New Tampa Neighborhood News, Volume 25, Issue 13, June 16, 2017

Volume 25 Issue 13

Inside:

Why You Should Visit Las Palmas Café!

June 16, 2017

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New Tampa Residents Sound Off On Local Issues At Town Hall

By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneighborhoodnews.com Town hall meetings are all the rage this days, with the operative word, in too many cases, being rage. Constituents are demanding answers from their representatives, especially regarding healthcare issues, and the disruptions and anger make national news on a seemingly weekly basis.

A New Tampa town hall, organized by District 7 City Councilman Luis Viera and held June 5 at the New Tampa Recreation Center, however, couldn’t have gone any smoother.

“It really shows that people are engaged,’’ Viera said. “The next one we have will probably be even bigger.”

Here are five takeaways:

1. This Was A Good Idea

If you’ve ever wondered what is really bothering people in New Tampa, the town hall, which attracted roughly 75 local residents, including many of the area’s Homeowner’s Association presidents, was a good place to find out.

Outside of the usual complaints about taxes and transportation, those who attended raised a number of issues like trash on Cross Creek Blvd, local commercial buildings looking run down, bank foreclosed property causing a blight in otherwise well-kept neighborhoods and even concerns about the ability of ethnic minorities to worship safely.

This is exactly what Viera says he had hoped for when he scheduled the event. With code enforcement inspector Fred George and Tampa

Also Inside This Issue: News, Business & Sports Updates Neo-Nazi Bomb Plot In New Tampa, Diverging Diamond Could Solve I-75/S.R. 54 Issues; Bruce B. Downs Showing Results; Grace Episcopal Church Draws VIPs; Audi Dealership Breaks Ground; Wharton SS Wins Saladino Award & Brian Lee Goes Out A Winner; Plus, Local Business Features!

Pages 3-38

Neighborhood Magazine

WC Rotary’s Derby Just Ducky; A Visit To Las Palmas Cuban Cuisine & More Neighborhood Nibbles & Business Bytes!

Pages 35-48

in the K-Bar Ranch area. “You should be ashamed,’’ Parker scolded, considering there’s only two twolane roads in and out of the area.

“I feel like I live on an island,’’ Parker added, “and there are two causeways, Bruce B. Downs (BBD) and Morris Bridge Rd.” That lack of options is preventing people from getting to hospitals, and making the long drives to Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera hosted a town hall meeting at the New Tampa Recreation Center in Tampa Palms that attracted roughly work in Tampa un75 local residents who came to discuss a number of issues., especially those related to the traffic in our area. bearable. “It’s killing New Tampa,’’ he said.

Police Department District 2 shift commander concrete answers for those asking questions, he Rogero said the city is well aware of the Kevin Schoolmeesters in attendance, some of was certainly enlightening and honest, even if the simpler questions raised will undoubtedly be it meant telling people things they didn’t want issue. “You are right, you might as well live on an ocean,’’ Rogero said. “We hear the horror answered. Most important, Viera said, was that to hear. stories. That’s one of the reasons I live in South a majority of those who raised concerns seemed More on that later.

Tampa. We looked here. It’s beautiful up here. to be satisfied with the answers.

But, I didn’t want to add a couple of hours in For the bigger, more complicated issues, 2. The Big Issue like transportation and the city budget, it was a To quote Bob Parker of Heritage Isles, the commute time to my schedule.”

That might be unsettling — to hear the step in the direction of creating a unified front biggest issue in New Tampa is “transportation, mayor’s Chief of Staff confess to avoiding our when it comes to lobbying city hall for changes. transportation, transportation.”

Viera has already formed the New Tampa CounWhile Pasco and Hillsborough counties re- area because of the traffic — but Rogero was cil with this idea in mind. main at loggerheads over connecting the two at honest and admitted he didn’t have any answers.

Viera didn’t expect answers. But the “We need a collective and unified voice,’’ various points between Meadow Pointe and the Viera said.

K-Bar Ranch, traffic is a real concern for local Hunter’s Green resident is advocating for some “incremental” changes.

Although Mayor Bob Buckhorn couldn’t residents along Cross Creek Blvd.

One that should sound good to residents make it, his chief of staff, Dennis Rogero, did The City Council recently okayed plans for attend. And, while he didn’t really have any 400 more homes to be built by M/I Homes See “Town Hall” on page 14.

Brains & Basketball?: V’s First Offer Is From MIT!

By JOHN C. COTEY

Most of the top basketball players grow up dreaming of college offers from powerhouses like Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina.

One of those calls may still come for longtime West Meadows resident Varun Ajjarapu, but his first one won’t.

That honor goes to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT. Regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious universities, MIT called the Ajjarapu house on Tuesday and offered the 14-year-old Varun, who everyone knows as “V”, the chance to play his college basketball in Cambridge, MA. “Unless Varun chooses to fall off the face of the earth, we’ll be watching him,’’ his mother, Sandhya, says MIT head coach The better Varun Ajjarapu does this season, the more Larry Anderson told her.

The Engineers (fitting, right?) were shoes he will help donate to those in need through his 21-7 last year at the Division III level, but non-profit ShootingForShoes.org.

it’s not the name that typically rolls off a recruit’s lips or makes it onto recruiting websites.

But academically, the school is superior to most, which makes it attractive for V, a straight-A student who attended Chiles Elementary and Williams Middle School.

He is now at Berkeley Prep, where he will be entering his sophomore year. But at a recent AAU tournament in Atlanta, he earned MVP honors, and caught the eye of MIT coaches at another basketball event at Yale.

V is a ways off from having to choose which college he will attend, but an offer from MIT at age 14 isn’t a bad way to start the recruiting process.

“Too good to be true,” Sandhya said.

Part 3: How To Make Driving In Our Area Better, Plus More WCNT-tv Milestones An editorial by Gary Nager So, your favorite (or not) New York-transplanted editor is back for another rant about driving in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel — and really everywhere in Florida.

I’ve already complained about our self-deputized civilians who refuse to get out of the left lane (because they may be traveling the posted speed limit), despite the fact everyone who wants to drive a normal speed has to pass them on the right — and are still doing it despite Florida’s new law that says you can be ticketed for it.

“Slower traffic keep right” isn’t just a slogan.

I’ve also previously explained why dedicated right turn exit and acceleration lanes when going from one major roadway to another are neither yield nor stop signs.

So, here’s Part 3 of this “helping you drive better” series — which I felt was particularly fitting as our recent drought ended and we began the rainy/hurricane season when the calendar turned to June — driving in the rain.

Let’s take a quick quiz on the subject: 1. Whenever you’re driving in the rain, you should: a.) reduce your speed, b) allow yourself additional braking distance between you and the vehicle in front of you, c.) turn on your headlights if they’re not already on or on auto, d.) all of the above. The answer, as most everyone knows (except those who refuse to turn on their headlights in the rain), is d., all of the above.

2. When are the roads at their slipperiest or slickest? a.) When it’s been raining heavily all day, b. When it first starts to rain, c.) The roads are

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 Marketing/Advertising Representative Tom Damico 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

Nothing that appears in New Tampa Neighborhood News may be reproduced, whether wholly or in part, without permission. Opinions expressed by New Tampa Neighborhood News writers are their own and do not reflect the publisher’s opinion.

The deadline for outside editorial submissions and advertisements for Volume 25, Issue 15, of New Tampa Neighborhood News is Friday, June 30, 2017.

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Photo by Jannah McDonald

always equally slippery, d.) I have no idea.

The answer to that one is actually b., because the oils that build up on the roadway when it’s dry outside rise to the surface and make the roads slicker than when it’s been raining all day and those oils have all been washed away. Sadly, this means that for many people, the answer, until now, was d.

Now for the toughie/trick question (despite the hint in the photo above): 3. When it is raining so hard that seeing the vehicles in front of you becomes difficult, you should: a) Pull off to the side of the road and have your hazard lights flashing, b) Continue driving, but turn on your hazard lights, c.) Continue driving, but make sure that your headlights are on, reduce your speed and use extra caution or d.) I have no idea.

The “trick” part is that if it’s so bad that you really can’t see the vehicle in front of you, the answer should be a., but very few of us will choose to do that when we’re in a hurry to get to or from work or to a meeting or event that we can’t afford to pull over and wait it out, especially because you’re something of a sitting duck if someone else swerves off the road.

The most practical answer, in that case, is actually c. Those of you who picked b. might as well have picked d., because you are truly clueless — a fact that is re-proven to me almost every time it rains more than a drizzle here.

But, here’s why you don’t turn your hazards on in heavy rain, McFly — your hazard lights are for when you and/or your vehicle are in an emergency situation — you had to pull off the road to change a flat tire, your car breaks down in the middle of the road, etc.

If you’re already driving with your hazards on and your car breaks down (maybe because you’re driving through deep water and your car’s electrical system goes bad), how will the vehicle behind you know that your car has stopped working? The answer is usually by smashing into you from behind, which is normally the

rear-ender’s fault, but not in this case.

As indicated on the sign in the photo, Florida law says “Driving in the Rain: Headlights On, Hazards Off,” which means that if you have an accident while violating this law, you would be the at-fault driver.

So, please: read the sign and obey it. Driving in the rain is tough enough without drivers who make up their own laws because they mistakenly think it’s easier to see flashers than it is steady lights.

WCNT-tv Keeps Building!

Check out the ad for WCNT-tv — Wesley Chapel & New Tampa Television — on page

43 of this issue. You’ll see some numbers that I’m very proud of. As of June 9, a little less than a year since we debuted the show — we have reached very close to three quarters of a million people and been viewed more than 350,000 times on YouTube and Facebook.

Our recent Neighborhohood Dining News segments about Little Italy’s Family Restaurant & Catering and Fushia Hot Pot Buffet & Asian Bistro each garnered thousands of views and have generated some new business at both locations. And, I think our most recent News segment about the Diverging Diamond Interchange (see story on page 6) and most recent Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce Featured Business segment about American Wood Flooring are among the best work we’ve done to date.

Please view, like & share all of our WCNT-tv segments on YouTube & Facebook!

Table of Contents

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

Neo-Nazi Bomb Plot In New Tampa?.......................4 Diverging Diamond Interchange Update..................6 Bruce B. Downs Widening Looking Better................8 Grace Episcopal Breaks Ground On New Sanctuary...10 Audi Dealership Under Construction In Wiregrass...12 New Tampa Community Calendar..............................16

*

Local Business Updates..............20-32

Dr. Marta Rivera For Pediatric Dentistry & Braces...20 SPOTLIGHT ON: Premier Heart & Vascular.......21 Tint By Masters To Keep Your Home Protected.......22 Euro Pilates Is A Lot More Than Just Yoga...............26 A Healing Arts Thinks Outside Traditional Box.......28 Panda Hugs Learning & Child Care Center..............30

Local School & Sports Updates..32-35 Book On Autism Seeks To Help, Educate.................32 Wharton’s Ehrhard Wins The Saladino Award............34 New Tampa’s Lee Pitches Team To Title Game...........35

Neighborhood Magazine

WC Rotary’s Derby Is Just Ducky...................39 Las Palmas Cuban Cuisine.....................................42 ‘Neighborhood Nibbles & Business Bytes’.........46 New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Classifieds...........48 @NTWCNews

*New Patients Only. See Clinic For Details

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3

New Tampa Man Admits To Murdering His Roommates & To Neo-Nazi Ties

By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneighborhoodnews.com Devon Arthurs walked into the Green Planet Smoke Shop in the Shoppes at Amberly plaza in Tampa Palms at around 5:30 p.m. on May 19, held three hostages and then surrendered to police before revealing that he had shot his two roommates back in the apartment they shared at the Hamptons in Tampa Palms.

Things got stranger from that point on.

According to a Tampa Police Department (TPD) report, the 18-year-old Arthurs ended up telling officers he fatally shot Jeremy Himmelman, 22, and Andrew Oneschuk, 18, because they disrespected his recent conversion to Islam.

Arthurs claimed the three men previously shared neo-Nazi beliefs (a claim denied by the family of the two victims in a Tampa Bay Times story).

Stranger still, when police took Arthurs back to the apartment, a fourth roommate, Brandon Russell, was outside the door crying.

Russell, a Florida National Guardsman, was the one who leased the apartment, according to a federal complaint filed on May 20.

Police found Himmelman and Oneschuk dead inside, with gunshot wounds to the upper body and head. After being read his Miranda rights, Arthurs voluntarily agreed to speak with law enforcement officials and confessed to the shootings, providing specific information about the weapon he used and the exact location of the shot placement on each victim. Arthurs told authorities that Russell had nothing to do with the shootings, but that he had participated in online neo-Nazi chatrooms “where he threatened to kill people and bomb infrastructure.”

TPD obtained a search warrant for the residence, and discovered a cooler in the ga-

4

rage (beneath the apartment) “containing a white, cake-like substance that two FBI and TPD bomb squad technicians immediately recognized…as HMTD (an explosive also known as hexamethylene triperoxied diamine).”

Other explosive precursors were found in the garage, including one in a Devon Arthurs package addressed to Russell. Electric matches and empty 5.56-caliber ammunition casings with fuses that could be used to detonate destructive devices also were discovered.

“I know that the HTMD found in the garage combined with the amount of ammonium nitrate and nitro methane also found in the garage would constitute a “bomb,” FBI special agent Timothy Swanson wrote in the complaint.

Inside Russell’s bedroom, officers found Nazi and white supremacist propaganda, and a framed photo of Timothy McVeigh, the man executed for killing 168 people in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

The complaint says Russell admitted to being a national socialist (more commonly known as Nazism), and that he had manufactured the HTMD. He also confessed to being a member of the group called Atomwaffen (German for atomic weapon). The Southern Poverty Law Center listed the Atomwaffen as one of 99 active neo-Nazi hate groups.

Russell said when he was in an engineering club at USF in 2013, he used HTMD to boost homemade rockets and send balloons into the atmosphere for testing.

“Based on my training and experience, HMTD is too energetic and volatile for these types of uses,” Swanson wrote in the complaint.

He also wrote that he received confirmation from ATF Explosive enforcement office Kevin Miner that the HTMD is an explosive, and that probable cause existed that Russell was intending to assemble a destructive device.

Russell was arrested on an FBI warrant May 21 in Key Largo and charged with possessing an unregistered destructive device and unlawful storage of explosive material.

Why Russell was released and ended up in Key Largo two days after the shooting is unclear.

Arthurs was charged with two counts of first degree murder, three counts of armed kidnapping and two counts of aggravated assault.

According to police reports, Arthurs — whose initial hearing was rescheduled for June 12 at our press time — walked into the Green

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Planet Smoke Shop at 15352 Amberly Dr. and pulled a handgun from his waistband. He ordered a store employee and a customer to the floor, asking, “Why shouldn’t I kill you?”

Another customer entered the shop a few minutes later and was also ordered to the floor.

Arthurs told the hostages that he had already killed someone and that he was upset because of the American bombings in the Middle East.

When TPD contacted Arthurs, one hostage managed to escape, and police convinced him to allow the other two to leave as well.

After surrendering, Arthurs made several references to Allah, according to the report.

“I had to do it,’’ he told officers. “This wouldn’t have had to happen if your country didn’t bomb my country.”

Arthurs claimed he shot his roommates to prevent them from committing planned acts of domestic terrorism.

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FDOT Hopes The Diverging Diamond Solves The S.R. 56/I-75 Traffic Woes

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com A diamond could be a commuter’s best friend, according to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

A diverging diamond, that is.

That was the message delivered by Ryan Forrestel, PE of American Consulting Professionals, LLC, as he presented what he feels will be the solution to the snarled mess that is the S.R. 56 interchange of I-75 to the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) on May 23, during a meeting at the Mercedes-Benz of Wesley Chapel dealership located just a few hundred feet from where the construction of the diverging diamond interchange (DDI) will begin.

Forrestel, the consultant design project manager for the $24.1-million Diverging Diamond Interchange project, told a group of roughly 20 representatives from affected businesses like Havertys, Tampa Premium Outlets (TPO), Chick-Fil-A, Florida Hospital Center Ice and others that it will be a good news, bad news proposition.

The good: engineers say the DDI is going to make traffic smoother and more efficient and in the long run yield improved results for local businesses.

The bad: during the long-awaited construction beginning in fall of 2018, the already-congested interchange is likely to become even more clogged.

No one, however, was surprised.

“I think this is a good opportunity for us,’’ said Stacey Nance, the general manager

6

This rendering of the recently-opened Sarasota DDI is nearly identical to what will will be built at S.R. 56 and I-75 in Wesley Chapel, which the major exception being I-75 passes over the intersection, while in Wesley Chapel S.R. 56 passes over I-75 of TPO, located just west of the DDI. “Is it 100,000 vehicles a day and connects many of going to be cumbersome? Absolutely it is.” the residents of Wesley Chapel, Lutz and Land Forrestel’s presentation seemed to as- O’Lakes to Tampa. suage some of the concerns of representatives Forrestel said he will have the DDI plans from those local businesses, many of whom drawn up by January, and then in June of are concerned that shoppers already are avoid- 2018, bidding will begin to find the company ing the area because of the traffic. to build it.

The project, moved up twice from its Construction should start by the fall of original 2024 and then 2020 start dates, is ex- 2018, and Forrestel said it could tentatively pected to expedite traffic through the much- take anywhere from 18-36 months to build. maligned interchange, which handles roughly “We haven’t gotten that far yet,’’ Forres-

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tel said. “That’s just a safe range.”

The timing of the construction is a concern to local businesses, as it will likely conflict with the busiest shopping time of the year.

“The fear was starting in the fall,” Nance said. “If there is any concern, it’s that it is hitting us all at prime time.”

Forrestel said the current LOS, or Level of Service, of the interchange is “F,” and “it is only going to get worse before it gets better” as development continues on the north and south sides of S.R. 56, both on the west and east sides of the interchange Much of the traffic is caused by morning commuters trying to get on I-75 southbound, and evening traffic trying to exit northbound, which can back up two miles from where I-75 splits to S.R. 56.

“On the northbound off ramp and southbound on ramp, we’re making a lot of changes,’’ said Forrestel, who said he drives past TPO every morning and sees the eastbound traffic backing all the way up to Old C.R. 54 (or Wesley Chapel Blvd.).

As part of the DDI project, however, that mile-long backup during peak morning hours is projected to be reduced to 300 feet once a second lane is added to the exit for people getting on I-75 southbound.

The other change, which Forrestel describes as minor but really important, is widening the northbound off ramp. He said the original design had four lanes, with a center lane serving as a shared lane for travelers going east or west. But, they found that it created confusion for drivers and had a significant impact on the traffic, so the exit will be widened

@NTWCNews

Will The I-75/S.R. 56 Diverging Diamond Interchange Work? One Editor Says Yes!”

Ryan Forrestel, PE of American Consulting Professionals, LLC, tells local business leaders about the plans for the Diverging Diamond Interchange at the S.R. 56 exit off I-75. where the barrier wall on the east side of the The real key to making it all work, howramp ends, and will now be five lanes. ever, remains the DDI’s signature crossovers, Three of those northbound exit lanes will where the east and westbound lanes appear to be dedicated to go west (turn left onto 56), cross over. Though other solutions were conand two lanes will be dedicated to go east (or sidered for the interchange — like a flyover right onto 56). similar to what was built an exit south at Bruce “It will be a significant improvement,’’ B. Downs Blvd. — the DDI was chosen for its Forrestel said. ability to handle large swaths of traffic from The first DDI in Florida was recently both directions. completed in Sarasota — at the University “Huge left turns lanes work best for the Pkwy. exit (No. 213) off I-75 — and has DDI,” Forrestel said. “In some places, they drawn positive reviews (including from Neigh- are a great solution; in other place they are a borhood News editor Gary Nager, story, right, terrible solution.” who provided a video tour of the Sarasota The Wesley Chapel interchange, howDDI in the episode of WCNT-tv that pre- ever, it is expected to move more cars through miered on YouTube and Facebook on Friday, the interchange in a free-flowing manner, as June 9), after nearly four years of construction the left turn lanes will no longer be crossing that involved rebuilding everything, including in front of other traffic and only entail two the bridge over I-75. Forrestel said the Wesley phases of lights.

Chapel DDI project will involve no expansion Forrestel showed a video of a DDI in Atof the overpass, so it shouldn’t take nearly as lanta (which can be seen at youtu.be/gY8xUlong to complete.

UAQWs) which has fewer lanes but otherwise The median on the bridge, as well as the resembles the one coming to Wesley Chapel. current walkways, will be eliminated to create Forrestel said the timing of the lights will an additional westbound lane, and the bridge be adjusted to accommodate the busier traffic (which is technically two bridges) will be con- in the morning and evening. nected. Pedestrians will be able to cross right The scope of the DDI project takes into down the center of the bridge. account a model that projects traffic out to Forrestel added there will be plenty of 2038 and considers the lengthening of S.R. 56 signs directing drivers. The fourth eastbound (one of the signs at the interchange will point lane on S.R. 56 is being pulled back 500 feet, you to Zephyrhills, in fact) as well as projected so signs can alert commuters much sooner land uses in the Wiregrass Ranch area. about the interchange directions.

Local businesses asked that they be kept “All of these changes will be improving updated so they can inform customers of the the efficiency of the interchange dramatically,” construction. “We want everybody to be preForrestel said. pared,’’ said WCCC CEO Hope Allen.

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So, as soon as I heard that Florida’s first Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI; see story on previous page) had opened at Exit 213 (University Pkwy. in Sarasota), I had to take a drive to check it out (and visit my mom who lives there, of course).

Schools were not yet out of session in Sarasota (although they had ended the week before in neighboring Manatee) County, so the traffic should have been brutal. And yes, there was still a slowdown as I approached Exit 213 while heading southbound, but once I got off onto the one-lane exit ramp for University Pkwy. (the second exit lane isn’t open yet), it was truly smooth sailing.

Picture getting off I-75 heading south from the S.R. 54 exit onto the failed S.R. 56 exit and turning left towards the Shops at Wiregrass mall. Picture how long it currently takes you to get through the signal as you turn onto S.R. 56 and how long it takes to get through the next signal, where the traffic is exiting I-75 northbound onto 56 and those trying to turn left (west; the worst part of our interchange as currently configured) are usually backed up for two or three progressions of the light. And, worst of all, even when you finally get through that light, you usually have to sit for another full four-minute signal before you can proceed westbound on 56.

Now, picture being able to make an immediate left turn off I-75 north or southbound without having to wait at a light at all, then taking a much longer approach to where the west or eastbound traffic finally crosses your path. And, even though it sounds confusing,

the traffic you cross in front of is so far from you when you have the green light that there can’t be any confusion for anyone not looking at their cell phone instead of the road.

I know it’s hard for me to explain and maybe even harder for you to understand just from this write-up, but all I can tell you is that the longest I sat at any signal in any direction at the DDI in Sarasota was about a minute. I sat at two other signals for no more than 20-30 seconds each.

The other thing I’ll say is that if you want to see a clearer picture of how our DDI will work, even though our configuration is slightly different than at Exit 213 (they don’t have the two-mile approach that our northbound exiting traffic has at 56), please check out the most recent News segment of WCNT-tv (Wesley Chapel & New Tampa Television) on YouTube or Facebook. It should be available for viewing the same day you’re receiving this issue in your mailbox (June 16). The segment includes a moving model of how DDIs actually work, as well as a video tour of my drive around the DDI in Sarasota.

Please remember to View, Like and Share the segment. It explains a lot! — GN

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 13 • June 16, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

7

Still Stuck In Traffic On Bruce B. Downs Blvd.? Here’s Another Update!

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com The Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Segment A widening projecting, for months just a long procession of work trucks, dirt and orange barrels, is now steamrolling towards completion, as drivers begin to notice the new lanes expected to relieve traffic on New Tampa’s congested main thoroughfare.

Segment A, which extends 3.5 miles from Bearss Ave. to Palm Springs Blvd. and has included the widening of bridges over Cypress Creek, is taking shape. The two additional lanes on each side of the road are now visible north and southbound, primarily between Cypress Preserve Dr. and Tampa Palms Blvd. in Tampa Palms (see pictures, right).

South of Tampa Palms Blvd., the widening is still just dirt lanes, although local businesses may soon be rejoicing. And, while there is still construction all along BBD, driveways into restaurants like Acropolis and Mr. Dunderbak’s and further north at businesses like Panda Hugs Child Care Learning Center (see story on page 30) which have been obstructed or closed for some of the last 10 months, are all but completed.

“There appears to be a light at the tunnel now,’’ said Panda Hugs’ Tom Driscoll. “It’s getting easier day by day. Now, they open it up for a week or two, then block it again. I have no reason other than my gut feeling to say this, but hopefully by the end of June it will be pretty much done.”

The $55.8-million segment is still on target for completion in August, says Jason Boulnois of the Hillsborough County Public Works Dept.

Hillsborough’s largest current transportation project, BBD has required 33,000 feet of storm pipe and drainage inlets, 66,000 feet of curb and gutter, 24,600 linear feet of sidewalk, 3,450 feet of wa-

ter main with 15 fire hydrants and 18,400 feet of wastewater pipe to date.

The remaining work in Segment A to be completed is finishing construction of the median and southbound inside lanes, landscaping, final grading and signs and pavement markings.

Segment D Update

With Segments B and C already completed, the final segment to wrap up the project to convert BBD from a four- and six-lane divided roadway to an eight-lane divided roadway to relieve the area’s infamous traffic congestion is Segment D, a 1.44-mile section stretching from Pebble Creek Blvd. to County Line Rd. The least expensive portion of BBD to expand, Segment D is a $24.7-million project that is expected to be completed by July 2018 by Prince Construction, LLC. The first major work has recently begun in the Wharton High area, installing the main stormwater culverts, which are the large cement tubes visible to travelers on BBD. Now that school is out for the summer, workers may have an easier time with construction. But, the work schedule is unaffected by the school schedule. “Unfortunately, there is limited ability to change the sequence of operations for the work near the high school,’’ Boulnois says. “However, we are in constant contact with the school administration and will schedule work that interferes with traffic with minimal impact to school traffic.”

He adds that the next several months will focus on the installation of underground drainage and utilities. After that, construction of the new southbound lanes will begin, and will begin to show visible progress to BBD travelers.

Driving along BBD Segment A, some areas, like between Cypress Preserve Dr. and Tampa Palms Blvd. (left), look close to completion, while the area south of Amberly Dr. (right), are still as much dirt as road.

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Grace Episcopal Church In Tampa Palms Breaks Ground On New Sanctuary A Little History...

By BRAD STAGER

On an April Sunday morning twenty years ago, the Rev. Larry Hooper led a joyful procession of Grace Episcopal Church’s congregation from their temporary home at Tampa Palms Elementary to the Promised Land at the confluence of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., Tampa Palms Blvd. and Amberly Dr., where their newly constructed worship building was completed.

Parishioners’ spirits were similarly raised, along with some earth, on June 3 while breaking ground on Grace’s new sanctuary, in a ceremony that united members of New Tampa’s religious and civic communities in celebration.

Referred to as the “Amazing Grace Building Project,” the finished structure will provide 4,500-sq.-ft. of worship space for the church’s 300 parishioners. It is being built by Waterford Designs, Inc. at a cost of $1.5 million.

Etta Green, chair of the Amazing Grace Visions capital campaign, expresses optimism that the labor will be finished in time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

“We’re hoping it will be done by Christmas,” she says.

So far, the capital campaign has raised more than $160,000 of a $450,000 goal, according to Green. Parishioners have the opportunity to contribute to the campaign through donations which can be

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Local dignitaries and church members turn dirt where the first row of pews will be situated in Grace Episcopal Church’s new sanctuary. Bishop Dabney T. Smith, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida presided over the groundbreaking. designated to specific spaces or needs of Luis Viera, a Hunter’s Green resident who the project, such as its nursery, carillon or represents New Tampa’s District 7 on the even individual pews, bricks and benches. Tampa City Council “Communities are defined by their The remaining cost is being funded from institutions and this church is a great cash the church has on hand.

The groundbreaking was presided strength and support to the families of over by the Rt. Rev. Dabney T. Smith, New Tampa,” said Viera. Grace’s curBishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South- rent Rector, the Rev. Canon Benjamin west Florida. Featured speakers celebrat- Twinamaani, known affectionately as Fr. ing the occasion included Tampa Mayor Benjamin, served as the event’s master of Bob Buckhorn, who was introduced by ceremonies.

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Grace Episcopal Church had its genesis in 1992, when it held its first services in a storefront in the nearby City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center. It was one of the few places of worship in New Tampa at the time, and Mayor Buckhorn recognized the relationship between the church and the community it has served in the 25 years since then.

“We have watched the amazing growth of this community and this church has been an important part of the growth of Tampa,’’ Buckhorn said. “Go make us proud; continue to grow and continue to prosper.”

The event was a bit of a homecoming for Shawn Harrison, who represents District 63, which includes most of New Tampa, in the Florida House of Representatives. He is a former parishioner of the church who said he recalls the relationship between Grace Episcopal and Tampa Palms, which donated land for the church. “This has always been the little community church of Tampa Palms,” Rep. Harrison said.

Bishop Smith turned the soil at the place where the sanctuary’s future altar will be. As he did so, he noted the significance of the occasion, which he referred to as “a moment of aspiration for the church. What we are doing today in simply turning dirt will create a space of transcendence.”

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Above is a rendering of what Grace Episcopal Church’s new sanctuary will look like.

Among members of the congregation always open. “It is indeed what church is who gathered for the groundbreaking, the supposed to be,” Charles said. consensus is that Grace Episcopal is, above The Forsters were married by Fr. all, a welcoming place.

Benjamin, who has been the church’s spirBernard and Nancy Guss are found- itual leader since 2005. Fr. Benjamin, who ing members of the church, and also are a is known throughout the New Tampa mixed-religion couple. Bernard is Jewish area, considers the new sanctuary to be a and Nancy is Episcopalian. They say Grace tangible expression of Grace Episcopal’s has been a spiritual home that has accom- commitment to the local community.

“We are renewing our identity as a modated both of their respective beliefs.

“Nancy and I visited several churches church that anchors the community,’’ before coming here,” Bernard said. “We Fr. Benjamin said. “In today’s world, we felt like it was open to a variety of beliefs. need that.”

Grace Episcopal Church, located at It’s truly a unifying place where I have 15102 Amberly Dr. in Tampa Palms, felt welcome.”

Zainaba and Charles Forster are both holds services each Sunday at 8 a.m. and from the West African nation of Sierra 10 a.m. Visitors are always welcome to Leone who now make their home in Her- attend services. For more information, itage Isles. Charles said that Grace Epis- visit online at GraceNewTampa.org or copal Church is a tranquil place that is call (813) 971-8484.

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New Audi Dealership In Wiregrass Ranch Holds Its Official Groundbreaking

By GARY NAGER

A high-tech concept in luxury car sales is coming to Wesley Chapel. Dimmitt Automotive Group has broken ground (and actually has been going vertical for some time; see photo below left) on its new Audi dealership, a 40,000-square-foot, state-ofthe-art facility off of S.R. 56 in Wiregrass Ranch, that’s considered Audi’s most innovative retail experience yet.

Audi Wesley Chapel is expected to open in the fall of 2017 (“probably in November,” according to Dimmitt CEO Scott Larguier). The project, referred to as Audi Terminal, will be a modern, openarea facility (rendering, bottom right, from the Dimmitt Automotive Group) that’s designed to be fully client-centric.

“From the moment you enter the showroom, you’ll notice that the entire facility is designed with the customer experience at its core,” Larguier explained during the building’s May 22 groundbreaking ceremony, which included members of the Dimmitt family, Bill, JD and Quinn Porter and Scott Sheridan of Locust Branch, LLC (which is developing the Porter Family Trust property in Wiregrass), Pasco County

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with sleek leather club chairs.”

Larguier explained that the hightech building is reflective of the high-tech luxury Audi vehicles that will be on display and sold inside.

What customers won’t see are sales desks and phones. “It’s the perfect union of elegant interaction and advanced technology,” Larguier said.

Audi Wesley Chapel is the latest example of Dimmitt Automotive Group’s commitment to an elevated car buying experience. The Dimmitt family already features Cadillac, Land Rover, Jaguar, Toyota, Aston Martin, Bentley, Rolls-Royce and McLaren dealerships.

Everyone on hand praised not only the Porter and Dimmitt families, but also Pasco County for bringing yet another luxury brand to “the Chap,” as Allen loves to call Dirt and excitement are in the air at the groundbreaking for Audi Wesley Chapel, it. Audi will open just a few months after which will open later this year off S.R. 56, a mile or so east of the Shops at Wiregrass. Lexus of Wesley Chapel, which is being Above photo by Stephen John Photography (see ad on pg. 40 of this issue). opened by the Williams Auto Group.

Commissioner Mike Moore and Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce CEO Hope Allen, as well as more than a dozen WCCC business members.

According to a Dimmitt press release, the Audi Terminal will “capture customers’ imaginations before they even walk in the door. Its stunning architecture will look like a modern art building.

Inside, customers will be greeted with exciting Audi automobiles, iPads and luxury lounges filled

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‘Townhall’

Continued from page 1

of Cross Creek “Island,” is a third left-hand turn signal onto Bruce B. Downs at the very busy intersection that Viera said he will propose.

Another possibility that was raised: Putting the controversial East-West Connector back in the MPO. Jim Davison, who narrowly lost to Viera in the City Council runoff in December, applauded his former opponent for the town hall and the New Tampa Council, and suggested a second town hall, perhaps with a more narrow focus on one topic, like transportation.

Viera said he hopes to hold another one in December.

3. Getting The Short Shrift

Rogero got an earful from local attorney Tracy Falkowitz, who lives in Tampa Palms, about the plight of the New Tampa Rec Center.

For the second time in five years last year, the City Council voted to provide funds for a different project – the Cuscaden Park pool in Ybor City – instead of the rec center, even though a $1.5-million, 14,000-sq.ft. expansion of the facility was originally included in recent budget drafts.

Despite spending $3.2 million on renovating the Cuscaden Park pool and re-opening it last August, it was closed again in April for more repairs. It has since re-opened.

“This area has been short-shrifted every year,’’ Falkowitz said. “That money needs to come back. This amazing facility does so much with so little. We want our expansion. Every year that money allocated for here gets sent somewhere else, and it’s my understanding that this year it’s not even included in the budget.

She added, “It constantly sends the mes-

sage: New Tampa, just send us your money, then sit down and shut up. That’s what we’re all being told. So as the budget guy, what are you doing to make sure the community gets what it deserves and was supposed to be given to us six years ago.” That statement drew the night’s loudest round of applause.

Rogero said, however, that it is a miscon- Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s Chief of Staff Dennis Rogero explained that the New Tampa ception that what an Recreation Center expansion isn’t high enough on the city’s priority list to receive area pays in property funding, while Tampa Palms’ Tracy Falkowitz argued that it should be, due to the taxes, it will get back amount of money the area provides the city in property taxes. in enhancements. It is a misconception, in fact, shared by quite a few sion being cut out of the budget is why the subject of New Tampa de-annexing from the City of residents.

“We allocate one big pot of general fund- Tampa came up in the last election (and contining for the priorities of the city, city-wide,’’ Rog- ues to come up). “What would the city do withero said. “We don’t necessarily try to return dol- out the funds from (New Tampa),’’ Falkowitz lar for dollar to any particular area. That’s simply said, which got at least two people in attendance to clap. “We are very, very unhappy with how we not the way property taxation is set up.”

Rogero admitted that there is a need in have been treated by city of Tampa.’’

“From the city’s perspective,” Rogero New Tampa for the expansion — the dance and replied, “we don’t feel that we’re mistreating gymnastics programs have roughly 800 students and the waiting list’s cup runneth over — but as New Tampa.’’

There were a few people in the room who each priority is paid off, “by the time we get to didn’t agree with Rogero, including former City the New Tampa Rec Center on the list, we’re Councilman Joseph Caetano, a longtime propoout of money.”

Viera said he wasn’t surprised at all that nent of New Tampa’s secession.

Viera is strongly opposed to the idea. “I’ve people remain angry about the rec center. “It’s never thought that was a good idea,’’ he said, the reason we held the town hall there,’’ he said. adding that if people knew what that entailed, “I think it’s symbolic.” they would be opposed, too.

4. Did Someone Say Secession?

Falkowitz ended her comments by mentioning that instances like the rec center expan-

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5. Organize & Be Heard

Brad Van Rooyen, who is on the New

Tampa Council, and Davison asked a simple question in regards to tax monies – how can New Tampa get the city to pay attention to its needs and to increases services to the area.

Rogero echoed what Viera has been saying, and really, the reason for town halls like this – make your voices heard.

“I have to tell you, it could be that some of you have shown up to the budget meetings, but I can guarantee all of you haven’t,’’ Rogero said, “because there’s typically less than a dozen people there. I appreciate your emails, and your phone calls, but when it’s a billion-dollar budget and another half billion of capital improvement projects, your city council is looking at an empty room. I can’t tell you what prioritization comes to their minds. I can almost guarantee you, though, it won’t be yours.”

Talk of taxes, transportation, budgets and secession aside, most in attendance seemed to be looking for answers to simple problems, like beautifying Bruce B. Downs – Viera is already talking to officials about getting mowers out to New Tampa more frequently -- and local commercial buildings and taking care of bank-foreclosed homes.

George, who admits his code enforcement department is understaffed, encouraged people to call in complaints to (813)-274-5545, because he can’t see everything.

Others remain concerned about the county’s plans to stop courtesy buses for students who live within two miles of their school, which will result in students having to cross over BBD by foot. (Walking pedestrian bridge, anyone?)

Residents seemed pleased with the TPD, and were complimentary about the service they receive, like the visits you can get from officers when you are on vacation just by calling (813) 931-6500. And code enforcement and police requests while on vacation can also be filed via TampaGov.net, the city’s website.

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JUNE 2017 Saturday, June 17

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.

Sunday, June 18

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.

Monday, June 19-Friday, June 23

Musical Theatre Summer Camp - It’s not too late for children ages 6-12 to register for a fun-filled week of singing and acting at Family of Christ Lutheran Church and School. Camp runs from June 19-23, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The week culminates in a spectacular performance of the musical “Arf.” Each day includes themed games, crafts and snacks. Cost to attend is $150. Campers provide their own lunch. To register, email LFerguson@familyofchristtampa.com.

Friday - June 23

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.

Monday - June 26

New Tampa Democratic Club - The New Tampa Democrats meet the 4th Mon. of every month at the New Tampa Regional Library (10001 Cross Creek Blvd.).

For info, email newtampademocraticclub@gmail.com or call (813) 563-0845.

JULY 2017 Saturday, July 1

Connerton Independence Day Celebration - See ad on next page.

Sunday, July 2

Patriotic Music Program - The Florida Wind Band presents Honor, Integrity, and Service, at 7:30 p.m. at the USF School of Music’s Concert Hall, performing a selection of music to honor men and women who serve our nation as military and first responders. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.com or on the day of the concert at the School of Music Box Office. $15 general admission or $10 for students, seniors, military (active and veterans), and first responders. Group rates Tuesday - June 20 English As A Second Language (ESL) - The ESL group meets Tuesdays at Tam- available. Visit www.floridawindband.org or call 813-531-9252. pa Bay Presbyterian Church (19911 BBD Blvd. in Pebble Creek), 9:30 a.m.-11:30 Tuesday - July 4 a.m. Classes are taught by a native English speaker. The cost is $40 each semes- Avalon Park West Independence Day Celebration - From 5 p.m.-9 p.m., enjoy ter for the workbook & class materials. For info, call Holly at (813) 360-2077. family-friendly activities, including a pie bake-off, bike parade, community perforKeep It Local - This seat-specific networking group emphasizes small, local mances, bounce houses, food trucks and much more. Don’t miss the fireworks show starting at 9 p.m. Free and open to the public. 5227 Autumn Ridge Dr., 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. Wesley Chapel.

Wednesday - June 21

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 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.

GFWC Woman’s Club of New Tampa - Get to know other members or get introduced to the club at its “Summer Luncheon and Meet & Greet” at Hoosiers Grill, 10630 Plantation Bay Drive, from noon - 2 p.m. RSVP required in advance.

Contact gfwcwomansclubnewtampa@gmail.com for more info.

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.

Wednesday - July 5

New Tampa Wildcats Season Begins - See story & ad next page.

Live Oak Preserve Food Truck Rally - Open to the public! Features fresh produce, a variety of vendors, and food trucks. Summer events held the first Wednesday of each month from 5-8 p.m. 9401 Oak Preserve. Info at Facebook. com/LiveOakPreserve.

Monday - July 10

Vacation Bible School at Family of Christ Lutheran Church - Join us for a week of “Maker’s Fun Factory” from July 10-14. Children ages 5-12 may register to attend. Cost is $40 for the week, from 9 a.m. - noon each day. For more information, contact the church office at (813) 558-9343, ext. 116, or register online at http://familyofchristtampa.com/2017-vbs-registration/.

Thursday, June 22

Public Hearing - A City of Tampa public hearing to discuss creating a Community Development District to be known as K-Bar Ranch II, will be held at 10 a.m. on the 3rd floor of City Hall, 315 E. Kennedy Blvd.

FREE Nutrition Seminar - Confused about what you should eat? Join Samantha Taylor from 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. for this free nutrition seminar to help you understand nutrition and take away the confusion you may have with food.

We’ll have a special guest speaker with a B.A. in Food Science. Held at 2206 Knight Rd., Land O’Lakes. Visit SamanthaTaylorSeminars.com.

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New Tampa Wildcats To Begin 20th Season!

The New Tampa Wildcats, the first organized youth football and cheer program in New Tampa, was established in 1997 and will celebrate its 20th season beginning on July 5.

The Wildcats have their own field in the Live Oak Preserve area of New Tampa and provide a safe, fun environment for boys and girls ages 5-15. The program’s stated goal is to, “develop well-rounded young men and women who learn not only the fundamentals of football and cheerleading, but also the importance of education and teamwork.”

You don’t actually have to live in New Tampa to play or cheer for the Wildcats.

For more information, visit http://www.NewTampaWildcats.org/, call (813) 501-5259 or see the ad below.

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Caring, Pediatric Dentistry, Orthodontics & More With Dr. Marta Rivera! some adults, too), and recommends a cleaning and exam when your child turns one.

“We can look at their habits and teach parents how to clean emerging teeth,” she says. “As a dental professional, we can see things that are there, even before the teeth emerge.”

By CELESTE MCLAUGHLIN

celeste@ntneighborhoodnews.com At Pediatric Dentistry of New Tampa, Marta Rivera, D.M.D., offers dentistry — and even orthodontics — for children, in a warm and fun, but professional, atmosphere.

The office has been open in the Tampa Palms Professional Center (across Commerce Park Blvd. from the New Tampa Recreation Center) since 2008. For five years prior to that, Pediatric Dentistry of New Tampa was located in Hunter’s Green.

Dr. Rivera — although most of her patients and their families call her “Dr. Marta” — was born in Brooklyn, NY, and moved with her family to their native Puerto Rico when she was 10 years old.

She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a Biology degree and then graduated from the University of Puerto Rico Medical Science Campus School of Dentistry in San Juan. She owned her own general dentistry practice for seven years and also worked with the Olympic committee of Puerto Rico, taking care of the athletes and children who boarded in the specialized training school.

In 1995, Dr. Rivera did a residency in pediatric dentistry at the University Children’s Hospital in San Juan and moved to Florida in 1997. And, after passing the Florida Dental Board, worked in dental offices in Lakeland and Plant City until opening her own private practice.

Services provided at Pediatric Dentistry of New Tampa include digital (lowdose) X-rays, treating periodontal disease,

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Health Beyond Teeth

Dr. Marta Rivera (left) sees patients from 1-18 years old in her office in the Tampa Palms Professional Center. bleaching of teeth for teenagers, sedation dentistry, conscious sedation with nitrous oxide, cosmetic dentistry, mercury-free restorations and custom-made athletic mouth guards.

Dr. Marta mainly sees patients from ages one to 18 (although she does treat

Dr. Marta says she tries to integrate a holistic approach when she sees a child, so she not only looks at teeth and dental problems, but also considers other health issues, such as nutrition and food allergies.

“Because we see our patients every six months and sit down and talk with their parents, we can talk about nutrition, habits and other information,” says Dr. Marta. “The relationship is very important.”

For example, she says, kids with recurrent acid reflux generally have more cavities, so sometimes a child who eats the right foods might still be getting cavities because of acid erosion. “If their nutrition is good, but the child is still getting cavities, I refer them to their pediatrician or a pediatric ear, nose and throat specialist. It could be as a result of food sensitivities.”

She says it’s frustrating when kids have cavities when their parents are taking good care of them. “It’s not just sugar or bad hygiene that causes cavities,” she says.

Orthodontics, Too

Dr. Marta says she was the first provider in Florida to offer Myobrace, a type of “myofunctional” (meaning it deals with the muscle function of the mouth) orthodontics.

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“Some kids have habits that are detrimental to the development of the dental arches, and we can work on that before traditional orthodontics,” she explains.

Dr. Marta says Myobrace is often an ideal treatment to eliminate habits such as thumb sucking or tongue thrust that cause teeth to become misaligned. With Myobrace, a child can correct those habits before beginning traditional orthodontics, or sometimes eliminate the need for traditional orthodontics altogether.

“We evaluate the child’s airway for snoring, grinding teeth, enlarged tonsils, poor posture, breathing issues and speech problems, amongst other issues,” she says.

“The myofunctional therapy may help, in conjunction with the help of other professionals like pediatric ear, nose and throat physicians and pediatricians.”

(Note-More information about myofunctional orthodontics can be found at Myobrace.com.)

In addition, Dr. Marta does also provide traditional orthodontics.

“I’m not an orthodontist,” she explains, “but I was highly trained in my residency to do orthodontics.”

She is happy to offer braces to her patients because they already know her and feel comfortable with her. She says she only provides orthodontics to patients she knows she can help and refers more complicated cases to specialists.

Even beyond orthodontics, “We like to offer as many services as we can,” says Dr. Marta. For example, each month, a Boardcertified pediatric anesthesiologist comes

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in to provide deep sedation for Dr. Marta’s patients. This might be for children who have many cavities or extractions, for healthy patients with special needs, or for a laser phrenectomy to eliminate “tongue tie.”

In addition, Dr. Marta says, “We have a multicultural practice and we try to honor the practices of other cultures.”

She explains, “We don’t get away from the standard of care, but we offer other options that can help, but won’t hurt.” As an example, she says, instead of a prescription medicine, she can recommend a mouthwash of essential oil to reduce inflammation.

(Note-Dr. Rivera holds a diploma, in aromatherapy and herbal medicine, from the American College of Healthcare Sciences in Portland, OR, which helps her to recommend these types of alternative therapies for her patients, when they are appropriate and preferred by families.)

Another way she honors her multicultural patients? “I speak English and Spanish,” she says, “and I am trying to learn a little Arabic so I can at least say ‘open’ and ‘close’ so the kids feel safe and comfortable.”

Feeling The Love

Kristie Bond is a parent whose two children have been going to Pediatric Dentistry of New Tampa for several years and says she is impressed with the ways that Dr. Marta has gone above and beyond to make her children feel comfortable.

“My daughter had sensory issues and needed a little more patience and gentle touch,” says Kristie. “We started seeing Dr. Marta when she was about 6 and she’s 14 now.” Not only has Kristie’s daughter

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had regular cleanings and check-ups, but she also has braces and will be getting them off this summer. Kristie says the entire staff has a great way of putting kids at ease, and she appreciates how courteous and friendly they are.

“We’ve had a very good experience,” Kristie says. “Dr. Marta is amazing. My son, who is 11 now, is on the autism spectrum. He couldn’t do the full-out cleaning (at first), so they worked with me to get him accommodated by using the same room, first showing him the tools and what is to be expected at the cleaning. Then, next time, they just cleaned one tooth. The next appointment, we did a little bit more. Now, he’s able to let them clean all of his teeth.

They’ve been very patient and accommodating, and so kind.”

Dr. Marta says her choice to be a pediatric dentist has been an extremely rewarding decision.

“I’ve been doing this long enough that I’ve seen some of my patients graduate and even have babies,” she says. “They even come back from college and visit me.”

She says she loves what she does because of the kids. “They make me laugh,” she says. “We provide a healthy and fun environment, and we have the opportunity to educate them and their parents, too.”

Pediatric Dentistry of New Tampa is located at 5326 Primrose Lake Cir. and is open Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. The office accepts many insurance policies, primarily PPOs. For additional information, see the ad on page 30, call (813) 374-0388 or visit TampaHappySmiles.com.

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SPOTLIGHT ON..Premier Heart & Vascular!

Over the course of a lifetime, a healthy human heart proves itself to be a reliable muscular pump, beating thousands of times a day and sending blood throughout the body via a network of veins, vessels and capillaries. When working right, most people don’t even notice this life-supporting cardiovascular system functioning.

But, when something goes wrong, such as clogged arteries, heart disease or other damage, the physicians and staff of Premier Heart & Vascular Center in the Summergate Professional Park off S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel, can help.

Dr. Sunil Gupta, MD, FACC (Fellow of the American College of Cardiology), founded the practice with an objective that has remained constant throughout its 15-year existence.

“Our goal is to provide care to patients and do it promptly and do it right,’’ says Dr. Gupta. “That’s what drives us.”

According to Dr. Ketul Chauhan, MD, FACC, another one of the physicians at Premier Heart & Vascular, patients benefit from the ability to devote the substantial resources and knowledge available within the practice, where each doctor is a Board-certified cardiologist, with advanced training in diagnosing and treating cardiovascular disease, to provide needed treatment.

“We’re able to take care of them from seeing them and diagnosing them to consulting with them and fixing them with interventional procedures if needed,” Dr. Chauhan says. “That’s as comprehensive as it gets.”

Premier’s physicians specialize in interventional cardiology and among the non-invasive services provided to patients are diagnostic procedures like tilt-table, treadmill and pharmacological tests; as well as Couma-

din, pacemaker/defibrillator, and congestive heart failure (CHF) clinics. They also perform laser vein ablation, which treats varicose veins by sealing them.

Invasive procedures performed on an inpatient basis include angioplasty, which uses small balloons to open narrowed or blocked blood vessels, and implanting stents (small, mesh-like devices made of metal, which are placed inside of a coronary artery to support and keep it open to ensure adequate blood flow).

Premier’s cardiac surgeons also perform pacemaker implantation as well as heart valve repairs and replacements.

There are seven physicians who are part of the Premier Heart & Vascular team, treating patients at five clinics in the Tampa Bay area, from Carrollwood to Lakeland.

“Because of our reputation, we are able to attract good people to work for us — physicians, physician assistants and other staff members,” he says.

Premier Heart & Vascular Center’s Wesley Chapel office is currently located in the Summergate Professional Park at 27424 Cashford Cir., although the practice has a new office under construction on BBD. For more info, visit PremierHeartandVascular.com, call (813) 788-1400 or see the ad on pg. 4.

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Tint By Masters Gulf Coast Can Keep Your Home Safe & Sun-Free! window tinting is properly installed, you won’t even know it’s there.

By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneighborhoodnews.com In the early hours of Friday morning, Feb. 23, someone in a hazmat suit tried vigorously to break through the glass at the New Tampa Mosque on Morris Bridge Rd. to get inside and set the place on fire.

The arsonist was foiled. The window wouldn’t break.

When Ryan King heard the news that the windows could not be breached, he was thrilled.

“Those were our windows,’’ he says.

“They said it was shatter-proof glass on the news (on TV), but it wasn’t. It was our window film.”

King, who owns Tint by Masters Gulf Coast, has been servicing windows for 16 years, including hundreds of homes in New Tampa.

Not everyone requires the kind of security the mosque did, but that is just one application of the window film that Tint by Masters Gulf Coast provides.

More popular uses in residential areas, especially in bigger homes with big windows, are for decoration, heat control, UV protection and privacy. King also does decorative work, like specific designs or frosted glass for residential and commercial buildings.

King has been at his current location in the Nancy Plaza on Westshore Blvd. in South Tampa for six years, and before that he had locations in St. Petersburg and Orlando.

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Cooling Off

The right window film from Tint by Masters Gulf Coast can not only keep your AC bills down, it also can deflect glare from the sun, making your home’s view more pleasurable.

He says he was finishing his degree in 3D Animation from Seminole State College in Orlando when he started in the business, because it allowed him the flexibility he needed to fit in his coursework.

After doing a few internships, King says he decided to go into window film full-time, starting his company in 2002.

“It was good to me,’’ King says, “and I was good at it.”

As anyone who has tried to apply their own window film can attest, being good at it is no easy task and requires surgeon-like precision. Getting a film on your cell phone without any bubbles or lines can be tough enough, but large windows on the front or back of a home can be painstaking.

King, who carries a $2-million insurance policy on jobs, said that if the

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Car owners have been tinting their automobile’s windows for decades, both for the privacy and to protect the interior of their vehicles from the sun’s harsh rays.

Homeowners are following suit, for most of the same reasons.

With temperatures rising, and along with it the costs of keeping your home at a comfortable temperature, it is becoming imperative, especially in homes facing the sun, to invest in some form of sun protection.

While curtains, drapes and blinds are the most popular choices, King says window film is actually a better option.

“We can stop as much as 75 percent of the heat coming into somebody’s house,’’ says King, one of 50 or so authorized 3M Window Film dealers in the state. “We can stop 99.9 percent of the UV (ultra violet) rays coming through (the windows) as well.”

Many people buy their homes because of the view large the windows afford them. King says the proper window film allows them to take advantage of big windows by not having to cover them up.

Melissa Fernandez Bunch lives in a 112-year-old home in South Tampa.

With single-pane glass windows with no window coverings at all, “we were having trouble keeping the house cool.”

Her air conditioning repairman

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suggested window film, and to make his point, he used a device that took the temperature of the wall in their back room that faced the sun. It was 15 degrees warmer than the other walls in the room.

“He suggested solar film,’’ Bunch says. “Honestly, we were not sure it would make a huge difference, but we were willing to give it a shot. And it made tremendous difference. There is definitely a noticeable temperature change, for sure.”

King says there are numerous options for your window film, and it can be as dark as you want it, or as light, with the same reflective properties. Many window films can keep the sun out or reduce its glare without distorting your view of things on the other side of the window.

“Ours is 100-percent unnoticeable from the exterior,” Bunch says. “And they did such a good job applying it you can’t even see at the edge where it stops.”

Bunch wanted to keep her view through her windows open and clear, though others use curtains — namely the so-called “blackout” curtains in severe cases — which can do a good job of keeping the light out of a room.

The heat, however, is another issue.

“You take in the same amount of heat behind a blackout curtain,’’ King says.

“You get the same heat load behind the curtain, it’s still piling in, still seeping out the tops and the sides and bottom. It’s just not hitting you all at once.”

King says the cost savings on one’s electric bill can be significant. He says

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This window has film on it, meaning despite the sun hitting the couch, it will not cause the furniture to fade, nor will it make sitting on the couch hot and uncomfortable. some customers have been 5-7 degrees cooler after window film, and that typical payback on what you spent to have any window film products installed is 3-5 years. During the colder months, the window film also can help keep the heat in.

Depending on the size and number of windows you need protected, coverage can cost anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

A more comfortable temperature is just one reason people decide to use window films. Another is preventing sun damage, to your floors and furniture, and to yourself.

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“I just did a house last week where the person who moved had two huge oriental rugs, and when they moved out and the next guy moved in, you could see big huge rectangles where the rugs were,’’ King said.

“They didn’t face south, west or east, it was just north and it was just the sun bouncing off the water (and causing the fading on the floors). If you’re going to put in $10,000 worth of wood floors, you want to keep that floor from fading.”

Most people don’t even realize these effects are even happening, King says.

Same goes for the sun hitting the back of your neck when sitting on the couch.

In fact, it’s those people who King says become his customers.

“With the sun hitting you it’s like being at the beach,’’ King says. “You put sunscreen on when you’re sitting outside at the beach, but just because you’re cool (inside) doesn’t mean its not happening.”

Safety is another benefit of window film, although much of that business is commercial. King has done some community clubhouses in New Tampa with the same protective window film he installed at the New Tampa Mosque in December.

When the friend he worked on the mosque project with texted him that morning, King got a rare glimpse into the success of the film.

“It’s rare that it’s tested in that situation,’’ King says. “I’ve seen it work before, but you have to wonder how crazy somebody is to sit there and beat on it for hours on end. A typical criminal is going to be, ‘It didn’t break, it didn’t fall out, I’m moving on.”

King has a done a number of big and small jobs, including some he can’t even talk about.

He has done a number of downtown buildings, repaired and tinted windows in the traffic controller tower at Tampa International Airport, and recently completed a project putting in “one-way” mirror film at a rehabilitation resort.

Tint by Masters Gulf Coast (3648 S. Westshore Blvd.) serves customers across Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties and is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5p.m. For more info, call (813) 571-5750 or see the ad on page 34.

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Euro Pilates Has The Experience You Need To Get Stronger & Feel Better Safely clients start, they often stay for years. “Some clients become very dear friends.”

In fact, Maria says, a group of clients recently attended Maria’s daughter Ania’s graduation from USF together. Ania also is a trainer in the studio, who now holds a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Sports Science and works at Euro Pilates full time. “I have successfully cloned myself,” Maria laughs, saying that Ania’s training style is so much like hers that Euro Pilates clients can easily train with either one of them and not skip a beat.

Ania has worked at Euro Pilates for three years now. “I really enjoy it,” she says. “The people who come here are awesome. Plus, I like to travel and this job gives me a lot of freedom to do that. For example, I’m getting ready to get a yoga certification in India.”

By CELESTE MCLAUGHLIN

celeste@ntneighborhoodnews.com As a child growing up in Russia, Maria Ivanova was diagnosed with severe scoliosis (curvature of the spine). She persisted as a professional rhythmic gymnast anyway, but when she retired, she says she was in a lot of pain.

“I was looking for medications or anything to help me feel better,” Maria says.

Instead of finding a pill to cure her pain, she discovered Pilates, a form of exercise designed to improve physical strength and flexibility.

“Pilates made me feel so good,” she says.

“And, when you’re in pain, you just want to feel better.”

That was the beginning of a journey that led her to become a master trainer, certified in all levels of Stott Pilates — known as a contemporary approach to original Pilates with a rigorous and thorough education method — and to spend the rest of her life teaching and training others using Pilates. She has been a certified instructor for about 12 years now.

Maria is the owner of Euro Pilates, located in the Countyline Professional Center, just south and east of the corner of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and County Line Rd. (behind Walgreens). Maria moved to her current location in 2015, after being upstairs in the MidFlorida Credit Union building, also on BBD, since opening about 10 years ago.

New clients to Euro Pilates start with at least three one-on-one personal training sessions to become familiar with this unique system of exercise. Then, they can then choose to continue personal training, or try out the many classes offered. Many clients do a combination of both classes and individual training.

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Why Pilates?

Small class sizes and unique equipment are part of the experience at Euro Pilates in New Tampa that can help you safely build greater strength and flexibility.

“I’m here every day,” says Nicole Regush of Wesley Chapel. “Seven years ago, I had just had a baby and wanted to strengthen my muscles. I started doing private sessions three times a week and I just got addicted because I felt so good.”

Nicole adds, “It’s nice to have a combination of both independent and group training.

In a private session, you focus on your needs more, like if your hips are tight or your back

is bothering you that day. In groups, it keeps me motivated because I see others who are stronger than me, and we get to try so many different equipment options.”

That includes Pilates equipment called a Cadillac machine, reformer, chair, barrel, and more, all designed to help people strengthen and elongate muscles throughout their bodies.

Maria says Pilates lengthens the muscles so they look lean and strong. She says once

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Maria explains that, as she did, some people first turn to Pilates because they are in pain. “If someone has scoliosis or rotated hips, or has little pains here or there, or if they’ve had major surgery such as a hip replacement or back surgery, we are trained to help.”

She says she is not a physical therapist, but has similar knowledge, thanks to her Stott Pilates training. “Everything we do is good for you,” she says. “We explain why we do certain things, like to make certain muscles tighter, to align the body and provide muscle balance.”

Others find Pilates for general strength training and physical fitness. Maria says Pilates doesn’t just work the major, global muscles, but also local muscles. So, for example, in the leg, the quad muscle does all the work and your gluteus maximus (butt muscle) does none. Pilates “wakes up” that glute muscle and

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strengthens it. Maria says, “We pay attention to the smallest details of movement.”

Many women discover Pilates when they are pregnant and don’t want to lose muscle tone. Maria says she and the other instructors at Euro Pilates are trained to help clients who are pre- and post-partum. Sometimes people come to Maria when other gym routines don’t seem sustainable.

“Ladies — especially those over 40 — often find us because they don’t want to be flipping tires in a parking lot or they realize running may not be good for them, so they want smart strength training. It’s not always working harder that gets results. Sometimes, it’s about working smarter.”

Maria says that’s what her extensive training in Pilates allows her to teach. For example, she says, there’s no need to push through pain in your lower back to make your back stronger.

“The stronger your abs are, the more you can elongate your back, so you really want to work on ab strength. People just don’t know that.”

Connie Bainbridge, a New Tampa resident, found Euro Pilates nine years ago when she and her husband and were looking to get into better physical shape. “We both had previously had cancer and heard that Pilates was good for rehabilitation and strengthening,” she says. “We came in and tried it and it was the perfect exercise for both of us. It was strengthening, but it wasn’t as intense as a boot camp.”

Connie, who is now 60, reports she is in much better shape now physically than she was when she started. “The classes are small and you get personal attention,” she says. “It’s very motivating. The instructors know exactly what you can do, so they train you at your level to get you to a higher level.”

She says she’s been going to Euro Pilates three times a week for nine years, doing both personal training and group classes, and says,

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had three children in six years, so it’s been a whirlwind in our personal lives,” he says. Now that he’s back doing Pilates again, along with bicycling, running and spending time on a motorcycle, he says, “Pilates ties my fitness program together. To be honest, I felt like it was a missing link I had.”

Chad says the workouts are a good fit for him. “I have three kids and a wife and a professional career, and — like most people — my time is precious,” he says. “I can get in and get out and have someone looking out for me making sure I’m doing everything correctly, so I’m not going to put myself in a position where I’m going to get an injury.”

Give It A Try...

Maria Ivanova and her daughter Ania are two of the certified Pilates trainers you’ll find at Euro Pilates, located just south of County Line Rd. in New Tampa. who now lives outside of Wesley Chapel. unlike other people she knows who train at “Doing what I do on a motorcycle,” other gyms, she’s never had an injury from Chad says, “you need to be fit and strong, working out at Euro Pilates.

“It’s a fun exercise,” says Connie. “In the and also need to be flexible. Working with Maria gives me that combination of strength past when I’ve quit going to gyms it’s been and flexibility. With her past experience as an because I’ve been bored, but I’ve never been bored here. Plus, I have no aches and pains, no athlete, she understands the recovery days and the hard days.” medications, and I feel I’m in better physical He says he first discovered Euro Pilates in shape than many people my age.”

2010, when he and his wife were living in New Tampa. “I really didn’t know or understand Professional Athletes, Too what Pilates was,” Chad says. “I had a vision of Even professional athletes come to yoga, but it’s different and really challenging.”

Euro Pilates to strengthen their core. Chad He recently started working out with Reed is an international motocross and supercross champion, originally from Australia, Maria again after a hiatus. “My wife and I have

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There’s no membership fee at Euro Pilates. Clients pay per class or purchase a package of classes. Classes are small, with a maximum of five students in classes with equipment and a maximum of eight with no equipment.

“Because we know everyone and how they are feeling,” says Maria, “we are attentive to their needs in a way that’s not possible in a larger group.”

Beyond Pilates, there are other classes that use Pilates techniques for a different type of workout, such as Barre or Yoga-Lates, a relaxing combination of yoga and Pilates, set to soothing music, that is offered on Sunday mornings.

Maria also teaches Kizomba classes, a smooth, sensual dance that originated in Angola. Maria was the first Kizomba teacher in Florida, and is known as “Kizomba Chick,” traveling the country teaching and organizing Kizomba festivals.

For more info, visit the studio at 20743 Center Oak Dr. in Tampa or at www.Euro-Pilates.com, call (813) 7564000, or see the ad on pg. 15 of this issue.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 13 • June 16, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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Still Feeling Pain Despite Your Best Efforts? Visit A Healing Arts Center!

By BRAD STAGER

Crossing the threshold of A Healing Arts Center’s door in the New Tampa Professional Park at the corner of Regents Park Dr. and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in Pebble Creek transports a visitor from the busy and stressful realm of daily living into Kim-Marie Patey’s calm oasis of natural healing and wellness.

The beneficial effects begin upon entering the lobby, where the refreshing fragrance of Aroma Land essential oils, such as the pine needle, citrus and patchouli-infused Buddha Blend, mix with gentle harp and flute background music.

The soothing ambiance is just one part of creating a healthy experience, combined with Patey’s certified skills as a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) and acupuncturist who heals through acupuncture, vacuum cupping therapy (using suction cups to stimulate blood flow and relax muscles), massage and nutritional coaching Patey is a member of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) and Florida State Oriental Medicine Association (FSOMA). She also is certified in injection therapy for pain relief and aesthetics. For example, homeopathic injection therapy involves administering substances derived from botanical, animal and mineral sources via injection into the skin as a means of relieving pain or improving health function.

Patey says the majority of her patients are seeking pain relief, but many are also seeking relief of digestive issues and stress.

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Kim-Marie Patey (left) and Janine Petrossian of A Healing Arts Center off Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Pebble Creek.

Acupuncture is a technique derived from traditional Chinese medicine practices in which trained acupuncturists stimulate specific points on the body by inserting thin, single-use, sterile needles into the skin. Because the needles are extremely thin and are not deeply inserted, treatments are considered noninvasive and are generally pain-free. Acupuncture is used to help treat pain, sedate the nervous system, relax muscles and stimulate both blood flow and the body’s lymphatic system.

“It’s truly a mind and body-balanced approach to healing,” says Patey, who has

been treating patients for 20 years, 16 at a Carrollwood location and the last four years in New Tampa.

It’s a prescription that works for Danielle Barone, a U.S. Air Force veteran who uses the Veterans Administration (VA)’s Choice program to access authorized healthcare professionals like Patey, who are outside of the VA’s medical system. Barone says she sought relief from physical pain as well as stress at A Healing Arts Center after treatment with medications proved ineffective.

“I decided I wanted to try acupuncture,’’ Barone says. “After my first meeting

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and treatment with Kim-Marie, I was put at ease with her professionalism and knowledge. She provides a tremendous level of guidance and insight as a part of her treatment that is absolutely priceless and helps me achieve a spiritual and physical balance that is vital for my well-being.”

Patey says many of her patients try acupuncture after other treatments and therapies don’t deliver relief from pain and discomfort or promote better health.

“People come here as a last resort, after everything else they’ve tried has failed and ask, ‘Can you give me a miracle?,’” Patey says. “It needs to be a primary choice.”

Janine Petrossian was originally a patient of A Healing Arts before becoming its office manager and now witnesses the benefits other people experience on a daily basis.

“Everybody that walks out of this office feels better than when they walked in,” says Petrossian.

Other Unique Treatments

Patey has even more healing techniques at her disposal to treat patients.

She says cold laser therapy, using red and infrared light, is intended to assist in the treatment of inflammation and pain, and helps improve skin health by stimulating cell structures like mitochondria, which generate fuel for the cell.

Tuning fork therapy (far right photo on next page) combines sound, vibration and touch by using vibrating tuning forks of various sizes which produce different audio tones to the ear and levels of stimulation to

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“Naturopaths and D.O.s (Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine) were using a lot of the natural, homeopathic nutraceuticals, and herbal medicines,” Patey says, adding that wellness is best achieved by combining more than one method.

“Healing is available in many forms,” she says. “You’ll get better results when you integrate modalities, such as when you incorporate massage with acupuncture.”

Working in the field of natural wellness provides a lot of opportunities to explore related technologies and techniques, but Patey says there is a lot of power to heal within each person. “Live in the moment and take a deep breath,’’ she says. “Pay attention to your thought patterns and express joy as often as you can.”

A Healing Arts Center also offers a

the body when applied to the skin surface.

Patey says the therapeutic intent is similar to acupuncture’s.

A common element to each of the therapies is bringing the body’s structures and systems into a state of harmony so they all function optimally. This is most developed with acupuncture, which is based on the ancient Chinese medicine principle of promoting the free flow of the body’s vital energy, or “Qi” (pronounced “chee”).

Patey says that when your Qi is not flowing freely, nutrients are not delivered to vital organs and toxins are not disposed

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variety of products to help support your wellness on a daily basis. There are teas ranging from relaxing chamomile to energizing green tea, a complete line of natural skincare products, books on a variety of wellness topics and the aforementioned essential oils.

Insurance coverage of services at A Healing Arts Center through Workers Compensation and as-an-out of network PPO provider is available. The center does not have a formal contract relationship with any insurance providers.

For more information or to begin your journey to wellness at A Healing Arts Center, located at 8903 Regents Park Dr., Suite 130, visit AHealingArts. com, call (813) 960-8833 or see the ad on page 50 of this issue.

of properly. It is thought that these impediments within the body create discomfort, such as headaches, allergies, neck and back pain, as well as digestive problems. The skillful use of acupuncture and analogous therapies can help alleviate blockages by directing blood and energy flow to the affected areas.

“Acupuncture (photo above) literally resets your body so it can function more energetically,” says Patey, who lives in the Grand Oaks community off Wesley Chapel Blvd. “The teachings (of acupuncture) also are about the spirit and the emotional part of our body. Every organ has an emotional association. It’s a well-rounded approach to healing.”

While holistic healing has roots extending deeply into past ages, Patey says modern medicine often borrows from the canons of alternative medicine.

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Play A Key Part Of Learning At Panda Hugs Child Care Learning Center!

By CELESTE MCLAUGHLIN celeste@ntneighborhoodnews.com At Panda Hugs Child Care Learning Center — located on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. just south of Tampa Palms — kids ages six weeks through preschool learn through play.

They play in their classes.

They play in the school’s music and movement room — where their teachers lead all students older than age one in activities such as singing, dancing, walking on a balance beam and playing with hula hoops.

They also play on the school’s outdoor playground.

And, they play each day in “Rainbow World,” a fun, colorful room designed to look like a small town. There are “shops” and a “theatre” where kids play dress up and put on puppet shows. Plus, they can climb up to the “second story” and peek out of windows, then slide down a big slide into a ball pit.

Don’t tell the kids this but — through all that play — they’re learning.

“The most important thing we emphasize is that children learn through playing,” says the school’s director, Elsa Espinosa. “We provide an introduction to language, writing, math, the alphabet, phonics and reading.”

Elsa also notes that the young students learn in small groups through centers.

“We make it fun,” she says, “because the interaction with what they’re learning is the most important part.”

Panda Hugs has been family owned and serving the children of New Tampa since 1997,

by Sue Anne Allbaugh, who serves as the center’s educational director, and Sue Ann’s

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“There, it was of a lot of paperwork. daughter and son-in-law, Here, our focus is more on working Andrea and Tom Driscoll. with kids, parents and teachers.”

The learning center At Panda Hugs, the classoffers full-time childcare for rooms are large and roomy, infants (ages six weeks and and filled with toys for fun and older) to age five, Voluntary learning. There are big windows Pre-Kindergarten (VPK), plus from the halls looking into the after-school programs and classrooms, so parents can easily summer camps for elementawatch what’s happening. Panda ry-aged students (registration Hugs has an open-door policy, is now open for camps that where parents and caregivers are continue to run from now encouraged to stop in anytime to through August 9). see what their kids are learning, The school’s curriculum and the learning center’s owners is a “blend” of programs say they welcome the inevitable created by the Kaplan Early comments, questions and even Learning Company and a curcomplaints that arise. riculum created and developed Laurel is a New Tampa mom personally by Sue Anne, who whose 18-month-old daughter, Ella, oversees how the curricubegan full-time care at Panda Hugs lum is implemented in each about six months ago. The family classroom. had just moved to the area from out Sue Anne says that of the country and toured several she spent 35 years teaching child care facilities near their home. kindergarten, first and second “We really appreciated the grade in New Jersey, New warmth we saw,” says Laurel. “It York, Texas and Ohio. She seemed like all of the kids were holds a Master’s degree in hugging all the teachers when we Education from Stony Brook saw them, and we liked seeing that University in Stony Brook, NY, and a Bachelor’s degree Elsa Espinosa is the director at Panda Hugs Child Care Learning Center, located on relationship.”

She says the warmth she saw in Education from Bowling Bruce B. Downs Blvd., just south of Tampa Palms. on her initial tour has definitely imGreen State University in pacted her daughter’s experience.

Before joining the learning center 17 Bowling Green, OH. “Ella had never been in daycare before, years ago, Elsa was the director of a preschool Sue Ann, Tom and Andrea point to the and she was reluctant and had a hard time with in Miami that was part of a large corporation longevity of many of the school’s teachers as the transition,” says Laurel. “It was hard on all an example of what makes Panda Hugs special. — unlike Panda Hugs, which is independent, of us. But, after a while, she developed a strong Of the school’s 20 employees, six have worked and not part of a chain.

“Here, it feels more like home,” Elsa says. bond with her teacher, Miss Maggie.” there for more than 15 years, including Elsa.

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Laurel says that Ella now loves to come to her class, and she, “almost throws herself into Miss Maggie’s arms, which makes me feel very comfortable.”

Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten

Panda Hugs also is a provider for the State of Florida’s free voluntary pre-kindergarten program, known as VPK. If your child will be four years old by September 1, he or she may be able to attend Panda Hugs at no cost to you, beginning with the new school year, which starts Friday, August 11.

At Panda Hugs, VPK is offered five days a week (9 a.m.–noon), or three days a week (Monday, Wednesday, & Friday), 8 a.m.-3 p.m.. There is no cost to parents for the parttime VPK program, and parents have the option to choose extended care so their children can attend Panda Hugs full-time.

Elsa says that in VPK, teachers are focused on preparing kids for kindergarten. Plus, Panda Hugs offers extras parents might not expect.

“We teach sign language and also implement Spanish into the curriculum,” says Elsa.

It’s a natural fit, she explains, since each classroom has one teacher who is Latin American.

This diversity is reflected in the school’s students, too. “Our kids are very multicultural,” she says. “We are close to USF and have kids who are Asian, Arabic and Latin.”

Safety and security measures are a priority, such as the fact that kids can’t open the front door, because the door will not open unless the person trying to open it is a certain height.

After-School Care, Too!

Panda Hugs also offers after-school care for elementary school-aged kids, offering transportation from five local elementary schools: Chiles, Clark, Hunter’s Green,

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Pride and Tampa Palms elementaries, Kids in kindergarten through fifth grade are picked up at their respective schools at the end of the day and arrive at Panda Hugs around 3 p.m. Their afternoons include homework, arts & crafts, a snack, and time outside on the playground.

Summer Camp Still Available

For any parent looking for fun, full-time care for their children over the summer — whether for the entire rest of the summer or a few weeks here and there — Panda Hugs offers a unique summer camp program.

Kids who have completed kindergarten through fifth grade can participate in fun and engaging programs while on summer break from school. This summer, activities are centered around the theme, “Let’s Move It!” The price of summer camp includes all field trips — three or four each week — to favorite places such as MOSI, Gator Fred’s Party Center on Ehrlich Rd, the movies, Hillsborough River State Park, roller skating, bowling, local splash pads and more.

Panda Hugs offers a flexible enrollment option, which means parents do not have to enroll for the entire summer, but can choose which weeks their children will attend. For a coupon for $100 off (after your fourth week of summer camp), see the Panda Hugs ad on page 36 of this issue.

A separate coupon also is available for a free week of tuition (after four weeks) for anyone enrolling in infant, toddler, or preschool care.

Panda Hugs Child Care Learning Center is located at 15051 BBD Blvd. It is open Mon.–Fri., 6:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. For more information, visit PandaHugs.com, call (813) 977-8195 or see the ad on pg. 36.

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Benito Teacher Helps Kids & Parents Learn About Autism With Kookabuk

By CELESTE MCLAUGHLIN celeste@ntneighborhoodnews.com

At Benito Middle School, he’s known as Coach Howard, the boys’ basketball coach.

He’s also the school’s resource teacher, taking care of computers and networking and setting up technology labs.

Kevin Howard also is now a published author, using his experiences as the parent of a child with autism, to help other people.

“My 15-year-old son, Seth, was diagnosed with autism before this third birthday,” explains Kevin. “At that time, a therapist suggested we create social stories to help him.”

Kevin — who lives in Cory Lake Isles with his wife, Christina, Seth, and Seth’s younger brother, Joey — explains that the social stories would introduce Seth to typical life situations that could be intimidating for a kid who is autistic. The first book Kevin wrote for his son, for example, was about having his blood drawn.

“We got pictures off the internet to make this book, and looked at the story over and over again,” he says. “We practiced having our blood drawn together with fake needles. So, when Seth went to have his blood drawn, we had no issues.”

He says it became a valuable tool in his household, so he began writing more stories for Seth, such as about going to the grocery store or the amusement park.

When the family was getting ready for a trip to visit family in New York, Kevin began working on a new social story. He collected pictures of all the things they would do — from packing to sitting on the plane — to the places they were going to go, including his fa-

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going on an adventure,” when referencing the family’s trip to New York, Kevin says it was, “like a light bulb went off. It reminded me of my adventures with Kookabuk, and that’s when the creative juices started to flow.”

He partnered with his brother, Jesse, who lives in New York and is a special education teacher, teaching elementary and pre-kindergarten kids who have a variety of exceptionalities, including autism.

The two worked together to develop stories Benito Middle School teacher and basketball coach Kevin Howard, shown with that would help families.

They have self-published his wife Christina and their sons Joey and Seth, has written a book to help the first story in the sefamilies with autistic children. ries, called Kookabuk ther’s house. After reading the story over and Shares His Shovel, and over again, Kevin says, “We went to New York have several more stories written and planned several times before we ever left (Florida).” for future publication.

In the process of writing that book, Kevin “I just love the name,” says Kevin. “I can was reminded of his favorite childhood toy, a see the smile on your face when I say it. I want stuffed monkey named Kookabuk.

Kookabuk to help other children the way he “Kookabuk was given to me when I was helped me.” a little boy and had an extended stay in the The series has been thoughtfully develhospital,” Kevin says. “He took me on so oped with characters who are inspired by real many adventures. We played, we raced cars, life. Kookabuk — or “Kooky,” as Kevin calls we went on safaris, we had a band… all these him – is the character in the book who is on adventures to occupy my time while I was in the autism spectrum. And, he says Kooky’s the hospital.” friend, Emily, was inspired by someone in real So, when he happened to Seth, “You’re life, too. “Emily was the first little girl who

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became friends with my son,” although both Kooky and Emily are monkeys in the book.

About the character Emily, Kevin says, “She is the model for every typical child when it comes to awareness, acceptance and understanding,” says Kevin, “We want typical kids to see the model of Emily, where we’re showing them how they can have a rewarding relationship with a child with special needs.”

Kevin’s pet macaw, Trevor, appears in the series, too. Trevor became part of the Howard family 20 years ago when Christine convinced Kevin to adopt Trevor. In the book, Trevor shows up whenever the characters are using a strategy that can be helpful to parents and caregivers of children with autism.

“We call it our ‘Best of Help’ tips,” says Kevin. He explains that whenever a specific strategy is being used that parents, teachers and caregivers can emulate, a picture of Trevor indicates to go to the back of the book to learn about the strategy and how to use it.

The tips come from Jesse’s expertise as a special needs educator and what Kevin has learned as the parent of a child with autism.

“We tried to make these tips the things that are going to help you on a daily basis,” Kevin says. “It’s what’s going to help with my kid having a meltdown right now.”

He says the books can be enjoyed by children — both those with special needs and those who are typical — either together with their parents or on their own.

“The response has been very positive,” says Kevin, saying Kookabuk Shares His Shovel has received great reviews, and was recently chosen by the University of South Florida faculty as its “Book of the Month.”

In April, to celebrate Autism Awareness

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Month, Kevin worked with the Youth Basketball League of Florida to put on an event called, “It’s Kool to be Kooky.”

He says the event brought in a lot of sponsorships — including from the Miami Heat and AND1 basketball footwear and clothing company.

The event raised $1,301, which was donated to Focus Academy, a Hillsborough County magnet school for students with special needs, where Seth currently attends.

Kookabuk Shares His Shovel is currently available at Amazon.com. For more info about Kookabuk, please visit Kookabuk.com.

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Wharton’s Drew Ehrhard Wins Saladino Award As County’s Best Baseball Player

By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneighborhoodnews.com Rodney Ehrhard was supposed to talk about how proud he was of his son. How it had been great teaching young Drew how to play the game of baseball. How terrific his son’s senior season had been, and about how special it was to see him chosen as Hillsborough County’s best baseball player.

But he couldn’t. Not yet.

Overcome with emotion, Rodney could only stick a napkin in his eyes and walk outside to compose himself.

It was an emotional ceremony in the living room of Tony Saladino, the patriarch of one of Hillsborough County’s most prominent baseball families and the namesake of a popular spring break baseball tournament, as the 80-year-old host awarded Wharton High’s Drew Ehrhard the 47th Saladino Award, presented each year to the top high school senior baseball player in the county.

Drew led the Wildcats in hits (35), average (.422), RBI (24), doubles (9) and homeruns (4) this season, helping Wharton to a Class 8A, District 4 district title, two thrilling come-from-behind playoff wins and a spot in the Regional championship, where his team lost 2-0 to the eventual state champions from Tallahassee Lincoln High.

He became the first player in Wharton’s 20-year existence to ever win the prestigious award, which is voted on by the county’s coaches, and said he was shocked to win it.

“I didn’t think I would win it, to be honest,’’ Drew said. “I had always hoped I would, but I knew there was some good competition.”

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Saladino Award winner Drew Ehrhard (with trophy), is joined by ((l. to r.) Wharton assistant coach Joey Wardlow, his mom Shannon, his brother Zack, dad Rodney, Wharton head coach Scott Hoffman, Tony Saladino and Wharton assistant coach Wade Boggs.

He joins an impressive list of past winners Some Hall Of Fame Help of the award, including past major leaguers One major leaguer who played in Hillslike Mike Heath (Hillsborough, 1973), Dave borough County but never won the award, Magadan (Jesuit, 1980), Tino Martinez (Jef- former Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Devil ferson, 1985), Gary Sheffield (Hillsborough, Rays third baseman and Hall of Famer Wade 1986), as well as current Houston Astros Boggs, played a big hand in helping Drew pitcher Lance McCullers (Jesuit, 2012) and win it this year.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Tyler Danish (DuAn assistant baseball coach at Wharrant, 2013). ton the past 17 years, Boggs — who teased “I’ve looked at the list, and it’s unbeliev- Saladino about getting passed over for the able to be a part of that crowd,’’ Drew said. “I award in favor of Brandon’s Sammy Spenhave no words for it.” ce in 1976 — said he remembers hitting ground ball after ground ball to Drew his freshman year as the youngster was converting from second base to shortstop.

Despite being undersized and having to adapt to making a longer throw to first base, Drew made the transition seamlessly and ended up, rather remarkably, playing every inning of every game in his high school career.

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog,’’ Boggs said, proudly.

Boggs, along with head coach Scott Hoffman, also helped get Drew to the Saladino home in Brandon while keeping the award a surprise.

“He told me some story about how there were some reporters down from Boston for coach Boggs, and we had to go to dinner to meet them,’’ Drew said.

The coaches managed to get Drew

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into Saladino’s home, even though he had to step over a Saladino Tournament doormat to enter — “I didn’t even see it,’’ Drew laughed — before it finally dawned on him that he, and not Boggs, was the evening’s actual guest of honor.

“I was kind of confused when I got inside,’’ Drew said. “I had always heard stories about being in Coach Saladino’s house and seeing all the memorabilia on the wall...I was like, ‘whose house am I in?” Then I realized, oh, this makes sense now.”

Drew found a large crowd waiting for him, including his brother Zack, who will be a freshman at Wharton next year, his parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and baseball coaches.

While Boggs compared Drew to current Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, others see a more apt comparison to Rodney, who was a high school standout as an outfielder at Plant City High who was drafted as a catcher and went on to play in the New York Yankees minor league system, making it as far as Double-A. At Plant City, many considered Rodney Ehrhard the best player on a team that included future major league pitcher Kenny Rogers. Rodney went on to star at the University of Tampa, and was inducted into the Spartan Hall of Fame last year.

When it came to playing ball, Drew also chose the Spartans. Like father, like son.

“I hear his family make that comparison a lot,’’ said Shannon, Drew’s mother.

“Both of them hit well, they always started and they always worked hard,’’ said Rodney’s father, George. “I followed Rodney around when he was at Tampa, and I’ve got some more following around to do now with Drew.”

His napkin gripped tightly in his right hand, Rodney finally spoke proudly of Drew, who was given a stuffed baseball and bat when he was only three years old.

He never put them down, his parents say.

Soft stuffing gave way to cowhide and aluminum, but Drew’s grip, his father said, never wavered. He watched his son grow into the player he is today, relying more on hard work and determination than on God-given ability, as the two spent countless hours sharing their passion.

“He’s always been smaller than everybody, but he’s always been really good,’’ Rodney said. “But, he made up for that in hard work. He never stopped trying to get better.”

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New Tampa’s Brian Lee Nearly Goes Out A State Champion

By JARRETT GUTHRIE Oftentimes an athlete’s competitive days end in a whimper, a slow spiral downward until he or she is forced from the field. Other times, they can end in a snap, a break, or a fluke injury. And still, there are times for a lucky few where an athlete gets to pick his spot and go out on his or her own terms.

New Tampa resident and King High senior pitcher Brian Lee made the most of his moment, capping a stellar senior baseball campaign with four straight, complete-game, postseason wins as he lifted the Lions baseball team into the Florida High School Athletics Association Class 7A State championship game.

The final moment on the field for Lee, a Tampa Palms resident who grew up playing in the New Tampa Little League and with the New Tampa Predators travel team, included a pair of seventh-inning strikeouts as the Lions won 3-1 on May 31 in the state semifinal. A large group of King supporters chanted his name as he walked off the field.

“I never imagined something like that would ever happen,” said Lee, who finished with a 11-3 record and sterling 1.00 ERA this season. “It’s kind of overwhelming to have all those people come to Fort Myers to watch you. It was really special.”

“It’s as a good a performance I’ve seen in my 42 years,” King High veteran coach Jim Macaluso said, “and I’m not saying just in King High School … I’ve never seen anyone in the county, around the state, that threw the pressure games he threw, and won.”

Unfortunately, King just didn’t have

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enough to finish the 2017 campaign with a championship, falling to Ponte Vedra Nease 11-0 the following evening.

Lee had a stellar career at King, winning 25 games in 43 appearances as a pitcher. Despite a average junior year, Lee showed signs in the offseason of having a breakout year.

“Brian had experience as a senior because he started in our rotation as a freshman,” Macaluso said, “but he kind of leveled off a little bit there through his junior year. Then, we saw something in the fall. You could see that bulldog in his face, you could see it in his eye, you could just see the type of competitor he had matured into.”

Lee said this was due to a reduced travel baseball schedule, which he said began to tire him out in his previous high school seasons.

After his junior year, Lee said he focused on a weight-training regimen and eliminated the added wear on his throwing arm.

“I think it just all clicked for him that he just wanted to dominate,” Macaluso said.

Lee, who opted to attend King for its International Baccalaureate (IB) program, was a member of the National Honor Society and a number of service clubs. He said that when he started seriously looking at colleges in his junior year, baseball at the college level wasn’t an option.

By the time baseball had crept back into the college picture, he had already fallen in love with the business program at Boston University – a school without competitive baseball.

So, he knew his senior year would be his last. “It was a thought, but when I was looking for colleges I kept baseball separate from

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it,” Lee said. “By the time I realized I could maybe think about baseball in college, I’d already found the school for me.”

At just 5-foot-10, Lee doesn’t have an intimidating mound presence and there is no fireball coming from the lefty’s arm. What he did have was a variety of deceptive arm angles, some good movement on his off-speed pitches, a funky delivery that often saw his follow-through end with his head mere inches from the ground, an intelligence for the game, and most important to Macaluso, a determination that grew throughout his senior season.

“If you are going to throw a complete-game you are usually going to have an inning you have Brian Lee pitched complete game wins in four straight playoff games to lead to (fight) through when King to the Class 7A state championship game. /Photo courtesy of Jarett since the school opened in 1960, and its the other team goes on a run,” Macaluso said. “We saw it go first and first-ever appearance in the final. Although second, no outs and you’d see him take a mo- it ended just shy of a championship, Lee said ment. You could see it. You could feel it. He’d his final season will be something he will alstep behind the rubber and just say, ‘No, I’m ways remember.

“Yes, I’d have liked it to end a different gonna get through this.’”

That determination helped King reach way,” Lee said. “But, that’s baseball … and I’ll the state semifinals for just the fourth time remember this team the rest of my life.”

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Wesley Chapel Rotary’s 2nd Duck Derby Rocks Out In Land O’Lakes!

By GARY NAGER

Even though I’m no longer a member of the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Noon — which now meets Wednesdays at noon at Lexington Oaks Golf Club — I have a lot of wonderful friends I love in the club and, well, you long-time readers know how much I enjoy a great event.

And, the WC Rotary Club’s second annual Duck Derby is one event that truly had it all — family-oriented fun, a classic car show, a free Kids Zone with games, activities and inflatables, an amazing, rocking band and some outstanding prizes, all to benefit the charities the club supports. One of those charities is the Pasco Sheriff’s K-9 Association, which received a check for $1,500 — enough to fund a Kevlar vest for one of the Sheriff’s Office’s growing corps of K-9 officers, one of which was on-hand doing demonstrations at the event.

Event chair Jodie Sullivan said she was hoping for a little better turnout than the 150-200 people estimated to have braved the 90º heat and extreme humidity behind the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge off U.S. 41 in Land O’Lakes, but the event itself could not have been any better and still netted nearly $6,000. And, that total includes the donation to the K-9 Assn., as well as the $1,000 Grand Prize won by the club’s Sgt.at-Arms Gilbert Bennett, when incoming club president Chris Casella tossed

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the first of hundreds of small, rubber ducks to cross the funnelled finish line, powered by Pasco Fire Rescue personnel spraying them with a fire hose.

The ducks “battled” for prizes for their owners — who paid a donation of anywhere from $3-$5 per duck in an effort to win a variety of great prizes, from the $1,000 top prize, to a two-night stay at Saddlebrook Resort to gift certificates to area restaurants and more.

This year’s Duck Derby also featured an “Ugly Duckling” race, where larger rubber ducks from at least 20 area businesses (including this one) were colorfully decorated. Judges (mistakenly, in my opinion) awarded the Most Original Duck title to Al-

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len Collins Realty and the Duck that Best Represented its Business to David Alvarez of DCA Media Consulting, who took some of the photos on these pages.

The Ugly Ducklings also had a race, which was won by the selfpowered ducks on speedboats

from Lakeside Heating, Cooling & Plumbing and Cash 4 Gold of Wesley Chapel.

All in all, it was another outstanding event and a great job by Sullivan, her committee and the entire club.

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Las Palmas Café Is A Lot More Than Just Great, Authentic Cuban Cuisine!

W

By GARY NAGER

HEN THE husband-andwife team of Chef Ramses and Ana Garcia took over Las Palmas Café in the Pebble Creek Collection four years ago this month, the restaurant was already a popular little place that not enough people outside of Pebble Creek knew about.

Today, in addition to revamping the interior, Ramses says he “changed literally everything on the menu” to make the Cuban dishes more authentic. And, using his training from places he worked for in his hometown of Miami, he has slowly added many other menu items, some of which are not traditionally Cuban, although everything we’ve sampled on Las Palmas’ extensive (but never expensive) menu has been delicious.

In fact, there are so many great items available at this still-hidden gem that I didn’t have room for a pic of what has always been my favorite dish at Las Palmas — the merluza a la Rusa, or flaky, breaded white fish with a unique topping of hard boiled eggs, pimiento and parsley.

Instead, I did include a pic of Ramses’ equally delicious (and less fattening) grilled fish, with a side of yellow rice, and his grilled chicken with a side of homemade fried plantains.

I’m all about trying new things, so I told Ramses to make some of his favorite dishes for us to sample at the Neighbor-

hood News, and he didn’t disappoint.

First up was a fried yuca appetizer, served with a delicious cilantro lime dipping sauce. I don’t always love the consistency of yuca, but Ramses no doubt knows how to make it crisp, tender and very tasty.

Ramses’ award-winning “historic” Cuban sandwich also didn’t make it onto these two pages, in part because his fullpage ad on page 41 has such a gorgeous picture of it, but also because he wanted me to try his equally tasty Cuban club sandwich, which includes ham, turkey, bacon and Swiss cheese, with lettuce, tomato and mayo pressed on perfect Cuban bread.

“Our traditional Cuban incudes our famous roast pork, ham and Swiss, with mustard, mayo and pickles pressed on Cuban bread,” Ramses says. “We entered the Cuban Sandwich Festival for the first time in April (as reported last issue) and we were proud to win, but not surprised.

We sold more than 1,000 mini-Cubans in the two days of the festival. By the time they announced that we had won (on Sun.), we were already almost sold out.”

Other traditional Cuban cuisine Ramses made sure we tried were the Havana Trio — ropa vieja (shredded beef), roast pork (lechon) and picadillo (ground beef with olives and veggies in tomato sauce), and Ramses’ must-try braised ox tail.

I told Ramses that I had only ever

Shrimp in Garlic Sauce w/Tostones

Cuban Club Samdwich

Fried Yucca Appetizer

had ox tail at Jamaican restaurants, and usually, it was in a soup, which I didn’t love. But, his ox tail is in big pieces, on the bone like a veal or pork shank, in a dark, savory sauce.

“We only make ox tail on Thursday,” Ramses said on my recent Thursday visit.

“But, we braise it for six hours and have regulars who come in every week for it.”

And, as if on cue, in stepped Bob, a Pebble Creek resident whose first words were, “Where’s the grumpy guy? I’m here for my ox tail.”

Other new and old favorites of mine at Las Palmas include the grilled flank steak with chimichurri sauce, the breaded steak milanese with marinara sauce and Italian cheese, the “masitas” (pork chunks) and tender, grilled pork chops.

One item I couldn’t try that everyone else in our office raved about is the featured picture at the top of this page — shrimp in garlic sauce, served with a side of homemade tostones (large and not sweet fried green plantains). If you’re not allergic to shrimp, I definitely suggest dipping Ramses’ perfect Cuban bread in the sauce.

Other popular appetizers include ham, chicken or cheese croquettes, empanadas and pork tamales. Soups include black bean, chickpea and chicken tortilla.

Try the house and Las Palmas salads (the creamy herbal dressing is addictive), too.

Other favorites on the menu include 42

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the chicken and yellow rice, the CubanCreole shrimp stew, the “vaca frita” (crispy beef), the Cuban rafters (merluza topped with shrimp), Ramses’ steak sandwich (unbreaded palomillo steak topped with sautéed onions and shoestring potatoes) and the fried fish sandwich.

Daily Lunch Specials & More!

Even though all of the entrées on the menu are only $8.99-$14.99, many of the previously mentioned favorites (including picadillo, ropa vieja, pork chops and more) are available as lunch specials (with white or yellow rice and a side item) for only $7.99-$8.99 for lunch.

There’s also a great kids menu, with all items $4.99 or less, an extensive catering menu and many homemade desserts, including flan, rice pudding, creme brulée, triple chocolate truffle cake and Ramses’ homemade tres leches dessert, which Bob says is, “the best I’ve had anywhere and I’ve had it all over the world. Do yourself a favor and try it for yourself!”

Las Palmas Café is located at 19651 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in the Pebble Creek Collection. It is open Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. on Saturday (closed Sunday). For more information, call (813) 907-1333, visit LasPalmasCafe.net, or see the ad on page 41 of this issue. And please, tell Ramses and Ana that we sent you! @NTWCNews

(Clockwise from top left): The Havana Trio, grilled fish, owner/chef Ramses Garcia, his favorite braised ox tail and grilled pork chops, all available at Las Palmas!

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

and managed by Valerie and Alex Pierroutsakos’ VALEX Inc. The Joint welcomes walk-ins and no insurance is needed because the prices are so amazing. New patients pay just $29 for their initial visit for a limited time (when it goes back up to $39), which includes a consultation, exam and a chiropractic adjustment with Dr. Leonard or Dr. Barnabas Bickerton, D.C. For more info, visit TheJoint.com, call (813) 995-7380 or see the ad on pg. 3.

The Cake Shop Opens!

The Chamber Stays Busy

If you think the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) is going to slow its roll anytime soon, guess again.

Since our last issue, the WCCC has hosted ribbon-cutting ceremonies on May 24 at the new Axiom Bank inside the Walmart on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and at the beautiful, new Holiday Inn Express & Suites Tampa North-Wesley Chapel (see below and photo on next page).

This month, the Chamber unveiled its new “Explore Wesley Chapel & New Tampa” video at its Monthly Business Breakfast at PHSC on June 6, held ribbon cuttings on June 5 at Mystic Oaks Dentistry (see photo on next page) and at The Joint Chiropractic in New Tampa (see below and photo above left); and

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will host another free Coffee Social at Buttermilk Provisions on BBD in Wesley Chapel on Tuesday, June 20, another Economic Development Briefing at the Pebble Creek Golf Club on Thursday, June 22, featuring representatives of the under-construction Lexus of Wesley Chapel and another Final Friday networking social, at The Brass Tap in the Shops at Wiregrass mall.

Please note that not all Chamber events are free, although most are open to the public. For info (including all start times for these events), call (813) 994-8534 or visit WesleyChapelChamber.com.

I also wanted to give a special shout-out to the folks at the new Holiday Inn Express, which hosted one of the best Grand Opening events I’ve attended, with delicious food from

Puff ‘n Stuff Catering and lots of great giveaways (I won two tickets to the Cobb 16 movie theater, where I saw “Wonder Woman,” and a $30 gift certificate to Texas Roadhouse, where I had an excellent NY strip), as well as tours of this beautiful, new hotel located adjacent to Florida Hospital Center Ice.

The Joint Opens!

Even though I had never been adjusted by a chiropractor before I visited the new The Joint Chiropractic, located in the space previously occupied by the Halftime Sports Lounge at 19014 BBD Blvd., in the Publixanchored New Tampa Center Plaza, I’m a true believer now.

The Joint New Tampa is owned by Dr. Edward Leonard, D.C.’s TJ Wesley Chapel PA

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 13 • June 16, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

Neighborhood News

Congratulations to my new friends Joe and Jana, the owners of The Cake Shop, which opened in May at 20327 BBD in the Live Oak Preserve area, next to Firestone Complete Auto Care.

The Cake Shop naturally has a European flair and feel, as the owners are from the eastern European country of Montenegro, and Jana’s incredible, different-each-day variety of truly gourmet cakes by the slice, square (like the moist, delicious chocolate ice cube in the photo above left) or the whole cake are beyond compare and made with the highest-quality ingredients.

There also are different-each-day, gourmet cupcakes, gluten-free and egg-free cakes and desserts, plus sandwiches, salads, Lavazza coffee and you should also ask about their awesome custom cakes for special occasions.

You really have to see it to understand

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purchase any three items at The Gift Box and the third item will be 30-percent off.

Come join the fun! Sips and Snacks will be served while you shop!

For more info, call (813) 284-5986, check out The Gift Box on Facebook, Yelp and Instagram or see the ad on pg. 50.

(Left; photo by OurTownFLA.com) Sales Openings & Closings manager Sherell Hill of the new Holiday In New Tampa There’s been a lot of Inn Express welcomes WCCC members to the hotel’s Grand Opening on May 24. businesses opening and closing it, so please tell Joe and Jana that you saw them in the Neighborhood News, whether you stop in, call (813) 991-8513 or check them out on Facebook or Instagram @TheCakeShopTampa, or see the ad on pg. 43!

Irish 31 & Noble Crust Still On The Way, But...

It seems like new dining options are opening near the Tampa Premium Outlets (TPO) almost every day (e.g., signs for the previously announced Wendy’s and Taco Bell have recently gone up across the street from TPO), but the restaurant question the most people ask me is “Are Noble Crust and Irish 31 still coming to the Shops at Wiregrass?”

The answer is a resounding “yes,” but neither restaurant looks like it will be ready to open by the end of this month, which was the last thing I heard from Noble Crust Wesley Chapel GM Will Perez and founder TJ Theilbar several weeks ago.

Even so, Irish 31, which has existing locations in Westchase, Westshore, at Amalie Arena and Hyde Park Village, all in Tampa, will open its first Pinellas County location on Clearwater

Neighborhood News

Beach and its first Pasco location at Wiregrass, hopefully sometime in July.

We told you about Irish 31, which is owned by former USF football star Jay Mize, before any other news medium, back in January 2016. The Irish 31 at Wiregrass will be 2,800 sq. ft. and will feature the same great chef-inspired cuisine as the other Irish 31 locations. Visit Irish31.com for more details.

Meanwhile, Noble Crust, which had a widely viewed WCNT-tv episode following its second place People’s Choice award at the Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel, has a 4th St. in St. Petersburg location that continues to impress me with its array of delicious Italian cuisine with a southern twist, like the bucatini pasta with beef, lamb and pork meatballs pictured on the previous page. Just get it open, guys!

For more info, visit Noble-Crust.com.

in New Tampa over the past several weeks. Here’s a quick rundown: • Wing Zone has closed in the Publixanchored New Tampa Center plaza, while the new China One take-out Chinese restaurant

has opened next to Leiva’s Jewelers and The Joint (see previous page) in the same plaza.

• Tuesday Morning (left) has announced that its store in the Publix-anchored City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center will close by the end of June, or whenever the store runs out of inventory. No word yet on when The Fat Rabbit Pub & Grub will open in City Plaza.

• Pita’s Republic (in the same plaza on BBD at County Line Rd. as Five Guys and Frogury, see ad on pg. 46) will become NY Guys Grill & Smoothie by the end of the month. We were told the eatery will remain open during the transition.

• The second location of Precinct Pizza has opened at 10970 Cross Creek Blvd., in the space previously occupied by Zaytoun Grill.

• Starbucks has opened in front of the Tampa Premium Outlets on S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel. — GN

The Gift Box Celebrates 3 Years!

The Gift Box Boutique (17032 Palm Pointe Dr. in Tampa Palms) will be celebrating its third Birthday with a three-day event!

From Thursday-Saturday, June 22-24,

@NTWCNews

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 13 • June 16, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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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 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.

LAWN TECHNICIAN NEEDED Local family-owned and operated pest control company has an immediate opening for a lawn technician. Must have at least one year experience, clean driving record, able to lift 50 lbs. and pass background check. Call VIP Pest Control at 813-234-8888 or email resume to office.manager@vippestcontrolllc.com.

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.

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.

MISCELLANEOUS

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BRIDGE PLAYERS WANTED. Intermediate level.

Rubber Bridge, not Duplicate. Daytime. Weekdays only. Schedule is uniquely constructed each month and is based on members’ availability. One table, typically. Held in homes of members. No frills. Free.

Don’t hesitate! Call Harry at (813) 907-2541 or Dolores at (813) 435-0014.

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 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

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.

EDUCATION

LAWN & LANDSCAPING

JASMINE’S LANDSCAPING. Complete lawn maintenance, Tree, palm and hedge trimming, Planting, mulching, stones, Sod replacement, Pressure washing, Gutter cleaning and more. Cited by your HOA for violations? Need to comply for: Pressure washing, Trimming, Mulching, Sod replacement, Sprinkler repair or Mailbox repair or replacements?

Ask about our HOA SPECIAL & FREE ESTIMATE! For more info, 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.

Not getting the results you want from your current advertising?

Our Classified Ads are the ones your neighbors actually READ!

Call 910-2575 to order yours today!

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.

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!

REAL ESTATE CERTIFIED ORGANIC VEGETABLE FARM in Central Florida! Enjoy pastoral views from every window and complete privacy on this 42-acre farm w/4+2 2398 sq.ft. Whether you continue Organic Farming, Farming of Your Choice or just enjoy living on this beautiful property, it’s a must see! Call to schedule your private tour. MLS #G4833016. Beth Atalay Cam Realty and Property Management 407-9291852

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 13 • June 16, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

Neighborhood News

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@NTWCNews

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 13 • June 16, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 25, Issue 13 • June 16, 2017 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews