath and body products. Every product in the store is natural.

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(l.-r.) Nicole Clancy, Kim Bowerman and Alissea Pearson of the Garden Shop on U.S. 41 in Land O’Lakes treat their plants and creations as precious commodities, and are happy to share their joy with customers.

Before you even enter the Garden Shop, you can’t help but notice the large plant display on the outside wall — yes, the wall — of the building. One of Kim’s creations, it is made of real plants, but they are so green and lush that they look like fake plants.

The wall display speaks to the care Kim and her

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staff take with their plants. While they don’t deal in quantity, they focus more on quality.

Their plants, sitting on shelves and basking in the sunshine through the large windows, receive individual care, as associate Nicole Clancy gently slides the leaves and flowers aside to spritz each individual plant with water.

If you’re lucky, you might even be able to pick up a plant that Kim cultivated in her home garden and brought into the store herself. Sometimes, if one of the plants isn’t doing well in the store, Kim jokes that she will “adopt” it and bring it home to her garden family.

Kim and her associates clearly all have green thumbs and share a keen design eye to match.

At the front of the store, driftwood sculptures and gift baskets made by Kim, Nicole and Alissea Pearson, another sales associate, are displayed. The driftwood is harvested right from the floor of the Gulf of Mexico, and adorned by the staff with living plants, flowers and moss, all of which look as if they are growing out of the wood (which sometimes, they are).

Alissea points to the sculpture at the front of store made by Nicole, joking that “we’ll be sad when that one goes. It can be a little sad. Sometimes, I feel like I need proof of life when they get home to make sure they’re okay.”

Although Mother’s Day just passed, it’s always a perfect time to visit this Land O’Lakes gem. The driftwood sculptures, any number of plants bathing in the sun streaming through the windows or even gift baskets with natural skin care products, plants, pots and other gifts from around the store would be a

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The Garden Shop stocks many boutique items, as well as a nice variety of unique plants that have been hand-selected and lovingly cared for by Kim and her staff.

perfect gift for any nature lover.

And soon, customers will be able to make their own sculptures at Garden Shop, as Kim is adding an additional room, which will be called The Design Room. Customers will be able to come in and purchase driftwood and all the products to design it, making for a nice garden accent piece or something for inside the home.

That was great news for customer Ellen Taylor. The first time she drove from her Tampa Palms home to Garden Shop, she did so with some curiosity and a 20%-off coupon from the Neighborhood News in hand.

In the last two months, she’s been back two other times, because she says there’s nothing like it near her home.

“I love it,” Ellen says. “It’s like everything in here is something I like. And this time, there was so much more. So many nice plants. And, this time, I even brought along a friend!”

Alissea says that a large percentage of Garden Shop customers return multiple times. Last week, she says a woman Neighborhood News

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came in and nearly bought a sculpture she really liked. She left without it, but came back the same day and ended up buying it.

“She said she couldn’t do without it,” Alissea says.

Ellen notes that during past visits she bought an air plant, a planter and some other things. This visit, she was holding onto a bamboo flowerpot she didn’t notice last time.

While the Garden Shop is small, the staff is constantly changing its products, often to meet the needs of each changing season.

“There are a lot of new things,” Ellen says, turning her head around and smiling. “It’s just such unique stuff. It seems like it’s all new.”

She laughed. “I’m excited, as if I need another plant in my life.”

Garden Shop (7337 Land O’Lakes Blvd., at the Elite Pavers showroom) is open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, visit EliteGardenShop.com or call (813) 820-6105.

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17

For Business Or Unemployment Law, Call Attorney Derek Usman!

By CELESTE McLAUGHLIN Correspondent

Attorney Derek Usman says a piece of advice in a self-improvement book stuck with him and has become a cornerstone of how he practices law.

“I treat each case like it’s the most important case,” he says. “I approach each of them in the same manner, whether it’s a small claims case or a filing for the Supreme Court.”

This philosophy has helped his New Tampa-based business, The Usman Law Firm, P.A. — located in the Central Bank building on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. south of County Line Rd. — to grow through referrals and word-of-mouth among clients who need legal expertise for litigation, employment law and business law.

He established his firm in the community where he lives, knowing that many residents of our area may need an employment or business law firm, and may want to work with someone who is a part of their community.

“New Tampa- and Wesley Chapel-area residents are business owners and employees, and executives of businesses,” says Usman, “sometimes they are people who work for corporations that are relocating to the Tampa Bay area. They have a local resource right here. They Attorney Derek Usman, who has an office on BBD Blvd. in New don’t have to go to a big downtown firm.”

Tampa, has opened a second location in downtown Tampa to be But, if they do want a downtown firm, Usman has closer to the courts. (Photo courtesy of Derek Usman) that covered, too. He recently opened a second office where most litigation happens allows him to communiin downtown Tampa to have more accessibility to the cate better with opposing counsel, while keeping his New courts and to court personnel.

Tampa office as his primary work location.

“Lawsuits always involve two sides,” he says, “and “Attorneys are fraternal,” he says. “It makes it easier to oftentimes, the opposing counsel is downtown.” talk with them because you have a connection and a familiHe says maintaining a second office in the heart of

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arity. A personal relationship makes things smoother.”

He values those personal relationships, which is why he always gives his full attention and diligent preparation to every case that comes before him. A client he helped with one of those “small cases” came back to him when something much bigger came up. This led to Usman recently filing a federal case on behalf of a St. Petersburg-based startup company, called Priatek, alleging its former executives stole technology and forced out the company’s president.

He says he was hired to represent that firm because one of its investors appreciated the way Usman treated his earlier case.

“That was a small claims trial, with a low dollar amount, but he knew that I prepared well,” says Usman.

And, Usman adds, he had no expectation that one case would lead to a bigger one, but that he treats everyone the same, across the board. He works hard to ensure each of his clients is represented well, no matter how minor their complaint may seem.

Happy Clients...

Jerry Newberry is a client who says he experienced that quality representation first-hand. As president of a local company, he was looking for an attorney to review some corporate documents he had prepared.

After finding Usman by searching online, Newberry says he was able to get an appointment quickly, go over his questions, and that Usman got back to him with all of his questions answered in just a few days.

“I was really happy,” Newberry says. “I had a bunch of questions because I don’t understand legal mumbo jumbo, and he answered all of them. I appreciated his

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timeliness and his feedback was very thorough.”

Plus, Newberry says he has worked with several lawyers who run up costs very quickly, but notes that Usman’s fees were very reasonable.

“I’ve dealt with 30 to 40 attorneys over 30 years, and he was painless,” says Newberry. “He was very willing to do whatever I needed, and he explained everything in a way that I understood and felt comfortable (with). I’m definitely pleased and will certainly use him again.”

Usman says he understands that litigation can be expensive and that a lot of the expense is hard costs, such as court fees, that clients have to pay.

He emphasizes that’s why he has multiple fee arrangements to meet each client’s needs. Fees can be paid as contingent, fixed or hourly billing.

“I work with clients on payment options,” he says. “Even though litigation is a costly endeavor, I don’t want that to deter you from pursuing actions on your behalf.”

Derek says many attorneys who practice business and employment law specialize in either initial transactions or disputes.

However, Derek isn’t limited to only one area or the other.

He says his clients benefit from the hands-on experience he has had in courtrooms, from county courts, to state, federal and even appellate courts. Because he sees

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how litigation plays out in court, he knows the pitfalls to look out for in drafting agreements and other documentation.

“I know both parts and have experience in both,” he says. “I have more practical knowledge when it comes to forming agreements because I know what usually gets litigated in court.”

After moving from Chicago to Wesley Chapel in 2015 to be closer to family, Derek opened his local office of The Usman Law Firm off of Bearss Ave. In 2018, he moved to his current office on BBD to be right in the heart of the community where he lives and serves his neighbors.

Derek earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree from Indiana University in Fort Wayne in 1997 and his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the Northern Illinois University College of Law in 2001.

He is admitted to practice before the bars of Florida, Illinois, the U.S. Tax Court, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida and U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Derek volunteers his time as part of the network of attorneys who work on both local and national cases with Alliance Defending Freedom, a faith-based nonprofit that focuses on legal advocacy.

The Usman Law Firm is located at 20701 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. For more information, please visit UsmanFirm. com, call (813) 377-1197, or see the ad on page 28 of this issue.

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19

Edward Jones Goes Big With New Office On Bruce B. Downs

By JOHN C. COTEY john@NTNeighborhoodNews.com The financial world is, for many, more precarious than ever these days.

Jobs and benefits are in flux, the stock market is all over the place, inflation is leaving a mark and the economy is either booming or teetering on destruction, depending upon who you ask.

Trying to decide how to shield your savings and investments from this potential storm isn’t a decision to be taken lightly.

That’s why, when financial advisor William Morales is asked for one piece of advice, it’s this: come see us at Edward Jones.

“It doesn’t cost you anything, other than time,” says Morales, referring to Edward Jones’ free consultation. “That’s really it. That hour you sit down and talk with an Edward Jones advisor, you’ll get answers to questions you have and uncover questions that you never thought of yourself.”

At Edward Jones, a handful of financial advisors — Morales, Paul Elliott, Natalie Matos, Scott Peterson and Jimmy Tovar — are here to guide you from their new office on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., which opened earlier this year in the Shoppes of Wesley Chapel across BBD from AdventHealth Wesley Chapel. The new office’s Grand Opening and ribbon-

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The team at the new Edward Jones office on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in the Shoppes of Wesley Chapel includes (l.-r.) William Morales, Jimmy Tovar, office administrator Karn Weigel, Natalie Matos, office admin Cathy Giacinto, Paul Eliot & Scott Peterson. (Photos by Charmaine George)

cutting ceremony were held on May 6.

Edward Jones offers a wide range of financial services, advising clients on retirement and college savings, business plans, wealth strategies and investments, life, long-term care and disability insurance, annuities and credit.

“We do everything,” Morales said.

“The core of what we do is planning. The investments, that hasn’t changed, but it’s all about how we’re connecting with clients and understanding what their goals are…we know there’s a lot of people out

there who should be talking to us that aren’t, so making sure we have a presence in our community is a big part of why things are moving differently.”

Morales has had his office in Wesley Chapel for years and has lived here since 1998, but now, sharing a larger workspace with other advisors with different levels of experience, different backgrounds and from different places, is a boon to clients.

“At the end of the day, it’s what can we bring to the client experience?,” says Elliott, who has been with Edward Jones

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since 2012. “In a single office, maybe I have an idea I want to run by someone.

I tell the client I’ll make a phone call or check with an email, to ask what do you think? That’s very different from calling one of the other advisors in the office and getting maybe a different point of view. I think that’s good for the client.”

While there are many services offered, the most common questions are about retirement, by those already retired or those just getting there.

At Edward Jones, the approach is to build a relationship with clients before money and investments are even discussed.

That’s because instead of promising what they can do for you, at Edward Jones, the advisors are more interested in what you see when you look into the future.

“What are you trying to accomplish?,” Matos says is often the first question. Once a client has laid out their own plan, the investments to get them there act as the vehicle.”

Peterson, a University of Pittsburgh graduate who has worked in financial services for more than a dozen years, says he will ask clients to close their eyes and describe how retirement might look.

“Where are you, who is with you, what are you doing and what are your plans for that day?, “ he says. “Tell me about it,” and, whether you are at the

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beach or in the mountains or babysitting your grandkids in another state, “there is no wrong answer. You tell me what you want it to look like, and then we’ll go from there.”

That is a message shared by every Edward Jones advisor.

“When people ask what I do, my break-the-ice answer is I make dreams come true,” says Morales, smiling. “I’m kind of joking but I’m not, because it is really what I do. We spend a lot of time trying to uncover what someone’s goals are, and what their vision of the future is, and then we try to build a personal plan towards that goal. Everything we do revolves around the client’s needs and goals.”

And, everyone is different. Some clients have grand plans for retirement, others just want to make sure they have enough to live well, and there are thousands of points in between.

Every answer is different as well, depending upon the current situation of the client. The team at Edward Jones says they don’t shy away from the tough conversations, when a client’s vision of retirement is clouded by some current realities.

“It’s powerful to tell a client, ‘I know you want to retire at this age but, according to the models, it’s not going to work…BUT, if we tweak this and change this up this look what happens,” says Tovar, a Wesley Chapel resident since 2003.

“This is where we come in.”

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Although the Wesley Chapel office is new, Edward Jones as a company has a 100-year track record of helping people get the most out of their money.

Your Financial ‘Toolbox’

Edward Jones has a variety of answers for each situation.

“We’re not a one-trick pony,” Elliott says. “I like to think of myself as a contractor and I have a toolbox and no bias for any of my tools. I sit down with my clients like an architect and ask what are we going to build? If I only get to use my hammer that day, then that’s fine.”

And, because Edward Jones has no proprietary products or services, Peterson says there is no incentive to use a tool that may not be the best one. “The end result is the only thing that matters to us.”

That’s important to retirees and pre-retirees, who have a number of heady concerns when it comes to their respec-

tive futures. Things like health care costs (the No. 1 concern, according to most surveys), taxes, savings and investments are important issues. So, the toolbox has to be big.

At Edward Jones, financial advisors have Series 7 and Series 66 securities registrations, and many of them have acquired further credentials, including the CFP (Certified Financial Planner), AAMS (Accredited Asset Management Specialist), CRPC (Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor), ChFC (Chartered Financial Consultant) and state insurance licenses, according to its website.

That level of service, says Matos, is why so many families keep coming back.

She says generations of families have stuck

with her over the years, and she hopes to build a similar long-lasting clientele in Wesley Chapel at Edward Jones.

“We care about people, we care about the community and that’s why we’re here,” says Matos, a University of South Florida graduate who has worked in the financial industry for 28 years.

“That’s the bottom line.”

Edward Jones is located at 2653 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Suite 120, in the Shoppes of Wesley Chapel.

The new office’s hours are MondayThursday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. , and 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. on Friday. For more information, call (813) 991-7034, visit EdwardJones.com or see the ad on page 28 of this issue.

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21

Budget Blinds Comes To You – Or Visit KRATE For Inspiration

By CELESTE MCLAUGHLIN Correspondent As the much-anticipated KRATE container park at The Grove in Wesley Chapel is finally opening, people are flocking there to try all kinds of food and check out little shops. As they wander through the rows of converted containers, they also can pop into Budget Blinds for inspiration on how they might transform their home with blinds, shades, shutters and drapes.

Wesley Chapel residents Adriane and Mike Wonderlin own one of the top Budget Blinds franchises in the country, serving a territory that stretches all the way north to San Antonio and south to Palmetto and includes showrooms on W. Fletcher Ave. (near I-275, two exits south of Wesley Chapel’s S.R. 56 exit) and in Riverview, covering nearly 90 zip codes.

The Wonderlins employ a team of nearly 40 people, including design associates who come to your home with what Adriane describes as “a ton of samples” to help determine the best look and functionality for window coverings in your home.

But, for anyone who isn’t quite ready to have a design consultant come to their homes, a quick visit to Budget Blinds at

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The Budget Blinds location at the KRATE serves as a mini-showroom for the business run by Wesley Chapel residents Adriane and Mike Wonderlin.

KRATE will allow you to see the many possibilities.

Adriane describes it as almost like a kiosk, where visitors can see videos of the products in motion on the TVs, ask questions about how something functions or how it would look, and learn about the different types of window treatments.

There is a variety of styles from which to choose. Blinds come in vinyl, wood, fabric, faux wood and aluminum. Shutters are made from real wood or composite material that will not fade or warp.

In June, Budget Blinds is offering a special that gives anyone purchasing plantation shutters a free upgrade to an

“invisible tilt” option, which eliminates the rod that typically runs down the middle of the shutters. The invisible tilt allows for an unobstructed view and is typically an expensive upgrade, but is being offered completely free for the month of June.

If you prefer shades, you can choose from roller, pleated, Roman, cellular, woven wood, bamboo, sheer, solar or graphic, plus a variety of panels, valances and drapes.

All of these options can be explored at the Wesley Chapel KRATE location, where Adriane says she and Mike are excited to support the growing Wesley Chapel community.

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“It’s almost like its own downtown area for Wesley Chapel,” she says. “You can bring your kids and your dog and come to a friendly area where people are gathered together. A couple of years ago there was nothing like that here.”

Adriane says Budget Blinds signed its lease for a spot in the KRATE container park in December 2019, hoping to open by the summer of 2020. After a number of delays – including, of course, the Covid pandemic – the park is finally coming to life and with more than 70 percent of the converted shipping containers ready to go, the Grove has scheduled an official Grand Opening for June 4.

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“A lot of these local small businesses have been around for a long time, but you only see them in passing as a food truck, for example,” Adriane says. “They haven’t had the opportunity to be open year ‘round, until now.”

She hopes that as others gather and enjoy the area – even if they’re not shopping for window treatments – they may stop in and be inspired.

“There’s always a new trend,” she says. “You can always come in and see it because we’ll be switching up the displays.”

The trends right now, Adriane says, are motorization and draperies.

“The functionality of the shutter is great and the look is classic,” she says, “but now we’re adding a soft piece of fabric, too. In the 80s and 90s, draperies were everywhere, but in the 2000s, no one did drapes because it looked like your mother’s house. But now, it’s back.”

She says that motorization continues to improve, with motors that are nearly completely silent and a trend that continues to make these “smart home” features more affordable.

For high places you can’t reach, motorization is ideal. It’s also great for businesses to set times to automatically open as the business opens, or to automate window shades to help kids or teenagers wake up in the morning.

With these options, you can use the

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Mike Wonderlin (white shirt) leads the sales team at Budget Blinds.

traditional wand in the window, or you can use a smartphone, remote, wall switch or even voice command to open or close your window coverings.

While Adriane says you can get ideas from the showrooms or the container at KRATE, the best way to determine the ideal products for your unique home is for the design consultant to spend time there with you.

Kristine Dugas, who lives in Land O’Lakes, says she has used Budget Blinds twice and they have now covered almost every window in her house. She says she highly recommends the company.

“Budget Blinds was by far the best

value and had the best selection,” says Kristine. “They have tons of selections to choose from, and the design process was fun and easy.”

She says the designer who came to her home was on time, professional and helpful, and so were the installers, who left everything clean and tidy when they finished the job.

“My experience with the office, customer service and communication with Budget Blinds was top notch,” Dugas says. “If I had any questions, they got back to me right away, the ease of scheduling my appointments to work around my busy schedule was wonderful.”

Budget Blinds was founded in 1992 in Orange County, CA, and has more than 1,000 franchises in the U.S. and Canada. The Wonderlins’ franchise, which they purchased in 2018, was awarded Budget Blinds’ national Franchise of the Year for 2020, the franchise’s third such honor since 2016.

To schedule a complimentary in-home consultation or learn more about the June promotion of a free upgrade to invisible tilt on plantation shutters, call (813) 968-5050.

For now, the KRATE location is only open on the weekends. Call (813) 340-3360 to check when it’s open. For more information, follow @BudgetBlindsofGreaterTampa on Facebook or Instagram, visit BudgetBlinds.com/ NorthTampa or see the ad on page 32 of this issue.

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Sand Pine Teacher Corinne Staney Retires After 53 Years

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com Second-grade teacher Corinne Staney has retired once before, in 2005, before moving to Wesley Chapel.

But this time, she says, after 53 years in education — including the last 15 at Sand Pine Elementary — it’s for good.

“I promised my granddaughter this would be the last year,” Staney says. “I’m looking forward to spending time with my family, that’s really important, and now’s the time.”

May 27 will be the last day of school for Staney, 75, who lives in Meadow Pointe with her husband Joseph, a retired educator who spent 36 years as an administrator and coach. She has left a lasting legacy that will be hard to replace.

“It’s going to be a huge loss for us,” says Sand Pine principal Christina Twardosz, “but we are super excited for her to be able to spend some time spoiling herself.”

Twardosz says if anyone deserves it, it is Staney, who is always one of the first to arrive and among the last to leave every day at Sand Pine.

What will Staney do on May 28, her first day as a retiree? She’s going to start off with a book to read just for enjoyment, for the first time in forever. She may work on her cooking and rediscover a few hobbies. Michaels is her favorite store, so maybe a little crafting here and there. And, she has a daughter, Lisa Couture, and a son, Tim, as well as grandkids Dom, Ryan and Maddy, and of course, her husband to keep her days filled.

Her family may want to keep her away from tutoring or volunteering at any schools, however. When she retired the

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Sand Pine Elementary second grade teacher Corinne Staney is retiring after 53 years as an elementary school educator. (Photos: Charmaine George)

last time, it was a tutoring gig that led to a year of being a preschool teacher that then led to her applying for an opening at Sand Pine.

Teaching, she says, is in her blood.

Her grandmother taught in a one-room schoolhouse, and because her parents — her dad managed a meat department in a grocery story and her mom had to turn down a scholarship and became an executive secretary — couldn’t go to college because they had to work during World War II, they emphasized the importance of education to their daughter.

Staney cut her teaching teeth in Worcester, MA, at a number of different schools, always in grades K-5. She was active in the teacher’s union, joined a group of education researchers at nearby Clark University, absorbed herself into the field of teaching and eventually “retired” to Florida.

But, she says she was called back to the classroom, as retirement turned into more of a very short sabbatical.

“I was bored…and I just love what I do,” Stanley says. “I love working with kids, I love learning new things, I love having a job that makes you want to get up in the morning and go. Kids are phenomenal.

Every year is a fresh new start, a chance to be better, and a chance to be a part of a group of people that want to teach and learn. It’s fantastic.”

Staney says teaching won’t make you rich, but if you can find joy in it, it can make you happy.

“Her love and joy for children is inspiring,” says Twardosz.

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As this issue is reaching your mailbox, there’s still a few days of classes left, and Staney plans to enjoy every minute of what’s left. She has given away many of her books, to a new teacher and another who teaches children with special needs, and her Christmas tree. Her most prized teaching possession — a ceramic apple that she was given by her fellow teachers to mark her 50th year as a teacher — will be displayed at home.

She could, quite honestly, teach forever, and that’s why, some days, as her final year as a teacher winds down, she has to hold back the tears.

“I didn’t cry until I thought about all of the years and all of the kids,” Corinne says. “But every year when school is ending I have a hard time.”

When she closes her eyes, she says she can still see her first class in 1969 at Woodland Street School in Worcester, and most of her classes since.

But, she says her last class may just be her most special one.

“All of them were adorable,” Stanley says. “I just look at their faces and have such high hopes for them. They clap for each other, encourage each other, all for one and one for all. The future looks pretty bright if you just look at the kids’ faces.”

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29

Local High Schools All Figuring Out Who Will Play Quarterback

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com Spring football always presents a host of questions for area coaches to answer.

Who is going to start here, who is going to block there, and who is going to step up in the fall?

But, in Wesley Chapel this month, all three local high schools have at least one question in common: Who is going to play quarterback?

The game’s most important position at Wiregrass Ranch (WRH), Wesley Chapel (WCH) and Cypress Creek (CCH) was handled by seniors Rocco Becht, Ethan Harper and Owen Walls, respectively. Together, the trio passed for more than 4,300 yards and 45 touchdowns. Their backups threw a combined five passes, completing one.

So, who will line up under center on May 19 when Cypress Creek hosts a jamboree against Pasco and St. Petersburg Catholic and Wiregrass Ranch visits Berkeley Prep at 7 p.m., or May 20 when Wesley Chapel hosts Land O’Lakes at 7 p.m.?

Good question.

Nowhere does the quarterback search seem more of a necessity than at WRH, where the Bulls are flush with a pair of fantastic, dare we say once-in-a-

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The WRH Bulls know Ohio State commit Bryson Rodgers (kneeling) will catch passes this season, but will they be thrown by Brendan Collela (far right) or Elijiah Brown? (Photo: Charmaine George)

lifetime wide receivers.

Rising senior Bryson Rodgers recently committed to Ohio State — which had two wideouts drafted in the first round of last month’s NFL Draft — and rising junior Izaiah Williams picked up a college offer from national champion Georgia last week, to go with those he has received from the likes of Florida State, Cincinnati and Michigan.

Bulls coach Mark Kantor admits it’s

not ideal to have to find a new, unproven quarterback for a roster that arguably has the two best receivers in school history, but he has his fingers crossed that the answer emerges from the spring battle between last year’s backup Elijiah Brown and junior varsity starter Brendyn Collela.

“They’re even right now,” says Kantor.

While Kantor would like to see a starter emerge that can take advantage of his star receivers, who combined

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for 1,200 yards and 18 TDs last year, he does have the area’s top returning running back in Kenneth Walker, who scored seven TDs last year.

Quarterback aside, Kantor does have other issues. He has an offensive line to replace, though he feels good about the spring efforts so far and thinks he has found four of the five future starters, and his defense has to be better.

Last fall, the Bulls lost four of their last five games and surrendered an average of 37 points in those losses.

He is counting on guys like rising senior Nick Johnson (LB) and Elijiah Westbrooks (CB), rising junior Jaden Bering (MLB) and rising sophomore Ola Omaloye (MLB) to pack some extra punch into the defensive unit.

“We’ve got to get back to playing physical defense,” Kantor says. “I gotta find some dudes who want to crack-a-lack.”

CCH Grooming Neimann

Meanwhile, at Cypress Creek, Walls’ departure will hurt, but coach Mike Johnson likes what he has seen in jayvee starter and rising junior Jack Neimann this offseason.

“I think we’ve got some great guys trying to fill those shoes,” Johnson says.

“Jack is a guy who has been productive,

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and we have a lot of confidence in him.”

While quarterback may be the biggest loss, the entire offense is in need of a spring overhaul. Even if Neimann can prove to be the answer at QB, he will need blockers, pass catchers and running backs and the Coyotes went into spring looking for all those things.

Dylan Lolley, a 6-3, 225-pound tight end, is a great route runner and had 28 catches for 329 yards last year, so he’ll be counted on to replace a lot of the 1,200 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns lost to graduation. And, rising senior running back Tre Gibson is expected to take over in the backfield.

As for the offensive line, Johnson says a torn ACL, back surgery and dislocated elbow will keep three of his veteran offensive/defensive linemen sidelined this spring, but he feels good about the fall.

Defensively, it’s been a five-year battle to find a unit that can produce like Johnson wants it to. In the team’s brief history, the Coyotes have been allowing more than 30 points a game.

Can The ‘Cats Run To Wins?

While the Wildcats (6-4 last season) also need a quarterback, they don’t rely on the pass as much as their area counterparts.

Harper threw for 600 yards last season, so whoever inherits the reigns

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between rising senior Dillon McGinnis, junior Colin Opperman and sophomore Desmond Devore won’t be asked to do too much.

Instead, how they lead WCH’s runfirst offense will be the key.

“Whoever shows the leadership for the position will be the guy,” says coach Anthony Egan.

Egan has rising senior bookend tackles in Max Hambrecht (6-4, 325) and Ryan Warren (6-3, 270) and tight end Conner Libby (6-5, 230) to anchor his offensive line, so look for the Wildcats to do what the coach likes best and pound the rock while controlling the clock. The loss of 1,000-yard rusher Jaylan Blake needs to be replaced, and Egan says last year’s fullback Mason Quinn could be that guy.

On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Josh Poleon will anchor the unit, which is in rebuilding mode. The hardest part about rebuilding, whether it’s finding one player like a quarterback or an entire defensive line, are the number of choices. At Wesley Chapel, Egan’s biggest spring battle could be finding enough players.

“We’re still struggling with numbers,” says Egan, who had about 45 kids out this spring. “It definitely presents some special challenges. We have good kids, with great skills, but we need more of them.”

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Ice Dreammm Shop At The Grove Navigating Supply Chain Issues

By GARY NAGER

Photos by Charmaine George

When I read an article on Axios Tampa Bay (Axios.com) about how inflation and supply chain issues have adversely affected ice cream shops across the Tampa Bay-area, all I could think of was Joe Schembri, the owner of the Ice Dreammm Shops off S.R. 54 in Lutz and at The Grove in Wesley Chapel.

I got in touch with Joe and he said that yes, the cost of dairy products, stabilizers and other ingredients for his amazing homemade ice cream had increased significantly, but that his bigger problem was that the supply chain for spoons, cups and even Oreo cookies had been so inconsistent that he has had to buy some of those items in bulk whenever he was actually able to find them.

“It’s been a nightmare the past several months,” Joe says, adding, “thankfully, though, I haven’t had to raise prices yet to our customers. We’ve absorbed some of the losses caused by increased costs and lack of availability, but we have really great customers who continue to support us even when we haven’t always had the right-sized cups for our ice cream and milk shakes.”

So, What’s New?

Schembri, who is an avowed ice cream lover who left his IT job to open the Ice Dreammm Shop in Lutz, even though he somehow keeps himself in great shape, is always coming up with new ice cream flavors. I recently sampled his new bourbon ice cream flavor, which is infused with “a ton,” according to Joe, of smooth bourbon in every batch. It’s creamy, delicious and can definitely give you a buzz if you eat enough of it. (NoteI felt fine after my small-size scoop).

But, with favorites like smooth chocolate velvet, locally roasted coffee, cookies & dreammm, cookie dough, my favorite fluffernutter and more always rotating on and off the board, plus alcohol-infused favorites like salted caramel latté and rum haven, plus sugar-free and vegan varieties, there are few ice cream

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shops anywhere that can match the Ice Dreammm shop for variety of flavors — or deliciousness of flavors.

When we last wrote about the new Ice Dreammm Shop location at The Grove last year, Joe was only serving his awesomely gooey, chewy chocolate chip cookies freshly baked in-store. But now, Joe’s selection of fresh-baked goods include double chocolate and peanut butter chocolate brownies, peanut butter nutella cookies, “brookies” (half-brownies, halfcookies), cookie butter cookies, blondies, snickerdoodles, sugar cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and more.

“People seem to really love our baked goods, especially with their ice cream,” Joe says. “If you ask for something we don’t already make, we might just end up making them in the future.”

In addition, Joe also offers a tremendous number of toppings (at least 20) to go with your favorite ice cream flavors, from hot fudge, caramel, marshmallow, whipped cream and peanut butter to sprinkles, crumbled Oreo cookies and so many more. The waffle cones are made fresh in-house and are hard to resist when you walk in and smell them cooking.

The Ice Dreammm Shop also offers amazing ice cream pies with your favorite flavors and toppings, hand-spun milkshakes and malts, ice cream floats and even coffee drinks like affogato (a scoop of ice cream drowned in espresso), cold

(Above left) Photographer Charmaine George loved her alcohol-infused salted caramel latté ice cream sundae on one of the Wesley Chapel Ice Dreammm Shop’s chewy homemade chocolate chip cookies. (Above right) The Ice Dreammm Shop has added a lot of new house-baked treats since we last featured it in these pages. (Below) Owner Joe Schembri is happy to still be able to scoop an ever-changing variety of ice cream flavors, despite some supply chain issues.

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Joe loves to give away free treats with his own version of the “Wheel of Fortune.” More than 100 customers have landed on “Free Ice Cream for a year” in Wesley Chapel. brew coffee and cold brew floats and even year, Joe says more than 100 customers at locally roasted hemp coffee. the Wesley Chapel location have landed on And, the fun doesn’t stop there, as the big win since it opened last summer.

Joe allows every customer to spin his wheel The Ice Dreammm Shop is (photo above) where you can win anything located at 6013 Wesley Grove Blvd., one free scoop of ice cream, a milk shake, Suite 101. For more information, call ice cream “nachos” to free ice cream for (727) 495-6730. The Lutz location is a year. Even the one marker on the wheel at 23912 S.R. 54, Suite 2. For more where you don’t win something to eat or information, call (813) 586-3767. drink is pretty cool — a free high five from Visit IceDreammmShop.com to order Joe. And, even though only one spot on online from either location. Both locathe wheel offers the free ice cream for a tions are open every day.

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Zen’s Toyland Opens On S.R. 56

Hungry Crab Juicy Seafood To Open!

Although we still do not have confirmation as to exactly when it will open — the last we heard was late April, but we had no further updates at our press time for this issue — there’s no doubt that a lot of progress has been made at the Hungry Crab Juicy Seafood & Bar (photo above) which is getting close to moving into the former location of Kobé Japanese Steakhouse in the Pebble Creek Collection, a mile or so south of the Pasco County line on Bruce B. Downs Blvd.

Keep checking back on our “Neighborhood News” Facebook page for the latest updates, but it looks like New Tampa will soon have a place featuring giant Alaskan king crab legs and other seafood favorites! — GN

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Although we didn’t have too much information about it as we went to press, Zen’s Toyland has opened on the north side of S.R. 56, in the former location of Mattress One, between Mellow Mushroom and Chuy’s Tex-Mex. This is the third Zen’s Toyland location, as the same owner has stores in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

The large toy store has a great selection of fun and educational toys and games, everything from Globber scooters, Brio train sets and Wild Republic plush animals to Schleich dinosaur figures (photo), Lego blocks, Green Toys trucks and “Bubble Glob” NeeDoh and so much more.

And, if you join the Zen’s Toyland Loyalty Program, you’ll get $10 off every $100 you spend in the store!

Zen’s Toyland is open every day except Sunday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (until 7 p.m. on Thurs. & Fri.). For more information, call (813) 949-5111, visit ZensToyalnd.com

or search “Zens Toyland-Wesley Chapel” on Facebook.

And please, tell them that you read about them in the Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News! — GN

VR Galaxy Lounge Entertainment Venue Opens In Tampa Palms!

Talk about an idea whose time has come — the VR Galaxy Lounge has opened to rave online reviews (next to A Special Rose Florist) at 15355 Amberly Dr., in the Shoppes at Amberly plaza in Tampa Palms.

VR Galaxy Lounge is the brainchild of three long-time “gamers” who recognized that although virtual reality gaming is readily available on peoples’ home entertainment systems, there hasn’t been a place where those gamers could go out to enjoy the ever-growing selection of VR games.

According to VRGalaxyLounge.com, three guys named Joe, Larry and Tony grew up as gamers as far back as the original 1977 Atari 2600, and have all watched the industry evolve to where Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality experiences are becoming more and more mainstream: “The VR industry is here and has unlimited potential. This is what drives the three of us...It is about becoming fully immersed in an experience whether that is traveling to Italy to see the Coliseum, swimming with sharks, traveling to space, meeting with co-workers or just hanging out with friends in a social environment...Our goal is to pass this experience on to all of you and bring you into the amazing and limitless world of VR.” And, with its location in the same plaza with younger-skewing businesses like Peabody’s Billiards & Games, Crunch!

Fitness and a variety of restaurants, Joe, Larry and Tony would seem to have a virtual hit on their hands. For more info, visit VRGalaxyLounge.com or call (813) 374-4797. — GN

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Newest KRATEs: La Creacion & Brew Bar Although, as we told you on pg. 4 of this issue, several additional former shipping containers at the KRATE Container Park are likely to open before the June 4 Grand Opening event, a couple of additional KRATEs have opened since our last issue.

I am definitely impressed with both the food and the desserts at the new La Creacion Express, which has a larger original bakery location on W. Hillsborough Ave. in Our editor says the Tripleta sandwich (left) and chicken skewers Tampa. The Puerto Rican cuiare good reasons to visit La Creacion Express at the KRATEs. sine items include the Tripleta can cheese and mayoketchup) and tender sandwich (with pork, ham and steak, Americhicken or pork skewers (I ordered the zesty barbecue sauce on the side). La Creacion also offers a variety of empanadas (beef, chicken, pizza, octopus & shrimp), as well as desserts called quesitos (flaky pastry stuffed with cream cheese). Finish it all off with a Puerto Rican Medalla Light beer. For more info, call (813) 528-8163.

Speaking of great beers, the new Brew Bar at the KRATEs is a self-pour tap room with a rotating variety of 21 beers on tap, including locals like Big Storm Brewing Oatmeal Stout, and Tampa Bay Brewing Co. Reef Donkey, plus favorites like Stella Artois and Blue Moon, hard ciders, prosecco, red sangria, moscato and more.

For more information, visit “Brew The Brew Bar is one of the newest KRATEs now Bar Wesley Chapel” on Facebook. — GN open at The Grove. (Photo by John C. Cotey)

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New Tampa & Wesley Chapel HOME IMPROVEMENT

CUSTOM INT. WINDOW COVERINGS! Cust. fabrication of all types of window coverings — plantation & hurricane shutters, vert. blinds, roller, cellular, woven wood & Roman shades, cellular vert., panel tracks, retract. awnings, motorization experts, alum., wood & faux wood blinds & more!

FREE installation on orders over $250! Call Henry @ 813-948-6363, email TampaBlindsbyDesign@ gmail.com or visit TampaBlindsbyDesign.com.

AMBLER ENTERPRISES Home Improvement.

Call James at 813-385-6402. 30 Years of exp.

Specialist in Kitchens & Bathrooms. Referrals upon request. All interior work: Drywall, Texture Paining, Doors, etc. Use us once & you won’t need to look elsewhere. Google us to see pictures: Wesley Chapel Ambler Enterprises. See our display ad at the bottom of this page!

WESLEYCHAPELPRESSUREWASHING.COM Soft pressure ext. house cleaning, screen enclosures, pool decks, driveways, sidewalks, fences, roofs, paver sealing & deck staining. We clean everything. No job too big/small. Exp. the difference when you hire a pressure cleaning pro. Licensed & insured. Owner operated. Call for a free estimate 813-433-6015.

RAYMOND PAINTING. Ext. & Int. Svcs. Ext: Painting, pressure washing, clean & seal pavers, stucco, roofing, leaks & wood rot repair. Int: Painting, plastering, ceiling & wall repairs & tiles.

Licensed & Bonded. References available. Free estimates. Your Neighborhood Arbor Greene Resident! We work 7 days. Call 813-994-5124.

DRY WALL SPECIALIST. Not a handyman. Affordable, Quality Work repairing water damage, ceilings & walls, re-texturing, popcorn removal, room addt’ns, cracks, holes, plaster & stucco repair. 26 years exp.

WC resident. State Certified. Call Ron for a free estimate: 813-784-5999.

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Classifieds MISCELLANEOUS CAT SITTER POSITION AVAILABLE: Kitten Sittin’ LLC is looking for a New Tampa Cat Sitter.

The purrfect part-time job for a Retiree who loves cats. Visit your feline clients in their own homes for 30–45-minute visits. You must be willing to work Holidays & must live in New Tampa area. It’s a fun job – babysitting cats! If interested, please email Pat O’Shea at pat@kittensittin.biz.

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

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

CLEANING SERVICES

MARY’S CLEANING SERVICES. We provide flexible domestic & office cleaning. “Jesus is the Lord.”

Give us a call at 352-206-8809 for a free estimate or email marynovociclo@gmail.com.

PATY CLEANING SERVICE. Comm’l or resid’l cleaning service. We have our own supplies & 6 years of exp.Free estimates. Call 813 943 6054 or email patycleaningservice@hotmail.com.

B CLEANING SERVICES: Over 18 years exp.! Comm’l & Resid’l; Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly; New house & post-construction clean-up; Window cleaning; Move-in & move-out cleanings; Pressure washing; FREE estimates.; Refs. avail. Call 813-531-0154 or e-mail: bcleanings@ hotmail.com.

LAWN, LANDSCAPING & TREES_ FITZPATRICK’s TREE SERVICE, INC. 27-yrs of Prof. Service. Licensed & Insured. Free Estimates.

Tree Trimming & Tree Removal. Stump Grinding.

Dead-Wood Removal. Affordable Rates. 24-Hour Emergency Storm Service. Free Mulch. Call 813495-9541 or 813-788-TREE. ALL DIMENSIONS LANDSCAPE & EXTERIORS, LLC. Complete resid’l & comm’l landscape, hardscape & softscape. Mulch & decorative stone. Patios, decks, retaining walls, property maintenance & lawn care. Sod & lawn install’n, artificial turf, fencing, railings, soft & hard pressure washing, painting. We do anything exterior. Call (724) 541-2535 or (813) 485-6661 for a 25% discount on labor & materials.

JASMINE LANDSCAPING, INC. Complete lawn maint, including Tree, palm & hedge trimming, planting, mulching, stones, sod replacement. Gutter cleaning, leaf removal & more. Cited by your HOA? Ask about our HOA Compliance Special, our Fall/ Spring Special & FREE estimate! Lic’d & insured.

Accepting new resid’l & comm’l accounts. Visa, MC, PayPal, Zelle, AmEx. Call or text 813-420-4465.

Now hiring FT workers.

COMPUTER & BUSINESS SERVICES DO YOU HATE YOUR COMPUTER?!? WE CAN HELP YOU! Troubleshooting, Installation, Networking & Virus Removal. WE COME TO YOU! Residences & Businesses, more than 25-Years Experience. Contact Jeffrey Blank at 813-973-4507, visit WSICA.COM or email Wsica@wsica.com.

PROF’L TECH SUPPORT in your home or small biz. A+ Cert. computer tech w/20 years exp. Maint. & Repairs, Upgrades & Tutoring. More affordable than chains! Friendly, personal svc. Tech jargon explained.

Remote assistance & refs. avail. Call (813) 957-8342 for free estimate!

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

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

To order yours, visit neighborhoodnewsonline.net/ Classified Listings POOL SERVICES

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

TRANQUILITY POOL SERVICE. New Tampa owned & operated. Great Pricing w/outstanding customer service! LICENSED, BONDED & INSURED. See why we are New Tampa and Wesley Chapel’s #1 Choice!! Call or Text Chris today @ 813-857-5400 or visit TranquilityPoolService.com. New customers get ONE MONTH FREE! NEIGHBORHOOD POOLS. Wesley Chapel owned & operated since 1999. Weekly service. No long term contracts. Mention this AD for one-month Free service. Call 813-907-7322 for details or text Joe at 813-758-7608.

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