Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News, Volume 28. Issue 18, September 1, 2020

WESLEY CHAPEL

Inside:

Even If You Don’t Have Cataracts, Go See Dr. Dave At Costco!

See pages 16-17!

NEWS

Volume 28 Issue 18 September 1, 2020

PLAY BALL! The Neighborhood News wasn’t the only news medium on hand in June of 2018 when Wiregrass Ranch developer JD Porter, four of the five Pasco County commissioners, Pasco County/“Florida’s Sports Coast” tourism director Adam Thomas, RADDSports president and founder Richard Blalock and several other local dignitaries threw some dirt in the air at the groundbreaking for a new indoor sports facility to be located just north of S.R. 56 and a mile or so from both the Shops at Wiregrass and AdventHealth Wesley Chapel.

Also in attendance that day were representatives of Mainsail Development, which was getting ready to build a Marriott-branded Residence Inn with Wesley Chapel’s first and only rooftop bar (see pg. 4) adjacent to the planned sports campus.

Fast forward to Aug. 15 of this year, when the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County held its first-ever Open House to show off the brand-spankin’new, 98,000-sq.-ft., state-of-the-art indoor sports facility to local families. This time around, photographer/videographer Charmaine George and I were the only media folks on hand to let you know about it. And, let me just say...WOW! See “Play Ball” on page 4!

Mini Golf Is Coming! Construction Starting Soon

Check Out All Of The Businesses That Are Open, Or Opening Soon, In The Village:

For Leasing Information, call Keren at (407) 636-1266 or email Keren@ mgoldgroup.com

TrebleMakers — Now Open! (see pg. 35!)

F45 Training — Now Open! (see pg. 32!)

Double Branch Artisanal Ales — Now Open!

Power Martial Arts — Now Open!

Jillian Joseph Photography — Now Open!

The Roman Group Realty — Opening Soon!

The Kilted Axe — Opening Soon!

RAW Space Collaborative — Opening Soon!

Degajé Coffee Shop — Under Renovation!

Also Coming Soon: The All-New Grove Movie Theater!

Parking Lot Karaoke At Bubba’s 33, Take 2!

For details, see the ad on page 2 & story on pg. 38!

Upcoming Events At The Grove:

Sept. 19, 11am-8pm / Sept. 20, 11am-6pm www.WesleyChapelTacoFestival.com

..................................................................

TLC Community Markets (Every Saturday!)

To apply to be an entertainer, or for more event information, contact Matheus Gold Office: (813) 406-5819 Cell: (407) 534-0810 Email: matheus@mgoldgroup.com

t a k c a B s I e k o a r a K Parking Loetptember 9, 7 p.m.-10 p.m.

Wednesday, S

apel h C y le s e W , y w k P 26340 Silver Maple

SPONSORED BY:

Troy Stevenson, for info, visit Facebook/Acme On The Go

To Benefit the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Foundation

• Sign-ups to sing open at 6:30 pm. The show starts promptly at 7 p.m.

• All singers will be asked to make a donation before they take the mic!

• The mic(s) will be disinfected after each singer performs!

Karaoke to be provided by Allan Hudson Brady Productions, Former Q105 On-Air Personality Videos of all performances, provided by the Neighborhood News, will be made available to all singers for an additional donation!

For more information, call Bubba’s 33 at 813.522.5090 or Neighborhood News at 813.910.2575

Talking Voter Turnout, Primary Election Winners And Treble Makers!

availability when we went to press with this issue.

An editorial by Gary Nager Also available for reservations now are the shows on FridayLong-time readers are Saturday, September 18-19. If you’ve never been to a dueling probably tired of hearing me piano bar — like Howl At The Moon in Tampa or Orlando or The complain about people who Keys in Gainesville — it’s a hoot. It’s sort of like Karaoke (see pg. say they only vote in the “big” 38), but the dueling pianists are always truly talented folks who elections, which to them means know the songs to pick to keep that audience participation going only in the Presidential elections, full-steam all night! if at all.

If you check out the ad on page 35 of this issue, you’ll also But, with the highly charged nature of not see some of the sneak previews of the dishes created by Executive just presidential but also local politics these days, Chef Kevin Maggard — which means that there will be a real, noncombined with the effects of the pandemic, made chain restaurant opening in Wesley Chapel (Treble Makers should this year’s Primary Election day (Aug. 18) one be open for lunch and dinner by the time this issue reaches your to watch, at least for me, even though there were mailbox), so I hope everyone will go support local owners Jamie only a few candidates on my Primary ballot. and Sandy Hess, Joe and Nikki Hess and Lee Bevan — and please The first thing I found interesting was that tell them I sent you! the overall voter turnout (these results are still For more information about Treble Makers (6034 unofficial, so don’t hold me to them) was only Wesley Grove Blvd.), call (813) 406-4371, visit TrebleMaker21.05% (which was about 2.5% higher than the sofWC.com or see the ad on page 35! turnout in the 2016 Primary Election), as 79,586 total ballots were cast by Pasco County’s 378,157 ACCESSIBLE registered voters.

And, although Supervisor of Elections COMMITTED • EXPERIENCED Brian Corley’s PascoVotes.gov website didn’t immediately post the total number of early and mail-in ballots cast, most of the elections (see pg. 10 for more), other than the Supervisor of Elections Republican Primary, which saw incumbent Kurt Browning beat challenger David LaRoche by nearly a 30% margin, had a total of at least 75,000 ballots cast.

The thing I found interesting (just an tirees often don’t understand work in retirement. But they’re keenly observation) was that how for all taxes of the Universal ncerned aboutprimaries the size of their bill each year. in Pasco, 76%tax of those who voted didLearn what’s involved in creating early or by mail — with mail-in ballots the etirement taxsostrategy. favorite of those options by a 6-1 margin.

No,taxes this isn’t a political rant about universal n’t understand how work in retirement.

But they’re keenly tirement, your taxmail-in rate may vary over the years ballots orwidely which party prefers which wayinvolved in creating the size of their tax bill each year.

Learn what’s ed on the timing and order in you use different of voting, it’swhich once again more about my not untrategy. ces of money to pay for your why living expenses.

You want derstanding more people don’t exercise their vote for anything other than pply the tax coderight in antoorganized and efficient way.President — when I know that the people elected to our ate may vary widely over the years County Commission, School Board, State Legisretirement tax that will: dneed ordera in which you usestrategy different lature andYou Judge seats definitely have more to do yentify for your living expenses. want the types of with taxesday-to-day you will face lifeatinvarious Wesleystages Chapel than those an organized and efficient way. electedSocial to, say, Congress. will say that the alterddress how taxes impact Security and IMedicare nativesaccounts to standing in line on Election Day during an when to tap different so you don’t overpay taxes ax strategy that will: a pandemic are also both safer and easier ways to cast your vote. Youand can write yourlearn: Congressman xes face at various stages nd you thiswill complimentary workshop you will or U.S. Senator all you want about that pothole in act Social Security and Medicare he critical tax question must BEFORE retirement youryou street or answer your property taxes, but the likeliDo you know how tax planning changes ent accountsthat so you don’t taxesgoing hood isoverpay that you’re need to get to know he surprises often make retirement moreto expensive any number of local elected officials. through the four stages of retirement? It’s hat the Social Security “taxwill trap” is and how you can avoid it tary workshop and you learn: That being said, I hope this year’s voter turnharder than you think and it needs careful tapping assets in theinwrong order canthe trigger out Pasco exceeds 72.89higher percent who cast nhyyou must answer BEFORE retirement planning. Find out how!

No matter edicare premiums ballots in the 2016 General DoElection. you know how tax planning changes n make retirement more expensive which party or candidate you support, I feel there hy you need to manage taxes even before you retire the four stages of retirement? It’s through y “tax trap” is and how you can avoid it this year not to at least have is too much at stake Presented by: harder he four stages of retirement and important tax actionsthan you think and it needs careful one-vote he wrong order canyour trigger highersay in the outcome on Nov. 3. James B. Plummer, Wealth Advisor each stage, including tricky IRAmeantime, challengescongratulations planning. Find In the to all out the how! winners fromtoAug. — Browning (who still ILG Private Wealth istakes to avoid when it comes your18 investment ge taxes even before youaretire faces Nov. 3 General Election challenge), new ortfolio, health care, and estate Presented by: “Fitzy” District 4 County Commissioner Christina ement and important tax actions Fitzpatrick, returning incumbent School Board HOSTED BY James B. Plummer, Wealth Advisor g tricky IRA challenges member Alison Crumbley and those who won SVP Today!

Call be a County or Circuit orJudge 1-814-931-4271 James B. Plummer, Wealth Advisor ILG Private Wealth n it comes to your investment races to 1-877-228-9910 Court — and estate Joe Justice, Elizabeth (“Liz”) Jack and Evan FrayILG Private Wealth Hosted by: James man,B. who won his race for the Florida 6th Circuit Plummer, Wealth Advisor judgeship ILGCourt Private Wealth(which includes both Pinellas and DATE AND TIME all 1-877-228-9910 ormore 1-814-931-4271 Pasco voters) by than 20,000 votes, despite e and Time: Tues.

Tues. Sept. 15 or Thurs. Sept. 17, 11:00am June and Thurs.

June 18, and 2:00pm losing to 16 candidate Eva Vergos by 11:00am nearly 5,000 votes in Pasco County. or 1:30pm or 6:30pm Location: Call to register for Zoom Webinar es B. Plummer, Wealth Advisor

How Tax Planning Changes Through our Stages of Retirement x Planning Changes Through ages of Retirement

Page 6

Realtor Chris Henry is finding home sales brisk during the pandemic.

Pages 20-21

(813) 991-6161

Savvy Social Security Planning for Boomers: What Baby Boomers Need to Know to Maximize Retirement Income

A new generation is getting ready to collect Social Security. Find out what you need to know to make the most out of your retirement benefits.

LOCATION

Call to register and RSVP for Zoom Webinar Have18, you made your jbp@ilgpw.com . JuneRSVP: 16 and Thurs.

June 11:00am andreservations 2:00pm yet for any of the low-capacity, socially distanced dueling 877-228-9910 or 814-931-4271 1-877-228-9910 or 1-814-931-4271 to register for Zoom Webinar piano shows at Treble Makers Dueling Piano Once registered we will email you the Webinar Link offeredLink through ILG Private Wealth, Inc. a registered investment advisor registered in the eDisclosure: registered we Financial will email Webinar Bar &Advice Restaurant?

Although the opening night Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

ILG Private Wealth, Inc. may only transact business in those states in which it is (Friday, September 11) show was already sold out Financial Advice offered through ILG Private Wealth, Inc. a registered investment advisor registered @ilgpw.com registered qualifies an exemption or exclusion from registered requirements. a week or before ourfor press time, Jannah and I were in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. ILG Private Wealth, Inc. may only transact business in those 7-228-9910 or 1-814-931-4271 able to reserve a table for the second show on Satstates in which it is registered or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registered requirements. urday,ILG September 12 — which still had limited advisor registered in the cial Advice offered through Private Wealth, Inc. a registered investment

monwealth of Pennsylvania. ILG Private Wealth, Inc. may only transact business in those states in which it is ered or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registered requirements.

Neighborhood News @NTWCNews

Wesley Chapel & Pasco County Schools open for a unique school year.

Wesley Chapel

EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP

will email Webinar Link Private Wealth Once Seeregistered You AtweTreble Makers!

INSIDE:

Show it & they will come! Wesley Chapel Walmart hosts a drive-in movie!

Pages 27-28

Wesley Chapel 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 /Ad Sales Gary Nager Managing Editor / Photographer John C. Cotey Correspondents Celeste McLaughlin • Mike Camunas • Eric Vician Lead Video Producer/Multimedia Specialist Charmaine George Photography & Videography Richard Nasrallah • Benjamin Hobe • Amy Stewart Graphic Designers Georgia Carmichael • Valerie Wegener Billing Assistant Jannah Nager

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

The deadline for outside editorial submissions and advertisement reservations for Volume 28, Issue 20, of Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News is Tuesday, September 15, 2020.

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

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

© 2020 JM2 Communications, Inc.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 •September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

3

Play Ball! Basketball. Volleyball. Cheerleading. Futsal (Indoor Soccer). Life Lessons.

Continued from page 1.

The fulfillment of the dream Blalock (pointing in top right photo) has had for more than four years is everything anyone could possibly have hoped for — and really, so much more. Although I obviously am raving about it, since my wife Jannah is the director of marketing for the facility, I could be accused of being unfairly biased about it.

On the other hand, my favorite thing about the open house was walking around the facility, seeing the smiles (and often, gritty determination) on the young athletes’ faces, and hearing the buzz from all of the parents, all of whom were saying, “This is exactly what we need here.” They all let me know that I wasn’t alone in feeling the excitement that day.

“I’m speechless about the facility,” said parent and Wesley Chapel resident Yanet Hernandez. “It’s amazing. Very clean and there’s a vibe that you get when you walk into the gym.”

Hernandez also pointed out something heartwarming, something that Blalock says also is part of his vision for training young athletes to be not only the best athletes they can be, but also the best people (and teammates) they can be. “Seeing the (volleyball) girls of all races and backgrounds playing together, being so polite to each other — it’s just such a great atmosphere!”

Open House Nuts & Bolts

Blalock (top right photo) and his RADDSports team have been chomping at the bit to get open (despite all of the obvious Covid concerns; more on that below), and he said the main purpose of the Open House was to help the local community get acquainted with this unique facility and everything it has to offer.

Even though the Sports Campus will be bringing in tournaments in one of its four core sports — basketball, volleyball, cheerleading and soccer (both indoor and outdoor) — virtually every weekend, Blalock is equally excited about the programs that will be available just about every weekday throughout the year for local residents of all ages.

He says all levels of athletes, from as young as three years old to adults, will be able to enjoy the Sports Campus during the week, and young athletes have three different levels (Developmental, Competitive & Elite) of instruction and competition in all four core sports — with evaluations and programs for each beginning this month (see the ad on page 9 for some of those dates).

Meet The RADD-Star Team!

The Open House also was an opportunity for most attendees to meet the amazing team of directors who will help pick the teams and the coaches who will be running the programs and training the kids. Cheer directors Matt McDonough and Lyric Hill, volleyball director Eric Praetorius, basketball director Ronnie Outen and soccer director Stuart Campbell were all on hand at the event, running the day’s program and meeting all of the interested young athletes.

Hill and McDonough were helped with coaching and demonstrations of cheer stunts by the high school cheer squads from both Wiregrass Ranch and Cypress Creek high schools. Cheer participants even got to try their hands (and feet) on the 40-foot-long spring floor that looks very much like what Olympic gymnasts also use for training.

Praetorius brought in some of the truly outstanding high school volleyball players who have participated in other programs he has directed. The two volleyball courts set aside for the Open House were filled the entire four hours, with the elite players setting each other up to spike home winners and risking floor burns while diving on the shiny, new gym floor for digs, while everyone who was interested in the sport (no matter what level of player they were) received quick instructional tidbits from Praetorius and other coaches on hand — and lots of play time.

Outen somehow recruited an early

morning adult full-court basketball game (photo above) for the event, with separate full courts set aside for younger players.

You could hear several parents and coaches cheering on the young hopefuls — including several talented girls, one of whom repeatedly did a great job of taking older, bigger boys to the hoop — from the sidelines.

And, although I left before he got there, Outen’s son Tyriq, a 6’-4” ice hockey goalie who recently was named the MVP of a major invitational tournament in Canada with his all-minority hockey team that was the surprise winner of the tournament, showed up to take pictures with his dad (photo on next page).

We’ll tell you Tyriq’s story next issue.

And, you could just see soccer director Stuart Campbell, a former professional “footballer” in England (he’s actually of Scottish descent) and a former player and head coach for the Tampa Bay Rowdies — who probably is the RADDSports director

Mainsail’s Rooftop Bar At The Residence Inn To Be Our Second Home!

It may not have been the longest or most important interview I’ve ever done, but it certainly was unique.

I actually interviewed Joe C. Collier, the president of Mainsail Lodging & Development, as he played Frisbee with one of his co-workers inside the beautiful new Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County during the 98,000-sq.-ft. indoor facility’s Open House on Aug. 18.

Mainsail, which also has developed other high-profile hotel projects in the Tampa Bay area and beyond, including building The Epicurean in South Tampa, and completely renovating the Fenway Hotel on the water in Dunedin (to name just two), is developing a 128-room Marriott Residence Inn directly adjacent to the Sports Campus.

4

Although I’m sure the Marriott-branded Residence Inn will be a beautiful hotel — as all Mainsail properties I’ve seen so far have been (many of which have won Tripadvisor and other awards), the feature that most appeals to me (and Jannah) will be Wesley Chapel’s first rooftop bar, which will have a view of the Sports Campus’ outdoor soccer fields (aka, the “Event Lawn”). Considering she works next door, Jannah and I are hoping to have seats at the bar with our names on them, but we’ll still go, even if we don’t.

“Not only will that bar/restaurant have a sports theme, which will fit right in with our location next to the Sports Campus,” Collier said as he launched another long Frisbee toss to one of his fellow Mainsail-ers, “the restaurant also will have a live feed from

the arena, so while parents are waiting for their kids’ game to start or practice to finish, they can enjoy a great meal and a drink and still get to them on time.”

Collier says that the construction of the hotel — which has been known to be about a year behind the Sports Campus itself — is on The Residence Inn at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus schedule to be completed in of Pasco County will open in Oct. 2021.(Photo by Charmaine George) October 2021.

“How can you not be excited about this place?,” Collier asked me rhetorically. “We’re so really happy that Mainsail is part of this project.”

Currently, the closest hotel to the Sports Campus is the 92-room Fairfield Inn (also a Marriott brand), located basically across and less than a half mile south on Lajuana Blvd. from the Sports Campus. — GN

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 •September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

who has most anticipated the day he can start actually coaching, rather than sitting in all-day meetings — absolutely beaming as he checked out the local soccer talent.

“This is quite an event,” Campbell said.

“The kids are just loving the place!”

RADDSports director of programs Nicole Baker (another former cheerleader herself) also was on hand, doing temperature checks of everyone who entered the building, and helping Jannah and several volunteers make sure every participant signed an online or on-paper waiver before they entered the gym. There was plenty of hand sanitizer available and even though there were at least 300-400 people who stopped by at some point during the event, the spacious interior of the Sports Campus had plenty of space for social distancing.

One of my favorite things was the mezzanine, which has viewing available of the action in both Arenas A & B of the Sports Campus — each of which was designed for four basketball or eight volleyball courts.

There’s also seating in the mezzanine overlooking the amazing cheer area.

The Wesley Chapel Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton Inn, two of the Sports Campus’ hotel partners, and Culver’s and Bubba’s 33 restaurants — which are located on S.R. 56 and stand to receive a lot of out-of-town business from the facility on the weekends — had tables inside the lobby to show their support for the RADDSports team (which has held most of its meetings at the Hilton during the construction).

“We had a few potential sponsors come

through to check us out, too,” Blalock said. “I can’t even tell you how happy we are to be (almost) open.”

Pasco County Tourism, aka the Florida Sports Coast, was scheduled to hold the actual ribbon cutting for the Sports Campus on Aug. 27, which was after we went to press with this issue. RADDSports is the county’s private partner which is managing the building that was funded by a recent voter-approved 2-cent increase in the county’s tourism (or “bed”) tax.

“Play Ball,” indeed!

For sponsorship opportunities at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County (3021 Sports Coast Way), email Jannah@RADDSports.com. For program information, email Nicole@ RADDSports.com. For sponsorship opportunities at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County (3021 Sports Coast Way), email Jannah@ RADDSports.com. For program information, email Nicole@RADDSports. com. Also, see the ad on page 9 or call (833) TEAM-RADD (832-6723).

We make the complex simple n

Wills and Trusts

n

Probate

n

Real Estate

n

FSBO Sales

n

Title Insurance

Brian Arrighi, Esq. Cypress Glen Professional Park 26852 Tanic Drive, #102 Wesley Chapel, FL 33544 Off S.R. 56 near 1-75

813.518.7411

www.NorthTampaLawGroup.com Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 •September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

5

Business Beat: Ross, Keke’s, Ale House & More Cars On The Horizon! offers seafood items and more, and has a varied beer selection with more than 75 brews from which to choose.

There are 98 Miller’s Ale House locations in 13 states, including 55 in Florida.

There are two locations in Tampa, one near Tampa International Airport, one on E. Fowler Ave. (near the University of South Florida) and another in Brandon.

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com The Bealls store in the Shoppes at New Tampa plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. at S.R. 56 is being replaced and will become a Ross Store.

Construction has already begun on transforming Bealls, which was owned by Stage Stores, Inc., which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 11. Stage Stores was already having financial issues, but CEO Michael Glazer said the Covid-19 pandemic was the final straw.

Ross is the largest off-price retailer in the U.S.. It is a popular place to pick up name brand items at affordable prices, hence the tagline “Dress for Less.”

The $250,000 Bealls demolition job began on July 1.

BREAKFAST IS SERVED?: The new Ross could soon have a new neighbor soon — Keke’s Breakfast Cafe.

While the signs a few doors down tease that the breakfast joint is “coming soon,” we are hearing that Keke’s is on hold at the moment, also likely due to Covid-19.

Keke’s Breakfast Cafe is a popular Florida-only chain of about 50 restaurants throughout the state that serves hand-

Bealls, a longtime fixture in the Shoppes at New Tampa plaza off S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel, is being transformed into a new Ross Labels For Less Store.

However, you won’t find Miller’s Ale House amidst the bevy of restaurants lining the north side of S.R. 56. The newest entry to that area’s bustling food scene will be located on the southwest corner of S.R. 54 and Wesley Chapel Blvd., across the street from the new Aldi grocery store.

That patch of land the 7,246-sq.-ft. restaurant is being built on is owned by MILLER’S TIME: Miller’s Ale Sierra family’s Pasco Ranch Inc. The resHouse, which will be a new link in a taurant will have seating for roughly 240, popular Orlando-based franchised chain of according to the site plan. sports-themed bar/restaurants, is officially Miller’s Ale House, founded in 1980, under construction now in the Cypress offers your typical bar/restaurant fare of Creek Town Center on S.R. 56. burgers, wings, pastas and steaks, but also

made breakfasts with the best ingredients available, according to its website. Its closest locations are in Lutz, Temple Terrace and Carrollwood.

It’ll be interesting to see how both Keke’s and First Watch, located in a separately owned portion of the same Shoppes at New Plaza plaza, fare when Keke’s opens.

STILL MORE CARS: The Morgan Auto Group is beginning construction on its new 130,000-sq.-ft., seven-story (which will make it the tallest building in Wesley Chapel) BMW of Wesley Chapel, on S.R. 56, adjacent to the existing Mini of Wesley Chapel dealership (also owned

by Morgan Auto Group), just east of I-75.

BMW is the latest high-end car dealership to make its home in Wesley Chapel, joining Audi, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz in recent years.

Right across S.R. 56 from BMW (on Silver Maple Pkwy.), the long-awaited Volkswagen of Wesley Chapel dealership (plans were first filed in 2014) is much further along, as the building is now standing and the construction is continuing.

The Volkswagen dealership will feature a 21,796-sq.-ft. first floor, a 5,990-sq.-ft. second floor and a 2,604-sq.ft. car wash.

If not, give us a call.

We are the smile experts!

6

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 •September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

Wesley Chapel Schools Open For A Truly Unique School Year!

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com After a summer of fears, concerns, indecision and questions, Wesley Chapel and Pasco County schools opened for the 202021 school year on Aug. 24.

Despite concerns about the spread of Covid-19, a majority of families were sending their kids to schools for in-person learning.

“We’re excited that school is back in session,” said Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning, who visited his alma mater Pasco High on opening day. “Kids are doing exactly what we asked them to do as far as social distancing and wearing their masks.

We just want our kids and our teachers and staff to be safe.”

The opening of school also meant the first official day of fall practices for the football, volleyball, golf, swimming, cross county and bowling teams across the county.

Originally scheduled for Sept. 7, the county officially moved the first day back to Aug. 24, so the local schools would be aligned with schools from Hillsborough and Pinellas counties that are on their schedules.

Football season will begin on Sept. 11, with Wesley Chapel High hosting Sunlake, while Wiregrass Ranch High will play at St. Petersburg and Cypress Creek High travels to play Seminole Osceola.

8

Amanda Mayo drops her three children -- l.-r. Abagail Malorie, Isabella Robinson and Maya Robinson -- off at Quail Hollow Elementary on Aug. 24.

Below: Students make their way to the first day of school at the new Cypress Creek Middle School, which is now open or its first school year.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 •September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

Top: A teacher leads two students to their classrooms at Quail Hollow Elementary, while another teacher (bottom right) helps children off the bus. Morning patrols (bottom right) were back on duty for the first time since March.

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

OUR LOCAL YOUTH SPORTS PROGRAMS ARE STARTING NOW! SOCCER! RADD Soccer Stars! — Our Exciting Saturday Morning Youth Soccer Program!

We will teach your younger children the fundamentals of soccer — including dribbling, passing and shooting.

We will do this through fun-filled soccer games and drills which will keep the players engaged and most important, allow them to have fun!

Season Dates: September 26, 2020-November 14, 2020 Ages & Times: Ages 3/4 - 9 a.m.-9:45 a.m.

Ages 5/6 - 9 a.m.-10 a.m.

Ages 7/8 - 10 a.m.-11 a.m.

Price: $125 A soccer jersey is included in the price of this program

Friday Night Program For Older / More Experienced Players (includes Skills & Small-Sided Games) Our program will appropriately challenge boys & girls ages 7-14 in a fun learning environment and focus on technical skills that are crucial to build all players’ confidence with the ball.

Our practices will incorporate their individual technical skill work into small-sided games, which will allow our players to recognize how their technical skills with the ball relate to game situations.

Season Starts: September 25, 2020 (10 week program) Ages & Times: 7-10 years (boys & girls) 4 p.m-5 p.m.

11-14 years (boys & girls) 5 p.m.-6 p.m.

Price: $200 A soccer jersey is included in the price of this program

TM

For information about RADDSports Soccer programs at the Sports Campus, email Stuart @RADDSports.com or call 813-597-6196

BAS K E T BA L L !

Right Here for You

Evaluations for all age & ability levels – September 23 & 24 All Youth Basketball programs will begin on September 29 3-on-3 Evaluations For Ages 5-8, September 23 Only The baskets will be lowered to 8 feet, smaller ball, emphasis on team movement & fundamentals. One practice and one game a week. $125.00 per season Developmental - Entry-level players. One practice and one game per week. $185.00 per season Competitive - Committed players looking to improve their overall knowledge and mastery of the game. Two practices and one game per week. $375.00 per season

Charles Spinner

Anissa Morris

Personal Injury Law

Auto Accidents • Motorcycle Accidents Property Damage • Slip and Fall Injuries Wrongful Death

Patrick Barnes

Estate Law

Wills and Trusts • Living Trust Power of Attorney Probate and Trust Administration

Office

2418 Cypress Glen Drive • Wesley Chapel, FL 33544

Elite - Advanced level players train to maximize fitness and competition preparation as well as individual and positionspecific skills. Two practices, one game and one personal training/ educational session per week. Entry into in-house tournaments, as determined by the coaching staff. $495.00 per season

A basketball jersey is included in the price of all basketball programs For information about RADDSports Basketball programs at the Sports Campus, email Ronnie@RADDSports.com or call 813-503-9841

Phone: (813) 991-5099

www.SpinnerLawFirm Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 •September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

9

A voter leaves with her family from Precinct 73, located at the Lexington Oaks clubhouse, on Aug. 18.

Browning Cruises, But Fitzpatrick Pulls Upset

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com As expected, Pasco School Superintendent Kurt Browning won his Republican primary and 10-year incumbent Alison Crumbley held on to her District 4 School Board seat, but the primary elections in Pasco on Aug. 18 did yield one major surprise.

Christina “Fitzy” Fitzpatrick won a spot on the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners (BCC), stunning favorite Gary Bradford for the District 4 post in a four-candidate race.

Fitzpatrick will take Mike Wells’ spot on the BOCC; Wells vacated the seat to assume the position of Property Appraiser, which he won when he ran unopposed.

Bradford was the choice of the Republican establishment in Pasco County.

The retired Tampa Police Officer boasted endorsements prominently displayed on his website and Facebook pages from Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco and Tax Collector Mike Fasano.

He also received endorsements from Dist. 2 Commissioner Mike Moore, Dist.

10 State Senator Wilton Simpson and

10

Dist. 65 Florida State Rep. Chris Sprowls, and other big-name Republicans.

Bradford raised more than $150,000; the other three candidates (Fitzpatrick, Jeff Miller and Gabe Papadopoulos) raised a combined $42,000.

Fitzpatrick, who is the founder and chief administrative officer of Miracles Schools, who campaigned on family values, public safety and business development, raised $9,451— of which $9,001 was her own money.

Fitzpatrick received 23,625 votes, or 32.64 percent, while Bradford had 22,872 votes, or 31.6 percent.

Crumbley handily defeated Joshua Stringfellow 65-35 percent to earn her third term on the School Board, and Browning beat Dr. Dave LaRoche by roughly the same margin in his race.

However, Browning will have to defeat a Nov. 3 General Election challenge from Bayonet Point Middle School teacher Cynthia Thompson, who is not affiliated with any party, to earn a third term.

The General (aka Presidential) Election is scheduled for Tues., Nov. 3.

The deadline to register to vote in this election is Monday, October 5.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 •September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

Phone, video or office visits.

With us, it’s your call.

Your health is too important to put on hold. That’s why AdventHealth Medical Group offers three simple and safe ways to connect with your primary care provider. If you’d like to visit in person, we have taken appropriate steps to provide a safe environment with contactless registration and check-in. If you prefer a video or phone visit, you can schedule one online and see the same doctor you would at the office. So don’t wait to get the care you need, because we’ve made connecting with your doctor easy and convenient.

Schedule your appointment today at AHMGTampaBay.com or call 844-DOC-2DAY.

AHMG-10707 PostCovid19_PCP_WCNN_10x11.5 .25 bleed_(F).indd 1

5/28/20 1:44 PM

Tie-Dyed Masks = More Toys For Kids At St. Joe’s

By CELESTE MCLAUGHLIN It’s the accessory everyone’s wearing this fall, and not because it’s the hottest new fashion.

Local ordinances throughout Florida have made face coverings mandatory, and some creative Wesley Chapel kids have found a way to turn people’s need for masks into an opportunity to do good.

In The Lakes at Northwood neighborhood, located just off County Line Rd. and Bruce B. Downs Blvd., the Burnett, Caruso, Peretsky and White families have 10 kids between them, ages 5-13.

They often play together outside.

When the pandemic hit, the kids started talking to each other about doing something helpful in their community.

“They wanted to be able to help other kids, in light of what was going on with Covid-19,” says Katie Burnett, who is mom to Jackson, Mackenzie and Alaina.

A group of kids in the Lakes of Northwood neighborhood sold more than 300 tie-dyed face coverings to raise money for St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital.

Katie says her kids – along with Diana, Ellina and David Peretsky, Mason, Kate and Troy Caruso and Josiah White — came up with the idea to raise money and donate it to St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa.

They started with a lemonade stand.

The idea grew when Katie and her husband Matt, who own Kona Ice Wesley Chapel, received a box of plain, white, reusable cloth masks to share with the community.

That’s when the kids decided to sell not only lemonade, but individually designed masks, too.

They took their revenue from that first lemonade stand and bought a tie-dye kit. Then, they got to work making fun summer art, using dozens of the masks as their canvases.

Their parents spread the word on social media, and then the kids took turns selling the masks on Saturdays in their neighborhood.

Late this summer, they tallied up their earnings and were able to make a $350 donation to St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. Parent company BayCare Health System’s senior vice president & Hillsborough County market leader Kimberly Guy stopped by the neighborhood and the families presented her with an oversized check — also made by the kids.

“They got really excited when Kim told them the money would be used to buy toys for kids at the hospital,” says Katie. “That helped make it real for them.”

Three ‘Little Libraries’ Opening In Wiregrass Ranch

Wesley Chapel may not have its own Pasco County Library System branch at the moment — as the renovation project at the New River Library on S.R. 54 continues — but it could soon have three Little Free Libraries.

The Wiregrass Ranch Foundation recently unveiled the first two Little Free Libraries, which are small, birdhouse-looking book depositories that allow anyone to share and read free books.

Porter was on hand to cut the ribbon at Wiregrass Ranch’s first Little Free Library ribbon cutting on July 31. It is located between the Glory Days Grill and Max’s Natural Pet Market on S.R. 54. A second location is near the Culver’s on the north side of S.R. 56, while a location for a third book-sharing box is still being determined.

“JD (Porter, who founded the foundation) and I were chatting one that we wanted to do something where the community can get involved, but doesn’t have to be together, due to Covid-19,” says Amanda Blackmon, who does marketing for the foundation. “We were looking for something new and creative, and JD said, ‘What about a Little Library?’”

When it opened, the S.R. 54 location had a selection

of books ranging from To Kill a Mockingbird to some of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and even Good Morning, Moon.

Users are encouraged to share their own books when taking one from the library.

“It is definitely about sharing books and bringing the community together,” Blackmon says, adding that the Wiregrass Ranch Foundation is encouraging those who are reading the Little Library books to share pictures and their thoughts on social media on Instagram at @littlefreeli- Several local families were on hand on July 31 when owner/developer JD Porter brary_wc and on Facebook. “We wanted of Wiregrass Ranch (2nd from left) cut the ribbon at the first of three Little Free Library openings in his community. to get the conversation started,” she says.

Porter even suggested leaving notes in than 100,000 book-sharing boxes world-wide. the books when you are done reading them, to be discovLittle Free Library is a nonprofit organization and ered by the next person who takes the book. received the 2020 World Literacy Award for its dedication “It’s our hope that this Little Free Library will bring to expanding access to books. a little more joy, a little more connection and a whole lot For more information, visit LittleFreeLibrary.org. more books to our community,” Porter said.

For more info about the Wiregrass Ranch Foundation, The locations in Wiregrass Ranch will be one of more visit WiregrassRanchFoundation.org. — JCC

e,\.OSEt �

{cashfYUd. � ere 1t .::,�

0

-i>

AND THE PLANET

UPTOWN CHEAPSKATE

$ 5 0 FF $3 0

12

LOCATED AT 16031 TAMPA PALMS BLVD W *Offervalid for$5off your pre-tax purchase of$30 or more.Offermay not be combined with other offers. Valid only at Uptown Cheapskate in Tampa, FL. See store for details. Expires 09/30/2020.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 •September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

□�

r---, �DR. MICHAEL GREEN � \..J

�

SPECIAL SUMMER

GENERAL DENTISTRY

973-1440

COSMETIC DENTISTRY

VOTED BEST DENTIST IN OUR READER SURVEY

www.doctormichaelgreen.com

WESLEY CHAPEL

For New Patients

NEW TAMPA 2244 Green Hedges Way #102

Dr. Green & his wife Leslie

FREE 2nd OPINIONS New Patient Special

Exam and X-rays

$0.00 FREE

Lose up to 20 POUNDS the first month!† Now Offering

TELEMEDICINE!

New Patient Special

Cleanings

$50.00 ( WITH COUPON )

$700 CROWNS NO additional lab or Cerec fee

NO exam cost, xray fee or office visit charges

BEFORE

NO RESTART FEE! LUTZ | 813.909.1700

Fee may vary with complexity of case. The patient or any other person responsible for payment has a to refuse to pay, cancel payment or be reimbursed for payment for any other service, examination or treatment which is performed as a result of and within 72 hrs. of responding to the advertisement for free, discounted fee or reduced fee service, examination of treatment Minimum fee ADA code: D1110, D0150, D0274. 00230, D2740 FL. Lie. #DL12905. Expires 10/31/2020

@NTWCNews

MICHELLE,

actual patient, lost 41 pounds.†

PHYSICIAN-SUPERVISED. Andrew Weitzman, M.D

porcelain D2740

Neighborhood News

Savings!

MediWeightloss.com

†On average, Medi-Weightloss patients lose 29 pounds in 13 weeks. Medical supervision required. Reference: Journal of Public Health © 2020 Medi IP, LLC. All Rights Reserved. ®

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 •September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

13

Students Learning Virtually (For Now) At Excel Music

By CELESTE McLAUGHLIN For more than 14 years, Excel Music on Cross Creek Blvd. in New Tampa has been teaching private music lessons to students of all ages. But lately, something has been very different than “business as usual.”

Since March, all of Excel Music’s students have been exclusively virtual.

“The nature of in-person music lessons doesn’t permit social distancing,” says Excel Music owner John Thrasher, “so we’ve chosen to do virtual lessons.”

The school’s building, located in the Cory Lake Isles Professional Center on Cross Creek Blvd., has remained closed since the Covid-19 pandemic began in March; however, Thrasher says that Excel Music’s 20 teachers and dozens of students are as active as always, teaching and learning from their homes.

John says Excel Music’s teachers are all either university-trained (many with Master of Music degrees) or they have at least 10 years of musical study and performing experience.

The music school offers lessons in voice and practically every instrument, with piano, violin, guitar and drums being the most popular, according to John, and quite a few students learning brass and

14

woodwind instruments, too, such as trumpet, tuba, saxophone and clarinet.

Students work with the same teacher week after week, so although their teachers are now only on a computer screen, the student still know them.

“It provides some normalcy and routine in their lives, when a whole lot of normalcy and routines have been removed,” says John, who adds that the school has continued to add “a steady stream” of new students throughout the pandemic.

“Obviously, parents are just as interested in improving their children’s lives as they always have been,” John explains. “Music is still important, and virtual lessons are kind of the only way you can do it right now.”

A Little Background Music...

John and his wife Sheri originally John and Sheri Thrasher opened Excel Music on Cross Creek Blvd. in 2006. They have adapted opened Excel Music in 2006, with their business model to meet online student muthe dream of providing the opportusic lesson needs during the pandemic. nity for young people to be trained for the kinds of careers and lives they mer for country singer Mickey Gilley for once experienced themselves. many years, which gave him the oppor“We both had long careers in music, tunity to perform on TV, at the White and were professional musicians who House and for people all over the world. were able to make a living performing,” In the 1990s, John and Sheri had John says, adding that he was the drumsuccess together with a band of their

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

own in Japan called Tz, where he says they sold tens of thousands of CDs. They also found themselves immersed in a culture that revered teachers, which led them to start thinking about passing on the knowledge and experience they had gained to the next generation.

“We met tremendous people, saw great places, and made a living,” John says.

“We started thinking, ‘What if some of the kids who come through our school can experience what we’ve experienced?’”

However, John says he and Sheri recognize that the vast majority of their students will not go on to have professional music careers.

“Our teachers are good enough for that type of student, but most of our students will go on to have another career, such as a doctor or lawyer or something else,” he says.

He adds that the goal at Excel Music is to provide students with an appreciation for music, plus provide the benefits of learning how to play and/or sing.

“There’s so much data available about how great studying music is for your brain for spatial learning and big-picture thinking,” John explains.

“There are always studies coming out saying that because music is a whole-brain activity, when kids learn music, their math

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

Dylan and Diya Arun give a thumbs up to online learning with Excel Music. and other school skills improve, too.”

Kristy Sargent, who lives in West Meadows, says her 10-year-old daughter Regan has been taking piano lessons for more than a year with Excel Music.

“Both the school and her teacher have been so amazing,” says Kristy.

“They’ve been very flexible with being online. It hasn’t been easy to have everything change so much, but they’ve done a really, really good job.”

Kristy says one of her favorite things is how well the teachers communicate.

“It’s a fantastic school that feels very personal. It feels like they really care about you and your child.”

The Right Teachers, Too

John and Sheri want each one of their students to feel that way, so they carefully choose only the best instructors.

They ensure that every teacher they hire to work at Excel Music is background-checked, has appropriate credentials, and truly knows both their instrument and how to teach it. John says that just because someone has a doctoral degree in music or some other accomplishment, that doesn’t mean they will relate well to teaching students.

“They have to know how to teach, which is a completely different set of skills,” explains John, who says that — over the last 14 years — he has tried to show New Tampa families that they can trust Excel Music to make great decisions about who to hire to teach for the school.

He says two teachers have been with Excel Music since it opened in 2006, and a number of others have stayed with the Thrashers for five, six, or eight years.

“We definitely have stability,” he says.

“We’ve been doing this for a long time.”

Age Doesn’t Matter

And, while many of Excel Music’s students are kids, the opportunity to learn to sing or play an instrument is cerNeighborhood News

tainly not in any way limited by your age.

“A lot of adults want lessons, too,” says John. “We get retired people who say they’ve wanted to play their whole lives, and now they’re finally going to do it.” He fondly recalls a man who came to Excel Music to learn how to play the trumpet at 86 years old!

John says the last few months have been extremely trying and that he and Sheri — like virtually all small business owners — are just trying day by day to make the best decisions they can for their company, their employees and their customers. However, they say they feel really good about the nearly 15 years they’ve spent leading Excel Music in New Tampa, a few miles south of Wesley Chapel.

“We’re putting music in people’s heads,” he says. “We’re not making widgets that end up in landfills; we’re doing this thing that’s good for our community and for the world in general.”

Excel Music, located at 10353 Cross Creek Blvd., Suite I, is open for virtual lessons only right now.

For additional information, visit ExcelMusic.org, call (813) 991-1177, or see the ad on page 25 of this issue.

Dr. Tracee Moore Licensed Psychologist Psych Evaluations Private Pay • ASD Openings (813) 714-7999 drtraceemoore@gmail.com @NTWCNews

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

15

Trust Cataract Surgery At St. Luke’s & Dr. David Scamard For After-Care

By GARY NAGER It was not quite 20 years ago when optometrist David Scamard, O.D., who had only recently opened his first office on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., first asked me my age and then said, “Yes, that makes sense. You’re going to need to start wearing reading glasses soon.”

I was flabbergasted.

“But Doctor Dave, I’ve been nearsighted since I was eight years old. You’re going to tell me that now, I’m going to be farsighted, too? How can that even be?”

As it turned out, he was right. I started The Excellence in Eye Care (inside Costco on S.R. 56) staff includes (l.-r.) Jill Wagner, Optometrist Dr. David Scamard & office manager Eileen Aldrich. (Photos by Charmaine George) needing either bifocal contact lenses or Fortunately for me, not only did Dr. correcting one eye for close-up reading and my brakes, to make sure I wasn’t the other eye for activities like watching TV Dave confirm that I had a cataract in my getting too close, which isn’t left eye, he said, “You also have just the and driving — by the following year. a particularly safe thing to do beginning of one in your right eye, too.”

So, even though Dr. Dave has had when you’re going 70 mph on I wasn’t really considering surgery be- an interstate highway. I immeother offices in Lutz since then, his “Excelfore I visited Dr. Dave, because I hadn’t yet diately stopped driving at night lence in Eye Care, LLC” office has been located in his new home — he has been the really noticed any change in my vision. after that incident and asked my old friend That is, until Jannah and I were drivIndependent Optometrist inside the Costco to recommend a good cataract surgeon. ing home one evening in January of this off S.R. 56 — for about two years.

And, even though it didn’t feel exactly year, after visiting my mom in Sarasota.

And, while I briefly changed optomlike the illustration above left to me, cataAs the skies turned from dusk into dark, I etrists after Dr. Dave closed his most recent racts are like a film over the lens of your noticed that whenever there was a vehicle office on S.R. 54 in Lutz, when I was told eye, so even I could understand that when driving southbound as we were headed late last year by that other optometrist that I they replace the “foggy” lens surgically, it northbound on I-75, the glare from the had a cataract in my left eye that might need definitely will make your vision clearer. headlights of those oncoming vehicles to be surgically corrected in the future, I would temporarily prevent me from seeing Thank You, St. Luke’s! got a second opinion months later from Dr. the tail lights of the vehicles in front of me.

Dr. Dave recommended two or three Dave, whose new office in Costco is across Everytime this happened, I would tap different ophthalmic surgeons that he felt the street from where Jannah and I live.

comfortable with, but I ultimately chose to go with Dr. Jeffrey Wipfli of the St. Luke’s Cataract & Laser Institute, who had amazing reviews online and an office nearby (on N. Dale Mabry Hwy. in Carrollwood), but who performs his surgeries at the main St. Luke’s location on U.S. Hwy. 19 in Tarpon Springs.

Not only that, but St. Luke’s has been a some-time advertiser with us and we actually did a story about Dr. Wipfli in a Wesley Chapel issue last October, so I felt even better about entrusting him with some-

Family & Cosmetic Dentistry Office Hours Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm

OPEN FRIDAYS!

Dr. Neeraja Jasthi & Team

Welcome New Patients & Emergencies

New Patient | FREE CONSULTATION

813.866.9913 | 20441 BRUCE B. DOWNS BLVD. TAMPA FL 33647 drjasthi.com

16

(ACROSS THE STREET FROM WHARTON H.S. IN FRONT OF LIVE OAK)

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

either near or far, even if I did pay more.

And I’m glad, because since Covid-19, I’ve been able to wear my glasses anytime I go anywhere (some eye protection is better than none) and I really only have to take them off to read a menu at a restaurant (which we didn’t do at all for a long while).

Best Post-Surgical Care, Too!

thing as precious as my eyesight.

The truly amazing thing is that I got the cataract in my left eye fixed in late January and the right eye in mid-February, so my eyes were working better than ever prior to the shutdown of elective surgeries in Florida due to Covid-19. I even got to do both follow-up appointments with Dr. Dave before he had to temporarily close his office in Costco. He is open now, of course.

Easiest Surgery Ever!

I have no idea how it’s been for surgery patients at St. Luke’s since March, but I did notice this on the company’s website as I was writing this story:

“This has been a challenging time for all of us. Many of you know that St. Luke’s has remained open on a much restricted schedule to do our best to serve our patients through the last several weeks. We have been able to serve many of our patients who have had urgent needs by keeping our doors open in our main office in Tarpon Springs....We have resumed surgery and all clinic locations are now open. Safety of our patients and employees is the priority for us as we continue to practice social distance and adhere to all CDC and governmental guidelines.”

But, here’s how both cataract surgeries went for me at St. Luke’s: The office staff tells you to expect your total time there to be between 3-4 hours, of which waiting and taking care of all of your pre-surgical paperwork takes up about two of those hours. Jannah drove me and waited for me to drive me home both times, since your vision can be a little blurry at first and because you are mildly sedated during the surgery. All the amazing St. Luke’s surgical assistants tell you to do is to focus on the light being shined in that eye and the surgeries seemed to be over in a few seconds, rather than the few minutes it actually does take.

I could see pretty well out of the surgical eye both times right away, but it takes some getting used to because none of your old glasses will properly correct your vision in the surgical eye and wearing one of your existing contact lenses on the other eye really only works after the first surgery.

The cool thing was that Dr. Wipfli let me pick beforehand what I wanted my vision to be after the surgery. And, because I spend so much time at the computer writing and editing, I chose to be able to see up close with no correction whatsoever and to only have to wear glasses to watch TV and drive. Most patients can choose to have uncorrected vision for both far and near, but it was more expensive to do so and Dr. Wipfli said that, for a variety of reasons specific to me, I might still need some correction for Neighborhood News

So now, here’s the scoop on doing business with Dr. Dave, whose Excellence in Eye Care, LLC, is an A-Rated business, according to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and still has a 5-Star rating on Google Reviews with more than 160 reviews. The practice even has a 5-Star rating on its Facebook page.

Excellence in Eye Care also features some amazingly high-tech equipment. For eye exams, Dr. Dave uses an Optos retinal camera (photo on this page) in his office.

This high-tech machine is a retinal imager that gives the optometrist a view of the internal structures of your eyes, so that, for many patients, it means they don’t have to have their eyes dilated at their annual exam.

“When your pupils are dilated,” Dr. Dave explains, “you are very sensitive to bright light and your nearsightedness is fuzzy, sometimes for up to five hours after dilation. It’s something that compels a lot of people to pass up their eye exams.”

One of the other high-tech devices Dr. Dave uses is a RT-5100 Refractor, a digital refractor with electric motors that change the lenses. He operates the digital refractor from a console on his desk.

“The digital refractor is faster, more accurate and more efficient than the oldstyle analog devices,” Dr. Dave says. “Our patients appreciate that we have the latest technology available to them.”

But, perhaps the most important thing going for Dr. Dave as an optometrist is his people skills — which are awesome — and his entire office staff is always friendly, professional and happy to serve their patients.

And, you do not have to be a Costco member to see Dr. Dave. Tell the membership checkers at the entrance that you’re there to see him and they’ll let you go back.

He notes, however, that you do have to be a Costco member to purchase your glasses or contact lenses in the store, but Dr. Dave will provide you with both prescriptions so you can buy your glasses/ lenses anywhere else you choose.

And, it’s nice to be able to pick up a bottle (or case) of wine or a 3-lb. bag of coffee when you get your eyes checked, too.

Excellence in Eye Care is located at 2225 Grand Cypress Dr. The office is open Tues. & Thur., 1 p.m.-7 p.m.; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wed. & Fri. & 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sat. Optical insurance is not accepted, although itemized receipts are provided that patients can use to get reimbursed by their providers. Eye insurance can, however, be applied to lenses and frames you buy at Costco.

For appointments (although walk-ins are welcome) and more info, call (813) 279-7038, visit ExcellenceinEyeCare.net or see the ad on pg. 38 of this issue. @NTWCNews

813-321-1700 www.NerdsToGo.com 19651 Bruce B Downs Blvd Ste C-6 Tampa M-F 9am-6pm • Sat 10am-4pm

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

17

USF Federal Credit Union Offers Sterling Service In Tough Times

By CELESTE MCLAUGHLIN Like all businesses, the USF Federal Credit Union (FCU) has been forced to adapt and change throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, while many businesses have struggled, the USF FCU has continued to thrive.

The credit union’s New Tampa branch, which opened in the fall of 2018, is located at the northwest corner of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and Imperial Oak Blvd., in the Trout Creek area of New Tampa, just south of County Line Rd. (across from Burger King).

While the New Tampa location’s lobby shut down in March, its drivethrough window has remained open throughout the pandemic.

Now, several months into the crisis, USF FCU’s main branch on the Tampa campus of the University of South Florida has reopened for regular business hours, while the New Tampa lobby is open by appointment only.

A History Of Helping

From humble beginnings more than six decades ago, when it was founded in 1959 with just 16 members and total assets of $505, the USF FCU has grown to more than 60,000 members and $800 million in assets.

While it originally served only USF faculty and staff, today, current USF students and alumni are eligible to be members, along with employees of more than 40 affiliated companies that have business partnerships with USF. That list includes Tampa General Hospital, Moffitt Cancer Center, Darden Restaurants (the parent company to Bahama Breeze, Olive Garden, etc.) and more than 40 other companies, listed at USFFCU.com/eligibility.

The USF FCU offers personal banking services — from checking and savings accounts, to money market accounts and CDs (certificates of deposit),

(Above) While the USF Federal Credit Union has stressed online banking, the lobby at the New Tampa branch on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. has been made safer for those who need an in-bank experience. (Next page) An exterior shot of the New Tampa branch. (Photos: Charmaine George)

auto loans, home loans, personal loans and more. The credit union also offers business banking.

The difference between USF FCU and a typical bank, explains brand and promotions manager Bill Steiger, is the credit union’s focus on serving its members.

Online Banking

One way the USF FCU has kept both members and employees safe during the pandemic has been by education members about how to bank without leaving their homes.

Steiger says a new online banking platform was rolled out about 18 months ago. As of January 2020, about 58 percent of members who had a checking account with the credit union were using it.

That changed during quarantine and safer-at-home orders.

“We made tutorial videos to show people how to deposit a check with their phones,” Steiger says. “We did a promotional campaign and educated

people on how to use digital banking, and saw success in getting people on board and using it.”

He says now, 97 percent of members who have a checking account use online banking to make deposits through their phones or to complete other transactions.

“That has helped us to be able

BUDGET BLINDS A Style and Service for Every Budget

to continue to serve our members,” Steiger explains.

USF FCU also served front-line workers in the midst of the pandemic.

Between April 9 and May 5, USF FCU provided catered meals for a total of 950 front-line workers at Tampa General Hospital, AdventHealth Tampa and AdventHealth Covid-19 testing sites, plus other hospitals in the Tampa Bay area and the USF Police Department.

“It was our way of giving back,” Steiger says.

The credit union also served its members in the most flexible way possible.

Knowing that some members were furloughed or laid off from their jobs, USF FCU made hardship loans available with very low interest rates. Members also were offered a “skip-a-pay” option, which doesn’t reduce the amount owed, but extends the length of the loan.

“That gives our members the ability to not have a car payment one month, for example,” says Steiger, “which is important if you’re furloughed and not getting a paycheck.”

Steiger adds that USF FCU also has been busy with home and auto refinance loans, which allow members to lower their monthly payments and save money during this time of great need.

Free In-Home "No Contact" Consultations:

Tampa 813-968-5050 Brandon 813-445-7121

t Abou th k s A on 12 M Our est Free Inter cing! n Fina

SEPTEMBER SHUTTERS & BLINDS SAVINGS 15% OFF SHUTTERS & CORDLESS FAUX WOODS With 15 Units or More * 10% Off 10 or More * 5% off 5 or More ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Qualifying product includes: Norman and PureVu Shutters & SmartPrivacy Faux wood Blinds. Offer good at time of estimate only. Different product lines or invoices cannot be combined for 5%, 10% or 15% Discount. Express, Commercial, Remakes excluded. Discounts will be applied based on base product costs excluding surcharges. Charges such as installation, sales tax, freight and handling etc are excluded. All units must be on the same invoice to qualify. This promotion cannot be combined with any other offer. All orders must be confirmed and placed by Sept 30th, 2020 to qualify. Each Budget Blinds is independently owned and operated.

19-11047 (5/19)

18

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

PPP Loans, Too

Knowing that businesses were going to need assistance to navigate through the pandemic, USF FCU also made it a priority to help its business customers during these most difficult of times.

“We were one of the first credit unions in the area to offer Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans through the federal government’s Small Business Association,” Steiger says, “allowing us to manage the loans to small businesses and single-owner businesses.”

He says the credit union has provided 486 PPP loans — totaling $18 million — which are fully forgivable by the federal government, if all conditions are met.

Kelly Stuart Williams, owner of Pegasos Public Relations, has been a member of the USF FCU since 1990.

She says she had never previously considered using the credit union for her business banking needs until she received an email from USF FCU that shifted her thinking.

“They were very proactive in letting all their members know they were staying on top of the PPP loan program,” says Williams, who realized she wasn’t hearing that from any other bank.

She says she reached out and opened a business account, and was able to be one of the first to fill out an early PPP application.

Unfortunately, like a lot of small businesses in our area, Williams’ initial PPP loan application was rejected. But, the credit union representative told her not to worry.

They would help her get positioned for the second wave of loans.

“It was so different,” Williams says. “The other banks (she looked into) have a policy that if you’re not already a business banking customer, they’re not doing your banking loan.”

The second time around, Williams did receive a PPP loan from USF FCU, and she says she couldn’t be happier.

Now that she has qualified for and received her PPP funds, Williams is counting on USF FCU to keep her informed regarding the forms and processes to have the loan forgiven.

“Sure enough,” she says, “they are way out front from anyone else I’m hearing from.”

Steiger says that’s the goal.

“We were pleased to be able to

offer that and really help those people keep their businesses going and their employees employed,” he says.

Sterling Award Winner

While serving its customers well may sound like a matter of opinion, there is at least one objective indicator that measures USF FCU’s effectiveness in its business practices.

In June, the USF Federal Credit Union was honored with the Governor’s Sterling Award.

This exclusive award goes to companies in Florida that are “high performing, role-model organizations, both private and public, who demonstrate superior management approach-

es and role model results.”

Fewer than 100 organizations in Florida have earned the award since the Florida Sterling Council was created by the state legislature in 1992.

USF FCU is only the second credit union to ever win the coveted honor.

Steiger says that USF FCU began working to put these best practices in place more than four years ago.

“Our organization was getting larger, so we wanted to be sure that our processes were constantly improving,” he explains. “The Sterling process is a very detailed and rigorous set of activities to show continuous improvement and performance excellence.”

This is the first year that USF FCU applied to have examiners evaluate their business, and Steiger says it was “truly a tremendous honor” to receive the Governor’s Sterling Award during this first attempt.

The New Tampa branch of the USF Federal Credit Union is located at 20610 BBD Blvd. The lobby is currently open by appointment only.

The drive-through windows open at 8 a.m. weekdays, closing Mon.Thurs. at 5 p.m., and at 6 p.m. on Friday. It also is open 9 a.m.–1 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, visit USFFCU.org, call (813) 5692000 or see the ad on page 25.

1 Bin - $30 | 2 Bins - $50 | 3 Bins - $70 Follow us on Facebook for specials & discounts

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

19

Chris Henry Always Strives For Excellence in Home Sales and people who will come to live there.

That’s great for someone like me.”

By MIKE CAMUNAS

When it comes to his real estate business, Chris Henry says he is motivated by the words of arguably one of the most famous motivators who ever lived.

It was legendary football coach Vince Lombardi who said: “Perfection is not attainable. But, if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.”

“And, that’s how I live my life, and I love that quote,” says Henry, a 12-year veteran Broker Associate with Signature Realty. “I’m always looking to catch excellence.”

Henry has been on the chase for excellence in real estate since 2008, when Signature Realty — which has its primary location in Valrico — got off the ground. Today, the Tampa native and USF graduate who has lived and worked in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel for 21 years has an office in Tampa Palms, so he specializes in helping clients buy and sell their homes in our distribution areas.

And, like many long-time residents of the area, Henry has seen both areas grow exponentially, especially Wesley Chapel, which is one of the fasting-growing communities in the nation.

“Pasco County has made really smart moves that have really boosted the

The Right Agent For You

Chris Henry of Chris Henry Realty, with his wife Alison and children, Ethan (front left) and Jacob. (Photo courtesy of Chris Henry)

growth in the area,” Henry says. “Both the S.R. 56 connection and now the U.S. Hwy. 301 extension have changed the whole complexion of this area and made Wesley Chapel even more accessible.

These changes have led to adding the outlet mall, the sports campus, the hotels and, of course, all the new communities over the past two decades.”

Henry says that not only has recent

growth fueled a boisterous home sales market, but the plans to build thousands of additional homes in the Connected City, Avalon Park on and north of S.R. 54, and the S.R. 56 corridor, will open up a plethora of additional selling opportunities.

“I would say that Wesley Chapel is the center of development in Florida,” he says. “It is one of the hottest areas in the country, with new developments

While Henry takes his job very seriously, he also feels he’s personable and easy to work with at the same time.

“For us (Realtors), there’s a perception that you’re just a door opener,” Henry says, “but there is so much more that we offer.”

Henry adds that he has spent years educating himself about the local market and has stayed on top of all the housing market and economic trends. He has learned the location and characteristics of every New Tampa and Wesley Chapel neighborhood, and built great relationships with local builders.

That makes for a smooth and seamless process for buyers.

“Honestly, the better the agent, the easier it seems,” Henry says. “I can remove the obstacles and anticipate the road bumps to make it easier for the buyer and seller.”

Currently, Henry and other local Realtors are wading through uncharted waters during the coronavirus pandemic, and not just because of the extra safety and cleanliness measures they all have to take.

If the past few months have been hard on your loved one,

we’re here for you INDEPENDENT LIVING • ASSISTED LIVING • MEMORY CARE Senior Living is one of the best ways to reduce depression and stress, and improve fitness and cognition.

Even now, we can provide a supportive community that keeps your loved one engaged and socially connected with: Management of medications and in-house healthcare services • • Safe, socially distant activities and fitness programs • 3 nutritious meals a day & more

ACCEPTING NEW RESIDENTS NOW

Social Distancing need not equal dangerous isolation.

813-388-2121

ALF#13228

20

Virtual Tours Available www.KeystonePlaceAtTerraBella.com

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

The number of closings were down in the second quarter of 2020, according to data from Florida Realtors (Florida’s largest trade association), but that was due mostly to a sharp decline in April.

The local housing market has shown a robust rally since then, especially in the past two months.

Henry says that the demand for houses in our distribution areas is still really high. In fact, he says that only one less house was sold in June 2020 than they sold in June 2019 in Wesley Chapel.

“Actually, the market is better,” Henry says. “It’s about conveying that message to everyone — it’s a seller’s market, for sure. But, it’s also sort of a perfect storm in that there’s low inventory that’s going fast because interest rates also are so low — they’re lower than they were three years ago.”

That has kept Henry busy.

“People are concerned with the economy and unemployment, and the news can scare them,” he says, “but I haven’t experienced an interruption in business. I mean, I sold five Wesley Chapel houses in a week or less. It’s crazy. And this was in May!” Henry, who is married with two children (photo on previous page), has won numerous sales accolades and awards while helping literally hundreds of families during his nearly 13 years in real estate.

Neighborhood News

Chris Henry Realty can help you purchase this beautiful home on Woodland View Dr. in Lutz.

He has more than 100 five-star reviews posted on Zillow, Trulia and Google.

And, some of his former buyers and sellers are happy to back up those reviews.

“After 18 years in our home, we were ready to downsize,” says Lisa Cusick, a former New Tampa resident. “We decided to call Chris because we were impressed with his past sales experience and we liked that he had a vast knowledge of our community and all it had to offer. He sold our home in 14 days, for more than we expected, and he’s continued to assist us months after the sale of our home whenever we have contacted him with any questions.”

@NTWCNews

Lisa utilized Henry’s services when she purchased her new home, too.

Another long-time client agrees that working with Henry is the way to go.

“I can’t stress enough how great Chris was, but I’ll try,” says Jeremy Nathan, who purchased his first home seven years ago and then sold it just a few months ago. Henry helped with both transactions.

“Through it all, Chris was calm, knowledgeable, pragmatic and diplomatic,” Nathan says. “You can’t ask for better in a Realtor. Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, you will not go wrong if you choose Chris.”

And, even though it may be true that perfection may not be attainable, catching excellence certainly is, especially if Henry is helping you buy or sell a home.

“I’m not just going to pat myself on the back, but I believe that I strive to be the best,” he says, “and it’s always been how I’ve lived my life — just like that (Coach Lombardi) quote.”

Chris Henry Realty is located at 5322 Primrose Lake Cir. In New Tampa. For more info and to search some of his listings, visit ChrisHenryRealty. com, call (813) 917-1523 or see July’s local home sales stats in the ad on this issue’s back cover.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

21

22

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

Nancy & Sydney InQuickER Patients

“InQuickER was a savior that day.”

When Sydney came home from school, she wasn’t feeling well.

She had a high fever and it wasn’t going away. So, her mom found AdventHealth’s online scheduling tool, InQuicker, and reserved an ER treatment time, making Sydney’s visit fast and easy.

Get in quicker and get out faster at an AdventHealth ER near you.

GetInQuickER.com In case of a life-threatening emergency, call 911.

First-Ever Goalies, Inc., Goalie Camp Draws A Big Crowd

By MIKE CAMUNAS Nothing was going to stop these goalies from stopping pucks.

Despite the fact it had to be pushed back, due to Covid-19, more than 40 youth ice hockey goalies recently were able to get in a training camp’s worth of goaltending work in two days (Aug. 5-6) at the Goalies, Inc., Performance Camp at AdventHealth Center Ice (AHCI) in Wesley Chapel.

Originally scheduled for March, Bernie Desrosiers, the executive director of Sunbelt Hockey Scouting and a long-time New Tampa-area hockey goalie coach, says the camp was sold out well before the coronavirus shut down youth sports programs.

“We’ll have it again next year,” Desrosiers said. “This has been a great turnout and, so far, all the feedback we’ve gotten has been that everyone was happy to finally be able to come to this camp. “It’s been a great two days.”

Desrosiers added that of the 42 young goalies who participated, only one had to be sent home sick — which was not Covid-19 related — and that there were no injuries sustained. “Pretty remarkable, I’d say,” Desrosiers said.

Led by Goalies, Inc., head instructor Jim Stanaway, boys and girls, teenagers and “tweens” went through various drills to hone their goaltending skills in the hopes of being the next Andrei Vasilevskiy (the Tampa Bay Lightning goalie) or Madeline Rooney (the starting goalie for the 2018 Olympic gold medal-winning USA Women’s Hockey team). The young goalies worked on glove and stick saves, rebound shots, skating backwards, diving for pucks and even how to hug the pipes to block shots.

Stanaway also preached a lot, not only about teamwork, sportsmanship and respect for the game, but also for the goalies’ fans (their families).

(Above) Tampa’s Nick Ryan lunges to try to stop a shot at the Goalies Inc. Performance Camp at AdventHealth Center Ice Aug. 5-6. (Below) Head instructor Jim Stanaway provides words of goalie wisdom to some of the 42 goalies in attendance. (Photos: Mike Camunas)

As he watched netminders of all sizes and ages scramble to grab pucks, the goalie instructor of nearly two decades was impressed by the local talent he saw on his first trip to the Tampa Bay area.

“With an NHL team, and them doing very well, it’s nice to see (the

high interest in hockey in a southern city or state),” he said. “A lot of these southern NHL teams invest in their communities a lot, but the enthusiasm (here) is quite amazing.”

For more info about Goalies, Inc., camps, visit GoaliesInc.com.

YouTube.com/c/NeighborhoodNewsOnline Facebook.com/NeighborhoodNews NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

24

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

The Gift of

Music for Today’s World!

We offer Virtual Lessons with Local Teachers!

The only place more loving is in your arms.

Tour your local Goddard School and experience why it's the best preparation for social and academic success.

Enroll Today!

WESLEY CHAPEL • 813-603-6100 GoddardSchool.com The Goddard Schools are operated by independent franchisees under a license agreement with Goddard Systems, Inc. Programs and ages may vary. Goddard Systems, Inc. program is AdvancED accredited. License #C06PA0304 .© Goddard Systems, Inc. 2020

USF

FE DER AL CREDI T U N IO N ®

Federally insured by NCUA

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

Delivering financial solutions to improve members’ lives.

usffcu.com

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

25

Your shortcut to Italy — SALUMI E FORMAGGI —

— ANTIPASTI / APPETIZERS —

LE BRUSCHETTE Pane Rustico Stracchino, Mortadella & Pistachios Grains • 8 Pane Rustico wl Prosciutto, Arugula & Fig Jam • 9 Pane Rustico Perfect Bruschetta (Vegan) • 7 Pane Rustico wl Stracchino, Roasted -Zucchini • 8 (2) SUPPLI’ AL TELEFONO Arborio Rice Croquette, Mozzarella, Pomodoro • 9 INVOL TINI DI MELENZANE ALLA PALERMITANA Eggplant rolled over w/Pomodoro sauce, Mozzarella, Olives and Basil • 9 ALIVI CUNZATE Assorted Sicilian olives, Rosemary, Fennel Pollen, Focaccia Bread • 6 (2) POLPETTE DELLA NONNA Traditional All-Natural Beef and Pork • 9 Impossible (Vegan) Meat Made from Plants • 10 COLPO DOPPIO Best Seller Two cone-shaped of deep fried dough stuffed with Fonduta (melted) 12-month old Grana Padano, Arugula Pesto topped with chopped Black 0lives • 11 PASTA Half order of any Pasta CHICKEN WINGS Choice of BBQ I Calabrian Spicy I Woodfired......... 6 pcs • 8 12 pcs • 14

— INSALATE / SALADS —

Add Chicken 5.5 / add Gulf Shrimp 6 /add Grilled Salmon 7 / add Avocado 4 LA VEGANA Shredded Kale, Romaine, Radicchio, Dried Cherries, Marcona Almonds, Cashew Balsamic • 7 LA GRECA Baby Spinach, Seasonal Greens, Grape Tomatoes, Feta Cheese, Olives, Red Onions, Cucumbers, Italian Vinaigrette • 7 THE CAESAR Romaine Lettuce, Parmigiano Reggiano, Croutons, Tossed with Housemade Caesar Dressing • 7 WALNUT & GORGONZOLA Baby Arugula, Seasonal Greens, Grape Tomatoes, King Walnuts, Gorgonzola, Parmigiano-reggiano, tossed with our Housemade Walnut-Gorgonzola dressing • 8 CHICKEN & AVOCADO Mixed Greens, Cucumber, Red Onions, Sliced Avocado topped and Grilled Chicken and dress with an easy Lemon-Olive Oil dressing • 13 ROCK SHRIMP & AVOCADO Mixed Kale, Romaine and Radicchio, Rock Shrimp, Avocado, Bell Peppers, Olives, Capers, tossed with our Housemade Italian Vinaigrette dressing • 13

SPAGHETTI CON ZUCCHINE E GAMBERETTI (Origin Sicily) Sauteed Shrimps with Zucchini, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, a kick of fresh Hot peppers, fresh Parsley and Evoo • 15

— LA PIZZA —

Crust Choices White / Multigrain Flour +$2.00 / Gluten Free +$3.00 While the dough is gluten-free, our environment is not it is not certified for those with celiac disease.

— LE CLASSICHE —

— FROM OUR RED SLICER — *HOUSE BOARD OF SALUMI E FORMAGGI Best Seller Our Chef Selections of Imported Meats and Cheeses with Housemade Accompaniments, Fresh & Dry Fruits • 23 *HOUSE BOARD OF FORMAGSI Our Chef Selections of Imported Cheeses with Housemade Accompaniments, Fresh & Dry Fruits • 12 *HOUSE BOARD OF SALUMI Our Chef Selections of Imported Meats from Italy with Housemade Accompaniments, Fresh & Dry Fruits. • 13 *PROSCIUTTO & MOZZARELLA PLATE Prosciutto di Parma, Fresh Mozzarella, Basil Reduction, Evoo and woodfired bread. • 12 *BURRATA WITH ROASTED VEGETABLE Burrata, with roasted Bell Peppers, grilled Zucchini, Arugula, Basil Reduction • 12 *BURRATA WITH PROSCIUTTO E MELON Best Seller Burrata, Melon, Prosciutto di Parma, Evoo • 15 *CAPRESE TRICOLOR Slices of Fresh Mozzarella, Tomatoes, Basil, evoo & Balsamic Reduction • 9

The traditionals wood-fired Pizza in two sizes 1211 and 1611 pie or Roman Style • 8” x 13” +1.50 I 8” x 26” +3.00 CAPRICCIOSA San Marzano Tomato, Mozzarella, Mushrooms, Olives, Ham, Artichokes, Basil 16.95 I 22.95 QUATTRO FORMAGGI Ricotta, Gorgonzola (Fontina, Mozzarella, Oregano (Vegetarian) 14.95 / 19.95 DIAVOLO San Marzano Tomato Sauce, Smoked Grape Tomatoes, Roasted Peppers, Calabrian Chili sauce, Basil (Spicy-Vegan) 14.75 / 19.95 CUP-N-CHAR Tomato sauce, mozzarella, premium cured pepperoni, parsley 14.95 / 20.95 MARGHERITA San Marzano Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Basil, Evoo (Vegetarian) 13.95 / 19.95 add Prosciutto di Parma $5 / $8 TUTTO CALABRIA San Marzano Tomato Sauce, Spicy Calabrian Salami, Spicy Fennel Sausage, Calabrian Chill Frakes, Basil (Very Spicy) 15.95 / 21.95 MONTE BIANCO White sauce, Shredded Mozzarella, Spinach, Chopped Tomato, grated Parmigiano and Garlic Oil (Vegetarian) 14.95 / 19.95 AMERICANO San Marzano Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Mushrooms, Cup-n-char (pepperoni), Sausage, Basil 14.95 / 19.95 DOUBLE PEPPERONI San Marzano Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Spicy Salami, Cup-n-char (Pepperoni), Parmigiano, Parsley 14.95 / 19.95 CHEESE Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella Shredded, Oregano, Parmigiano grated (Vegetarian) 10.95 / 15.95 ORTOLANO Mozzarella, Eggplantl Zucchini, Roasted Peppers, Basil (Vegetarian) • 14.95 / 19.95

— LA PIZZA FRITTA & CALZONI —

PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA & FIGS JAM Fior di Prosciutto crudo di Parma topped with Stracciatella di bufala Mozzarella with drizzle of Fig jam and light Arugula 12” 18.95 / 24.95 PIZZA FRITTA MORTADELLA E PISTACHIO Fior di Mortadella topped with Stracciatella di bufala Mozzarella, grains of Pistachios, spicy Honey and zest of Lemons 12” 16.95 / 22.95 CALZONE CLASSICO Mozzarella, Ricotta, Cup-n-char (Pepperoni), Black Pepper • 15 CALZONE IT ALIANO Tomato sauce, Mozzarella, Rosemary Ham, Olives, Basil • 15 CALZONE ALLA DIAVOLA Mozzarella, Ricotta, Spicy Sausage, Spicy Salami, Oregano • 15

— LE GASTRONOMICHE —

The contemporary take on the Le Classiche WoodFired in twosizes 12”and 16” pie Roman Style also 2 sizes 8 .. x 13” +1.50 I 8” x 26’” +3.00 Unique combinations of superior ingredients.

MARGHERITA SBAGLIATA Best Seller Mozzarella di bufala, raw “riccio” Tomato, Basil reduction, quality Evo Oil (Vegetarian) 15.50 / 19.50 MARINARA DI CAPITANO ROBERTO San Marzano Tomator Anchovies, Capers, Oregano, Garlic, quality Evo oil 13.95 / 19.95 GIRASOLE POMODORINO DEL PIENNOLO DEL VESUVIO (sweet yellow cherr)f tomato sauce) Mozzarella di bufala, Capers, Black Olive, Oregano, drops of Basil-oil — CAMPIONE DEL MONDO — (Vegetarian) 16.95 / 22.95 — LA PASTA — VIA IT ALIA “LA NUMERO UN0” DELIZIOSA Best Seller T AGLIATELLE ALLA BOLOGNESE This pizza has been champion in several pizza EXPO worldwide POMODORINO DEL PIENNOLO DEL VESUVIO (sweet yellow cherry tomato (Origin Emilia Roma_gna) Fresh Tagliatelle Pasta with Beef and Pork Ragu’, for its authenticity and originality. This pizza is made with a type flour sauce) mozzarella di bufala, eggplants, fennel sausage, parmigiano-reggiano witn Tomato Sauce and Parmigiano Reggiano • 14 with up to 72 hours of fermentation, made with extract of mint and basil. The 18.95 / 24.95 PAPPARDELLE CON SPECK E FUNGHI PORCINI ingredients are fresh Mozzarella di bufala, Eggplants cartoccio and Sausage EMILIANO (Origin Piedmont) Fresh Pappardelle Pasta with Creamy Porcmi Mushrooms, were marinated with garlic and parsley for 48 hours, decorated with Mozzarella di bufala, Grape Tomatoes, after bake Prosciutto crudo di Parma, Crispy Speck, Parsley and Black Pepper • 15 drops of basirreduction and smoked grated ricotta • 19.95 Arugula, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Evoo 18.95 / 24.95 RAVIOLI CON RICOTT A E SPINACI * LIMITED AVAILABILITY * AVAILABLE ONLY ON 12” SIZE NORMA Fresh Ravioli Filled with Ricotta and Spinach, finished with Lemon Butter and San marzano Tomato Sauce, Fried Eggplant, grated oven baked Ricotta, Basil ce vi er S Grains of Pistachios • 14 er m Custo nt (Vegetarian) 16.95 / 22.95 le el xc E & TORTELLINI PANNA E PROSCIUTTO d d Foo oo G SALSICCIA E BROCCOLI Fresh Cheese Tortellini, Creamy White Sauce, small squares cooked Ham, Sausage, Broccoli Rabe, Calabrian Chili Sauce, Ricotta, Mozzarella 16.95 / 22.95 Nutmeg and fresh Parsley • 14 SHRIMP SCAMPI CAVATELLI CON BROCCOLI E SALSICCIA Best Seller Fresh Mozzarella, Rock Scrimp Scamp, Capers, Roasted Bell Peppers, Red (Origin Puglia) Sweet Italian Sausage, Broccolini, Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, Onions, top,P.ed after bake with Arugula, Parmigrano Reggiano, Garlic oil, with a kick of dried Chili flakes • 14 Basil and Oregano 16.95 / 22.95 RIGATONI ALLA NORMA SAPORE DEL NORD (Origin Sicily) Sauteed Eg_gplant tossed with chunky Tomato Sauce, topped Pumkin cream sauce, fresh mozzarella, gorgonzola, orcini mushrooms after with Oven Grated Ricotta and Basil • 13 bake Speck (smoked Prosciutto Crudo) parsley, quality evo oil 18.95 / 24.95 LO SPAGHETTO AL POMODORO VERDURE (Origin Campania) Housemade Pomodoro Sauce, Basil, Evoo • 12 Oven Roasted Broccolinif Fresh Baby Spinach, Whipped Ricotta, Fresh SPAGHETTI CON PESTO ALLA SICILIANA BestSeller Mozzarel a, Fresh Garlic, Chili flakes, quality Evo oil 15.95 / 21.95 (Origin Sicily) Creamy pesto of Arugula, Ricotta, Sun-Dried — VEGAN CHOICES — Tomatoes, Parmigiano Reggiano and sliced Almonds • 13 IMPOSSIBLE MEATBALLS (made from plants) PENNE PESTO GENOVESE (Origin Liguria) Fresh Basil, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pine Nuts, Pecorin, VEGAN MOZZARELLA (made from soy proteins) Garlic, Evoo • 13 MANY CHOICES OF VEGETABLES

uco & n a g a M o t r e b o R

813.475.4857 eatviaitalia.com

his team

8644 Hunters Village Rd • TAMPA

MOVIE NIGHT! So, as it turns out, you literally can get anything at a Walmart Supercenter.

Even a drive-in movie.

On August 18 and 19, the Walmart on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel converted a large portion of its parking lot into a drive-in movie theater, which was part of a nationwide popup drive-in movie event touring the country and visiting 160 Walmart locations.

At this free event, Walmart stationed two large digital screens and cleared out a big section of its parking lot. Anyone was welcome to go online and register to see a showing of “Spy Kids” on Tuesday evening and “Selena”’ on Wednesday evening.

Both showings were sold out, with about 70 cars lined up with families and couples See “Movies” on pg. 28.

Check out New Tampa’s Lima Restaurant to find out

Wesley Chapel/Lutz is NOW OPEN 25599 Sierra Center Blvd., Lutz, FL 33559 (813) 949-8088 | Order Online at FiveGuys.com

Takeout & Curbside Pickup Available Delivery through UberEats & DoorDash Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

“Why Lima is the World’s Best Food City” — Bloomberg.com, March 2, 2017 • Fresh Fish & Seafood Ceviche • Peruvian Rotisserie Chicken • Lomo Saltado • Arroz Chaufa • And much more!

Dine in, take out & delivery!

Grubhub.com •

19062 Bruce B Downs Blvd (in New Tampa Center)

813.304.0205

Ubereats.com •

15% OFF

DoorDash.com

Any take-out or dine-in order WITH COUPON ONLY. EXP. 9/30/2020

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

27

“Movies”

Continued from page 27 who received goody bags full of snacks and water at check-in.

“We love this,” said Wesley Chapel resident Janet Perez, who, with her son, enjoyed some drive-thru Taco Bell while watching “Spy Kids.” It didn’t even matter that the movie was a hit 20 years ago.

“You don’t know how much we’ve missed movies!,” Perez said. “Plus, this is both of our first time at a drive-in, so it’s been great. It was great of Walmart to do this.”

Families with little kids huddled in the front seat(s) of the cars to watch the movie (Photo above) Wesley Chapel siblings Chris and and snack on popcorn, as the audio for the Kailey Cesp watch ‘Spy Kids” at the Wesley Chapel film could be heard by tuning the radio Walmart Drive-In movie from the front seat of their to 92.1 FM. Many of the cars enjoyed the parents’ Tesla. (Photos: Mike Camunas) experience with the windows down, as the Florida evening sky turned orange with the sunset.

In the end, it was a fun event that even new Wesley Chapel residents enjoyed.

“This was definitely great, especially for families who don’t have a lot going on, or are low on money because of the virus,” said new Wesley Chapel resident Tiffany Hardy, who said she recently moved here with her family from Leesburg.

Tiffany watched the movie with her husband, Jason, in the driver’s seat and her son, Talon, on her lap (photo, right).

“It’s nice to be able to get out of the house and do something a little different, too,” she said.

28

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

Keeping Kids Healthy

as They Head Back to School!

We accept the majority of PPO's Dental

CARING & COMPASSIONATE DENTISTRY. ..

19007 Bruce B. Downs Blvd Tampa, FL 33647

• Transparent Prices: Pay a flat monthly fee, no co-pay or deductible • Get member only discount cash labs • Membership starts @ $54/month!

Ask about family rates • Same / next day office or video visits, plus 24 / 7 access via phone or secure text

Discover the Difference of Direct Primary Care!

Vijay Patel, DDS (813) 406-4947

Office Hours: Mon-Thurs 9am-6pm

Evenings by Appointment Only

WELCOMING New Patients Dental Exam & X-rays*

Crown*

Affordable Personalized Care for You and Your Family *D0150 & D0210 ONLY

*D2740 ONLY

Offers cannot be combined wch any other specials or ooup:,ns.

Offers Expre on 10/31/2020

DR. KARINA AZANK PARILO, MD Board Certified Family Medicine www.KAPMedicalGroup.com

First 50 New Patients only. Ex pres 10/31/20. C omprehensive exam D0150, X-rays D0210, Cleaning D1110 required

www.pebblecreekfamilydentistry.com Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

29

Kiran Indian Grocery — Where You’ll Be Treated Like Family!

By GARY NAGER

Kiran Indian Grocery, located on Cross Creek Blvd. in the Cross Creek Center plaza in New Tampa, has been a mainstay at this constantly-changing plaza since 2014. Before that, owner Kiran Vanthenapalli owned a store (from 2003-06; and an Indian restaurant, too) on E. Fowler Ave. and, from 20062010, her store was in the Pebble Creek Collection on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.

That means that some of her beloved customers have known and trusted Kiran and her family and staff to provide their (predominantly) Indian and Pakistani spices, frozen foods, meats, snacks, sweets and even hair care and other cosmetic products (and so much more) for almost 18 years.

And of course, Kiran is perhaps best known for her amazing selection of fresh produce, with some Indian specialty items I’ve never tasted (or even seen) before at prices that she says she knows, “no one can beat. I do my research — and no one beats my prices on produce.”

But actually, saying that Kiran is best known for her produce isn’t 100-percent accurate. Kiran Indian Grocery is actually best-known for Kiran herself, something that no other store of any kind can boast.

Not only can Kiran tell you where each and every one of her thousands of available items are located, she also can tell you the prices for each — all off the top of her head.

30

That’s kind of amazing because she has so many different items and so many different brands of the same types of products — e.g., she has as many different “masala” seasonings and brands as most grocery stores have beers — crammed into a store that somehow seems both much bigger and much smaller than it actually is because it offers such an amazing variety of popular Indian and Pakistani products.

That’s not to say that Kiran’s staffers aren’t also knowledgeable. It just has to be impossible for anyone else to have memorized the price, size and exact location within the store of so many different items — many of which aren’t even marked with prices.

But, if Kiran tells you what the price is on any item, rest assured that when that item is rung up at the check-out counter, the exact price she quoted will pop up.

So Many Ways To Serve!

Serving her customers and their needs was of paramount importance to Kiran long

(Top) Owner Kiran Vanthenapalli of Kiran Indian Grocery in New Tampa describes a number of the different produce items that many Americans have never heard of, including (left) the difference between traditional garlic (left) and imported-from-India garlic, as well as Indian mini-eggplants and super-spicy Thai chili peppers (on next page). “No one beats my produce prices,” she says. (Photos: Charmaine George)

before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. She always knows her army of regular customers not only by name (that’s too easy), but also by what they usually are looking for to stock their grocery carts.

In fact, if she’s ever running low on an item she knows you always get, she’ll hold enough of that item for you, so you can stay stocked until she gets her next shipment of it. “If I only have three left, and I don’t know how soon I’ll get more, I’ll tell you to buy two of them,” she laughs.

And, if Kiran does somehow run out of one of your favorites, she’ll suggest an alter-

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

Neighborhood News

native that you can try that you might end up liking better. “I never want my customers going home unhappy,” she says.

In fact, even though a new, much larger Indian grocery store recently opened in New Tampa during the pandemic, Kiran says that while her customers may have checked out the new store to see what it has that she might not, “My customers are all still coming back because they say the new store (which also stocks a lot of Mediterranean items that she doesn’t carry) can’t match my prices or the service they receive here.”

@NTWCNews

Service To The Community, Too

Kiran and I first met when we were both members of the Rotary Club of New Tampa Noon (which now meets Wednesdays at noon at Bayscape Bistro in Heritage Isles), and although neither of us currently belongs to that club , we both are firm believers in Rotary International’s “Service Above Self” motto.

But, while service to the community is something I believe in and try to promote in these pages, Kiran and her husband Sudeer have always also served not only their community, but people — and even animals — in need around the world.

Many of the service projects Kiran was involved in — some of which she spearheaded — when she was in Rotary helped people in need in not only her native India, but also in other countries in Asia and Africa.

She also has been involved — at least since opening her store in Cross Creek — with the Tampa Bay chapter of the SPCA — the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. She also has donated fresh produce, rice and really anything the local chapter has

(Left photo) Kiran (with son Sahit) says she has the greatest selection of not only Indian spices, but also Indian-style jarred pickles (right) and many other hard-to-find items — at the best prices — not just in New Tampa, but in the Tampa Bay area. (Photos: Charmaine George) needed because she is such a strong believer dian restaurants and other businesses owned tomers. We all wear masks and keep everyone that people need pets and that so many of the socially distant, especially at the checkout line, by people from India and Pakistan in our area pets in shelters can and do help individuals and but some people still need that help and I am this way and she says that she would be happy families who need the kind of companionship to do it for other businesses, too. “We’re all in proud to do that for them.” and love that only a dog or cat can provide. this thing together,” she says.

Service To Other Businesses, Too? “I love the SPCA,” Kiran says. “It feels And of course, whether you like or want When Covid-19 hit back in March and good to help them because to cook Indian food or not, if you’re a fan they help so many people... I started going through the issues I did with of delicious chocolate cookies or other sweet my printer, Kiran was probably the first (but and animals.” and/or salty treats — the Indian Cadbury And, even though she thankfully, not the only) advertiser to call me chocolate is different than what’s made here says doing grocery packing and say, “What do you need? How can I help?” — or you want the best prices in town on When I interviewed Kiran for this for her customers who fresh produce, you owe it to yourself to visit story, she told me that, “I thought you physically can’t or aren’t my sister Kiran. said in the paper that you were going out comfortable walking into Kiran Indian Grocery is located at of business, Gary. I started crying. I told any store right now, “Is 10042 Cross Creek Blvd. and its recently Sudeer, ‘We have to help our brother.’” very time-consuming and updated open hours are Monday-Sunday, Even though I thankfully never got difficult, because of all the 10 a.m.-8 p.m. For info, call (813) 994to that point and have no Indian heridifferent items we have, I 6202, search “Kiran Indian Grocery” on tage whatsoever, Kiran has called me her just feel like I have to do Facebook or stop by and tell Kiran her brother for years now. And, even though it for some of these cusbrother Gary sent you! she seems to treat everyone who stops into the store like a member of her family, I refer to her as my sister, too. You just can’t fake her kind of genuine goodness and (or, get down to business) compassion for others.

But, it’s a big compliment to me because she does also have an amazing family of which she is equally proud. Husband Sudeer is a software engineer and their older son Satvik just graduated from medical school at USF and is focusing on Psychiatry, while younger son Sahit recently graduated from USF undergrad and is applying to med schools, too.

Another case in point about how Kiran treats everyone is that, in part also because of Covid-19, when people check out at her CHAPEL’S AUTHENTIC Tampa-Wesley Chapel store, she or her cashier will put coupons 26640 Silver Maple Pkwy MARKET, FEATURING: from other local businesses in the customers’ Wesley Chapel, FL 33544 TampaWesleyChapel.HGI.com shopping bags. She has helped most of the In• Deli

Coming Soon to Wesley Chapel!

WESLEY ITALIAN

• Pizza • Fresh Pastas • Cheeses • Salads • Sandwiches • Butcher Shop • Hot, Prepared Foods!

• Imported Italian Specialties -

Your shortcut to Italy 8644 Hunters Village Rd

Olive Oil, Vinegar, Tomatoes & Wines

• Breads & Desserts made on-premises!

Moschella’s Italian Eatery & Market 5648 Post Oak Blvd. (at Old Pasco Rd.), Wesley Chapel, FL 33544 For more information, call 813.973.7500 • www.Moschellas.com

Now hiring cooks, pizza makers, deli workers & cashiers! Please apply at www.Moschellas.com

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

Have a Ball!

813.475.4857

eatviaitalia.com Check out our complete menu on page 26 of this issue!

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

31

32

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

Your Full Real Estate Solutions Providers Residential-Commercial-Property Management Title-Mortgage-Insurance-Home Warranty-Auction

www.bhhsfloridaproperties.com CORDOBA RANCH

26771 State Rd 56 Wesley Chapel, FL 33544 (813) 907-8200

TAMPA PALMS Cordoba Ranch $569,000

Tampa Palms $749,000

Gorgeous gated estate home 4,031 SF, 4 bedrooms, 3 ½ baths, 3 car split garage open floor plan with office and bonus room on over ½ acre.

Gated Lancaster community 3,662 SF pool/spa home with 4 bedrooms, Karen Tillman-Gosselin 3 baths, den, 3 car 813-629-1502 garage, open floor plan, expanded lanai on conservation and pond.

KTillman-Gosselin@bhhsflpg.com

SAGO AT TRINITY LAKES

DADE CITY HILLS

Cynthia Filippi 813-784-1634

AMAZING OPPORTUNITY to own 283+ acres of prime hilltop and rolling pastureland. 6 parcels – 3 zoned AR and 3 zoned AC with future land uses of 1 dwelling unit per 5 acs and 1 dwelling unit per 10 acs, subject to County requirements. A portion of the land is lakefront! Near I-75 and charming Dade City, this land has a great new price – please call for full details.

DADE CITY LAKEVIEW

This STUNNING HOME is located in the Gated Community of Sago at Trinity Lakes - NO CDD. LUXURIOUS & EXQUISITE FEATURES WHERE NO DETAIL HAS BEEN OVERLOOKED! Boasting 2,617 SF, 4 Bedrooms, 3 Baths and Office. The ELEGANT KITCHEN FEATURES Level 4 Granite Counters with Lovely Glass Tile Backsplash, a Semi-Circle Island/Breakfast Bar with Dbl Thick Granite, Under Cabinet Lighting & Pendant Lights and Dinette Area with Sliders to the AWESOME EXTENDED L SHAPED SCREENED LANAI W/ TRAVERTINE FLOORS & SPECTACULAR POND VIEW. This home IS GORGEOUS FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, IN A BEAUTIFUL COMMUNITY. Close to Major Highways, Shopping, Restaurants and Hospitals.

Call for a Private Viewing Today __________________________________________________________________________________

CFilippi@BHHSflpg.com | CynthiaSellsTampaHomes.com

HUNTER’S GREEN Angela Mora 813-482-1452 10+ ACRES VIEWING BEAUTIFUL LAKE PAASADENA! If you desire a serene setting, filled with the wonders of nature where you can relax and enjoy life, do come see this homesite in charming Dade City.

Partially wooded and in an area of fine home with plenty of room for farming, gardening, horseback riding and more. Private, yet convenient – now just $280,000!

ZEPHYRHILLS COMMERCIAL

Don’t miss this Beautiful Home with Awesome Conservation Views in the Gated Village of Nathans Court, within the Gated Golf Community of Hunters Green. With a Brand NEW TILE ROOF and Boasting 1,614 SF, 2 Bedrooms, 2 Full Baths, 2 Car Garage and a VERSATILE DEN/OFFICE THAT CAN BE USED AS AN OFFICE OR DEN OR BOTH! If you work from home then you will Love the Built-In Desk with Shelving and it also has room for a couch/chairs and a TV, you choose what works for you! The Great Room has the perfect wall for your Entertainment Center or a Large Screen TV and Sliders to the Extended, Covered Lanai where you will enjoy the Conservation Views. Hunters Green is Close to all Major Highways, Shopping, and Restaurants. Don’t miss this one, call for a private viewing today.

For more information, please call Angela Mora 813-482-1452

amora@bhhsflpg.com / www.AngelaMoraRealEstate.com

Hablo español también!

BELLE GLEN - CARROLLWOOD Christine Elsasser 813-373-3228 Georgia Bickford 813-713-6492 A RARE FIND! Located in the Pasco Medical Arts Center adjacent to the Advent Hospital, this well maintained office is subdivided into a waiting room, reception area, lab room, private office, 3 patient rooms and a private office. Also has a kitchen area and 2 baths. Great visibility on Gall Blvd. (US Hwy. 301).

Medical related use only.

Great investment at $180,00!

gbickford@bhhsflpg.com | www.GBickford.bhhsfloridaproperties.com

Beautiful Belle Glen 5-bedroom pool home on conservation lot! This well maintained Carrollwood home is in the highly desired Steinbrenner High School district and is perfect in every way and a must see! You will appreciate the split floor plan that includes a separate wing perfect for an in-law suite with a large bedroom and full bathroom just steps away. Enter the expansive entry way with views of the beautiful saltwater heated pool and lanai overlooking this stunning deep conservation lot. This well-designed home features a formal dining room and living room with decorative columns and sliders out to the lanai. The kitchen boasts energy-efficient, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, under counter lighting, breakfast bar and eat-in area along with a skylight allowing in lots of natural light. The large family room features a wood burning fireplace and sliders that open to the covered lanai. The split floor plan allows two nicely sized bedrooms and guest bathroom off the family room along with the large bedroom in the back of the house and full bath with access from the pool. The oversized master suite boasts enough space to spread out with large windows and sliders out to the pool and lanai. The on-suite bathroom has a garden tub, dual sinks, glass shower stall, and linen closet. The fifth bedroom can be used as a bedroom or office. You won’t mind doing laundry in the indoor utility room with another area used for an extra refrigerator and freezer. The gorgeous swimming pool is equipped with a Hoyer lift set up for wheelchair accessibility, and also a Dolphin electric vacuum. Call today to book your showing because it’s going to go quick! Welcome Home!

TampaHomesByChristine@gmail.com | ChristineE.BHHSFloridaProperties.com

Nibbles & Business The Latest & Greatest News In Dining, Shopping & Business In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel!

Sprouts Is Open!

For those who went absolutely bonkers over the opening of the Aldi supermarket on S.R. 56, I invite you to check out a truly outstanding, truly “green” new grocery store — Sprouts Farmers Market, located in the new Village at Hunter’s Lake plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. at Hunter’s Green Dr., which opened (as expected) on Aug. 12.

Not only does Sprouts (photo, right, by Charmaine George) have a far superior selection (and quality) of produce (as indicated by the Farmers Market in its name), it also features delicious prepared foods, a beautiful meat and fresh seafood department, crusty breads, a huge variety of the healthiest snacks and so much more.

In addition to produce — not all of which is more expensive than at other grocery stores (here’s a hint — look for the amazing sales!), here are some of my Sprouts favorites to date: 1) Fresh Fish - I’ve already had still-swimming mahi-mahi for only $5.99 per lb. (a truly unheard-of price), and even though the fresh grouper was $22.99 per lb., that’s still $5 per lb. less than Publix!

2) Meats — Grass-fed filet mignon for $16.99 per lb. or the slightly fattier “regular” filet for only $14.99 per lb. ‘Nuff said!

3) Prepared Foods — Amazing tuna

salad, savory garlic roasted red potatoes, chicken florentine and parmigiana and better pot stickers than most restaurants, plus different-each-day selections. Yum! Sprouts (8620 Hunters Village Rd.) is open every day, 7 a.m.-10 p.m. For info, call (813) 683-8072 or visit Sprouts.com!

In the meantime, several of the other businesses in the Village at Hunter’s Lake plaza have already opened, including Grain & Berry, The Coder School of New Tampa and Via Italia (see this delectable new authentic Italian eatery’s full menu on page 26!).

Among the stores that are under construction but not yet open in that main part of the plaza are the Banfield Pet Hospital and Touch Nail Spa. According to owner Timmy Pham, this second location of Touch Nail Spa (the other is on S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel; see ad on pg. 28 of this issue) is expected to open in the Village at Hunter’s Lake sometime between mid-September and early October.

Meanwhile, in the separate outparcel building with frontage on BBD, Starbucks and Dental Care at Hunter’s Green are open; and, in another outparcel set further in off BBD, FitNiche (relocated from the Shops at Wiregrass), YogaSix and The UPS Store are open, with Pure Beauty Salon & Spa coming soon.

Pasta Di Guy Is The Real Deal!

If you’re looking for delicious, homemade pastas and sauces, Wesley Chapel has a legitimately authentic new eatery called Pasta di Guy that features a unique, affordable menu created by owner/Chef Guy Carmeli, who is originally from Israel, but was classically trained at the London location of the renowned Le Cordon Bleu cooking school.

Since relocating to Wesley Chapel, Guy has had a popular food truck in our area, but he has since opened his casual, comfortable sit-down/takeout restaurant in the former location of OTB Delights Café at 4839 BBD Blvd. and his homemade pastas — especially the always al denté Strozzapreti (which are

sort of like two pieces of thicker-than-linguini pasta twisted and cut into bite-sized pieces), wit your choice of sauces and toppings.

My favorite sauces so far are the vodka, creamy pesto and aglio e olio (garlic & oil), but I still have to try the marinara and beef bolognese (the latter costs extra). I also enjoyed adding chicken, bacon, Italian sausage, broccoli and cauliflower to the different pastas and sauces, but please note that all of the items mentioned do cost extra over the $9.99 base price. But, you know what? It’s worth it!

We also enjoyed the fried zucchini sticks appetizer and people were raving on Day One about the fried ravioli appetizer and photographer/videographer Charmaine George said

CRAFT BREWS, TOP-NOTCH WINES & LEGIT FOOD TRUCKS

Presented by NEW TAMPA NOON ROTARY

Saturday, November 7 | 6pm

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW! newtampanoonrotaryclub.eventbrite.com Venetian Event Center • 9724 Cross Creek Blvd. | Tickets: $35 + $3.77 per ticket fee 34

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

her zucchini noodles were definitely spot-on.

For more info, stop in (closed Mon.)or visit PastadiGuy.com or call (813) 388-6676 and tell Guy and Emily (photo) I sent you!

Visit The Exerscience Center!

Congratulations to my friend Dr. Lauren Leiva, DPT, on the recent opening of her new The Exerscience Center (24706 S.R. 54, in Lutz, less than two miles from the Tampa premium Outlets).

Not only is Lauren a Doctor of Physical Therapy, she’s also a personal trainer, nutritional counselor and yoga instructor who works with people of all ages — including athletes who are looking to recover faster from an injury or surgery, neurological patients looking to restore lost function, and busy people who want a more effective, and sustainable approach to fitness.

In the photo on this page, Dr. Leiva is performing what she calls a “master reset” on a client, which she says will provide a “holistic rehabilitation experience.” She uses lots of the latest technology, including the Neubie machine from NeuFit (photo), a patented electrical stimulation device to help re-educate your neuromuscular systems, coupled with manual therapy and functional training.

Dr. Leiva says her patients are healing up to 4x faster than with traditional therapy. She adds that neurological signals can shut down muscles and prevent movement for too long, leaving that area of the body more vulnerable.

At The Exerscience Center, you’ll be able to identify exactly where those neurological barriers are present and break through them on the way to more efficient and effective recovery. But, don’t just take it from me. There’s so much more Dr. Leiva can tell you about all of the unique services she offers. For more information, visit TheExerscienceCenter.com, call (813) 464-0313 or see the ad on pg. 8! — GN

FREE

CURBSIDE PICKUP! SHIPPING! LOCAL DELIVERY!

Where Good Health Hits Home!

Your “Made In America” Store.

AWARD-WINNING!

We exclusively carry SUNMED, awarded Best Tincture, Best Topical, Best Pet Products & Best Cosmetic Skincare! Each product is third-party-tested with easily accessible lab results.

nch, u L r o f n o i t a n i t s De w e N ’s l e p a h C y ! e t n e m Wesl n i a t r e t n E ime T t h g i N & r e n n i D NOW OPEN FOR DINING 11a.m. - 10p.m. Every Day!

Make Your Reservations For Our First Weekends Of Dueling Piano Shows: Friday, September 11 - SOLD OUT! Saturday, September 12 - Limited Seating Available!

Friday, September 18 - Limited Seating Available!

Saturday, September 19 - Limited Seating Available!

For dining or show reservations, visit www.treblemakersofwc.com

SHOP OUR SELECTION OF:

Oil Tinctures • Water Solubles • Topical Creams • Gel Capsules Edibles • Vape • Raw Hemp • Beauty Products • Pet Treats & more!

Buy 1, Get 1 at 20% OFF Must present coupon. Cannot be combined with any other offers.

Some restrictions may apply. Expires 9/30/2020.

$10 OFF Any Purchase

Must present coupon. Cannot be combined with any other offers.

Some restrictions may apply. Expires 9/30/2020.

NEW TAMPA

19651 Bruce B Downs • Tampa, FL 33647

813.994.0599

(Located in the Pebble Creek Collection, behind Kobe Japanese Steak House)

Our live entertainment will include piano players; acoustic & small band artists; karaoke; trivia & much more. On Friday & Saturday nights, Treble Makers will turn into an adults-only dueling piano bar with fun for all.

6 034 W ESLEY GROVE BLVD W ESLEY CHAPEL, FL 33544

WESLEY CHAPEL

813. 406. 4371

30044 S.R. 54 • Wesley Chapel, FL 33543

813.536.0119

www.t reb lemak er so f wc.co m i nf o @ t reb lemak er so f wc.co m

(Located in Freedom Plaza, next to Taco Son) Neighborhood News

Executive Chef - Kevin Maggard

@NTWCNews

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

35

New Tampa & wesley Chapel Classifieds HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME HEALTH CARE

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.

SENIOR OVERNIGHT COMPANION SITTERS Two kind senior sisters seeking work safeguarding your loved one during the overnight hours. We’ve been working w/the senior population for 10 years & have seen a need for local, English-speaking, background-checked, Covid-tested, dependable companions w/their own transportation. Very reasonable rates. Call Diane or Elisa at 813-938-8614.

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: 813-784-5999.

CARING HEART, LLC. Private duty nursing care.

Personal caregiver, personal assistant, post hospital/rehab care, helping hand; medical appointments, shopping, light cooking/cleaning, moving assistance packing/unpacking/ organizing, pet care. For info, call or text 813-361-6439.

TJ’s PRESSURE WASHING LLC. Driveways, Houses, Fences, Lanais and Screened Enclosures.

Most residential 2 car driveways or vinyl fences starting at $75. House washing prices start at $150 for a 1 story home and $199 for a 2 story home.

Looking for an instant quote? Just text me a picture of the job you need done. Call Tj at 727-808-7775.

AMBLER ENTERPRISES Home Improvement.

Call James at 813-385-6402. 30 Years Experience.

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

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

CHARLES POPPE ELECTRIC. Electric of all kinds pools, spas, service changes, new circuts, low voltage, repairs, upgrades, changes to existing, trouble shooting, GFCI performance testing, generators.

Expert in the field - over 40 years experience. Discount 50% off labor for senior citizens! Licensed and Insured Master Electrician EC 13002399 - free phone estimates. Call 813-477-9068.

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.

CNA/HHA available to do private duty care in your home.

30 years of experience. Will attend to all of your daily needs. References upon request. Call Rhonda at 850586-1868.

MISCELLANEOUS

GET $500 TOWARDS CLOSING COSTS... when you buy a NEW CONSTRUCTION HOME with Florida Homes with Geri at Epperson OR Mirada.

Schedule a PRIVATE TOUR of both Communities by a Resident Realtor. Join @LifeAtTheLagoon with @RealtorGeri Call/Text 813-609-0966. Connect with me on Instagram & Facebook.

CLEANING SERVICES

A-to-Z CLEANING & ORGANIZING. House & Ofc Cleaning & Organizing Svcs! We use our own supplies.

Affordable & Reliable. Family-Owned & Operated. Wesley Chapel Resident. Weekly / Bi-Weekly / Deep Cleaning/ Move-In / Move-Out. Serving Wesley Chapel & New Tampa. Call today for a FREE No-Obligation Quote: 813-462-1270. Local references supplied upon request.

CLEAN-IT RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL CLEANING: Following all CDC Guidelines, 18 years cleaning in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel. Licensed & Insured. Call 813.505.0431 or email cleanitmc@gmail.com.

B CLEANING SERVICES: Over 18 years experience!

Commercial and Residential; Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly; New house and 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 D-ULTRA CLEANING SERVICE We have our own supplies & more than 400 clients in New Tampa!

For more information, call 813-758-9710 or see our display ad below right!

COMMERCIAL SPACE AVAILABLE

1,850 sq.ft. Commercial/Medical Space Available to Lease. Address: 24420 SR 54, Lutz (in the MediWeightloss Building). For more info, call 813-293-4377 or email: gwillett@mediweightlossclinics.com.

LAWN & LANDSCAPING

_

NTLC Property Maintenance. Residential & Commerical lawn maintenance for New Tampa & Wesley Chapel. Sprinkler repairs, tree trimming, mulching, landscaping & clean-ups also available.

Licensed & Insured. CALLBILL @ (813) 973-3825.

A.T.B. Landscaping & Lawn Service. Licensed and insured serving the Tampa Bay area over 20 years. Family owned and operated. Quality work at affordable prices. We provide services in gutter clean-out, screen repair, pressure washing and sprinkler repair. Landscaping and property maintenance including: sodding, trimming trees and hedges, and clean ups. Other services are available. CALL 813-907-LAWN (5296).

Jasmine Landscaping, Inc. Complete lawn maintenance: Tree, palm & hedge trimming, planting, mulching, stones, sod replacement. Gutter cleaning, leaf removal & more. Cited by your HOA? Ask about our HOA Compliance Special, our Fall/Spring Special & FREE ESTIMATE! Licensed & insured.

Accepting new residential & commercial accounts.

We accept Visa, MC, PayPal, Zelle, AmExp. Call or text 813-420-4465. Now hiring full-time workers.

HEAVY HITTER LAWN CARE: Veteran owned and operated lawn care maintenance service, focused on lawn mowing, trimming, edging and blowing (flexible with extra services). Well maintained and professional laborer ensuring customer satisfaction and on-time cuts. Rain or shine, the quality and schedule will be kept. Licensed and Insured. Call or text 678-673-7856 for your FREE ESTIMATE.

COMPUTER/BUSINESS SERVICES

PROFESSIONAL TECH SUPPORT in your home or small business. A+, Certified computer tech w/20 years exp. Maintenance & Repairs, Upgrades & Tutoring. More affordable than large chains! Friendly, personalized service. Technical jargon explained.

Remote assistance available. References avail. 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 Experience. Contact Jeffrey Blank at 813-973-4507, visit WSICA.COM or email Wsica@wsica.com.

TREE SERVICE

FITZPATRICK’s TREE SERVICE. 25-years of Professional Service. Licensed & Insured. Free Estimates. Tree Trimming & Tree Removal. Stump Grinding. Dead-Wood Removal. Affordable Rates.

24-Hour Emergency Storm Service. Free Mulch.

Call 813-495-9541 or 813-788-TREE.

POOL SERVICES

ALLSTARPOOLSOFTAMPABAY.COM. Pool cleanups, & acid washing of old pool finishes. Marcite, quartz & pebble finishes from $3K. We offer cool decking, Eurocrete & paver decking options. Paver, river rock sealing, leak detection & in-ground vinyl liner replacements avail. We sell quality salt & ozone generators, pumps, motors & filters. Mention this ad for a $79 pool service (restrctions apply). Serving New Tampa & Wesley Chapel since 1990. Call/text 813244-7077 or visit AllStarPoolsofTampaBay.com. Also, see our display ad at the bottom of this page.

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 or Text Chris today @ 813-8575400 or visit TranquilityPoolService.com. New customers get ONE MONTH FREE!

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 ONE MONTH OF QUALITY SERVICE FREE. www.aquatecpool.com.

NEIGHBORHOOD POOLS Wesley Chapel owned & operated since 1999. Weekly service. No long term contracts. Mention this AD for one-month Free service. Call 813-907-7322 for details or text Joe at 813-758-7608.

PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTOGRAPHER AVAILABLE! Retired Professional Photographer (45+ years experience) in the Tampa Bay area. Corporate Events, Personal Occasions, Portraiture, Pets, Commercial Photography & Real Estate. Reasonable rates. Ask me about “Front Porch Portraits,” taken from the safety of your front porch, FREE OF CHARGE! Great for Families, Children, Pets & more! Call or Text (813) 748-3901 or Visit: russellleprephotography.com.

FITNESS & WELL BEING

YOGA, PERSONAL TRAINING, NUTRITION & PHYSICAL THERAPY w/DR. LAUREN LEIVA, DPT! Phys Ed for everyone, including all children, w/a certified personal trainer who also is a degreed Dr. of Physical Therapy. Ask Dr. Leiva about her PE4ME sliding scale pay program!

For more info, visit TheExerscienceCenter.com, call 813.464.0313 or see the ad on pg. 12 of this issue.

Break It Down Productions. Customized Private Yoga Sessions w/Susanna Jones. Develop strength & flexibility, while learning how to breathe & relax. I specialize in working w/beginners and those requiring a more gentle approach than most group Yoga classes. I explain everything, and provide variations so that you actually feel good in the stretch instead of strained. Gift certificates available. www. breakitdownproductions.com or Call (813) 802-8393.

Do You Love The Neighborhood News? Why Not Work With Us?!?

We are seeking a Sales Assistant, Freelance Writers, Photographers & Videographers!

Resumés only, please (no phone calls) to Attn: Gary at Ads@NTNeighborhoodNews.com!

Specialist in Kitchens & Bathrooms with 30 Years of Experience!

All interior work, including drywall, texture painting & more.

Use us once & you won’t need to look elsewhere!

Google us to see all of our 5-Star Reviews & more pictures:

Wesley Chapel Ambler Enterprises 36

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

SERVICES

MOTORSPORTS INC. FLUSH Now offering mobile auto services!

BRAKES We come to you & follow all TUNE UP CDC guidelines! Neat & clean!

EXHAUST CV JOINTS RADIATORS ALIGNMENTS SUSPENSION ENGINE SWAP OIL CHANGE w/NTNN coupon only. Expires 9/30/2020.

Not to be combined w/other offers.

TIRE ROTATION

FREE

Oil Change

for first-time clients!

FREE

TOWING WITH REPAIR

FREE

DIAGNOSTICS

FREE

INSPECTION

FREE A/C CHECK

FREE

BRAKE INSPECTON

13787 N Nebraska Ave / Tampa

813.447.1349

cruzmotorsportsinc@gmail.com

Protect your children and pets with Tampa Bay’s only organic monthly fertilization and pest control • Courteous, friendly customer service • Monthly service from $40 per month • State licensed spray technicians • Organic/natural fertilizers • On-time service • Amazing results • No contracts • Special discounts on irrigation repairs and inspections

Organic Safe Lawns COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL

813.393.9665

WWW.ORGANICSAFELAWNS.COM

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

37

‘Parking Lot Karaoke’ Returns To Bubba’s 33 On Wed., Sept. 9!

For everyone who missed it the first time around, if you were one of those folks who said, “Wow, it looks like they had a lot of fun,” when the Neighborhood News brought what we called “Car Karaoke” to Bubba’s 33 (located just east of I-75 off S.R. 56) back in May, you’re in luck!

The Wesley Chapel Rotary, in conjunction with long-time club member Troy Stevenson of Acme On The Go Billboard Trucks and the print and online editions of the Neighborhood News, are proud to announce that “Parking Lot Karaoke 2” will again be held in the parking lot at Bubba’s 33 on Wednesday, September 9, 7 p.m.10 p.m. (or later, if there are still singers).

Ah, but no matter what you call it,

round 2 promises to be bigger and better than round 1. While I know that some people don’t want to have to wear face masks in public, by holding the event in the Bubba’s 33 parking lot (there will be more tables and chairs set up than last time, too), we can guarantee social distancing.

Plus, when it’s time for you to sing, the microphone(s) will be wiped with disinfecting wipes; we’d also appreciate it if you wear your mask when you sing because, let’s face it, I know I can get a little juicy when I sing — and I also know I’m not the only one.

We’re calling it “Parking Lot,” rather than “Car” Karaoke this time because some folks told us they thought it meant you had to stay in your car to sing. But, while a few folks

did sing in their cars last time, most were like our buddy Lochlan (photo, right) because they came over to the Acme On The Go billboard truck, which displayed the lyrics of every song about as big as Lochlan himself — much easier to read than on a TV screen!

And, I’m also excited to have former Q105 FM on-air talent Allan Hudson Brady as Parking Lot 2’s karaoke jock. Many of you know Allan from his shows every Thur.-Sat. at Joe Whiskey’s (which was still closed at our press time) on S.R. 54, . Allan will be taking sign-ups to sing starting at 6:30 p.m.

And, best of all, our friends Jeff and Crista Dean and the entire Bubba’s 33 crew will be serving the tasty Bubba’s 33 food and drinks we love both inside and outside.

So, come on out to Bubba’s 33 (26340 Silver Maple Pkwy.). It’s a free event, but food and drinks are not free and we ask that you make a small donation to the Wesley Chapel Rotary Foundation every time you sing. For info, call Bubba’s 33 at (813) 522-5090 or see the ad on pg. 2! — GN

www.SleepUnplugged.com Diplomate, American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine Dental Director, American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine Accredited Facility 1928 Highland Oaks Blvd., Lutz, FL 33559

......iaila

Aberdeen Ashley Pines Avalon Park West Belle Chase Bridgewater Brookside Chapel Pines Citrus Trace 38

Direct-Mailed to 25,000+ Homes in Zip Codes 33543, 33544 & 33545

Country Walk Estancia Epperson Fox Ridge Hamilton Park Lexington Oaks Meadow Pointe New River

Northwood Palm Cove Pinewalk Pine Ridge Quail Hollow Saddlebrook Saddleridge Estates Saddlewood Estates

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 18 • September 1, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

Neighborhood News

Seven Oaks The Ridge Watergrass Williamsburg The Lakes at Northwood Villages ofWesley Chapel Wesley Pointe Westbrook Estates @NTWCNews

Having better water in your home is as easy as 1, 2, 3! Pentair Pelican can tailor a whole house water filtration system for your home’s water needs in 3 simple steps: We’ll bring our mobile showroom with our products right to your home We’ll conduct a free water test and tailor a solution for your specific water needs

Pelican Smart Combo®

We’ll install your system with our White Glove Service and provide a 90-day money-back guarantee.

FreshPoint Reverse Osmosis 5-Stage Drinking Filtration System

CALL NOW TO SCHEDULE YOUR FREE WATER TEST | ZERO CONTACT APPOINTMENT OPTIONS

Call 813.699.3588 or visit PELICANTAMPA.COM

Home Sales in Wesley Chapel JULY Number of Homes Sold

2019

JULY

186

Median Sale Price

2020 186

$280,000 5.4% $295,000

Avg. # Days Until Contract

27

Avg. 30 Year Mortgage Rate

3.77%

18.5% 22 20% 3.02%

Why Wait?

I can help you navigate today’s market — Call Today!

www.ChrisHenryRealty.com SCAN WITH YOUR MOBILE DEVICE

Making Every Moment Count (813) 917-1523 / Chris@ChrisHenryRealty.com