New Tampa Neighborhood News, Volume 25, Issue 11, May 19, 2017

Volume 25 Issue 11

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May 19, 2017

In Neighborhood Magazine

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Drought Conditions Continue Following Flatwoods Brush Fire

By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneighborhoodnews.com Fueled by dry conditions and a recent lack of rain, three brush fires spread and burned more than 200 acres in Flatwoods Park between Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and Morris Bridge Rd., creating smoky conditions and temporarily shutting down parts of I-75 over the weekend of May 6-7.

The fires began near Fletcher Ave. and BBD Saturday afternoon, with heavy smoke forcing the closure of I-75 northbound between those two exits as Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR) fought to contain it.

The fires spread quickly from 20 acres to 200 acres, aided by high winds.

Flatwoods Park was evacuated and closed, although Hillsborough County Fire Rescue said no homes were threatened.

Around 8 p.m., after roughly six hours, Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) State Troopers reopened I-75, although advisories remained in effect for travelers due to the thick smoke from the fire.

The 5,000-acre Flatwoods Park, a popular local destination for biking and hiking, was still burning in spots on Sunday as HCFR spent hours pouring more than 30,000 gallons of water over the fire, part of a weekend effort that included the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), Tampa Police Department (TPD) and Florida Forestry Service (FFS) firefighters working in unison to slow the spread of the flames and keep the fire from endangering local residents.

Smoky conditions from the fire spread across much of the Tampa Bay area. The Lakeland Ledger reported that the smoky conditions spread to as far away as Lakeland and much of Polk County Saturday afternoon and evening.

In New Tampa, the smell of smoke was strong enough to keep many people indoors. Sunday morning, smoke resembling morning fog could still be seen near I-75, as travelers commuted on BBD. A spokesperson for HCFR said the fire was 90-percent contained by Saturday night, although the smoky conditions con-

Also Inside This Issue: News, Business & Sports Updates Porter Updates The Chamber About Wiregrass Ranch, Roadway Connections Stir Debate, County Tweaks Pride Attendance Zone, Cultural Center Property Asks For Rezoning, Local Girl Chasing Hockey Dreams, Viera’s New Tampa Council Taking Off, Wharton & Freedom Valedictorians Take Center Stage, Wharton Baseball Sizzles; Plus, Local Business Features!

Pages 3-34

Neighborhood Magazine

New Tampa Fills Fed Cup Event, The Cake Girl Takes Sweet Treats On The Road, STEM Fair Scouts Do Some Skating & More Neighborhood Nibbles & Business Bytes!

Pages 35-48

tinued for a few more days as officials monitored any hot spots.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

No matter how many firelines are dug, and no matter how much water is dumped over the spate of recent wildfires, the biggest helping hand would be rain. But, ongoing dry conditions and high winds are making things difficult for area firefighters.

New Tampa was fortunate that the Flatwoods Park fire was contained as quickly as it was. In other areas, like nearby Pasco County, a raging 2,200-acre wildfire that was still burning at our press time at Starkey Wilderness Park (between S.R. 52 and S.R. 54 near New Port Richey) and other smaller fires in the area have forced local schools to be shut down and caused multiple evacuations. The Starkey fire also shut down the Suncoast Parkway overnight the same weekend.

U.S. Women’s Hockey Team To Call Wesley Chapel Home

By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneighborhoodnews.com After a week of practicing and living in Wesley Chapel, the U.S. Women’s National hockey team has decided to move in.

USA Hockey announced on May 5 that the team will call the new Florida Hospital Center Ice (FHCI) its home beginning in September, and leading right up to the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

The 2017-18 U.S. Women’s National Team will move its headquarters to Wesley Chapel as it prepares to win gold at the upcoming Winter Games Feb. 9-25.

“This is a big deal for us,’’ says Gordie Zimmermann, FHCI’s general manager.

“This is giving us international exposure, and it’s a great thing for our community.”

Zimmermann says Tampa Bay Lightning chairman and governor Jeff Vinik was one of many to congratulate him on winning the bidding rights to be the

home for the woman’s team.

“He called to say this was a great thing for us, them being here,’’ Zimmermann says.

Jay Feaster, the former general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning and currently its executive director for community hockey development, says the upcoming U.S. team camp will be great for the area Megan Bozek is one of 23 players selected for the U.S. Women’s National Hockey Team, after tryouts held at Florida Hospital Center Ice on May 4. and even better for the growth of women’s hockey in Florida.

There is currently only one elite team for girls in the Tampa Bay area, which is based out of Lakeland.

See “US Hockey” on page 11.

Rotary Club Banquet Moved To Café Olé Three Days After Vuelo Closes An editorial by Gary Nager When I found out on May 8 that Vuelo Mexican Grill had closed its doors, I’ll admit I was pretty upset, if not very surprised.

After all, Vuelo was a second Mexican restaurant opened by the same owner (albeit with an entirely new concept and management team) and although the food was mostly better than what was served at owner Tom Reynolds’ Señor T’s, the fact that Vuelo was more expensive than Señor T’s, but still had inconsistent food and too-slow service, especially on busy special event days, ultimately doomed it to the same fate as its predecessor.

What really upset me, though, was that the Rotary Club of New Tampa Noon, of which I am a proud member (and which meets Wednesdays at noon at Mulligan’s Irish Pub in the Pebble Creek Golf Club, or PCGC), was supposed to have its Rotary Foundation Centennial celebration banquet at Vuelo on May 11.

As soon as I got the bad news, I immediately called my good friend and current club president Valerie Casey to tell her. Val and incoming president Belvai (we know him as “Vinnie”) Kudva immediately scrambled to find us a new location and to notify all 40 or so people who were planning to attend the banquet about the new locale.

By the following day, Vinnie and Val were able to secure Café Olé, where the club had met for a few years before moving to Pebble Creek, so the story has a happy ending.

And, the banquet was awesome. As club members and guests enjoyed the steak with spicy chimichurri sauce or chicken (or veggie) paella, Vinnie explained that although Rotary began with a single club started by Paul Harris in Chicago in 1905, the Rotary Foundation — the

New Tampa Neighborhood News Address: 29157 Chapel Park Dr., Suite B Wesley Chapel, FL 33543 Phone: (813) 910-2575 Advertising E-mail: Ads@NTNeighborhoodNews.com Editorial E-mail: EditorialDept@NTNeighborhoodNews.com Publisher & Editor Gary Nager Billing Manager Stephanie Smith Advertising Sales & Office Assistant Jannah McDonald Assistant Editor / Photographer John C. Cotey Staff Writer Celeste McLaughlin Correspondents Brad Stager • Andy Warrener WCNT-tv Sales & Production Assistant Gavin Olsen Graphic Designers Blake Beatty • Georgia Carmichael

charitable arm of Rotary International started by then-Rotary president Arch Klumph — is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The Foundation has been the driving force behind Rotary’s efforts to eliminate polio from the world and Vinnie noted that when the End Polio campaign first started in 1985, there were nearly 40,000 reported cases worldwide. Today, there were only six reported cases, all in either Afghanistan or Pakistan.

Vinnie is one of the most amazing Rotarians I have ever met. He has given (Above, l.-r.) Vinnie, Bapu & Valerie, of the New more than $250,000 in his 30+ years in Tampa Noon Rotary Club. (Right) New Paul Harris Rotary to the Foundation (in addition Fellows Taylor Dumke & a certain editor. to all of the dues and events he has paid to the clubs to which he has belonged), For info, join us for lunch at one of which makes him one of very few members our Wednesday meetings at PCGC or search worldwide of the prestigious Arch Klumph “New Tampa Noon Rotary” on Facebook!

Society, where $250,000 in a lifetime is the minimum to be included.

But, Vinnie is so much more about Rotary’s motto — “Service Above Self” — than he is about how much money he’s donated.

He’s traveled to many countries around the world — a few of those in the short time he has been a member of (and in the name of) our club — helping to provide clean water, school and medical supplies and so much more to thousands of needy people.

Vinnie therefore was not only the perfect choice to take over from Valerie as our president, but also to host the program for our banquet, where many of us learned new facts about Rotary and the good our club has done, not only because of Vinnie, but in no small part because of him. Because he has so many “points” accumulated for his giving to the Foundation, Vinnie has almost singlehandedly ensured that our club continues to have 100-percent membership in the Paul Harris Society (the designation for Rotarians who have given at least $1,000 in their lifetimes to the Foundation; those who have donated multiple thousands of dollars to it can “gift” a Harris Fellowship to anyone they designate, even if the designee is not a Rotarian).

I was proud to be one of the club’s five new Paul Harris Fellows (all of whom Vinnie helped, to different extents, reach that status) named at last week’s banquet, which also was attended by current Rotary District 6890 Governor Joyce Gunter of Gunter & Gunter Insurance (see story on pg. 24 and ad on pg. 30; Gunter & Gunter also is the Wesley Chapel Chamber Featured Business on a WCNT-tv segment released on May 12), but even more proud to be part of a club that truly treats each other like family!

Photo by Jannah McDonald

Table of Contents

Local News Updates.....................3-15

Porter Says The Best Is Yet To Come In Wiregrass ......4 MAP: Wiregrass Ranch Now & In The Future.............5 Three Road Connections To New Tampa Debated....6 School Attendance Zones Get Another Tweak..........7 Village At Hunter’s Lake Closer To Reality...........8 Arbor Greene Girl Ready For Big-Time Hockey....10 Viera’s New Tampa Council Taking Shape.............12 Biz Digest: Racetrac Close To Opening.................14 Nothing that appears in New Tampa Neighborhood News New Tampa Community Calendar..............................16

may be reproduced, whether wholly or in part, without permission. Opinions expressed by New Tampa Neighborhood News writers are their own and do not reflect the publisher’s opinion.

The deadline for outside editorial submissions and advertisements for Volume 25, Issue 11, of New Tampa Neighborhood News is Monday, May 8, 2017.

New Tampa Neighborhood News will consider previously non-published outside editorial submissions if they are double spaced, typed and less than 500 words. New Tampa Neighborhood News reserves the right to edit and/or reject all outside editorial submissions and makes no guarantees regarding publication dates.

New Tampa Neighborhood News will not return unsolicited editorial materials.

New Tampa Neighborhood News reserves the right to edit &/or reject any advertising. New Tampa Neighborhood News is not responsible for errors in advertising beyond the actual cost of the advertising space itself, nor for the validity of any claims made by its advertisers.

© 2017 JM2 Communications, Inc. Neighborhood News

Local Business Updates..............20-30

Debbie & Robert Marvin: Experience Matters.......20 Intrinsic Wellness Clinic..........................................22 Gunter & Gunter Insurance...................................24 Andy OnCall Ready To Tackle Your To-Do List.......26 Infinite Edge Learning Center Offers A+ Tutoring...28

Local School & Sports Updates..30-32 Wharton Valedictorian Headed To Vanderbilt............30 Old Soul, Work Ethic Makes Tan Tops At Freedom.......31 Wharton Baseball Goes On A Season-Ending Spree.....32

Neighborhood Magazine

U.S. Wins Fed Cup At Saddlebrook Resort.......35 The Cake Girl Serves Goodies On The Go.............38 ‘Neighborhood Nibbles & Business Bytes’.........42 New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Classifieds.........44 Scouts On Ice At STEM Fair...................................46 @NTWCNews

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 11 • May 19, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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Wiregrass Ranch Developer Provides Updates

1. TRANSPORTATION Porter takes great pride in his family’s foresight. They paid $25 of a $30 million bill to build out six lanes of S.R. 56 in front of the Shops at Wiregrass. “I give my uncles and dad a lot of credit,” Porter says.

“Do it right the first time, it’s usually a lot cheaper and a lot more effective.”

JD Porter stands in front of a map of the Wiregrass Ranch DRI, which he says he and his family have carefully and strategically developed to serve the needs of the community at large. Porter also updated the local business community on his pans at the Apr. 27 Economic Development Briefing for the Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce.

By John C. Cotey

John@ntneighborhoodnews.com When you walk into the boardroom in JD Porter’s office in Wesley Chapel, one of the first things you see is a brick. It hangs in a shadow box on the wall, and is from the home that his grandfather, James “Wiregrass” Porter, once lived in on S.R. 54, currently the site of the Discount Auto Parts.

It’s a reminder. This isn’t just land Porter is developing in Wiregrass Ranch.

It’s home.

For years, it was that reminder that kept the Porter family from selling the land it has owned and lived on since 1946 to the highest bidder. They entertained offers, met with many deep-pocketed investors from New York, Chicago and similar places, and wondered what it would take. Some of the land was sold in 1972 — to be later developed as Saddlebrook Resort — and a bit more soon after that for the communities of Williamsburg and Meadow Pointe (I & II).

Over the years, the Porters have turned away millions of dollars in offers to sell it all.

The current 5,100-acre Wiregrass Ranch DRI, which is being developed by the Porter family’s Locust Branch, LLC, extends from S.R. 56 north to S.R. 54, and west to east from Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. to Meadow Pointe Blvd.

“We had people asking to buy it for 20 years,’’ JD says. “There were a lot of bridesmaids out there, but we never found someone that we fell in love with.”

What the family fell in love with was a vision to build the land out themselves. The offers, they still keep coming. But, with the family’s name so closely tied to Wiregrass Ranch, JD says it has become a project for the family to build a community and leave behind a legacy about which everyone can feel good.

“Everyone said, ‘Let’s make this something we can be proud of,’” JD says. “That’s what I grew up hearing. Let’s make it so we will be happy coming back here 20 years from now, even 50 years from now, and saying, ‘Man, we did a good job.’”

While the brick — as well as oil paintings of turkeys in a field and “Wiregrass” Porter, in denim overalls, standing on the family’s 4

ranch — pay homage to the Porters’ roots in the community and guides their business principles, another wall shows the results of their resolve, among them framed color photos of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel and the Estancia and The Ridge communities.

At Pebble Creek Golf & Country Club on Apr. 27, Porter updated the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) at its monthly Economic Development briefing. The meetings generally draw a few dozen local business leaders; the chance to hear Porter reveal what might be next in Wiregrass Ranch drew almost 100.

“He is a visionary, and he sticks to his guns,’’ Chamber Vice-Chair of Economic Development Mercedes Hale told the audience. “He is making sure his vision, and his family’s vision, is maintained throughout.

They have really put us on the map.”

The cautious and patient development of Wiregrass Ranch began in earnest around 2002, Porter says, when the family took a long hard look at the kinds of things that would make a great community.

While many developers lead with homes, the Porters filled what they felt were more important needs first.

The open-air Shops at Wiregrass, which opened in 2008, is considered by many to be one of the critical anchors in Wiregrass Ranch, but Porter notes that before the mall was built, his family had already donated the land for John Long Middle School and Wiregrass Ranch High, both of which opened before the mall opened its doors in 2008.

The Porters also envisioned their section of Mansfield Blvd. and the nearby area as an “educational corridor.” They left land for expansion, before they even knew that one day, Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) would take root in Wiregrass.

Also before the mall opened, says Scott Sheridan, the COO of Locust Branch, the land for what would become Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC) already had been sold as well.

Porter, who grew up on the land where the hospital now sits, remembers his own long trips to what was then called University Community Hospital (and is now Florida Hospital Tampa) on E. Fletcher Ave., “where

And, while light rail may never become a reality here, Wiregrass Ranch is ready for it. Porter says he doesn’t see it happening until the drive to Tampa takes people 2.5 hours. But, with so much traffic heading the opposite way, north from the University of South Florida area into Wesley Chapel, Porter has dedicated 3.5 miles of transportation right of way through the DRI, starting at FHWC, winding past the mall and Raymond James and up Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. towards the future town center.

“If not light rail, then rapid bus,’’ Porter says. Another touch: although they cost an extra $300 million or so, Porter says roundabouts are being built on Wiregrass Ranch Blvd.

2. ADULT LIVING There are no over-55 active adult communities in sight — the nearest one to New Tampa is still Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club on S.R. 52 in San Antonio — but Porter hopes to change that with Valencia (rendering), an 850-unit single-family residential development scheduled to begin construction later this year. In fact, he sounds downright excited to do so.

“We have a young demographic, and they are going to want their parents close to them,’’ Porter says. “We want Wiregrass Ranch to be family friendly.”

Porter also notes that having an A-rated adult community (and he says Wiregrass Ranch’s will be A+) has long been an integral part of his family’s development plans.

We’ll keep you posted about Valencia’s progress in these pages.

3. OTHER RESIDENTIAL Persimmon Park will be a 340unit single-family community with villas and townhomes, and will be located within walking distance to the development’s town center. It will be located just south of Chancey Rd. and west of Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. and is currently in permitting, but Porter says he has a number of builders already lined up. And, while many developers use many builders, Porter said he likes to rely on a small group, which currently includes Lennar, CalAtlantic and GL Homes.

4. PHASE II OF THE SHOPS AT WIREGRASS MALL Not much new to report here, as Shops at Wiregrass general manager Greg Lennars says the mall is still looking for those “perfect fits.” He said that a handful of green grocers have expressed interest in being one of the anchors of the new site, and better offers roll in every week, but no decision had been made at our press time.

Securing a movie theater for the project — which has yet to break ground and continues to wait on permitting — is ongoing.

An Altis apartment community is being built right behind the mall’s expansion. The fourstory apartment complex is a $60-million project, and is expected to open sometime in 2018, with 392 units. It is part of the Porters’ effort to begin to grow the residential area around Wiregrass Ranch as new businesses move in.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 11 • May 19, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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@NTWCNews

5. TOWN CENTER Porter is not fond of the town center concept as it has been developed in most places — with a Publix and a few other stores — but his team has huge plans for the center he envisions and for which he has set aside 146 acres right in the middle of Wiregrass Ranch.

“Bigger than downtown Winter Park, bigger than downtown Tampa, really,’’ says Scott Sheridan. “It will truly redefine what a downtown is.”

Porter doesn’t see the town center as Wesley Chapel’s downtown, or even Pasco County’s downtown. What he envisions is “Northern Tampa Bay’s downtown.” He says he is content to let the area around it develop as Raymond James, Persimmon Park, Estancia and The Arbors mature.

“If we did it now, it would be great, but it wouldn’t meet our standards,’’ he says. Porter adds that a performing arts center might be a good anchor, but also has seen 2-3 other proposals he likes even better. “I look at it as being what Buckhead is to Atlanta,’’ he says.

6. ATHLETIC COMPLEX The Porters donated 138 acres to Pasco County for a park, and then watched as the county failed to close any deals to do something with the land. “It sat there for eight years,’’ Porter says, and he has expressed frustration with the progress of that land in the past, calling it “a nightmare.” But, RADDsports of Sarasota (as reported last issue) has won the bid to build an indoor athletic complex with some outdoor fields, and while not exactly what Porter had in mind, he seems more hopeful. “We all feel things are moving in the right direction,” he says.

7. MEDICAL When Sheridan and Porter look down the road, they definitely see more medical industry coming to Wiregrass Ranch.

Florida Medical Clinic (just north of S.R. 56 on BBD) opened recently, and next to that, construction is ongoing on the $3-million, three-story, 16,000-sq.ft. Lismark Medical Office (photo), which will be located between the Florida Medical Clinic and FHWC. And, NTBH is expanding, too. we would have to go when I was an idiot as a kid and did something stupid,’’ he jokes.

That’s why FHWC is special to Porter.

“It filled an important need for everyone out here,’’ he says, and if you make him pick the crown jewel of his work developing Wiregrass Ranch, he does point to the hospital. He says it was given a sweetheart deal to pick up an additional 16 acres when it was trying to buy just 40, because Porter was convinced it would grow and create more jobs in the area. He was proven right, as FHWC has already expanded once and still has room to continue growing.

Porter also takes pride in being right about Raymond James Financial, which was announced in 2011, but it has been a long and painstaking process. After years of doubts fueled partly by T. Rowe Price scrapping plans in 2014 to expand to Pasco Neighborhood News

County, land is finally being moved at the 65-acre Raymond James site at S.R. 56 and Mansfield Blvd.

Although a proponent of small business, Porter says that Raymond James — with the potential influx of 5,000 jobs into Wesley Chapel and a huge effect on surrounding businesses and developments — is a true game-changer.

Some things, like the fact that Wiregrass Ranch has four power substations when Porter says most areas are lucky to have two, aren’t as heralded as a new business but are invaluable in attracting them, especially technology and medical companies.

While people eagerly await the next big thing and bask in the big splashes the developer family has made, Porter thinks that sometimes, major things like the North Tampa Behavioral Health (NTBH) hospital on S.R. 56 @NTWCNews

east of Mansfield Blvd., and the Beach House at Wiregrass Ranch assisted living & memory care facility get somewhat overlooked.

But, NTBH already is expanding too, as it is adding a veterans wing.

“Those are home runs anywhere else,’’ Porter says.

In a short time, the Porter family has already delivered on its vision to provide things the community needs, even at the expense of their family’s bank account.

Schools, a mall and a hospital are things that some communities wait a lifetime for.

An indoor/outdoor sports complex on land the Porters donated is working its way through governmental approval, luxurious homes, apartments and condos will soon fill in the DRI along with an age-restricted single-family community, and land is set aside for two additional new elemen-

tary schools and a state-of-the-art town center is on the horizon as well.

Porter and his family aren’t done yet.

Not even close, really. Consider this: despite all of the recent growth and expansion, Wiregrass Ranch today is only 17 percent developed, a fact that drew a few gasps at the EDC meeting.

“Still in its infancy stages,’’ Porter says.

Over the next 20 years, Porter says he’d like to make 20 more big announcements, and thinks he will. He hinted at the reveal of a big project by the end of this year, something bigger than Wiregrass Ranch has seen before.

But, Porter says, we’ll just have to wait for that one.

“The best is yet to come,’’ he says.

Look for more updates in future issues of this publication and on WCNT-tv.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 11 • May 19, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

5

Pasco Roadway Connections Meeting Draws Interested New Tampa Residents

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com Based on the number of spirited debates that highlighted the first public meeting hosted

by Pasco County planners on April 18 at Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC)’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, the county’s yearlong study looking at three possible roadway connection points between Wesley Chapel and New Tampa should be an interesting one.

The long-debated connection of Kinnan St. in New Tampa to Mansfield Blvd. in Meadow Pointe (see map) predictably drew the most conversation.

However, a crowd of more than 100 people milled about while also discussing the potential connection of Meadow Pointe Blvd. to a road in New Tampa’s K-Bar Ranch that is planned, as well as a connection between Wyndfields Blvd. and a road in K-Bar that is not yet approved by Hillsborough County but would eventually link Wesley Chapel to Morris Bridge Rd. Pasco’s District 2 county commissioner Mike Moore made it clear at the outset that this was a Pasco County project, and that Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa both have nothing to do with it. Moore had met with then-City of Tampa District 7 City Council member Lisa Montelione last year in an attempt to get Kinnan-Mansfield connected, but the Tampa side declined to pay, or contribute to the cost, for any study, he said.

That didn’t stop a good number of New Tampa residents, including Montelione’s replacement on the City Council — New Tampa resident Luis Viera — from showing up to voice their opinions. Viera called the inability to con-

6

nect the two roads, “government at its worst.”

K-Bar residents Joe and K.D. Ann Avinger were among the New Tampa residents on hand to voice their desire for a connection between Kinnan and Mansfield.

Avinger argued that the fears of Meadow Pointe II residents, probably the biggest opponents to the connection because of concerns about increased traffic on Mansfield, which runs through their community, were unfounded. He said he believes most of the traffic on busy Cross Creek Blvd. would bypass Kinnan and continue to Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. before turning north, especially since the widening of BBD could be completed before any connections are even made.

“Why would you get off a wider street, to get on a 35-mph street that is a further trip and puts you right back on the same road (BBD) you were going to anyway?,” he asked.

The Avingers, who have relatives in Wesley Chapel they like to visit, think the KinnanMansfield connection would be more of a weekend convenience for shoppers going to the malls than a new path for commuters.

Proponents of that connection say it would improve public safety by creating another north-south route connecting New Tampa to Wesley Chapel in case of emergencies, as well as benefitting businesses on both sides.

Opponents cited an increase in dangerous traffic on Mansfield, which already is an important and busy artery in the mornings and afternoons connecting the area to four nearby Pasco schools — Sand Pine and Wiregrass elementaries, Long Middle School and Wiregrass Ranch High. If you add Pride Elementary in K-Bar just beyond where the connection would be made — a point of concern for some New

Tampa parents — that’s five schools.

Dennis Smith, the chairman of the board of the Meadow Pointe I CDD, said that he would like to see the connection made.

“We are at loggerheads with Meadow Pointe II,’’ he said.

Smith said it is ridiculous that in the vast area between Livingston Ave. and Morris Bridge Rd., there is only one road — BBD — that goes north and south between New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. Even after listening to all of the debate, however, he still has little hope the connection will ever be made.

“This is my fifth time through this drill,’’ said Smith, who bought his home in 1998.

“I’ve been around a long time, I’ve been active a long time and I know what’s going on and I have serious doubts this ever gets done.”

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 11 • May 19, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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Moore said that of all the correspondence he has received at his office about KinnanMansfield from his Pasco constituents, 70-80 percent of it is against a connection.

He added, however, that the proposed link between Meadow Pointe Blvd. and a planned road in K-Bar Ranch may prove to be a better option. He said it seemed to be favored by the majority of the (Pasco) people he talked to at the meeting.

Moore said he expects the study, for which Pasco is paying engineering firm AECOM $112,000 to conduct, should take about 6-7 months. The study’s findings will be presented at another public meeting.

“I think the important thing is we are now looking at all possible connections,” Moore said. “Hopefully, we can figure this all out.”

@NTWCNews

New Tampa Families Brace For Changes At School: Rezoning And Bells More information about the proposal and implementation strategies are on the school district’s website at sdhc.k12.fl.us/doc/251/ growth-management/resources/boundary/.

By CELESTE MCLAUGHLIN celeste@ntneighborhoodnews.com A rezoning plan that has had many parents up in arms and many others pleased since it was announced in March will shift hundreds of students currently attending Pride, Heritage, Hunter’s Green and Clark elementaries for the school year that begins in August 2018.

After this issue went to press, the Hillsborough County School Board was expected to meet on May 16 to consider the proposal.

For families who don’t want to leave Pride Elementary, recently announced implementation plans give many students an option to stay there.

For an updated version of this story, based on the decision of the School Board, please visit NTNeighborhoodNews.com.

On May 4, the Hillsborough County School District released some details about how the proposed attendance boundary changes will be implemented.

• Students who want to move to their new school early, for the upcoming 2017-18 school year (instead of 2018-19, when the changes are proposed to take effect) will have a special choice application to do so between July 11-20, if capacity is available.

• Students currently in 3rd grade (who will be in 5th grade when the plan is implemented) will be allowed to remain at their current school by completing a special choice application.

• Because capacity is expected to be available at Pride, students currently in grades 1-3 at Pride will be eligible to enter a special lottery to remain at Pride for the 2018-19 school year. The lottery will be conducted based on available capacity (estimated 150 seats) and will

Neighborhood News

Bell Schedule Changes

Above is part of a new school attendance boundary map that was announced on May 4. If approved on May 16 (after our press time), students who live in the shaded area would switch from Pride to Hunter’s Green Elementary for the 2018-19 school year, although some of them might be able to stay at Pride. lined a slight revision to the plan. Students who likely be held next spring or summer.

• No preference will be available for live in the Addison Park apartments at the coryounger siblings of students who fit the above ner of Cross Creek Blvd. and Kinnan St. will be moved from Heritage to Pride, to better balcategories.

• School choice will be closed for all ance the enrollments at those two schools.

This is in addition to the previously reschools involved in this proposal for the first year of implementation, with the exception of leased changes, which make room for expected the special choice applications listed above and growth in K-Bar Ranch over the coming years hardship applications, which will be considered by shifting students in the following ways: • More than 550 students who are curon a case-by-case basis.

• Transportation is generally not provided rently bused to Clark and Hunter’s Green from to students who are “grandfathered” into their the area surrounding the University of South Florida move to schools in their neighborhood. current school.

• More than 550 students move from “At Pride, we know we’ll have some space available for some period of time while K-Bar Pride to Hunter’s Green (Arbor Greene and Ranch is being built out,” says Lorraine Duffy Cory Lake Isles residents) • Nearly 200 students move from HuntSuarez, Hillsborough County Public Schools general manager for growth management. “As er’s Green to Clark (residents of the Morgan long as we have space to accommodate people, Creek apartments) • About 200 move from Heritage to Pride we try to, if it doesn’t have a negative effect (K-Bar Ranch and Addison Park residents; Eassomewhere else down the line.”

The update provided on May 4 also out- ton Park residents will stay at Heritage)

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At its meeting on April 25, the Hillsborough School Board voted to approve changes to the bell schedule for the 2018-19 school year, giving parents time to adjust to new start and end times for most schools.

School superintendent Jeff Eakins says the changes are necessary to allow time for buses to get kids to school on time. The new schedule will add 15 minutes to the school day at the elementary level, which is expected to be filled with additional time for art, music, and physical education. Middle school students lose 15 minutes and high school students lose 32 minutes. Both middle and high schools will keep their sevenperiod schedules, but may see the elimination of homeroom, a shorter time for lunch, and class periods may be reduced by a minute or two.

For New Tampa elementary schools — including Chiles, Clark, Heritage, Hunter’s Green, Pride and Tampa Palms — the school day will start at 8:35 a.m. and end at 3:05 p.m. beginning in the fall of 2018. At Benito and Liberty middle schools, the school day will start at 9:15 a.m. and end at 4:15 p.m. At Freedom and Wharton high schools, the day will start at 7:15 a.m. and end at 2:10 p.m. Monday will continue to be an early release day, with students being dismissed one hour early.

For students at Turner/Bartels K-8 school, bell times for the 2018-19 school year are still “to be determined.” The District will survey parents this fall and release information about new bell times during the next school year.

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The Villages at Hunter’s Lake Takes Another Step Towards Arriving

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com The Village at Hunter’s Lake project, which is seeking to have the property located directly across the street from the main entrance to Hunter’s Green on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. rezoned from community commercial (CC) to mixed use (PD), passed its first hearing before the Tampa City Council.

The City Council approved a number of waiver requests by the developers, including the most important one — adding both a second and third access point from BBD into the development.

The second reading is scheduled for Thursday, June 1, 9:30 a.m., at the Old City Hall on Kennedy Blvd. in downtown Tampa.

If the project is approved, that will pave the way for developers Harrison Bennett Properties and Regency Centers to begin work.

The developers requested the rezoning change for multi-use on the 14 acres of developable land on the 80-acre parcel to accommodate a 30,000-sq.-ft. Cultural Center; a four-story, 241-unit multi-family project called The Haven at Hunter’s Lake; a green grocer; a retail shopping strip center; a restaurant (with a drive-in window) and a community park with a dog park.

At the May 11 meeting before the City Council, the Hunter’s Lake developers requested a waiver to reduce the number of loading zones and parking spots and some slight wetlands reduction, which didn’t spark any debate.

City of Tampa senior planning engineer Melanie Calloway, however, did object to the request for additional access points.

The main entrance into the Village at Hunter’s Lake will be directly across BBD from Hunter’s Green Dr. However, developers want additional access points south of the proposed main entrance (where there is currently a maintenance road) and to the north at Hunter’s Lake Dr., which already leads to Suntrust Bank and LifePoint Church on the east side of BBD. Calloway pointed out that for the last 20 years, the City of Tampa has been very deliberate and consistent about granting access points on BBD to preserve capacity limits and limit anything detrimental to the roadway.

“We have spent a lot of money (on BBD),’’ she said.

Calloway also noted that other areas in New Tampa along BBD have been developed with fewer access points, like Tampa Palms Area 4 — which has 701 development units, 484 single family units, 400 hotel rooms, 85,000-sq.ft. of commercial and business of-

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City Council member and Hunter’s Green resident Luis Viera (top left, in blue) voted to pass the Village at Hunter’s Lake project onto a second reading.

The project, approved 6-0 by the Council, will include 241 multi-family units, the long-awaited New Tampa Cultural Center and a strip shopping center.

fice — and only three access points along BBD. “This proposed property has 250 multifamily, 72,000-sq.-ft. of commercial, a cultural center and a dog park,’’ Calloway said. “And they want three access points. We find that being a little bit excessive.”

If an access point at Hunter’s Lake Dr. is approved, the left turn lane at that intersection would be lengthened to reduce traffic backing up. Without that access point, lawyers for the developers argued, drivers who miss the main entrance would have to make a U-turn and traffic would likely back up on northbound BBD. The other concern was that the existing HART bus stop on the southbound side of BBD would create a public safety issue.

“It (the bus stop) would be safer with the access we are proposing,’’ said Steve Henry, a transportation and civil engineer and president of Lincks & Associates. Henry pointed out that Walmart and other smaller locations already have two access points along BBD. Jeff Cobb, the vice president of the Hunter’s Green Community Association, voiced support for the project, calling it a “Hyde Park-esque effort that will serve, support and enhance New Tampa.”

But, with 5,000 residents and 1,000 visitors a day (according to Cobb), he voiced concern that without a second access point, and the likelihood of traffic backing up at the only left turn into the project, would create problems.

Patrons, he said, would make the decision to turn right at the light at Hunter’s Green, and once inside, make a U-turn to enter the Village at Hunter’s Lake from Hunter’s Green.

“It’s a safety issue,’’ he said. “We think it’s critical you support this second left turn.”

Despite the city’s concerns about additional access points, the City Council ultimately voted 6-0 to approve them (and the rest of the

project) and send it to a final reading and public hearing next month.

According to the New Tampa Commercial Overlay District Development Standards, a proposed new access point to BBD, “shall constitute a substantial change to the approved zoning site plan, as well as an amendment to the DRI, where applicable, both of which shall require approval by City Council.”

District 2 Hillsborough County Commissioner Victor Crist, a Hunter’s Green resident, has long championed the project, the jewel of which is the Cultural Center that will be home to the New Tampa Players (NTP), a local theatre troupe. In December, he told NTP that he hoped the Cultural Center could be open by 2019, and was working hard to secure funding.

NTP has been lobbying the county and

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city of Tampa governments for a Cultural Center since 2000.

The Harrison Bennett Properties proposal was initially approved by the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners by a 7-0 vote in December 2014.

“This has taken a lot of effort over three years,’’ said David Freeman, the president of Harrison Bennett Properties, which also developed The Walk at Highwoods Preserve.

Freeman sees this Village at Hunter’s Lake project as New Tampa’s downtown.

“We’ve got these communities, like Hunter’s Green and Tampa Palms, which individually are great master-planned communities but don’t really work together as a whole. We see this project really as the linchpin to bring everything together.”

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Arbor Greene Girl To Chase Hockey Dream In Elite Program In Pittsburgh

By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneighborhoodnews.com Lilly Hartnell has been playing hockey for four years, and has evolved into one of the top players around while earning a reputation for her skills as a defender and proving she’s as hardnosed as they come.

And yet, 14-year-old Lilly has never played a hockey game against girls.

That will change this summer, when Lilly reports to Pennsylvania to join the girls AAA team in the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite hockey program, one of the top youth hockey programs in the country.

“It’s going to be different,’’ she says.

Lilly, however, is ready.

Though she hasn’t been playing as long as many of her future teammates who start at much younger ages in the Midwest and Northeast, Lilly has been playing on the boys Jr. Bulls travel team out at the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon since she began.

One thing is for sure – she’s plenty tough enough. “When she was playing Pee Wee division (11-12 year olds), there was no hitting allowed,” said her mother, Valerie. “This one here, she’s so aggressive, she led the league in penalty minutes.”

She might just be the hardest-hitting freckle-faced, braces-wearing girl around. An Arbor Greene resident and eighth-grader at Terrace Community Middle School, Lilly’s story may be unique locally, but it’s not entirely uncommon.

Because there is only one elite travel hockey team in the state — the Lady Vipers in Lakeland — there are few opportunities for girls players to hone their craft against other girls.

So, they do what Lilly does — play for boys travel teams, which is rare, or move north in search of better opportunities and competition.

Lilly has Division I-A college hockey aspirations, and knew she would eventually have to find a girls’ program to play for. Last summer, while competing at a Team USA developmental camp in Kent, OH, she made friends with a number of players who are in the Pittsburgh Penguins youth program. They encouraged her to apply for a tryout, and others suggested the St. Louis Blues and Dallas North Stars programs as well.

In April, Lilly got her tryout, along with 70 others. After the first two days, she anxiously checked her cell phone, hoping not to receive the dreaded “You did not make it” email. After refreshing her screen, and those on her parents phone and laptop, “a few million times,” the email never came. Lilly had survived another cut from a field of 40, before playing herself into one

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of 16 spots on the team.

“It was nerve wracking,’’ she says. When she got the good news, her family celebrated in their hotel room with screams, hugs and tears.

That’s pretty heady stuff for a Lilly Hartnell player with only four years of hockey experience, but succeeding on ice is in her blood.

Her father Sean and his twin brother Stacey, born in Kamloops, British Columbia, both played collegiately for Ohio State. Her grandmother was a figure skater who taught kids to skate for decades in Canada, and her grandfather owns a rink. And, her cousin, Scott Hartnell, is in his 16th NHL season as a left wing for the Columbus Blue Jackets after stints in Nashville and Philadelphia.

But, don’t ask Lilly her favorite hockey team — she says she has to like her cousin’s Blue Jackets, her hometown Tampa Bay Lightning, the Blackhawks (since she was born in Chicago) and the Penguins because she will be playing in their elite youth program.

“I’m a mash-up,’’ she says, laughing.

While her three older sisters never expressed any interest in hockey — twins Lauren and Layne play college soccer at Division II West Liberty University in Wheeling, WV — Lilly asked to play when she was nine and instantly loved it.

“The second day I got off the skates, I told my dad I was going to be the best I could at this,’’ Lilly says.

Just a few months ago, Lilly thought for a moment she might be done with hockey. During a February travel game, Valerie says her daughter took an intentional cheap shot from a 6-foot2, 200-pound opponent, sending Lilly into the boards and out of the rink on a stretcher.

“He literally tried to hurt me,’’ says Lilly, who is accepted and protected by her male teammates, she said, but occasionally, an opponent doesn’t take too kindly to being stopped by her on defense.

“I about had a heart attack,’’ Valerie says.

“It was scary.”

Sean was coaching the team, and he rushed

out to tend to Lilly, while an assistant coach immediately said to call for an ambulance. Her parents had decided last year that this spring would be Lilly’s last season, as the boys she played against had reached puberty and were growing bigger and stronger.

There is no open ice hitting allowed in the women’s game, although things can still get a little chippy when players get tangled up near the boards.

Like a true hockey player, though, Lilly returned to the ice a week later. She finished out the season with the Jr. Bulls, which ended in Nashville the first weekend in May, at a tournament.

Now, she impatiently is finishing out the school year while she waits for her golden opportunity in Pittsburgh. Lilly and her mother will soon start looking for an apartment, where they will stay for the upcoming Pens AAA season while keeping their home in Arbor Greene.

The schedule isn’t out yet, but last year’s AAA team opened the season with a Toronto-Boston-Vermont road trip, and also played games in Lilly has taken some hard hits while playing with the Prague and Italy. Lilly doesn’t know Jr. Bulls boys travel teams that are based at the Ice what’s in store for 2017-18, but she Sports Forum in Brandon. can’t wait to find out.

“I feel like this is definitely going to help She is confident this coming year will get me grow as a person and as a hockey player,’’ she her one step closer to her goal of playing colle- says. “While I’m going to miss my teammates (at giately at Ohio State, and then in the Olympics. the Jr. Bulls), this is going to be great.”

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‘US Hockey’

Continued from page 1 “This is a tremendous opportunity for us in terms of trying to grow the women’s game at the youth level,’’ Feaster says.

“The challenge is making young people aware of the game, and letting girls know that they can, in fact, play.”

Feaster said the Lightning will have a presence during U.S. training. The organization already has invested $6 million to grow the game through its “Build The Thunder” program, which visits hundreds of schools in the area and teaches students street hockey in order to introduce them to the game.

Now, Feaster says, that program will be able to incorporate successful, Olympic- and World Championship-winning women into the program to generate more interest among girls.

Feaster notes that the Lightning has been working on creating girls hockey leagues for aspiring players, and is hopeful of fielding an elite team to compete around the state later this summer.

“Our goal is to get it where you don’t have local, talented kids that feel like to get to a Division I scholarship or make it to the next level, they have to leave the state,’’ Feaster says. “To have this spotlight on us, it’s just a great opportunity for our female players.”

Feaster and Zimmermann both credit the efforts of Brett Strot in getting Team USA to make Wesley Chapel its home.

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A U.S. Women’s Hockey Team hopeful looks for an open teammate during the final scrimmage before the team was selected, following a five-day tryout (May 1-5) at Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel.

Strot is a longtime assistant coach with a number of the women’s national teams, and also is the head coach of the USPHL Tampa Bay Junior (Elite and Empire) hockey clubs that play out of FHCI. Zimmermann says that a few other cities bid to host the women’s national team, but the combination of the weather, Saddlebrook Resort (where the players will stay) and FHCI’s multiple rinks and

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training facilities was too good for USA Hockey to pass up.

“It was just a really good fit,’’ Zimmermann says.

The announcement that the team would be based in Wesley Chapel came on the same day USA Hockey announced the 23 players named to the U.S. Women’s National team in a ceremony at Amalie Arena, the downtown Tampa home of the

Lightning, that was broadcast live on the NHL Network.

The selections came at the conclusion of a weeklong U.S. Women’s National Team Selection Camp that took place May 1-5 at FHCI, featuring 42 invited players and including a scrimmage that was open to the public.

Of the 23 players selected, 21 were on the team that recently defeated Canada to win the gold medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championships.

Also, 12 members of the new national team also were on the 2014 U.S. Women’s Olympic team that won the silver medal, after losing to Canada 3-2 in overtime (the first time the gold medal was decided in OT in women’s Olympic hockey). Eleven states are represented on the new roster, led by Minnesota (6), Massachusetts (4) and Wisconsin (3).

There are no Florida players on the team this year, but Zimmermann and Feaster both say they hope that someday, that will change.

“This is truly a team of elite athletes and great role models,” Feaster says. “Best of all, they win, too. There are two programs that are the preeminent women’s teams in the world, and that’s the U.S. and Canada (which has won the last four gold medals). Chances are, you’ll see them playing each other next year for the gold medal, too.”

Look for more stories about the U.S. Women’s Hockey Team in future issues of this publication and on WCNT-tv.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 11 • May 19, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

11

City

Councilman

By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneighborhoodnews.com Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera, who represents District 7 (which includes Forest Hills, Terrace Park, New Tampa and the University of South Florida area), insists he will represent New Tampa’s best interests, but he also says he can’t do it alone.

That’s why he has created the New Tampa Council, a collection of representatives from local neighborhoods that he hopes will soon carry weight when it comes to getting things done in the area.

Still relatively new, the New Tampa Council has met a few times, and is still hoping to add members before it becomes a fullfledged and effective organization.

“The idea is really twofold,’’ says Viera, a Hunter’s Green resident. “One, it’s to help give me ideas from each neighborhood, so I know what they want and what is important to them. Secondly, I hope the Council can help effectively lobby the city.”

Along the same lines, Viera is hosting a New Tampa Community Town Hall on Monday, June 5, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., at the New Tampa Recreation Center in Tampa Palms.

Viera will host representatives of the Tampa Police Department and Tampa Code Enforcement, and issues like transportation, crime, code enforcement, parks and recreation, the city budget and others will be discussed.

Many of the things discussed at the town hall could end up on the New Tampa Council’s agenda as well. Viera says the members

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Luis

Viera

Begins

of the group are trying to develop a platform and purpose for the council.

Because New Tampa is a bit “compartmentalized” (where residents are more identified by which community they live in than in other areas of the city), the needs of the entire area can sometimes take a backseat. The New Tampa Council is hoping to, in some cases, erase any barriers between the communities.

“Hunter’s Green, Tampa Palms, Cory Lake Isles, Heritage Isles (and others), they all have their own concerns,’’ Viera says. “But, they are separated when it comes to lobbying the city. The council could bring those groups together (with more of a collective voice). I think that could be a real game-changer for New Tampa.”

Viera also has been active in appointing local residents to some of the city’s many advisory boards.

Included in those appointments are Michael Stephens of Grand Hampton (City of Tampa Charter Review Commission), Rob Gidel of Tampa Palms (Metropolitan Planning Organization Advisory Board), Joe Farrell of Grand Hampton (Citizens Advisory Budget Committee), Cory Person of Cross Creek (Civil Service Review Board) and Mike Gibson of Tampa Palms (Code Enforcement Magistrate).

Viera also continues to hold meetings for the newly formed North Tampa Veterans Council (picture above), which he says has been drawing 15-20 people to each of the three meetings the group already has held.

To contact Luis Viera, call (813) 274-7073 or email him at Luis.Viera@ tampagov.net.

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His

‘New

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Tampa

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Council’

Business Notes: Racetrac Close To Opening, Culver’s Coming Near Wiregrass Mall

By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneighborhoodnews.com Buying food from a gas station used to be unthinkable. But, the days of stopping in to your local convenience store for a shriveled up hot dog or to stick a frozen burrito in a microwave are over.

You can count Racetrac, including the new one getting ready to open on the southeast corner of BBD and Cypress Preserve Dr., among the convenience stores that have been evolving over the years and making food service, good coffee and even household items a staple of its business.

The new Racetrac, which is located directly across Cypress Preserve Dr. from the Chase bank and LA Fitness in Tampa Palms, is among those putting an emphasis on making themselves into food destinations.

Wawa, located right up the road in Wesley Chapel on S.R. 56, has perfected this experience. Many mornings, there are more people sitting at red iron tables outside eating than filling their cars with gas, and the quality food has attained a cult-like status.

Racetrac, which also has a S.R. 56 location, is spending millions remodeling its stores to have extra seating and WiFi, so customers can order food and even stop in with the kids for frozen yogurt at one of the Swirl World stations without having to eat it on the go.

The 5,928-sq.-ft. Tampa Palms location will have 18 gas pumps and is one of 50 the Atlanta-based company is opening in Florida (and 10th overall in Tampa), as well as remodeling others.

MORE FOOD: According to paper-

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work filed with Pasco County, Culver’s Restaurant, which already has a location in front of the Tampa Premium Outlets (or TPO), as well as one on Bearss Ave. near I-275, is hoping to build another near the Shops at Wiregrass.

Culver’s, which is popular in the Midwest (it started in Wisconsin) with its frozen custard and Butterburgers, submitted a pre app form to build a 110-seat, 4,476-sq.ft. restaurant with 66 parking spots immediately east of the Shops at Wiregrass.

The new Culver’s will have direct access off S.R. 56 and the under-construction Wiregrass Ranch access road.

The proposed Culver’s would also only be 3.6 miles from the current location

at 2303 Sun Vista Dr. on S.R. 56, in front of TPO and Costco.

That location has only been open a little over a year, opening in February of 2016.

If you’re wondering how the other owner feels about a new Culver’s opening so close to the TPO location, don’t — both franchises are owned by Martin Roeske.

URGENT CARE: BayCare Urgent Care is coming to the New Tampa area, taking over the space formerly occupied by Pier 1 Imports (now at The Walk at Highwoods Preserve). We’ll provide more details in a future issue.

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MAY 2017 Friday - May 19

Rock Of Ages - Wharton High School LSA presents the Tony-award-nominated rock opera “Rock Of Ages.” Enjoy the classic rock music from the original sound track with vocals by talented, local students. Curtain at 7 p.m. This award winning group of students is sure to take you back into another era. Tickets are $10/adults, $8/students and $6/children at the door (20150 BBD Blvd.).

Questions? Call (813) 631-4710, ext. 266.

Saturday, May 20

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

Bingo Fundraiser - The Women’s Ministry at Family of Christ is hosting a Bingo Fundraiser to raise money to purchase an AED Defibrillator for Family of Christ Church & School in Tampa Palms. Come join us for a fun-filled afternoon with great prizes, raffles and refreshments. Sign up at Facebook.com/ events/629822137208135. Tickets are $20 at the door.

Meadow Pointe II Spring Fling - Patriotic opening at 9:45 a.m., water park activities from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Meadow Pointe II clubhouse. $5/child for all rides all day, plus food for sale. Open to everyone. For info, call Diana at (813) 994-8555.

clubhouse (10441 Cory Lake Dr.). Call Bill Sullivan at (813) 994-1143.

Partners In Network (PIN) - Partners In Network is a group of professionals, one specializing in each area of business, who form a connection for the joint effort of networking to share business referrals and attain business prosperity. Meets every Wednesday for lunch at Stonewood Grill, 11:30 am. For info, call Georgianna Strickland (813-477-7306) or Ken Fernandez (813-334-6000) or email gstrickland@strategicmarketingarts.com.

Rotary Club Of New Tampa Noon - The New Tampa Noon Rotary Club meets Wed. at noon at Mulligan’s Irish Pub (in Pebble Creek Golf Club).

Guests welcome. For info, call Valerie at (813) 317-8886.

Friday - May 26

Rotary Club of New Tampa - The New Tampa Rotary Club meets every Friday for breakfast at 7 a.m. at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club (TPGCC, 5811 Tampa Palms Blvd.). For more info, contact David Lanigan at (813) 760-6548 or dave@davidlanigan.com or visit NewTampa Rotary.org.

JUNE 2017 Saturday, June 3

Amazing Grace Groundbreaking Ceremony - See story on next page.

New Tampa YMCA Community Pool Party - Celebrate the start of a summer full of family fun. The New Tampa YMCA is hosting a free Summerpalooza party from 1–4 p.m. This summer bash will feature family fun games, arts & crafts, healthy refreshFlair Dance Team Auditions - Want to be part of a dance team without having to ments, music, prizes and much more! For more info, call the Y at 813-866-9622. pay high studio costs? Come audition for our competitive and performing dance Sunday, May 21 team for ages 5-18! All levels welcome! Train for a professional dance career New Tampa Piano & Pedagogy Academy Spring Student Recital Series - Come while having fun, performing and volunteering in your community. Audition styles will include Ballet, Jazz, kickline, pom dance and contemporary. Space is limited. see young pianists share their love and commitment to music! NTPPA will host four afternoon recitals featuring school-aged students, from beginning to advanced levels.

Register by emailing info@cmsdance.com.

The recitals are open to the public and free of charge. For more information, visit Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel’s 2nd Annual Duck Derby - See story, page 3.

NewTampaPPA.com or call (813( 994-2452.

Sunday, May 21

Saturday, June 10

Meditation Group - All faiths and all levels of meditation experience are welcome at this free meeting at Sanctuary Wellness Center, 8903 Regents Park Dr., Suite 120, 10 a.m.- 11 a.m. For more info, search “The Sanctuary Wellness Center in New Tampa” on Facebook or “New Tampa Intuitive Development Center” on Meetup.

Live Oak Preserve Farmer’s Market - Open to the public, second Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Features fresh produce, a variety of vendors, and food trucks. 9401 Oak Preserve. Info at facebook.com/LiveOakPreserve.

New Tampa Democratic Club - The New Tampa Democrats meet the fourth Monday of every month at the Brentwood Clubhouse (located in The Hammocks townhomes at 8504 Sandpiper Ridge Ave. For information, email newtampademocraticclub@gmail.com or call (813) 563-0845.

Wesley Chapel Speaks - The Wesley Chapel Toast Masters meets every Monday at 6:30 pm at Wesley Chapel Nissan (28519 State Rd 54) to teach the community public speaking and leadership skills. Arrive at 6 pm for networking opportunities. For more info, call Martin at (813) 693-0969.

Visit NTNeighborhoodNews.com to add your upcoming events that are open to the public to our online calendar. Once approved, they appear in the “Events” section on our home page & may also appear in our print editions.

Monday - May 22

Tuesday - May 23

English As A Second Language (ESL) - The ESL group meets Tuesdays at Tampa Bay Presbyterian Church (19911 BBD Blvd. in Pebble Creek), 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Classes are taught by a native English speaker. The cost is $40 each semester for the workbook & class materials. For info, call Holly at (813) 360-2077.

Keep It Local - This seat-specific networking group emphasizes small, local businesses. Meets meets every Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. at GrillSmith at The Shops at Wiregrass. For more info, call Marino Cecchi at (813) 513-9001.

Wednesday - May 24

BNI Millionaire Makers - The BNI Millionaire Makers chapter meets Weds. at Heritage Isles Country Club (10630 Plantation Bay Dr.), at 7:15 am. $13 to attend includes hot breakfast. Call Lisa Jordan at (813) 621-6015 for info.

Business Networking International (BNI) - BNI, a group of business pros dedicated to helping their member businesses grow through qualified referrals, meets every Wed., 7:30 a.m., at the Cory Lake Isles Beach Club 16

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New Tampa Relay For Life Nears Its Goal

The New Tampa Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society (ACS), unfortunately, was held the same evening we went to press with this issue (May 12), so all we have room for here is this beautiful pic (by Robyn Liska) of a survivor with her caregiver daughter and this quick recap: The New Tampa Relay was 60 percent of the way to the goal of $75,000 set by event chair Ellen King and her committee the day of the event, and that total does not include sponsorship monies. The top fund-raising team (of about 40)was the Fun Friends Footin’ It for a Cure team (more than $10,500), which included four of the event’s seven individuals (of 550 total) who had raised more than $1,000 each (including King).

For more info, visit RelayforLife.org and search “33647” or NTNeighborhoodNews.com. — GN

Amazing Grace To Get More Amazing!

Grace Episcopal Church has been serving the Tampa Palms community for more than 20 years in the Anglican tradition (blending Roman Catholic and Reformed Christianity). This makes Grace a perfect fit for cradle Episcopalians/Anglicans, as well as for families of blended faiths: e.g., Roman Catholic spouse and Protestant Spouse, or Christian spouse and other faith spouse.

For many years, Grace has had a vision of building a new Sanctuary and enhancing the church’s presence within the New Tampa community. After paying off its mortgage, tithing to help others, restarting youth programs and setting up an endowment, Grace is ready to embrace and complete its original vision—to create an inviting presence in the community. The Grace Vestry has decided that the church now has sufficient funds from the land sale to avoid a mortgage, but would still like to raise one third — or $450,000 over three years — to be good

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stewards for their future home.

To this end, Grace is kicking off its “Amazing Grace Building Project” within the community. Grace also is inviting the community at large to become a part of making this vision a reality by supporting the project through traditional donations for stained glass windows, pews, altar rails, and much more.

Upcoming Events

The Amazing Grace Building Project groundbreaking ceremony will be held on Saturday, June 3, at 11 a.m.

Join as Grace embarks on this project, which will rededicate the church to the glory of God, serve the congregation, the Parish and the Community of New Tampa.

For more info about how to support Grace in its efforts, please visit GraceNewTampa.org or see the ad below. — Submitted to the Neighborhood News

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 11 • May 19, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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Debbie & Robert Marvin Now At Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate

By Brad Stager Conventional sales principles may be based on the ABCs of “Always Be Closing,” but the real estate team of Debbie and Robert Marvin, of Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate in New Tampa, opt for what might be termed the “ABHs,” or “Always Be Helping,” approach to doing business.

With 54 years of real estate experience between them, the married couple have built their business reputations and raised their profiles in the local real estate industry by working hard for their clients who are investing their money and lives in a home.

Debbie says they know selling or buying a home can be an emotional time for people, and proceed accordingly.

“It’s always stressful when buying or selling a home, so we try to keep that to a minimum,” she says.

Robert adds that relationships form the foundation of a successful real estate deal.

“From the first meeting, you have to develop a sense of comfort and trust that things will come out the way you want them to,” he says.

After getting acquainted, the Marvins say the hard work begins of making sure a buyer ultimately moves into a house they’ll be happy to call home, or a seller receives the maximum financial return possible.

And, Debbie says, being there, and on time, for the client, whatever the hour, is part of their routine.

“Real estate doesn’t work 9 to 5, and it works weekends, too,” says Debbie. “We’ve gotten calls at 2 a.m.”

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Robert adds that there are a lot of occasions when it’s important for the real estate agent to be present, to ensure a deal goes smoothly.

“Every transaction has a life of its own and we’re hands-on from start to finish,” Robert says. “Besides showings, you’ve got to show up for appraisals, inspections and when vendors come to make repairs.”

The Marvins say they each have their strong points and interests. They combine them to meet client needs and expectations.

“We do work as a team, and we each have our strengths,” says Debbie, who moved to Tampa from Maryland in 1990. “I love the listings and marketing side, interacting with the agents and telling them about the house.”

Robert, who lived in Ohio before coming to Tampa in 1974, says keeping an eye on the details is what he focuses on.

“Understanding the contract and negotiating from start to finish (is paramount),” he says. “There are times you have to negotiate repairs at closing time.”

The goal, Robert adds, is for everyone to leave the closing table feeling satisfied with the deal. “It has to be a win-win situation where the buyer, seller and the agent all feel good.”

He also notes that getting to the closing table requires flexibility.

“You have to go wherever the fire is,” he says. “Sometimes you have the day all planned and something comes up.”

However, Debbie says that’s not necessarily a bad situation.

“It’s what keeps it exciting, and that’s

the good thing about having the both of us working together,” she says.

Repeat business from satisfied customers is one indicator of success in any business and the Marvins have their share of clients who call upon them as their go-to real estate team.

Reinaldo and Cassandra Jara of Wesley Chapel have sold three homes and purchased two using the Marvins as their agents and are in the midst of another house-hunting venture with them.

Reinaldo summarizes his reasons for doing business with them in three words: “Reliable, professional and caring,” he says, adding that Robert, “is a straight shooter who works hard for his client and is always available. He listens and lends his expertise.”

Long-time New Tampa-area Realtors Robert & Debbie Marvin Debbie says that the are now with Coldwell Banker’s office in the New Tampa Center. couple has even worked Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate, with succeeding generations located in the Publix-anchored New Tampa of families, as some of their clients’ children Center shopping plaza at the intersection also have used them to buy or sell a home. of New Tampa Blvd. and Bruce B. Downs “We’ve sold to their kids, grandkids, (BBD) Blvd. cousins and business partners,” she says.

They are designated Luxury Home The Marvins, who live in Wesley ChapSpecialists with Coldwell Banker but, as el, are members of the National Association Debbie says, they work for clients throughof Realtors and are now affiliated with

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out the housing spectrum. “From the low 100s to over a million dollars,” Debbie says, “with room for horses, on the water...we list it all.”

Managing Broker Karen Krotki says the Marvins are vital assets to Coldwell Banker’s New Tampa office.

“We’re proud to have them here,” Krotki says. “They’re a top-selling and top-listing team that provides a high level of service to their clients.”

As part of the Coldwell Banker organization, the Marvins are able to list homes to a global audience of potential buyers and can likewise access homes for sale from New Tampa to the United Arab Emirates and most everywhere in between. Coldwell Banker also has resources such as mortgage, title and closing services available to clients.

And, while the firm’s reach is global, Coldwell Banker and the Marvins also have a commitment to doing good things locally.

The Marvins hosted the Tampa Bay CaresWalk 2017 through its charitable foundation, Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate Cares.

Tampa Bay CaresWalk 2017, held in April, benefitted the Gramatica (as in former Tampa Bay Bucs kicker Martin and his brothers) Family Foundation, which partners with builders and developers to provide mortgage-free housing and other assistance to disabled military veterans.

The Marvins have each been working in real estate for more than two decades — Robert for 30 years and Debbie for 24 — all in the New Tampa area.

When each of them began their careers in the business, BBD had more deer crossings than traffic signals. It was the City of Tampa’s Frontier Land, but they saw the

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potential and became involved in the New Tampa housing market from the beginning, going with the flow of brokerage openings, closings and mergers before signing on with Coldwell Banker in December.

Debbie attributes the growth of the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel areas to a mixture of location and investment.

“We’ve got it all here,” she says. “It’s convenient to downtown and the airport and we have a lot of restaurants and businesses that attract people.”

Not surprisingly, technology used by real estate agents also has changed during their careers. Debbie says that today, her cell phone is one of her favorite tools.

“My phone is always with me, so I’m always accessible,” she says. “Whatever they need, such as a copy of a contract, I’ve got it with me.”

The Marvins also have a website, DebbieSellsTampa.com, and a Facebook page, (search “Debbie Sells Tampa”) that offer real estate tips as well as current listings.

Even with all of the advantages that technology offers to work more efficiently, the Marvins stay connected to what they say really matters in their business.

“You still have to have that personal interaction,” says Robert. “You have to have that voice conversation.”

Debbie concurs. “You need to be hands-on with people and have a relationship with them...not just a Tweet.”

To find out how Debbie and Robert Marvin can help with your real estate needs, call them directly at (813) 8923917, or at the New Tampa Coldwell Banker office at 19026 BBD Blvd. by calling (813) 977-3500. Or, see the ad on pg. 36 of this isue.

@NTWCNews

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 11 • May 19, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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Intrinsic Wellness Clinic Is More Than Just Chiropractic Care!

By Celeste McLaughlin Todd Di Leo, D.C. (Doctor of Chiropractic) is the owner of the Intrinsic Wellness Clinic, located in the Windfair Professional Center, across Bruce B. Downs Blvd. from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC). Dr. Di Leo is a chiropractic physician and functional medicine specialist.

“In conventional medicine, you have a symptom, you see the doctor, the doctor tells you what medicine to take to stop the symptom,” he explains. “But, in functional medicine, we address why the body is manifesting this symptom. We ask, ‘What is the cause?’ Then, we address that cause.”

Dr. Di Leo has been in practice for 25 years. He earned his D.C. degree from the National College of Chiropractic in Lombard, IL, in 1992. He also holds two Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees, one in Human Biology, also from the National College of Chiropractic, and one in Human Kinetics & Exercise Physiology, from the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, in 1989.

He opened the Intrinsic Wellness Clinic nearly a year ago, saying that he’s pleased to be working in his own community. Dr. Di Leo and his wife, Cathy, who is the office manager for the practice, have lived in Seven Oaks with their two daughters for 11 years.

“I typically see people who are frustrated with having to take, ‘another pill

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10-minute exercise — or maybe even a three-minute exercise — to help them relax, but they need to be educated to know that there are tools that are that easy.”

Cancer Support, Too

Cathy & Dr. Todd Di Leo of the Intrinsic Wellness Clinic in the Windfair Professional Center off BBD Blvd. in Wesley Chapel for another ill,’” he says. “They’re tired of way? What is the root cause?”

Dr. Di Leo says, “My tools are differhaving five minutes with a medical doctor ent.” He explains his main tool is lifestyle or a nurse practitioner and leaving the management, which may mean managoffice with a new prescription or another increase in dose, which means now they’re ing a patient’s diet, stress and exercise, and the use of therapeutic foods, natural dealing with side effects.” For example, “Maybe they’re sleeping nine or 10 hours supplements and herbs to restore normal body function. He says patients are at night , but they still feel fatigued.”

He says he can help those people who often willing to make changes, but they need to know how. “We can give them a are wondering, “Why am I feeling this

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In addition to functional medicine, Dr. Di Leo also focuses on cancer support.

“We offer a state-of-the-art blood test that we brought to Wesley Chapel,” he says, noting that there are only about 400 practitioners offering this test in the entire U.S., and none in Wesley Chapel or New Tampa. People with a high risk for cancer can request the test, but more often, he sees patients who have recently been diagnosed with cancer.

“The test detects cancer cells circulating in the blood,” explains Dr. Di Leo, adding that it provides information about the number of cancer cells, and also the type of cells. “The lab does sensitivity testing to test the cancer cells against 50 chemotherapy drugs and 47 natural substances. It determines a ‘kill rate’ of how each substance kills the particular cancer cells in a patient’s blood.”

He says this is great information that patients can take back to their oncology team. While some oncologists will hesitate to leverage these results, because best practices in oncology may favor a different protocol, Dr. Di Leo believes that’s temporary.

“There is so much research happening in supplemental and complementary medicine, that I expect it to come to a

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point where this will be more mainstream,” he says. “For example, there is a ton of research supporting using mushroom extract to fight cancer.”

For people looking for a more natural and alternative approach, Dr. Di Leo explains that primary care also is part of the scope of the practice at Intrinsic Wellness.

He says an initial appointment with him usually takes at least 60 minutes. “We want to get a complete picture of who you are and what your body’s been through.”

Tina Danielson, who lives in Watergrass, is a patient of Dr. Di Leo’s who has benefited from the doctor’s approach.

Danielson explains that she’s taken medicine for hypothyroid — or an underactive thyroid — since high school. Recently, she had new symptoms, including blurred vision and dizziness, “and just a complete lack of energy,” she says. Her regular doctor said her new symptoms weren’t related, so that’s when she found Intrinsic Wellness.

She says Dr. Di Leo first tried things that didn’t work to cure her dizziness, such as chiropractic adjustments and changes to her diet, but then, “Dr. Di Leo continued to delve into it,” she says, and showed her exercises she could do. “The exercises took care of the dizziness within a few days. I don’t need to do them now, but if the dizziness ever starts again, I can just do those exercises again.”

She also says that the draw to Dr. Di Leo was knowing that he’s committed to finding the root cause of her problems.

“I don’t want to take medicine for the rest of my life,” she says. “I’ve already taken it for 20 years. Now, we’re doing blood-

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work and working with my diet to find the root cause of this. I want to find what I can do to get better for the long haul, not just for the next month.”

Dr. Di Leo agrees, and he makes himself available to Danielson and all of his patients. “We are high touch and high availability,” he says. “I give my patients my personal cell phone number and exchange text messages with them.”

Dr. Di Leo also is an active athlete who has competed in Ironman triathlons and marathon road races, including his favorites in New York City and Chicago. He also is a certified strength and conditioning coach and USA triathlon coach.

In his practice, he often sees athletes, especially endurance athletes such as long-distance runners and triathletes.

“I always tell newbies that anyone can do it,” he says. “You need proper guidance and proper nutrition, but it’s worth it because you get an amazing sense of accomplishment. It’s a very elite accomplishment, because only a small percentage of the population actually accomplishes this.”

Dr. Di Leo often speaks to different audiences in settings such as “lunch and learns” and says he is available to talk about health and wellness to cancer survivors or other community groups.

The Intrinsic Wellness Clinic is located at 2808 Windguard Cir., Suite 101, in Wesley Chapel. It is open by appointment only. To make an appointment for a free 15-minute consultation, call Intrinsic Wellness at (813) 549-3551. For more information, visit IntrinsicWellnessClinic.com.

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 11 • May 19, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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Gunter & Gunter Insurance — Committed To The Community & To Rotary & Gunter’s multi-tiered service. With the ability to write auto, home, condo, renters, motorcycle, business, life, ATV and other policies, savings are there for customers who want to bundle.

A lot of it depends on which types of insurance a customer wants to bundle together. Typically, Joyce says, savings from 8 percent-20 percent can be had. For instance, bundling renters, umbrella and life insurance could save a customer up to 25 percent.

Many homes in the Wesley Chapel area are new construction and new homes can get homeowners insurance at great rates.

“The insurance rates on new homes are fabulous,” Joyce says. “You could pay half the premium on a new home versus an older one.”

Call and ask for a quote — each time someone does, Gunter & Gunter make a donation to one of several charities.

By Andy Warrener

Insurance is peace of mind. While you may not like to have to pay for it, when you need to use it, it is helpful that you have the right policy from the right agency.

For many Wesley Chapel and New Tampa residents, that means visiting Gunter & Gunter Insurance, run by familiar local faces Gary and Joyce Gunter.

While still located in the Westbrook Professional Park (across from Saddlebrook Resort), near I-75 and SR 54, Gunter & Gunter now has a new office in the same professional park facing S.R. 54 at the front of the office park.

“The presence right on the street is the best feature (about the new building),” Gary Gunter says. “And, the layout of this office is nice. It’s visible and convenient.”

Gary and his wife Joyce moved into the office park in 2010, when the Gunters purchased three insurance agencies and combined them into their Wesley Chapel location.

“With more people in the office, it’s easier to take care of all of our customers,” Gary says. ‘We’re one of the few places that will actually answer the phone.”

There is always someone on staff during business hours at Gunter & Gunter.

Furthermore, all of the office’s staffers are fully licensed property and casualty agents. Florida law requires that an insurance office have at least one licensed agent; Gunter & Gunter has five property and casualty and one customer service agent.

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Sinkhole & Flood Specialists Gary & Joyce Gunter of Gunter & Gunter Insurance on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel.

“We want them all to have the highest It also is an exclusive Allstate agency. level of education and provide the best level While Gunter & Gunter can still write poliof service,” Gary says. cies with other companies, Allstate requires that those companies be A-Rated insurance Top Policies & Saving a Bundle companies. A-Rated insurance companies Gunter & Gunter specializes in home have to prove their financial stability in the and auto insurance, although they sell all face of a catastrophic incidents, such as a types of insurance, from business to life hurricane. They must prove they are able to insurance, and the office boasts nearly a cen- pay out all of their policies. tury of combined insurance experience.

Bundling is another element of Gunter

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Some disasters have insurance companies running the other way. Not the Gunters. “There aren’t as many companies writing sinkhole policies,” Gary says. “There are fewer choices now and, with the rise in premiums, a lot of people are dropping it.

It’s one of our main challenges because if you have a mortgage on your home, companies require an A-rated insurance company.”

Flood insurance is another area of specialization at Gunter & Gunter Insurance.

“There has been an increase in flooding the last few years,” Gary says. “We want people to know that flood insurance is not that expensive.”

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The cheapest policy is just $171 per year. The insurance agency can write flood insurance policies for homes in low-risk areas ranging from $171 to about $550 annually.

Joyce says that half of the polices run about $450, and that about 40 percent of claims happen in low-risk areas. And, the average claim is about $43,000.

“If you are wondering if you need flood insurance,” Gary says, “look outside your house, and if you see water, we recommend flood insurance.”

Gunter & Gunter’s website is a testament to great service, with a number of sterling reviews. Customers like Angela B. praise Gunter & Gunter for quickly processing her claim, Shirley R. said she is “overjoyed” with the umbrella policy purchased from the Gunters and Alissa J. wrote that she felt like “part of the family” when she called to purchase insurance.

The Rotary Connection

Gary and Joyce have a vested interest in the community, both local and global. As long-time members of The Rotary Club of New Tampa, they have worked with Feeding Tampa Bay — creating mobile food pantries across the city — and been involved in many local and international service projects.

Most recently, they traveled to Honduras working on service projects with 15 other Rotarians. The trip was organized by the Lake Wales Breakfast Rotary Club, which goes twice a year and helps with infrastructure projects on dilapidated or geographically isolated schools.

Construction projects like building a soccer field and securing fences around the school were some of the undertakings.

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They’ve helped found an orphanage for girls, provide clean water for small villages, meals for the poor and educational materials.

“Rotary helps us be close to all parts of our community and learn much more about the people and their needs,” Joyce said. “Much more so that we would sitting behind a desk.”

Joyce is the current District Governor for Rotary International’s District 6890, comprised of Hillsborough, Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties. Gary, who also was president of the New Tampa Rotary in 2010-11, served as the District 6890 Governor in 2014-15.

The Gunters participate in weekly food distributions and help with Thanksgiving meals in collaboration with Atonement

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Lutheran Church on S.R. 54. They have and say they will continue to participate in the Wiregrass Wobble Turkey Trot at the Shops at Wiregrass. They helped with the Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel on March 18, which was hosted at Florida Hospital Center Ice by their New Tampa Rotary Club that helped raise funds for Feeding America, the national arm of Feeding Tampa Bay. In January, they traveled to India for National Immunization Day and the project immunized 173 million children. The Gunters also are actively involved in Rotary’s campaign called End Polio Now. Thanks to the 100-year effort by Rotary International to inoculate everyone in every country in the world, so far this year, there have been just four reported new cases of Polio

worldwide.

“We are very proud to be a part of this group of wonderful people helping right here in our communities,’’ Gary says, “and around the world.”

Call (813) 994-3900 or stop by Gunter & Gunter at 28969 S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel for all of your insurance needs. The office is open Mon.-Thur., 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Fri. Sat. appointments available upon request.

For more info, visit GunterandGunterInsurance.com, search “GunterandGunterInsurance.AllstateAgency” on Facebook or see the ad on pg. 30. The Gunters also are a WCCC Featured Business on WCNT-tv, so please view, like and share their feature on Facebook or YouTube.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 11 • May 19, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

25

Local Andy On Call Franchise Is Available To Repair & Remodel Your Home!

By Andy Warrener To-do lists around the house can easily pile up. When an appliance breaks down or a major repair is needed in your home, the task can be overwhelming. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a place that promised to tackle your entire to-do list and give you back your weekend?

Well, there is. Andy OnCall is licensed, bonded and insured and is your one-call solution for home improvements, maintenance and remodels.

Sometimes, it’s just small, nagging repairs that you just can’t get around to or can’t quite find the right part for. Andy OnCall can help.

Even with something as simple as hanging a picture frame, hanging some shelves or installing a pet door, a screened and certified craftsman will come to your home and leave you with a completed job and a one-year warranty on the labor.

Andy OnCall craftsmen prefer to finish jobs, too. Taking into consideration large projects that take a little longer —say, a new kitchen, or extensive plumbing work — co-owner Reggie Morgan estimates that 80 percent of the jobs they take on are completed in a matter of hours, days or weeks.

Andy OnCall covers the entire spectrum of home repair, even if it’s not one of their craftsmen handling the job.

“We don’t physically do roofs but we have roofing contractors that work for us,” Morgan says. “If we can’t do it, we will find someone who can. Rather than you calling five different people, we can do that. We are a one-stop shop.”

All Craftsmen Are

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Screened & Certified

Andy OnCall doesn’t just hire anyone.

“Most guys have a minimum 10 years of experience when they come to us,” Morgan says. “That’s 10 years, verifiable, with their own truck and tools.”

Craftsmen are given lighter jobs early, with Morgan or managing partner and co-owner Vince Pizzitola following up on the work.

Pizzitola and Morgan bid the larger jobs and will use newer hires in on-the-job training, always making sure that “newbies” first work with a veteran craftsman. Craftsmen are given yearly background checks and have printed badges with photo identification on them.

“We don’t just hire people,” Morgan says.

“We want someone that fits our role and knows what we expect.”

Andy OnCall carries insurance that covers the company’s employees, including their employees’ vehicles, while they are on the job, and is licensed for electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning (HVAC) work.

Craftsmen split the rates set by Andy OnCall with the company. Craftsmen are paid by the job and not by the hour. And, Andy OnCall offers free estimates for jobs.

“We will actually go out to the site to evaluate your needs,” Morgan says. “There’s no obligation but we don’t give estimates over the phone.”

In addition to Morgan and Pizzitola, the company currently has eight craftsmen and two office workers. And, the craftsmen are spread across the tri-county service area (Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco).

Craftsmen are scheduled so that they either stay close to their homes or at least end their route near their homes.

“We try to keep them working in a systematic way,” Morgan says. “We will try to steer the workers home with bids.”

This makes for a shortened commute that employees appreciate. It also saves the company money, while getting someone to your home more promptly.

“It makes a difference because you’re not getting the job done if you’re in your car, driving from place to place,” Pizzitola says. “We have craftsmen strategically located in areas around the Tampa Bay area and they tend to handle those areas.”

Andy OnCall also will cater to the skill set of each craftsman. If a craftsman specializes in drywall, he/she will get a lot of drywall bids. If another is a skilled electrician, those craftsmen will more often get the electrical bids.

Pizzitola and Morgan are there as backup, too, just in case.

“We want our craftsmen to be Reggie Morgan, the co-owner of the local Andy OnCall successful,” Morgan says. “We train franchise, has professional craftsmen who can fix/rethem, but Vince and I are also available model anything in your home (photo, next page). to walk them through something on “Back in 1992, the phone book was the the phone, too.” internet,’’ Morgan says. “So, you wanted your name show up on the first pages of the yellow Craftsmen At Heart pages.”

Andy OnCall was established in 1993 in By 1997, Harris’ daughter Tamara develChattanooga, TN. Founder and CEO Tom oped the computer software that culminated Harris had built a reputation as a homebuilder into the program used to run the business in the 80s and 90s and people regularly asked today. The original business in Chattanooga Harris to take care of small projects for them. became the first franchise in May of 1999.

“Builders want to build, but Tom saw a need There are now 2,849 franchises nationwide. for a handyman service,” Morgan says.

Pizzitola came into the Tampa franchise So, why Andy, and not, say, Tom OnCall? five years ago as a craftsman. He actually has a

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background in chemistry and engineering and worked at rehabbing houses for 10 years. He even ran his own handyman service for a while.

Pizzitola handled the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area as a craftsman and still takes jobs in that area but has transitioned into more of a managerial role. He came on as the local franchise co-owner in January of this year.

“I still am the main backup or problem solver, but now I’m more of a resource,” Pizzitola says.

Morgan bought the franchise located on W. Linebaugh Ave. in Tampa in April of last year. He comes from a nine-year career in the Navy, working in electronic warfare. He also has worked in the broadcast industry and was a Sears Home Central district manager responsible for 114 technicians before moving to Wesley Chapel 15 years ago. But, he still came from a building background.

“My father was a carpenter,” Morgan says. “I grew up with all the skills from him.

He could fix or build anything.”

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In Tampa, Morgan then took over as director of services for Invitation Homes in 2012. He says she saw the company grow from five employees and 500 homes to 168 employees and more than 5,000 homes — in six months. When the company downsized, Morgan knew it was time to jump ship.

“Andy OnCall had name recognition, the location was 16 years old and it was a good match to my needs,” Morgan says.

That unique name recognition and level of service are now taking root in Tampa Bay. If you’ve been putting off a repair or need someone to tackle your to-do list, call Andy on Call at (813) 9612600 or swing by the office at 5008 W. Linebaugh Ave., Suite 35, to set up an appointment for service or a free estimate. The office is open Mon.Fri., 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.. Visit AndyOnCallTampaBay.com or see the ad on page 45 for more information.

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Students Excel At SAT, ACT & More With Infinite Edge Learning Center services that have always been offered at Infinite Edge to the students Sobi cared so much about.

“Sobi touched so many lives,” Ozra says. “His funeral was held on a rainy day last August and there were at least 45 students who attended, from Freedom and King high schools, and former Infinite Edge students from USF, UF, and UCF.” The family has lived in Tampa Palms for more than 20 years. Their daughter, Farush, is a sophomore at nearby Freedom High. Their son, Korosh, is currently in the USF Honors College combined B.S./M.D. program, where he will earn both a Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine degree in no more than seven years. He also is a full-time tutor at Infinite Edge.

By CELESTE MCLAUGHLIN celeste@ntneighborhoodnews.com

For college-bound high school students, SAT and ACT scores may mean the difference between attending the college of their dreams and bitter disappointment. At Infinite Edge Learning Center, located in the Tampa Palms Professional Center (off Commerce Park Blvd.), owner Ozra Jabbari and her staff of educators work with New Tampa students to be sure they’re poised to do their best on these important tests.

But, preparing for college entrance exams isn’t the only studying and tutoring happening at Infinite Edge.

“We help students in every class and every subject,” says Ozra. From elementary school to challenging college-level classes, tutors who are professional teachers and even college professors are matched to students who need help catching up or want to push ahead in any and all subjects. “If a student tells me they need help in a subject, I find a qualified teacher to help them.”

Just some of the courses they have helped students with include all levels of mathematics, language development and enrichment, general science, chemistry, reading, foreign languages, and all Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses.

The center also accommodates many different student needs. For example, a summer enrichment program helps students who don’t have time for tutoring during the school year to get ahead for the following school year. Those whose first language is

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Home Of The Perfect Score!

Korosh (left) and Ozra Jabbari invite your children to join the ever-growing roster of students they help do their best in school at the Infinite Edge Learning Center in Tampa Palms. something other than English also can get help with language improvement. Infinite Edge tutors also help students who are serious athletes or musicians who can’t be in school full time. After-school care is even available to some students from Chiles and Tampa Palms elementaries. “When their parents get off work, they’ve had their snack and their homework is done,” Ozra says.

No matter why a student comes to Infinite Edge, Ozra promises that, “Our

curriculum is individualized. We don’t have one curriculum for every student or every subject. For each student who comes to us, we design a program for their specific needs.

We continually assess each child and help them improve to reach a higher level.”

Ozra and her late husband Sobi opened Infinite Edge Learning Center in 2007.

Sobi passed away last fall after a battle with throat cancer, and Ozra is keeping his legacy alive by continuing to provide the superior

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“Every time we have students take the SAT and ACT, we have at least one perfect score,” says Ozra. “We give students the materials to prepare, and they work hard.”

She says this spring, about 15 Infinite Edge students took the college entrance exams, and “everyone did well.” She says one student had a perfect score on the ACT and several students had SAT scores above 1500.

Beginning last March, the SAT now has a new format. While the old SAT offered a total of 2,400 points (800 each in math, reading and writing), the new SAT is only 1,600 points, still with 800 points available in the math portion but only 800 points available for reading and writing combined.

“The new test is more difficult,” says Korosh. “It relies less on test-taking strate-

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gies, such as elimination. Students need to deeply understand concepts from classrooms and how they apply these concepts to reallife situations.”

Students who attend Infinite Edge continue to be well prepared. Ozra says that the biggest problem she sees is that many parents wait too long to think about the SAT or ACT. She says that if students haven’t begun preparing for these tests before their junior year — which is when they need to take the test in order to apply for college — they simply run out of time.

She says a full program with Infinite Edge often takes eight months to a year, and cramming doesn’t get the same results as taking your time and going through the entire program. “We recommend one-onone, customized test preparation,” says Ozra, “but we also offer group preparation courses.” Group courses have no more than six students (usually fewer) and are a more affordable way to prepare for the tests.

And, not only does Infinite Edge help students get into college with SAT and ACT test prep, they also help students with tests they need to get into post-graduate schools and programs, such as the GRE (Graduate Record Examination)/GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test).

No Contracts/Great Results

One thing that sets Infinite Edge Learning Center apart from its competition is that there are no contracts. “You come as long as you need us,” explains Ozra, “and you always get personal attention.”

Ozra says that her prices are lower than other tutoring centers in the area. “In fact, we haven’t raised our prices at all in

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more than seven years,” she says.

Tampa Palms resident Viola Wang says she recommends Infinite Edge. “My daughter started going several months ago, and she really enjoys learning there,” Viola says. Her daughter, Megan Zheng, is a junior at King High. “They really accommodate whatever she needs.”

Viola says Megan had taken the PSAT, then started test prep with Infinite Edge to get ready for the SAT this spring. Megan just received her results and, while she doesn’t want to share her score, Viola says Megan was, “happy and surprised she got such a great score.”

Viola says Infinite Edge also helped Megan when she needed some support in math. “She did a little bit of math (tutoring) and was able to stop when she felt like she could handle it herself,” says Viola.

“Ozra is so flexible and accommodating.

High school juniors have such a tough schedule and Ozra is great about adjusting to her needs.”

The success of youngsters like Megan is always great news to Ozra.

“I’m very proud of my students,” Ozra says. “When it comes to the end of the year and they’re getting good grades and high test scores, it brings me happiness.”

Infinite Edge Learning Center (17419 Bridge Hill Ct.) is open Mon.-Fri., 2 p.m.–8 p.m., and 9 a.m.–5 p.m. on Sat. Weekday morning hours are available by appointment only for students who homeschool or do online courses. For more info, visit InfiniteEdgeLearningCenter.com, call (813) 971-6500, or see the ad on page 31 of this issue.

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Wharton Valedictorian Jimmy Cannon Headed To Vanderbilt University

By CELESTE MCLAUGHLIN celeste@ntneighborhoodnews.com The last time Wharton High senior Jimmy Cannon says he took a non-academic elective at high school, it was orchestra his sophomore year. Since then, instead of taking music, weightlifting or art — like many of his peers — Jimmy has filled his schedule the last two years with electives that push him to reach his highest potential, such as physics and math. He even took college algebra after school two days a week. That, and a bioscience class, were the only classes he took that were not Advanced Placement (AP) during his senior year.

He says he wasn’t aiming for valedictorian — he just wanted to push himself to his own personal best — but that’s where he landed.

“I began the year in second place but thought I would probably fall behind,” Jimmy says. “I was hoping to hang on to second place, Wharton High senior Jimmy Cannon on his first day of school at Hunter’s Green Elementary (left) and at Wharton High, where he has been named the Valedictorian of the 2016-17 graduating class. but what I really wanted was to be near the top of my class to get into a top-tier school.” in Tampa Palms and provides activities for Jimmy says Vanderbilt recently hosted a He succeeded at that, too. people ages 14-20 with special needs. “meet and greet” for students in the Tampa Jimmy applied for early decision at Moving out of state will be a big change area who will attend this fall. Jimmy met several Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. He was new friends and decided to be roommates in an for a guy who has lived in the same house in accepted and has been provided with what his Hunter’s Green since he was two years old. on-campus dorm room with another student mom, Marie Cannon Burnard, calls a “gener“He’s a lifer,” laughs his mom, who used to he met at the event. ous” financial aid package that includes a work While Jimmy worked hard to earn teach kindergarten at Hunter’s Green Elstudy program. his weighted GPA of 6.93, he also worked ementary (HGE). Jimmy attended HGE, then Jimmy says, “We looked at a lot of schools hard outside of school, too. He has a job Benito Middle School before spending all four and weighed the pros and cons but Vanderbilt as a busboy at Liang’s Bistro on Bruce B. high school years at Wharton. seemed like the best fit overall.” He wants to Downs (BBD) Blvd. and also works for his “I’m going to miss my friends I’m leavstudy neuroscience and eventually go to medimom’s tutoring business. He doesn’t like ing behind,” he says, “and a lot of the teachers, cal school to become a psychiatrist. “Vanderbilt to brag about himself, but his mom says especially the teachers who have become like will be good for the neuroscience major,” he he’s an avid volunteer who also gives of friends.” He means teachers such as Christosays. “I like the city of Nashville, and the comhis time every weekend at Florida Hospital pher Hart, who Jimmy says makes AP Physics 2 munity. It seems like a group of smart kids, but Tampa and with the New Tampa Young his favorite class. “He’s a funny guy, and I just everyone seems friendly and nice.”

Life Capernaum program, which is based really enjoy him and his class.”

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Marie says Jimmy — and his older sister Regina, too, who is now a junior studying nursing at the University of Tampa — have had great opportunities at their neighborhood schools.

“There are so many really wonderful teachers at Wharton,” she says. “Also, the students have the ability to get these courses.

At some private schools, they cap how many AP classes you can take, but the sky is the limit at Wharton, and the guidance department is just fantastic.”

Ultimately, though, it’s something inside Jimmy that has propelled him to take advantage of the opportunities afforded to him.

“It’s an inner drive he has,” Marie says.

“He always took the hardest classes he could, rather than playing it safe. Then, he balances all that hard work. Being a teacher, I want to help him, but he’ll go in his room and close the door and study for four hours, then come out when he’s done.”

“It’s been a struggle to juggle all of the APs,” Jimmy admits, “But, I did it.”

Just like his school work, Jimmy wrote his valedictorian speech behind that closed bedroom door. “I recounted my experiences and, moving on from that, I hope to inspire my classmates to understand their purpose and help others find their purpose, as well.”

When Jimmy gets the chance to give that speech in front of his peers and their families at graduation on Monday, May 22, at the Florida State Fairgrounds, his mom might just be the proudest parent in the room.

“Jimmy really overcame a lot,” Marie says. “For many years, I was a single mom and he was the little man of the family. I just thank God he’s a good kid and has a good heart.”

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Freedom Valedictorian Terry Tan Knows How To Find Balance in Life

By ANDY WARRENER editorialdept@ntneighborhoodnews.com Freedom High’s 2016-17 Valedictorian Terry Tan is an “old soul,” because sometimes that’s what it takes. Despite being the youngest of two sisters, she has the mature vision and work ethic of someone successfully balancing the pressure of academics with the richness of life.

In addition to being Freedom’s Valedictorian, Terry also volunteers at other schools, works a part-time job, plays sports and yet, still finds time to relax.

“I don’t like to focus too much on one, specific thing in life,” Terry says.

“My goal is to be a wellrounded person.”

The daughter of second generation Chinese immigrants, Terry has discovered balance in her life, in which academics has played a huge role.

She is a member of the National Honor Society (NHS), the Science National Honor Society (SNHS), Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), and Mu Alpha Theta, a math honor society.

Terry will walk across the stage on May 23 at the Florida Expo Hall with a weighted GPA of 7.27 and unweighted 3.98.

She says that Valedictorian wasn’t even a goal until somewhere in her sophomore year, when she says she first paid attention to it.

“It was something exciting I could pursue,” Terry says. “I knew that if I set my mind

to it, I could become Valedictorian.”

It hardly became an obsession, however.

Terry went on about her life, and only found out she’d earned Valedictorian honors sometime in January, when some of her friends congratulated her in the hallway at school. She initially asked why they were congratulating her.

“I definitely could not believe it,” she says. “I was very happy. With all that hard work, it felt really good.”

Terry spent the spring term in the closest thing to a college setting outside of an actual college setting. She took three dual enrollment classes that gave her collegelike responsibility. She’ll enter the University of Florida in Gainesville next fall with 31 college credit hours already under her belt.

“Dual enrollment is completely on your own, it’s all based on if you can motivate yourself,” Terry says. “Even with AP classes, you still have your teacher there.”

That setup suited Terry just fine. She says she enjoyed the flexibility and freedom and was able to balance her nine college credit hours, her job (and own personal workouts six days a week) at LA Fitness, track season and volunteering at Chiles Elementary in Tampa Palms and at St. Mark The Evangelical Catholic Church on Cross Creek Blvd.

She ran cross country for the Patriots for three years, as well as the 800 and 1,600 meters and the 4x800 relay on the school’s spring track team.

(Above and left) Freedom High Valedictorian Terry Tan “You will go insane if you focus on only Tammy has been a constant source of one aspect, if all your focus is on academics,” motivation for Terry, who says her older sister Terry says. “What about the other aspects of has inspired her and made her mature faster. life that you could be missing out on?”

Tammy will graduate from the PhiladelShe strives for perfection in everything phia College of Osteopathic Medicine on the that she does. The one “B” she got in high same day Terry graduates from Freedom. school, a sophomore year pre-calculus class, Terry isn’t sure whether or not she’ll folstill gnaws at her. low her sister’s path into a medical profession, “I’m also the type of person that when as she says she is considering a couple of differsomething’s almost perfect but not quite per- ent fields. She took a microeconomics class her fect, it becomes a pet peeve,” Terry says. first semester of her senior year and a macroIt turns out that the “B” in pre-calc was economics class at Hillsborough Community the only one she would receive in her high en- College this past semester. tire high school career. In fact, it was the only “After those classes, I thought about one from elementary school on up. However, maybe looking into finance,” Terry says.

Terry’s old soul quality she uses for balance On the other hand, she adds, she rekeeps her from obsessing over it. ally enjoyed working with children at the local “I feel like the children, my generation church and elementary school. Terry says she of my family, are all more mature and have old likes how the field of orthodontics opens up souls,” Terry says. “Whereas my mom and dad the opportunity to work with children. are really young at heart — they make jokes, “If I do pursue orthodontics, it will be they poke fun at me in a sweet way — they’re in pediatrics,” she says. “I really love working just goofy and like to have fun.” with kids.”

They also keep Terry grounded.

Whatever field Terry does decide to pur“I hope that my, ‘kid at heart’ attitude sue, you can bet she’ll pursue it with vigor and will continue to remind her ‘old soul’ to slow passion, while always finding time to stop and down and celebrate her hard work,” Terry’s smell the roses. She says she is grateful to her mother Sylvia said. entire family, including her grandfather — Terry’s older sister Tammy also attended whom she says was a major source of inspiraUF, and is similarly motivated with her own tion — for providing the support necessary to big-picture mentality. Tammy thinks Terry has accomplish some of the things she has already just scraped the surface of what lies ahead. accomplished to date.

“I don’t think Terry realizes her accomShe says they have taught her to, “be plishments are a reflection of how much poten- yourself, that’s all that really matters.” tial she has in doing even greater things in the What doesn’t matter? That darn “B” future,” Tammy says. “I am thrilled for this new from sophomore pre-calculus. chapter that is coming for her because I want “Ummm, that, B?,” she says. “That’s in her to finally see her potential come to life.” the past.”

Infinite Edge Learning Center The Infinite Edge Learning Center Inc. in Tampa Palms provides academic support (Grades K-12) in Mathematics, Language Arts, Reading, Science, Foreign Languages, AP Courses, FCAT, SAT, ACT & GRE

17419 Bridge Hill Court Tampa, FL 33647 We are located at Tampa Palms, before Freedom High School

813.971.6500

www.infiniteedgelearningcenter.com

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2-Step Approach to Academic Excellence Step 1: Assessment, Step 2: Achievement

Give your child the Academic Advantage!

Register now for SAT Group Lessons $20 per Hour, Max: 5 Students per Class

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31

Wharton Baseball Finishes With A Surge To Reach Regionals Again!

By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneighborhoodnews.com By the looks of things midway through the 2017 season, the Wharton High baseball team was nothing special.

It was, however, nothing that a few lineup tweaks and a bolt of confidence couldn’t fix.

After back-to-back losses to Freedom and Newsome dropped the Wildcats’ record to 8-8 on April 6, the team has been, well, perfect.

“We saw everything was kind of going downhill,’’ said senior shortstop Drew Ehrhard.

“We kind of looked at each other at one practice, and just decided it was time to pick things back up.”

The Wildcats went on to win nine straight games, including a second straight Class 8A, District 4 title, heading into their May 16 Regional semifinal against Ocala Forest (which was played after our press time).

The recipe for the Wildcats’ success has been right out of the baseball handbook: great pitching, solid defense and clutch hitting.

In the 7-6 extra-inning win over Ocoee in the Region 8A-1 quarterfinal, the Wildcats got a tremendous relief outing from senior Aaron Cohn (6 innings, 2 hits, 1 run and a season-best 7 strikeouts), two hits from Ehrhard, two RBI from senior catcher Zach Sirois and a walk-off sacrifice fly from Brian Baughman to win the game in the eighth inning.

“And, that was not a routine fly ball,’’ said coach Scott Hoffman. “That was a missile.”

The Wildcats, 17-8 heading into the region semifinal, have been unbeatable since dropping to .500. They have outscored opponents 72-12, and half of those runs surrendered came in the Regional game against Ocoee.

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“We always thought that If we get hot, we feel good about our chances,’’ Hoffman says.

Not too many of the ‘Cats have been hotter than Ehrhard, who will play next season for the Division II powerhouse University of Tampa Spartans.

Wharton’s onAaron Cohn field leader is hitting .429 with eight doubles, four homers and 24 RBI, all team and career highs.

He has played every inning of every game for four years, and this season, he has hit safely in 21 of the team’s 25 games.

“Drew is the most unbelievable player we’ve had here,’’ said Hoffman, as he watched his star blast three batting practice pitches over the centerfield fence at a recent practice. “He’s a dream kid as an athlete, academically and with his character.”

He has not been alone in putting up big numbers for the Wildcats.

Pitchers Austin Appel, Duncan Pastore and Cohn also have played big roles in Wharton’s charge down the stretch. When the year began, pitching was one of the team’s biggest question marks.

However, Appel stepped up to be the team’s senior ace, and was 7-1 through the Region quarterfinals, with a 1.61 ERA. Pastore fit into the relief role successfully, with a 0.93 ERA, and in eight appearances, he allowed hits in just two of them.

In arguably the team’s biggest regular season win of the season, Pastore struck out four in two innings to get the victory over highly-touted Plant, 2-1.

“I definitely think it was the Plant game that turned everything around,’’ Ehrhard says. “We played some competitive games before that, but the game against Plant was to see what we were really made of. After that, we knew that everyone who steps on the field in front of us, we have a chance to beat.”

Cohn, a Fairleigh Dickinson University (in Teaneck, NJ) signee, has turned in some fantastic late-season performances as well. In his five appearances (including three starts) during the winning streak, Cohn has gone a perfect 5-0, allowing just 13 hits and two earned runs in 25 innings (for a tidy 0.56 ERA) while striking out 24.

While the Wildcats thrived with great pitching and hitting from Ehrhard, junior Leo Alfonzo (.306) seniors Ricky Nieves (.344, 15 RBI) and Clayton Coringrato (.277, 17 RBI), Hoffman was expecting Senior SS Drew Ehrhard leads the Wildcats in almost every offensive category this season. another player to surprisingly emerge in State final four for the first time since 2012. the late season run.

“This is a great group,’’ Hoffman says, “One of you guys will be the difference maker,’’ he told them at a practice. “I don’t touting the team’s work ethic and 3.4 cumulative grade-point-average, second in the county. know who it is, but it will be one of you.”

It turned out to be Sirois. In the past six “We get overlooked a lot. The newspapers like games, the team’s catcher is 10-for-21 (after to talk about the same schools all the time. going 11-for-61 the first 19 games) with seven Find another school that has played for the RBI (compared to four the rest of the season). district championship five of the last six years, “He’s emerging, he hasn’t done that all and won it three times. There aren’t many. I year,’’ Hoffman said. “He’s a different person.” think they think because we’re in New Tampa And, the Wildcats now appear to be a (we can’t play), but every time it’s tournament different team, hoping to make it back to the time, we’re there.”

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U.S. Team Advances To Fed Cup Finals After Big Win At Saddlebrook!

When Tom Dempsey first built Saddlebrook Resort off S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel, he says he envisioned hosting big-time events, electric atmospheres and happy customers.

The Fed Cup, the women’s tennis version of the Davis Cup, delivered all of those things the week of April 17, bringing a high school girls tennis clinic for area teams, a youth clinic for younger players and a flag ceremony that allowed Wesley Chapel and New Tampa residents to walk each team to the resort’s temporary 3,500-seat tennis stadium.

The event was capped over the weekend of April 22-23 with a 3-2 U.S. victory over the defending champion Czech Republic, as CoCo Vandeweghe and Bethanie MattekSands broke a tie with a dramatic doubles win.

Over two days, nearly 6,000 tennis fans, and a worldwide Tennis Channel audience, watched as Wesley Chapel took its turn in the American tennis spotlight.

The red, white and blue-clad crowd also

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had its fair share of Czech Republic supporters, including one rather noisy trumpet player.

“It’s actually really cool having that, because we don’t have that at any other tournament,’’ said Lauren Davis, who lost her singles match on Sunday.

“I personally like it,’’ said Mattek-Sands.

“I know I’ll be dreaming about that trumpet.”

“You can hear the trumpet for a couple of days,’’ said Shelby Rogers.

Vandeweghe stole the show, winning all three of her matches. She beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-4, 6-1 on Saturday to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead, then defeated Katerina Siniakova 6-4, 6-0 on Sunday to make it 2-1 for the Americans.

After Davis stumbled to even the match, Vandeweghe came back out and teamed with Mattek-Sands to beat Siniakova and Kristyna Pliskova 6-2, 6-3, to send the U.S. to the Fed Cup final for the first time since 2010, where they will visit Belarus on Nov. 11-12. — JCC

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37

The Cake Girl Can Deliver Decadent, Fresh Baked Goods Directly To You!

IF YOU’RE

By Gary Nager

like me, you probably have trouble trusting anyone who doesn’t love dessert. (Just kidding....sorta.)

OK, I know...fat, calories, gluten, sugar, etc. But, while I could still stand to lose a few pounds, I know that eating a delicious dessert releases endorphins that make me feel good and I’ve never been subject to sugar crashes.

In other words, although I didn’t know Kristina Lavallee when she first became The Cake Girl in 2010, I am thrilled that she now has her The Cake Girl LLC mobile bakery trailer that you may have seen parked at Florida Hospital Center Ice (FHCI), serving a delicious variety of freshly-baked cakes, cupcakes, brownies, cookies and even real ice cream.

Kristina credits her husband Kirby for finding and customizing her mobile unit last year so she could expand her budding bakery/dessert business and provide samples of her wares at festivals (like the recent Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel at FHCI) and other special events like birthday parties and even weddings.

“I can literally bake and transport thousands of mini cupcakes in this mobile unit,” Kristina told me during our interview for this story. “The kitchen inside the unit is always immaculate and everywhere I bring the trailer, people get excited, especially kids.”

So, What About Those Baked Goods?

But, no matter how colorful or attractive her mobile unit may be, Kristina wouldn’t be a success today if her baked goods weren’t delicious.

Although I’ve never had one of her custom birthday cakes (at least not yet), Kristina can create virtually any kind of cake your heart desires, from traditional round cakes to a cake shaped like a baseball bat or even a famous Disney character.

I will say that I have really enjoyed her mini-cupcakes, which also are available in a wide variety of flavors. My favorites (not surprisingly) are all chocolate and/or peanut butter-based, but she definitely has a way of keeping the cupcakes moist and the icing creamy and delicious, no matter what flavor you choose.

And, when displayed so beautifully in the window of her mobile unit, it’s even harder to decide on a cupcake variety.

In addition, although I’m not usually the biggest carrot cake fan, I will say that Kristina’s is again, noticeably moister than most and her sour cream icing is pretty much second to none.

When I interviewed her for this story, Kristina smartly remembered to bring me a big sample of my favorite item, so far, that she makes.

Kristina, who attended the University of Central Florida College of Hospitality Management in Orlando, offers a nice va-

The Cake Girl Trailer

Assorted Cupcakes

Brownie Sundae

riety of brownies, blondies and “brookies” (brownie-cookies), although my favorites are her chewy, double-fudge brownies. I went crazy for them during the Taste and continue to bug her for additional samples on an ongoing basis.

And yes, she does also make glutenfree cupcakes and cakes, although I can’t personally vouch for them because I usually order mine with extra gluten.

ice cream, and Kristina doesn’t disappoint those of us who love a decadent brownie sundae. I’ve only sampled the cookie dough and vanilla flavors to date, but both were creamy and not overly sweet.

“The ice cream is made here in Florida and there are a lot of great flavors and toppings available,” she says. “We can even make delicious banana splits.”

So, whether you want to host a great kids’ birthday party, or you simply want to order a magnificent custom cake for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, a birthday, wedding or any other special occasion,

Ice Cream, Too?

Of course, it’s even harder for me to resist a delicious brownie topped with real

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Custom Birthday Cakes

Carrot Cake

you owe it to yourself to give The Cake Girl a try. And, best of all, New Tampa Neighborhood News readers get 10-percent-off Kristina’s already-low prices on any order if you mention this story when you place your order.

To place an order or for more information about The Cake Girl LLC, call (813) 360-0909 or search “The Cake Girl, LLC” on Facebook

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or “TheCakeGirlLLC” on Twitter or Instagram. And yes, pickup and delivery are available, too.

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Let Us Help You Protect What Ma�ers Most

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Power of Attorney Health Care Directive Wills & Trusts

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 11 • May 19, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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SUNSHINE CLEANERS Top Quality...Great Prices

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

Congrats, La Palmas!

Congratulations go out to my friend Ramses Garcia (at left in photo, right) of Las Palmas Cuban Café (19651 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in the Pebble Creek Collection), for winning the coveted title of Best Historic Cuban Sandwich in Tampa, during the 6th annual Cuban Sandwich Festival in Ybor City on April 2.

Dozens of restaurants competed in multiple categories (including Most Popular, Non-Traditional and Traditional World’s Best Cuban sandwiches), but Ramses says he was truly honored (but not surprised) that he took home the Best Historic Cuban title.

Make sure you tell Ramses that you saw his pic in the Neighborhood News, whether you stop in, call (813) 907-1333 or order online at LasPalmasCafe.net.

Congrats Also Go Out To...

...My new friend Alfredo Colon, the owner of Pasco’s Masonry & Landscape Depot (see photo top right), which hosted an outstanding Greater Wesley Chapel & Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce co-ribboncutting event on Apr. 8.

Pasco’s Masonry (10831 U.S. Hwy. 301, Dade City) served fresh-grilled hamburgers, hotdogs and BBQ items, and more than 100 people came out to see Alfredo’s amazing se-

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lection of everything you could possibly need for your home or commercial property’s landscaping (sod, mulch, plants, etc.), as well as a full variety of sidewalk and driveway pavers, outdoor fireplaces, grills, fireplaces and fire

pits, plus power tools and most anything you need to create something special.

Pasco’s Masonry is open every day except Sunday. For more information, call (352) 437-4408 or visit PascosMasonry.com.

I also want to congratulate owner Ron Parks and everyone at Parks Alfa Romeo (which shares a building with Parks Fiat, next to Parks Ford) on S.R. 54, for hosting an outstanding event on Apr. 19 to unveil the new 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia model, which is beautiful, powerful and definitely attracts attention.

For more information, visit AlfaRomeoUSAofWesleyChapel.com.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 11 • May 19, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

Neighborhood News

I also was happy to attend an amazing WCCC Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening event at The Root Cause Medical Clinic, located at 15049 BBD, next to Panda Hugs Child Care Learning Center (see pg. 28).

Owner Dr. Jordan Axe, D.C. (Doctor of Chiropractic; photo, right) is a functional medical specialist who has a variety of unique ways to diagnose and treat more than just the usual back and neck problems for which most people see

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chiropractors. Among the unique offerings are stem cell and vibration therapies (and more) that you really should see for yourself, especially if traditional medical specialists haven’t helped enough with your health issues.

For more info, visit TheRootCauseClinic.com or call (813) 563-7668 and tell Dr. Axe (left) we sent you!

Mystic Oaks Dentistry To Open!

Congrats also go out to Wesley Chapel resident Dr. Prematee Sarwan, D.D.S. (photo), and her family. Dr. Sarwan is hosting a Grand Opening ceremony for her Mystic Oaks Family & Cosmetic Dentistry (at 3751 BBD in Wesley Chapel) on Monday, June 5, 8 a.m. Dr. Sarwan received her D.D.S. degree from Loma Linda University in Loma

Linda, CA.. She provides dentistry for the entire family and accepts most insurance plans.

Dr. Sarwan also is pleased to offer Botox, dermal fillers, Invisalign braces and iTero digital impressions. For more info, call (813) 2910059 or visit MysticOaksDental.com.

The Joint Opens!

I’m also excited about the opening this week of The Joint Chiropractic, located in the space previously occupied by the Halftime Sports Lounge at 19014 BBD Blvd., in the Publix-anchored New Tampa Center Plaza.

The Joint (see ad on page 3) welcomes walk-ins and no insurance is needed because the prices are so amazing. For example, new patients who visit now through June 7 will pay just $19 (instead of the usual $29) for their initial visit, which includes a consultation, exam and a chiropractic adjustment.

For more info, visit TheJoint.com or call (813) 995-7380. — GN

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New Tampa & Wesley Chapel

Classifieds

CLEANING SERVICES

HOME IMPROVEMENT

B CLEANING SERVICES: Over 14 years experience! Commercial & residential; Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly; New house & post construction clean-up; Window cleaning; Move-in or move-out cleanings; Pressure washing; FREE estimates; References available. Call today: 813-531-0154 or e-mail: bcleanings@hotmail.com

WESLEYCHAPELPRESSUREWASHING.COM Soft pressure exterior house cleaning, screen enclosures, pool decks, driveways, sidewalks, fences, roofs, paver sealing and deck staining. We clean everything. No job too big or small. Experience the difference when you hire a pressure cleaning professional. Licensed and insured. Owner operated. Call for a free estimate or visit our website.

813-433-6015.

D-ULTRA CLEANING SERVICE We have our own supplies and more than 400 clients in New Tampa!

For more info, Call 758-9710.

R HOUSE CLEANING SERVICES To Keep Your House clean, call Marlene!

Working now in Wesley Chapel and the New Tampa areas. Monday through Friday, 8 AM - 4 PM. We can help: Call 562-637-5974 or email kolungaa@ hotmail.com. FREE estimates.

HELP WANTED NOW HIRING AT GRILLSMITH! Dishwashers and experienced line cooks, both part time and full time. Looking for hard working employees in a high volume, 100% scratch kitchen. Must be able to multitask. Lots of opportunity for growth within. Fill out your application online at GrillSmith.com or contact Managing Partner Matt Passardi at 813-907-1900.

HIRING PERSONAL TRAINER. Private Women’s Studio with Boot Camp & Personal Training in Wesley Chapel & Land O’ Lakes owned by Samantha Taylor. Please no phone calls or walk ins.To apply part time: www.lolfitbodybootcamp.com/hire-pt.

PHYSICAL THERAPIST (PT). An established New Tampa outpatient clinic is hiring a part-time PT to provide custom, one-on-one care. Fax resume to (813) 994-3080.

COMPUTER/BUSINESS SERVICES PROFESSIONAL TECH SUPPORT in your home or small business. A+, Certified computer tech with 20 years exp. Maintenance & repairs, upgrades & tutoring. More affordable than large chains! Friendly, personalized svc. Technical jargon explained. Remote assistance available. References available.

Call (813) 957-8342 for a free estimate.

DO YOU HATE YOUR COMPUTER?!? WE CAN HELP YOU! Troubleshooting, installation, networking & virus removal. WE COME TO YOU! Residences & businesses, more than 25 years exp.

Contact Jeffrey Blank at (813) 973-4507, visit WSICA.COM or email Wsica@wsica.com

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DAVID BRIDGES PRESSURE CLEANING Complete exterior cleaning of your home or business with a professional & personal touch. - Pool decks and screen enclosures - All fencing/ driveways and walkways/roofs - Gutter and downspouts.

Find your happiness in a fresh, bright clean home.

Your neighbors will love you for it! All work guaranteed. Licensed and insured. Call 813-215-1177.

GREG’S PAPERHANGING. For all of your wallpapering needs. Licensed and insured, clean, quick and reasonable. Call 973-2767 for a free estimate.

RAYMOND PAINTING. Exterior & Interior Services.

Exterior: Painting, pressure washing, clean & seal pavers, stucco, roofing, leaks & wood rot repair.

Interior: Painting, plastering, ceiling & wall repairs & tiles. Licensed & Bonded. References avail. Free estimates. Your Neighborhood Arbor Greene Resident! We work 7 days. Call 813-994-5124.

DRY WALL SPECIALIST. Not a handyman. Affordable Quality Work repairing water damage, ceilings and walls, retexturing, popcorn removal, room additions, cracks, holes, plaster and stucco repair. 26 Years Experience. Wesley Chapel resident. State Certified. Call Ron for free estimate: 813-7845999.

SPACE AVAILABLE SERENITY SALON & SPA SUITES Wesley Chapel. 1 suite available for rent. Call for details: 813-312-5247 or 813-997-6302. Great location!

POOL SERVICES TRANQUILITY POOL SERVICE. New Tampa owned & operated. Great Pricing with outstanding customer service! LICENSED, BONDED & INSURED. See why we are New Tampa and Wesley Chapel’s #1 Choice!! Call Chris today @ (813) 8575400 or visit TranquilityPoolService.com. New customers get ONE MONTH FREE! AllStarPoolsofTampaBay.com Highest quality salt and ozone generators, pumps, motors, filters. Marcite, quartz and pebble finishes. Pool cleanups and acid washes, paver and river rock sealing. Paver decks and driveways. Mention this ad for $69 pool service. Call or text 813-244-7077. See our display ad. Visit AllStarPoolsofTampaBay.com

LAWN & LANDSCAPING

JASMINE LANDSCAPING, INC Complete landscaping maintenance. Tree, palms, hedge trimming, planting, mulching, stones, sod replacement, pressure washing, gutter cleaning, 1 time cleanup, leaves removal & more. Assistance with HOA compliance. Free estimates. Certified / Insured.

We accept Cash, Checks, PayPal, Quick Pay, Visa/MC/AMEX. Now hiring drivers & helpers. Call 813-420-4465.

HOMETEAM LAWNCARE LLC High-quality professional Services: Weekly or bi-weekly year-round full-svc lawn care starting at $90/month: Mow, edge, trim, blow, mulch-bed maintenance, hedge and low-tree trim. Additional Services: Sod, Mulch, & Rock Placement; Hedge Trimming, & Tree Trimming; Landscape Installation; Fall/Spring Clean-Up. Family Owned & Operated, Licensed & Insured, Background Checked, Call or Text (813) 817-9554.

AQUATEC POOL SERVICE has been keeping pools clear & swim safe since 1994. WE DO POOLS RIGHT! Commercial & Residential. CPO #33-303052 Licensed & Insured. Service guarantee. Call 813-312-5694 TODAY and get 1 MONTH OF QUALITY SERVICE FREE. www.aquatecpool.com

EDUCATION ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS: It’s NEVER too early to prepare for the SAT/ACT. Through Small Group Instruction(SGI) my partner and I can help improve your Reading and Writing Scores. For a reasonable fee and a commitment of 2 hours/week, your confidence will soar while your fear of the SAT/ ACT will diminish. Call Kim at 813.480.3273 or Jason at 607.621.9018.

MILLENNIUM HOME REPAIR.Professional Handyman. Cabinet Installation, dry wall repair, tile installation & repair, some plumbing, laminate flooring, light fixtures, interior painting, appliance installation, pressure washing, paneling, window repair, awning installation, carpentry, garbage disposal, fence repair, crown molding, window blinds, seal baths & showers, TV mounting & more. Call 813-400-1408 or email TYCOONUNION@YAHOO.COM.

PET SERVICES

CAT SITTING Tampa Cat Lady Professional CatSitting Service. Cats are happiest in their own home, surrounded by familiar sights, sounds and smells.

When you are away, we feed, cuddle and play with your kitties and clean and dispose of litter. Insured, bonded, and Red-Cross certified in pet first aid/CPR. You may visit TampaCatLady.com and submit a service inquiry or call 813-994-9449.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 11 • May 19, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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Boy Scout STEM Fair Held At Florida Hospital Center Ice

By CELESTE MCLAUGHLIN celeste@ntneighborhoodnews.com

Have you ever seen hundreds of Scouts on ice skates? On May 6, about 350 Boy Scout and Cub Scout families from the Tampa Bay area and beyond gathered at Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel for the Greater Tampa Bay Area Council’s inaugural Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Fair.

Boys of all ages, along with their families, tried out ice skating on one of the new skating center’s four full-size rinks, while more than a dozen vendors showed off robots and gadgets on the adjacent rink.

“We’re going to do this again,” says Jeff Smith, a Boy Scout volunteer who was one

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of the event’s organizers. “We had about 100 people more than we were hoping for. It was a great turnout.”

He adds, “The facility was stellar. The majority of the people who came for the STEM Fair had never been there before. The parking was great and the staff offered tours of Florida Hospital Center Ice.” When they weren’t skating, the kids got to watch drone demonstrations and a couple of different 3D printing demonstrations. They were able to interact with robots built by high school robotics clubs, such as Tampa’s Middleton High, and check out summer camps from Busch Gardens and MOSI. Firehouse Subs provided meals for purchase. A couple of colleges also were represented, where parents and older kids could ask questions about technology and medical fields.

“This is a way to embrace new technologies and get kids excited,” Smith says. “If all we teach boys is how to tie knots and make a fire with two sticks, Boy Scouts will become obsolete. So, Boy Scouts is embracing STEM as a way to stay relevant.”

To acknowledge the Boy Scouts’ new emphasis on STEM, a few attendees were presented with the Council’s first “Supernova” awards. The Supernova awards are part of an awards program that are, “designed to motivate youth and recognize…advanced achieve-

ment in STEM-related activities.”

Because the program is so new, only one Scout in the New Tampa area has earned it.

Kenny Lewis, who is now a member of Boy Scout Troop 180, actually earned his Supernova award as a Cub Scout in Pack 801, which is based out of Hunter’s Green Elementary and where his father, Ken Lewis, is the Cubmaster.

Two other Scouts, one from Land O’Lakes and one from Bushnell, also were presented with Supernova awards.

Smith says he is now working with Florida Hospital Center Ice to make next year’s Boy Scout STEM Fair even bigger and better.

For more information about Boy Scouts and the STEM connection, visit TampaBayScouting.org.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 11 • May 19, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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New Tampa Scout Kenny Lewis (center) receives his Supernova award during the recent Boy Scout Stem Fair at Florida Hospital Center Ice.

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