Volume 23 Issue 17
Inside:
Check Out Zaytoun Mediterranean Grill!
August 15, 2015
See Neighborhood Magazine!
Named The 2014 ‘Small Business Of The Year’ By The Wesley Chapel Chamber Of Commerce! The Direct-Mail News Magazines Serving New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Since 1993! For the complete list of the neighborhoods that receive this publication by direct mail in New Tampa (zip code 33647), see page 54!
Soggy New Tampa Escapes Worst Of Tampa’s Torrential Flooding By Matt Wiley
It’s no secret that it’s been a little wet out there in recent weeks. In fact, if our recent weather pattern was just a little more windy, it would have seemed like a threeweek tropical storm. However, despite days of torrential downpours, the New Tampa area was spared the truly massive flooding that plagued other areas of the city and much of western Pasco County. According to preliminary reports from the National Weather Service (NWS) in Ruskin, Tampa received 8.42 inches of rain between August 1-3, 7.7 inches more than what is normal for that same timeframe. And, that rainfall was in addition to the 11.84 inches of rain that fell during the month of July, 4.7 inches above normal. In fact, during the 21-day period from July 17-Aug. 3, the NWS reports that it rained every day at Tampa International Airport, during which time 10.27 inches of rain fell, which is more rain than our area normally receives for the entire month of July or August. Although the storms caused serious flooding and roadway damage issues in older parts of the city, such as South Tampa and the Westshore business district, New Tampa’s roadways remained comparatively dry. Flooding was visible along some parts of the southbound lane of Morris Bridge Rd. near the Cross Creek Blvd. intersection, as well as along Pebble Creek Dr. (in New Tampa’s oldest subdivision), where the flooding was a little higher than usual, according to Pebble Creek resident Joe Bina (who sent the Neighborhood News a photo {right} he took from
his garage along Pebble Creek Dr., which shows the floodwaters up to the top of the wheel wells of several vehicles). But, Bina says the standing water isn’t at all surprising. “Unfortunately, this happens all the time (on Pebble Creek Dr.) when we have torrential rains,” Bina says. The Tampa Palms Homeowners Association (TPOA) also posted on its Facebook page about flooding in the southern section of New Tampa. “Although Tampa Palms received (more than seven) inches of rain today, the streets were never flooded beyond that of temporary ponding in some places,” the TPOA page said, adding that the northbound exit to Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. from Tampa Palms Blvd. was too flooded temporarily for low-riding cars and was blocked off by the Tampa Police Department (TPD). “The ponds are high but they are doing their job and the wetlands were filling with overflow.” Tampa Palms CDD spokesperson Maggie Wilson agrees. “Tampa Palms was remarkably floodfree,” she says. “It was a ‘non-event’ (for our area). Tampa Palms has an incredibly complicated and functional drainage system. The water level in the ponds go way up, but drop right back down in a matter of hours.”
Tampa Bypass Canal Reactivated
In other parts of Tampa Bay, three of the four major bridges were shut down at some point and numerous major intersections in South Tampa also were closed. The flooding got so bad throughout the Tampa
New Tampa saw some flooding during the beginning of August, especially in Pebble Creek (above, photo courtesy of Joe Bina). In Tampa Palms (below, courtesy of Maggie Wilson), the waters rose in the retention ponds, but returned to normal levels in a matter of hours. area that the Southwest Florida Water Management District (aka Swiftmud) activated the Tampa Bypass Canal system on August 3, when the Hillsborough River reached 25 feet above sea level. Once the bypass system is activated, it redirects the flow of the Hillsborough River away from the City of Tampa into the Lower Hillsborough Flood Detention Area (LHFDA). The Tampa Bypass Canal system was constructed in response to the massive flooding caused by Hurricane Donna in 1960 and was designed to divert flood waters from the Hillsborough River into the 16,000-acre LHFDA. As the detention area fills with water from the river and the surrounding 450-square-mile area, the flows then enter verted to McKay Bay, bypassing the cities of the Tampa Bypass Canal and are safely di- Temple Terrace and Tampa.
‘Festival Of Flight’ Takes To The Skies Sept. 11-13 Off S.R. 54! If you’re in or near Wesley Chapel the weekend of September 11-13, look up. You might see something cool that you don’t see too often. It could be a fleet of hot air balloons gracefully floating along the horizon, or a plane from World War II buzzing by. You’re not seeing things, it’s all part of the show. The second weekend of September will mark the third annual ‘Festival
of Flight’ at Tampa North Aero Park, located off Wesley Chapel Blvd. (S.R. 54, although the airport’s address is in Lutz), and it’s not to be missed. For three days, attendees will be treated to numerous activities and experiences that all are meant to fuel interest in taking to the skies. Admission to the Festival is completely FREE. It all starts at 5 p.m. on Friday night, with live music from Infinity On High and the Harold Jones Band, as well as
Local News, Business & Education Updates
Neighborhood Magazine
By Matt Wiley
Also Inside This Issue!
Rezoning Approved For K-Bar Ranch, S.R. 56 Interchange Could Get Facelift, Rep. Ross Meeting Gets Heated, Plus Lots Of Great Local Business Features!
Zaytoun Grill Brings Mediterranean Flair To New Tampa, The Legacy At Highwoods Preserve Officially Opens & More Neighborhood Nibbles & Business Bytes!
Pages 3-40
Pages 41-56
a presentation of quilts to veterans of the armed services from Quilts of Valor. The highlight definitely will be the balloon glow, in which the 30 hot air balloons that will be attending this year stay on the ground, but fire their engines in loose synchronization with the live music between 7:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Don’t party too hard Friday night, as all 30 of those hot air balloons will be taking off at sunrise on Saturday morning, a truly surreal sight. Make sure to bring a chair. Throughout the day, attendees will have the opportunity to check out all kinds of aircraft, including a few Steermans (WWII bi-planes), a T-6 warbird (a WWII fighting plane), trikes (motorcycles with attached hang gliders) and helicopters. Plus, there will be a different band
See ‘Flight’ on page 41!