Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News, Volume 26, Issue 4, Feb. 9, 2018

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Volume 26

WESLEY CHAPEL

2017 Readers Poll Winners Inside

NEWS

Issue 4 February 9, 2018

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Magic On Ice!

A Simple Gesture By An Olympic Medal Hopeful Inspires A Young Skater At Florida Hospital Center Ice

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By ANDY WARRENER

erena Kemble had only been figure skating a few months when she first saw Olympic medal hopeful Vanessa James at a 2016 competition at the Ellenton Ice & Sports Complex in Bradenton.

The then-five-year-old was transfixed by Vanessa’s beauty and grace, the way she glided across the ice and so elegantly twisted and turned as she leapt through the air.

And by her skin color.

“It was the first time Serena saw anyone in person skating that was her own skin color,” said Deserree Kemble, Serena’s white, adoptive mother.

“She was bouncing in her seat, as happy as she could be.”

During the Winter Olympics, which begin today in PyeongChang, South Korea, Serena is likely to once again be happily bouncing in her seat, as she hopes to see Vanessa and her partner, Morgan Cipres, who have been training at Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel since May, represent France as they compete for a medal in the pairs figure skating competition.

The duo recently finished fourth at the European World Championships.

As she cheers on Vanessa, her skating idol, Serena just may be clutching a pair of brown tights (inset photo) in her hands.

Serena, who is 7, is the adopted daughter of Deserree and Lance Kemble, of Rockledge, FL. Deserree’s cousins and aunts, who live in Wesley Chapel, are Serena’s de facto grandparents.

The Kembles adopted Serena and her 6-yearold biological cousin, Elijah, at birth, rescuing the children from their rough background, through a program with the Kembles’ church.

“It just seemed like the right thing to do,” Deserree said.

The Kembles hardly imagined that their daughter would discover figure skating, of all things, but OlympianVanessa James gave 7-year-old a 2016 family trip would change Serena’s world future ice skating star Serena Kemble a forever. lot more than just some tights ­— she gave At a ski resort in Gatlinburg, TN, Serena saw her a memory that will last a lifetime. ice, and people skating on it, for the first time. She was mesmerized as the skaters whizzed by her, and begged her parents to let her try it.

A few moments later, Serena had laced up a pair of cheap, worn rental ice skates and was gliding around the ice with surprising aplomb, charming the other skaters,

See “Magic” on pg. 14

INSIDE

News:

Bus Rapid Transit Plan Includes Wesley Chapel.

Page 10

Business:

Olympus Pools Helps Every Customer Create A Perfect Pool!

Pages 18-19

Neighborhood Magazine:

Our 2017 Reader Survey Results for New Tampa & Wesley Chapel.

Pages 29-40!

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The Wesley Chapel Chamber Gets A New Name & A 2018 Taste Update An editorial by Gary Nager

Is there any way to change something that has been hugely successful without ruffling some feathers?

Based on the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC)’s recently announced name change to the “North Tampa Bay Chamber,” the answer is probably “no.”

However, that doesn’t mean that the name change wasn’t a necessary thing to do, nor has it been anyone’s plan to throw away all of the good will that has been created by the only Chamber of Commerce Wesley Chapel has known for the last 20 years.

Even so, CEO Hope Allen of the new North Tampa Bay Chamber has been hearing some unhappiness about the Chamber’s name change from people who wonder if the newly named Chamber will still be the first place people see when they search “Wesley Chapel Chamber” on Google or Facebook.

“We still own the name and the domain name online, so we should still come up when people are searching for Wesley Chapel,” Hope says. “Once we completed our acquisition of the Greater Pasco Chamber last year, we knew we’d have to change the name. We also knew that there was no way to please everyone, no matter what name we chose.”

Even though Wesley Chapel has been the name (and the community) that has given the Chamber its identity the last two decades — especially during the last few tremendous growth years that are continuing to make “The Chap” one of the fastest-growing communities in both Florida and the nation — the fact is that the expanded Chamber (which also acquired the failed New Tampa Chamber of Commerce a few

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 Gary Nager Advertising/Marketing Rep Tom Damico Advertising Sales & Office Assistant Jannah McDonald Assistant Editor / Photographer John C. Cotey Staff Writer Celeste McLaughlin Correspondents Brad Stager • Andy Warrener WCNT-tv Video Production Gavin Olsen • Giuliano Ferrara Graphic Designer Georgia Carmichael 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 advertisements for Volume 26, Issue 6, of Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News is Monday, February 26, 2018.

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

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

© 2018 JM2 Communications, Inc. Neighborhood News

years ago) no longer is confined geographically to “just” Wesley Chapel.

“We are now the largest Chamber in Pasco County,” says new Board Chair and local dentist Dr. Zack Kalarickal. “But, we also serve the businesses in New Tampa, Lutz (where the Chamber recently moved to a new office), Land O’Lakes, Trinity and even north Pinellas County. And, our name needed to reflect that.”

Some of the Chamber’s members have been trying to find a way to still incorporate Wesley Chapel into the new name, even if it has to be a subhead. As the primary news media in Wesey Chapel, I also found myself wondering what anyone could do to somehow not lose the Chamber’s Wesley Chapel connection.

Although I couldn’t come up with a name that would make it work, I hope there could at least be a subhead or subtitle that says something like, “Built in Wesley Chapel; Building a Chamber to Serve the Tri-County Area.”

Whatever you call it, the newly expanded Chamber has more than 800 member businesses and has renewed its commitment to WCNT-tv — Wesley Chapel & New Tampa Television.

To that end, I hope you’ll check out the next several episodes of WCNT-tv’s “Chamber News,” which feature Dr. Zack being interviewed by WCNT-tv’s Mollyana Ward (photo above), shot at the amazing Overnight Success Studio owned by Chamber member Miroslav Beck. Those segments are available now on our Neighborhood News Facebook page and on the WCNT-tv channel on YouTube.

I also hope you’ll keep an eye out for some exciting announcements about the only web-based “TV channel” serving both New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. The new Chamber may be expanding beyond those borders, but we will continue to focus our energies — both online and in these pages — on our two “home” communities.

the event for the second time. Last year, my restaurant committee was able to attract nearly 50 restaurants and beverage providers and about 2,000 people attemded. This year, sponsorship committee co-chairs James Carner and Jason Contino already have surpassed last year’s sponsorships and I’m already at nearly 25 food and beverage providers, with just about six weeks still to go until the Taste.

Those sponsors (in alphabetical, not monetary, order) already include: •Acme On The Go •Audi Wesley Chapel •Campaign of TK Hayes •Central Bank •Family First Allstate •Harbor Bank •Ierna’s Heating & Cooling •New Leaps Academy

•Murtha & Murtha LLC •Pilot Bank •Pinot’s Palette •Suncoast Credit Union •TSYS Merchant Services •Usman Law Firm Among the new restaurants already committed to serving samples at the Taste are Acai Brazil, Bruster’s Ice Cream, Cappy’s Pizza, Cinebistro at The Grove, O’Brien’s Irish Pub, Pinchers Crab Shack, Taco Son, Texas Roadhouse, Top Shelf Sports Lounge (see pg. 42) and Wicked Chickens, Deviled Eggs.

For more information about the 2018 Taste, including how to pre-buy tickets or volunteer, visit TasteofNewTampa.org! And, check out our exclusive Taste 2018 Preview Section in our next issue of Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News!

Taste 2018 Off & Running!

I’m also really excited about the plans for the 2018 Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel (see ad on pg. 28) — on Sunday, March 25, noon-4 p.m., at Florida Hospital Center Ice (in conjunction with the new Chamber) — as the Rotary Club of New Tampa hosts

Table of Contents

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

Next Wave Of Development In WC: Hotels...........4-5 New Retail & Restaurants For Cypress Creek.........6 What Do You Want Next In Wesley Chapel?.............8 Proposed BRT Would Include Two Local Stops......10 Bruce B. Downs Picked As Area’s Worst Road........15 Wesley Chapel Community Calendar......................16

Local Business Updates..............18-26

Olympus Will Help Design Your Dream Pool.........18 Premier Heart & Vascular Keeps The Beat Going...20 SPOTLIGHT: Pasco’s Masonry & Landscaping.....21 Dr. Manalo Is Proud Of Florida Family Practice......22 Murtha & Murtha Handles The New Tax Laws.....24

Neighborhood Magazine

Reader Survey Results: Stonewood Is #1.........29, 40 Survey Results: First Watch Tops Breakfast List...30 Survey Results: More Restaurant Winners!.....30-31 Survey Results: FHWC Wellness Center #1 Gym...34 Survey Results: More ‘Best Of’ Winners!.......34-35 Survey Results: New Tampa Plastic Surgery Wins!...36 ‘Neighborhood Nibbles & Business Bytes’.........46 New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Classifieds..........48 @NTWCNews

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 26, Issue 4 • February 9, 2018 • WCNeighborhoodNews.com

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Three New Hotels Add Heat To Wesley Chapel’s Business Climate

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com

For years, Pasco County has grappled with attracting tourists and giving them a place to stay.

Florida Hospital Center Ice (FHCI) and a planned RADD Sports Wiregrass Ranch Sports Complex, as well as the Tampa Premium Outlets (TPO), the Shops at Wiregrass mall, the massive “connected city” project and dozens of local restaurants will help take care of attracting visitors.

In a few months, a long-standing problem of finding beds for all of those visitors’ heads will be solved as well.

During the months of June and July, Wesley Chapel expects to see three new hotels open along the burgeoning S.R. 56 corridor, joining the Holiday Inn & Suites that opened last year next to FHCI (and the Hampton Inn & Suites, which has been open for many years).

“The two industries (tourism and hospitality) go hand in hand,” says Hope Allen, the CEO of the North Tampa Bay (formerly Great Wesley Chapel) Chamber of Commerce. “It’s almost like you can’t have one without the other.”

Barring any weather delays, a sixstory, 125-room Hilton Garden Inn on Silver Maple Pkwy., across S.R. 56

Dilip Kanji (top) of Impact Properties is builing a Hyatt Place Hotel & Conference Center in the Cypress Creek Town Center, set to open in July.

from FHCI, is scheduled to open in June, a 92-room Fairfield Inn & Suites is expected to open in June or July a few miles to the east (in the Wiregrass Ranch development), and the six-story, 132room Hyatt Place Hotel & Convention Center will open in July at the Cypress Creek Town Center across from TPO. The newest hotels have all been planned since late 2015.

Impact Properties is building the Hyatt Place, and recently hosted a “topping off” event to show off its progress.

Impact just began building the $24-million hotel last summer. The Hyatt Place will share the north side of S.R. 56 with a host of new restaurants and retailers (see

story on page 6).

The conference center addition fills another area need, says District 2 Pasco County commissioner Mike Moore.

“This is going to be a great development all around,” Moore said during the Hyatt Place event. “When you talk about a convention center, that has been something that has been a big need in Pasco County, especially on the east side. You won’t have a problem keeping it full.”

Impact president Dilip Kanji said he has had his eyes on the Cypress Creek location for years, patiently waiting for the right moment.

“I’ve been looking at Wesley Chapel since 2012,” Kanji says, citing the Cypress

Creek Town Center’s permitting woes dating back to 2007. “If you remember, (our interest) goes back to the days when the mall was going to go there, the problems with the wetlands and the Army Corps of Engineers, all that stuff, so we just kept looking. But, Wesley Chapel has arrived, Pasco County has arrived, everyone wants to be here. We had an idea for what we wanted to do; we were just waiting for the right time.”

Kanji said his company also eyed the Shops at Wiregrass mall and Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel areas in Wiregrass, as well as the area near FHCI (where the Holiday Inn Express is today).

“There’s been the potential (for a hotel) in the area, but the place we always wanted to be was on that (the west) side of the interstate,” he said.

A Little History...

Impact Properties was founded in 1981, two years after Kanji, a biochemist at the time, visited San Francisco and stayed at a family-run hotel that he fell in love with. He decided, without the benefit of any business schooling or real estate courses, to enter the business.

“I never stepped in a lab again, and never looked back,” said Kanji, who works closely with brother and VP Nash Kanji, whom he describes as a construc-

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tion “whiz.” They started with a small motel in Gainesville that Kanji says his attorney at the time joked was known as a “no-tell motel.” Since then, Impact Properties has grown into an award-winning development company, owning and managing more than 25 hotels, and was awarded the key to the City of Tampa by then-Mayor Dick Greco for developing the Hilton Garden Inn in Ybor City, the first hotel to be built in the historic district in more than 100 years.

Impact Properties currently owns a hotel in Gainesville, two in Jacksonville and two in Tampa, including The Westin on Westshore Blvd.

The company also is developing a hotel in Treasure Island, FL, in addition to the Wesley Chapel location, which Kanji says is one of the most coveted areas around.

Speaking Of Hot...

Kanji says people have asked him if he’s building his next hotel in downtown Tampa or St. Petersburg, and when he tells them no, they ask why, because those are the hot areas.

“I don’t even go where it’s already hot,” Kanji says. “We identify an emerging area, growth areas that are going to be hot. And, we get there first.”

He says that was his plan when he built a hotel in Brandon years ago, the first he says to do so on the old I-75 bypass. “The interchange wasn’t even work-

ing,” he says. “We identified where Brandon was going — it was the bedroom community of Tampa — and we identified that area as hot. We got there first.

There were growing pains. We did not hit our numbers the first year or two. But, we said we will control the market.”

In the case of Wesley Chapel, however, Impact Properties will be entering a market that is already considered hot, and growing crowded quickly — landowner Bob Sierra said at the “topping” event that if the Hyatt Place is successful, Kanji has an option to build a second in the Cypress Creek Town center.

In addition to the three hotels set to open this summer, the RADD Sports Wiregrass Ranch Sports Complex – which could open in spring of 2019 — will have

The Hilton Garden Inn (left) on S.R. 56 is projected to open in July, around the same time as the Fairfield Inn & Suites a few miles to the east. A hotel boon in Wesley Chapel could see as many as six new hotels in the next 2-3 years. a 120-room Marriott-branded Residence Lacrosse Championships held at WesInn on site, and the Brightwork Crossing ley Chapel District Park the last several development north of S.R. 54/56 and years were nearby Hillsborough County west of C.R. 54/Wesley Chapel Blvd. has hotels, such as those in New Tampa, stated plans in 2016 to build an unnamed which took in 60-75 percent of the tournament’s teams and visitors. hotel with up to 150 rooms on that site.

While saturation may become an isAlso, plans were filed with the county in August for a proposed, also-unnamed sue, the new hotels are anticipated to help 160,000-sq.-ft. hotel to be located be- the county’s tourism efforts and fill tax hind the Walgreens at the S.R. 54 and coffers. The county approved doubling its tourist tax, or bed tax, from 2 to 4 perBruce B. Downs Blvd. intersection.

A report in 2016 by consultants cent last year.

“What you’re seeing in Pasco Counanalyzing the potential for a sports complex in Wesley Chapel pointed out the ty is quality,” Moore said. “There is a lot lack of hotel rooms in the area. And, of time and effort put into these projects. while it still made a sizable economic We’ll be getting rooms filled, heads in impact (estimated at $3-million a year), beds...and we appreciate the help. It helps it has been believed that one of the main us grow, and helps us bring in additional beneficiaries of the DICK’s National profits to the county.”

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New Retail, Restaurants & Hotel To Bolster Cypress Creek Town Center North

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com The Hyatt Place Hotel & Convention Center is expected to open just north of S.R. 56 in July, and according to Impact Properties president Dilip Kanji, combined with what will follow soon after will make the Cypress Creek Town Center Development of Regional Impact (DRI) the place to be in Wesley Chapel.

At the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC)’s monthly Economic Development Briefing on Jan. 25 (one day after the VIP “topping off” ceremony for the hotel, see pg. 4), Kanji announced that organic grocer Earthfare, as well as Stein Mart, Chipotle, HomeGoods and other long-anticipated retail stores and restaurants, are heading to Cypress Creek Town Center North, directly across S.R. 56 from the Tampa Premium Outlets.

“You may (already) know this, but I have permission to release this,” Kanji said, to the delight of a few dozen local business leaders at Hunter’s Green Country Club.

Kanji said a number of previously undisclosed but rumored businesses will be popping up along the bustling S.R. 56 strip being developed by the Sierra family. Those include: Earth Fare: One of the boutique, or organic, food stores many in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa have been clamoring for. Earth Fare pledges that it only sells products that are free of high fructose corn syrup, added hormones, bleached or bromated flour, antibiotics and artificial fats, colors, preservatives and sweeteners.

The nearest store is roughly 20 miles away in Oldsmar, and the most recent store — the company’s 46th — recently opened in Bradenton.

Stein Mart: Department store that touts big savings on designer brands. The company closed its Tampa Palms location in 2015.

Chipotle Mexican Grill: A chain of fast, casual restaurants with over 2,000 locations and something of a cult following. It has a location in New Tampa at The Walk at Highwoods Preserve, and specializes in burritos, tacos, bowls and salads.

HomeGoods: HomeGoods will be joining what will be a crowded market for home fashions, including kitchen and bath items, rugs, lighting and furniture, as an At Home is planned for the south side of S.R. 56 behind Costco, and a Cost Plus World Market should be opening soon at The Grove at Wesley Chapel.

Total Wine & More: The largest U.S. independent retailer of fine wine has three locations in the Tampa Bay area — Tampa, Brandon and Clearwater.

Hobby Lobby: An arts & crafts store with more than 800 locations in 47 states, Hobby Lobby has been rumored to be coming since showing up as a Cypress Creek tenant on a retail flier in 2016. This would be the third Pasco County location, joining stores in Zephyrhills and New Port Richey.

Golf Galaxy: Formerly known as Golfsmith before being acquired by Dick’s Sporting Goods, 36 new Golf Galaxy stores, which sell the latest golf equipment, apparel and accessories, opened last summer, including one on N. Dale Mabry Hwy. in Lutz.

Walk-On Bistreaux & Bar: Founded by a pair of former walk-on basketball players on the Louisiana State University basketball team in 2003, Walk-On was named by ESPN is 2012 as the No. 1 Sports Bar in America. New Orleans

Saints quarterback Drew Brees joined the ownership team in 2015, and the sports-themed bar currently is only located in Texas and Louisiana but is expanding all over the southeast, including nine locations in Florida.

Blaze Pizza: The California-based fastcasual chain touts its freshly and daily-made dough, signature sauce and fast-firing createyour-own pizzas (hence the name).

“In April, they will start clearing ground,” Kanji said. “It will be 330,000-sq.-ft. of retail Earth Fare pledges that it only sells products that are free of high fructose space that will be built.” corn syrup, added hormones, bleached or bromated flour, antibiotics and Other businesses artificial fats, colors, preservatives and sweeteners.

Kanji mentioned also been reported previously in the Neighborhood erra, said the explosion of new businesses on the News. They include Dick’s Sporting Good north side of S.R. 56 is why he wanted to build (most likely a fusion of Dick’s and Field & the Hyatt Place & Convention Center of Wesley Stream, one of the company’s subsidiaries), Chapel there. He said he has had his eye on the PetSmart and Burlington Coat Factory (now Wesley Chapel area for a number of years, but just called Burlington), which are already in the saw most of the potential west of S.R. 56.

“When we looked at the hotel site, we permitting phase.

Restaurants that are already under con- could have gone on the other (east) side (of struction and expected to open by the summer: I-75), we could have gone on Bruce B. Downs, Chuy’s Tex-Mex and Bahama Breeze Island but this is where we wanted to be,” Kanji said.

Grille. Mellow Mushroom, a specialty pizza “I mean, where else would you stay if you’re in Wesley Chapel than right there? Being within place, opened in mid-January.

Kanji, who also has the rights to build a walking distance (of so many things), that’s second hotel on property also owned by the Si- what today’s traveler wants.”

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Wesley Chapel Community Responds To ‘What New Business Do You Want?’

By CELESTE MCLAUGHLIN celeste@ntneighborhoodnews.com

In pretty much every issue of Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News, we tell you what’s new and what businesses are coming to our area. That’s because pretty much every time we’re putting together an issue, there’s something else new, and something else coming.

We know you love it. We can tell.

When we post on Facebook that a new restaurant is coming, our readers like it and share it more than any of our other posts.

But, even with all the growth we’re seeing in Wesley Chapel, it seems there’s room for more.

When Marilyn Chick, a Wesley Chapel resident for 19 years, posed a simple question on the Wesley Chapel Community page on Facebook last month, Marilyn had no idea that people would comment on it more than 1,000 times.

“What new businesses would you like to see come to Wesley Chapel?”

“I was so surprised,” Marilyn says, “It’s the first time I’ve ever posted something on Facebook that got that kind of response.”

Facebook statistics show that, although the post itself had only 30

8

Scrolling through the comments, it’s easy to see a big trend. Most of the responses say, “Trader Joe’s,” “Whole Foods,” “Fresh Market,” or some combination of the above, with plenty of “Aldi” thrown in there, too.

• A sports bar. A few commentBesides the requests for green groers named something like cers, many posts asked for specific resCooper’s Hawk in Tampa, altaurants. though Walk-On Bistreaux & Cheesecake Factory… Carrabba’s…

Bar is headed our way.

PF Chang’s… More places like But• IHOP. Apparently, the more termilk Provisions and Capital Tacos… breakfast places, the merrier.

Friendly’s… Einstein Brothers Bagels…

• Any small family restaurant.

Even Cici’s Pizza, Steak ’n Shake and White Castle.

• Folks are looking for some“I get it,” says Marilyn. “Everyone thing to do, so indoor play has an idea of what they want, what they areas, go-karts and bowling haven’t had in a while and (especially) alleys were popular choices. what they’re hungry for.”

• Affordable organic fruit.

And, of course, there were some We’re not sure this exists, tongue-in-cheek responses, like this one but yes, please. from Krista Davidson, poking a little • A small “downtown” area fun at the Fucillio Kia on S.R. 54, “A with shopping, food and a car dealership where the salesmen stand park area. outside in red shirts.”

There also were plenty of respons• A microbrewery. es saying, “no more!,” like this one, from Rusch Jason, which says, “No new businesses. If anything, they need to slow down growth until the roads “likes,” the comments the post gener- catch up!!!!” ated got about 2,300 “likes,” and about All those posts didn’t answer the 7,400 people viewed the original post. bigger question Marilyn says she was

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really searching for. “I’ve retired as a radiology nurse from the Zephyrhills hospital, so I’m looking for something to do,” Marilyn explains. “My daughter, Maxine, and I are thinking about starting a business.”

Marilyn says neither she nor her daughter cook, so a restaurant is out of the question.

But, in the hundreds of suggestions, she says she found a few that resonate with her, especially the ones that suggested a community center and something for kids.

“It would be so nice to have something for the performing arts,” she says, which was suggested in a few comments.

“We have a lot of sports, which is great, but there are other kids who would love to be in a play, or have a place to play their instruments.”

Marilyn says she doesn’t consider herself to be an entrepreneur, but admits, “we’re thinking about it and looking at what would fit best for us” as she moves forward and hopes to open a business here in Wesley Chapel.

She has plenty of suggestions to consider.

And, don’t worry, we’ll still be sure to tell you when that Fresh Market, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods or Aldi finally opens in Wesley Chapel.

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9

Bus Rapid Transit Will Include Wesley Chapel

Can a futuristic Bus Rapid Transit system help ease traffic in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel? A study by the Florida Dept. of Transportation says it could.

By JOHN C. COTEY District 7 Secretary David Gwynn. “What john@ntneighborhoodnews.com this would hopefully be is a first step that could start to generate transit ridership, that would be able to get federal money Any hopes for a light rail line constarted into the process and build ridernecting the Tampa Bay area have now ship. Hopefully over time, those other taken a backseat, as local officials seem elements, whether they are bus, rail or ready to embrace a 41-mile Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system from Wesley Chapel some form of technology that evolves, can be built upon this project.” to St. Petersburg.

BRT systems in other cities and That was the recommendation of Jacobs countries are considered much higher Engineering, which conducted a $1.5-million quality than your typical bus routes, study funded by the Florida Department of and are defined by their dedicated lanes, Transportation (FDOT) on Jan. 19, when which avoid congestion and make for the study was presented to the Tampa Bay faster travel.

Transportation Management Area (TMA) In Tampa Bay, the BRT route would Leadership Group in Tampa.

The proposed route would run along have a dedicated lane for a majority of the route, although that lane may be only a I-275 from Wesley Chapel to the Univerreinforced shoulder in certain parts, or sity of South Florida, through downtown toll lanes planned for the new Howard Tampa and the Westshore and Tampa Frankland Bridge. In some areas, a dediInternational Airport areas and over the Howard Frankland Bridge into downtown cated lane will need to be constructed.

But, by converting many of the existing St. Petersburg. lanes into BRT-dedicated lanes, as opWhile the debate over fixing the posed to building a rail line to cover the transportation woes in Tampa Bay has entire 41 miles, would reduce the cost of raged for more than a decade, includthe project by $2 billion. ing two highly-publicized failed attempts And, BRT utilizes sleeker, more at a light rail voter referendum in 2014 modern-looking buses equipped with and 2016, BRT is seen as a quicker and WiFi, making it a more palatable choice cheaper option and a potential jump start for those who have previously ridden on to the development of a much-needed regular HARTline buses. and elusive transportation system to help “Can we not use the word bus?,” ease the area’s overcrowded roads. asked Kathryn Starkey, Pasco’s District 3 “I think that’s what the citizens want county commissioner. “We need a sexy, — we need a solution now,” said Hope cool, futuristic name.”

Allen, the CEO of the North Tampa Bay The three-county BRT line recom(formerly Greater Wesley Chapel) Chammended by Jacobs Engineering would ber of Commerce. have 17 intermodal stations, which would A 9-mile CSX rail between USF and serve as transportation hubs, and have downtown Tampa also was considered been shown to spur growth in the urban as an option by Jacobs Engineering, but areas where they are placed. The proposal those construction costs were roughly shows stations in Wesley Chapel at S.R. $600 million, with $9-$12 million in an54 and I-75, as well as one at S.R. 56 and nual operating costs, and would take 10 Wesley Chapel Blvd. years to build.

Allen said she was pleased with the That’s more costly and time-consumreception BRT has received, and that ing than BRT, which has estimated costs Wesley Chapel was included. Allen says of around $400 million for a project that thousands of residents in Wesley Chapel would be ready in five years, with $5-$7 million in annual operating costs. and Pasco County leave for work in “This is not the ultimate end game Tampa and St. Petersburg every day. for transit in the Tampa Bay region, “For them,” she says, “this is pretty nothing even close to that,” said FDOT appealing.”

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13

‘Magic’

Continued from page 1 many of whom couldn’t help but notice.

“How long has she been skating?,” someone asked Deserree.

“Oh, about two minutes,” she replied.

When it was time to leave, Serena begged to stay. She has been skating ever since, inspired by Vanessa on that night in Bradenton, just a few months after she began.

Her mother says Serena has already been in about a dozen competitions, earning nine gold medals, one silver and one bronze. She also skates with a performance team called Theatre On Ice, and is the youngest member of the team coached by Katie Nyman, who also coaches at one of Serena’s home rinks, the Space Coast IcePlex in Rockledge (near Cocoa Beach), which is known for its strong figure skating program.

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But, along the way, Deserree and Serena grew dismayed by a lack of equipment for skaters of color, especially tights, which are primarily supposed to match the skater’s skin tone, while adding protection in case of falls.

“We bought her tights, but I recall they never did look right,” Deserree says. “Tights are supposed to resemble the skater’s skin tone and hers stood out. They were obviously not close to her skin tone.”

Deserree tried dyeing the tights they had, but nothing seemed to work. One competition, Serena skated without them, but fell and suffered ice burns on her legs. They managed to locate a used pair from Nyman, and by mending holes and double-layering the tights, made them last.

After their brief Ellenton encounter, Deserree connected with Vanessa on Facebook and shared some of the difficulties she and Serena encountered being a skater of color.

Having endured her own obstacles, Serena’s story touched Vanessa.

The next time she saw Serena, she vowed she would be ready. Her coach, John Zimmerman IV (a 2018 U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame inductee), and FHCI Ice Skating Director Shari Klutz, helped orchestrate a future meeting.

On Jan. 24, Deserree was on Facebook when she noticed a post announcing the final practice for Vanessa and Cipres before they headed off to the Olympics, with an autograph session to follow.

She rearranged her schedule so she and Serena could drive across the state to see Vanessa up close, although she kept it a secret. Traffic, though, caused them to miss the morning session. So, Serena skated while they waited for the night practice session.

After a few hours, as Deserree and Serena stood at the Guest Services desk at FHCI, Vanessa came in the door and also walked up to the service desk.

“Serena was just in shock,” Deserree says of the unplanned meeting. Serena stared at Vanessa. She had no words.

“I told her, ‘You waited two years for this moment, you’re not going to say anything?,’” Deserree says.

A star-struck Serena mumbled, “She’s so pretty.” Vanessa looked down and realized it was Serena, the little girl from Facebook who couldn’t find a pair of tights in her skin tone.

“Let’s meet after the night practice session,” Vanessa said.

Serena got a front-row seat for Vanessa and Cipres’ practice session, where the

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The Kemble family. figure skaters performed their long program, or free skate, to the tune of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Sounds of Silence.” She excitedly provided the play-by-play for her mother.

“Serena told me every move they did that she knew the name of, and when she didn’t, she just sang their song,” Deserree says. “When it was over, Serena looked over at me and said, ‘This was the best day ever.’”

Little did Serena know that the best day ever was going to get even better.

After the training session, Vanessa signed autographs, including a copy of SKATING, the U.S. Figure Skating magazine, January issue. In the Kid Zone section of the magazine, Serena is featured, and named Vanessa as one of her skating role models.

As the autograph session wrapped up, and only Serena was left, she met with Vanessa.

After a brief conversation, she asked them if they could wait around for a few minutes.

Serena nodded her head.

Vanessa sped home to nearby Seven Oaks, where she has lived while training at FHCI. With music playing in her head, a beaming Serena waited in the lobby, practicing axel after axel, nearly 75 in all.

Deserree stood nearby, smiling.

Vanessa returned with gifts — tights for Serena.

The first two pairs were tights in Serena’s size, and skin tone, that Vanessa’s mother shipped her from France.

The third pair actually belonged to Vanessa. “One day,” she told Serena, “you will grow into these.”

“Serena was over the moon excited,” says Deserree, who along with a few others in the room, had to fight back tears. “When we were in the car driving home, Serena said she would never wash the tights Vanessa gave her, and would never wash the hand that she shook.”

Deserree chuckled. “I told her she might want to think about that, but left it there for the time being.”

Serena may have had trouble finding tights to match her skin tone, but she definitely didn’t have any trouble finding a role model who does.

Serena is heading into competition season now, and will have her first competition in a more competitive classification this March, in Coral Springs. The Florida State Games are coming to FHCI in Wesley Chapel this summer, and Serena plans to compete there.

She will be wearing her new tights.

The Winter Olympics begin Feb. 9 in PyeongChang Olympic Stadium and continue through Sunday, Feb. 25. NBCTV actually began its primetime coverage with the men’s single short program figure skating Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. Vanessa and Morgan will skate Feb. 13-14.

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Bruce B. Downs Beats Out S.R. 56 For ‘Worst Road’

BEST NEIGHBORHOOD

WORST INTERSECTION

1. Meadow Pointe

1. I-75 & S.R. 56

2. Seven Oaks

2. Cross Creek Blvd. & BBD

3. Tampa Palms

3. S.R. 54 & BBD

4. Watergrass

4. Regents Park Dr. & BBD

5. Hunter’s Green

5. S.R. 56 & BBD

6. Estancia at Wiregrass

6. S.R. 56 & S.R. 54

7. Lexington Oaks

7. Cypress Creek Dr. & BBD

8. Arbor Greene

8. County Line Rd. & BBD

Will the construction on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in New Tampa ever end? And, if so, will it no longer be the most hated road in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel?

By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneighborhoodnews.com When putting together our annual “Best Of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel” Readers Poll, we couldn’t resist asking — based on how many comments and emails we receive each year complaining about various roads & and traffic — about some of the worst things about the area.

Namely — which is the worst road (although we had our obvious suspicions) and what are the worst intersections (which we figured would be a toss-up).

When it came to naming the worst road — Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., aka S.R./C.R. 581, it was obvious that it never had a chance not to win.

“Is this a serious question?,” one reader wrote on his form.

As the spine of both of our distribution areas, BBD runs all the way from north of E. Bearss Ave. in New Tampa to S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel.

Bruce B. Downs himself was a deputy Hillsborough County public works administrator who passed away at age 56 in 1983. Three years later, on April 17, 1986 (his birthday), the county renamed the portion of N. 30th St. in Tampa from Fowler Ave. to the Pasco County Line as “Bruce B. Downs Boulevard” in his memory. It wasn’t until years later that Pasco also renamed its portion of 581 for Downs.

At first, it was a quiet road to nowhere (with cement blocks at the north end) with few travelers, offering a pleasant drive to the Pasco County line.

Then, development happened, and BBD was connected to 54. Since then, snarling traffic and seemingly endless construction have been the norms.

According to our readers, more than half (56 percent) who responded listed BBD as the worst road in the area.

Poll results also showed a frustration with other local roads.

S.R. 56 was second, and S.R. 54 was third in our voting.

It’s likely no coincidence that those roads, like of BBD, lead commuters onto I-75 (No. 4), and to both I-275 and I-4 (10 miles south of the BBD exit).

So, while the work commutes can prove frustrating, it is exiting those roadways that seems to cause the most consternation.

The big question now: Will the completion of the widening of BBD (in New Tampa) by the end of the year keep the road from again claiming the top spot in next year’s Reader Survey?

Best

NEW TAMPA WESLEY CHAPEL

Neighborhood News

WORST ROAD 1. Bruce B. Downs Blvd.

2. S.R. 56 3. S.R. 54 4. I-75 5. I-4 6. Fletcher Ave. 7. Cross Creek Blvd.

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15

FEBRUARY 2018 Friday, February 9

Shred360 “Shred Day” Event - Support The Community Food Pantry with monetary or food donations, while Shred360 shreds up to three boxes or bags of your sensitive documents. Event will be held at Black Rock Bar & Grill, 11702 N. Dale Mabry, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Food donations should be non-perishable, unexpired, and no glass.

More info at Shred360.com/Tampa.

Mental Health Support Group - NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) of Pasco is a support group for adults in Pasco County living with mental illness or in recovery.

The group meets the 2nd & 4th Friday of each month, 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. at Atonement Lutheran Church (29617 S.R. 54). For info, visit NAMIPasco.org.

Monday, February 12

Professional Business Connections (PBC) - PBC meets Mondays at 7:45 a.m. at The Happy Hangar Cafe (at Tampa North Aero Park, 4241 Birdsong Blvd., off S.R. 54, Lutz). For info, call Matt Archbold at (813) 782-1777.

Wesley Chapel Speaks - The Wesley Chapel Toastmasters meets every Monday at 6 p.m. for networking, 6:30 pm for public speaking, at Wesley Chapel Nissan (28519 State Rd 54). For more info, call Martin at (813) 693-0969.

on Mental Illness) Pasco support group for friends & family of those with mental illness. The group meets the 1st & 3rd Tues. of each month, 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m., at Atonement Lutheran Church (29617 S.R. 54). For more info, visit NAMIPasco.com.

Tuesday, February 27

Pasco Fine Arts Council Kids N Art Exhibition - Pasco Fine Arts Countil sponsors a competition open to students from grades K-5. Teachers can enter of to 5 pieces of students’ work per grade level. Work will be received from Feb. 27-Mar. 3. For more info, go to www.PascoArts.com or call 727-845-7322.

Wesley Chapel Lions Club - The Wesley Chapel Lions meet every 4th Tues., 6:30 p.m., at the Lexington Oaks Community Center (26304 Lex. Oaks Blvd.). For info about volunteering, community efforts, meetings, helping the vision impaired & more, visit WesleyChapelLionsClub.com or the club’s page on Facebook.

Food Allergies Cooking Demo - Learn to create easy and tasty food options without the foods that cause 90% of all food-related allergic reactions (milk, eggs, peanuts, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat and soy) from Chef Jerry Dzialo and Registered Dietitian Carlos Urriola. 6-7:30 p.m. No cost to attend. More info at FloridaHospital.com/wesley-chapel/events.

Tuesday, February 13

East Pasco Networking Group - Meets the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month at 7:30 a.m. at IHOP, 13100 US 301, Dade City. For info, contact Nils Lenz, 813782-9491 or nilslenz@gmail.com.

Wednesday, February 14

Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel - The Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel (Noon) now meets Weds., at noon at Lexington Oaks Golf Club (26133 Lexington Oaks Blvd.).

First-time guests attend for free. For info, call (813) 862-8989 or (813) 391-3895.

MARCH 2018 Tuesday, March 6

GFWC Pasco Junior Woman’s Club - Meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Lexington Oaks Clubhouse (26304 Lex. Oaks Blvd. Visit GFWCPascoJWC.blogspot.com or Facebook.com/ GFWCPascoJuniors for info.

Thursday, February 15

BNI Networking Meeting - Business professionals are invited to attend this networking organization’s meetings on Thursdays, 7:30 a.m., at Savannah Church (3758 Maryweather Lane, off BBD Blvd., behind Dunkin’ Donuts). For more info, call Kyle Flischel at (813) 815-0250.

RGA Network Weekly Meeting - The RGA Networking Group meets weekly for networking at GrillSmith at the Shops at Wiregrass mall. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; lunch is noon-1 p.m. For more info, visit RGANetwork.net.

Celebrate Recovery - Meeting Thursdays at 7 p.m. at Bridgeway Church (30660 Wells Rd.), the purpose of Celebrate Recovery is to bring freedom from dysfunctional, compulsive & addictive behaviors through biblically-based principles. Dinner & free childcare available. For more information, call (813) 907-1313.

Wharton High Production: “Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind” - Experience a highly interactive show as students perform 30 plays in 60 minutes. This is a theatrical experience like no other. Come sget loud & have fun at the Wharton auditorium (20150 Bruce B Downs Blvd., Tampa, 33647). Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 15-17. Curtain at 7 p.m. each night. Come early to roll the dice for your ticket price: $2-$12. No two nights are alike. Contact LSArep@yahoo.com for details.

Friday, February 16

Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Sunrise - The Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Sunrise meets the 1st & 3rd Fridays of each month, 7:15 a.m., at Happy Hangar Cafe, 4241 Birdsong Blvd. For info, call Kathy Schenck at (813) 956-4436.

Saturday, February 17

Elvis D In Concert To Benefit ‘Wild Bill’ Peterseim - Professional Elvis impersonator Elvis D is putting on a benefit concert to help Wild Bill Peterseim (featured on last issue’s cover), 8 p.m.-10 p.m., at O’Brien’s Irish Pub (5429 Wesley Chapel Village Market) For info, call 973-9988 or visit ObriensWesleyChapel.com.

Monday, February 19

East Pasco Democratic Club - Meets 3rd Monday of each month at Omari’s Grill, Scotland Yards Golf Club, 9424 U.S. 301, Dade City, from 6:30-8 p.m. For more info, visit www.eastpascodems.com.

Tuesday, February 20

NAMI Friends & Family: Mental Health Support Group - NAMI (National Alliance 16

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24th Annual Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation Tampa Bay Charity Golf Tournament Monday, March 19, 2018 Honoring Marines by Educating Their Children

13903 Clubhouse Drive Tampa, Florida 33618 9:30 10:45 11:45 12:00 5:00

Registration Begins Lunch, by Bonefish Grill Carrollwood Colors Ceremony Shotgun Start Dinner and Awards Ceremony Live & Silent Auctions To register go to https://www.mcsf.org/event/tampa-bay-golf-tournament For more information email tampagolf@mcsf.org

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17

Olympus Pools Offers A Unique, Customized Customer Experience

By ANDY WARRENER

A swimming pool can say so much about a home. Architecture and landscaping can project a homeowner’s sense of style from the street, but a unique, custom-designed pool conveys that sense of style to friends and family, people who are inside the home.

It can be difficult in scorching Florida summers to enjoy the outdoors without a pool. It’s also a huge investment, perhaps the biggest single-ticket item that goes into anyone’s home.

New Tampa residents James and Alexis Staten, owners of Olympus Pools in Tampa, share that view. They won’t put any pool in your home unless it’s of the same quality they would have in their own home.

“From the amount of steel, the thickness of the concrete and finished products like tile, pavers or travertine floors, the same products we offer our customers are the same products we use in our own homes,” Staten says.

The company is accustomed to managing a large volume of projects. There are four designers and four project managers on staff, with 150 crew members out in the field on any given day. In 2017, Olympus completed 330 pools, all completely customized; 40 to 50 ongoing projects are managed at any time.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re budgeting for a $30,000 or a $300,000 pool, Olympus uses the same top-quality products.

“We use the best filters, best pumps and best salt systems included with every pool,” Staten says. “Even the most basic design gets the most premium quality money can buy.”

It’s a sentiment not lost on Olympus Pools’ core of veteran employees.

Construction manager Brian Messler has 34 years of experience in the business, and helped start the company with the Statens in 2013. “All of my subcontractors are top notch and each specializes in one phase of the construction,” says Messler. “We’ve got tile guys, plumbers, excavators and other specialized craftsmen. A lot of our crew (members) have 30 or more years of experience, too.”

Messler says that if anything doesn’t look right when your pool is being built (or completed), it will be dealt with immediately.

“If I go to a job site and I see something that would be unacceptable in my house,” he says, “we take it out and replace it.”

Customized Designs

Olympus Pools doesn’t sell “templates.”

Every pool starts with a clean slate and is entirely built around the customer’s desires.

Involving the homeowner in the design process — and new technologies — are hallmarks of Olympus Pools and owner James Staten. (Photo by Andy Warrener) James says his company’s guiding principles are Tracking With Tech incorporating the customer’s available space, Olympus Pools keeps up to date with taste and budget. cutting-edge technology, which fits into every “The design has to fit with the customaspect of pool construction. The company’s er’s environment, as well as their wants and 3-D imaging AutoCAD system creates a lifeneeds,” he says. “It’s what makes this business like image of your pool. It can be rotated 360 fun to work in. We’re extremely passionate degrees, to show the customer what the pool that each pool we build will be unique. I like would look like at dusk or at night, even view to say we’re in the memory business.” features as if floating through the pool.

He adds that every week, customers send “We can create an entire 3-D tour for him and his staff text messages with photos of every client” James says. “Customers can see their new pools and how much they are enwhat their pools will look like before any conjoying them. If his customers are happy, James struction is started.” and his staff are happy.

“It’s what gets us out of bed in the morning,” he says.

Olympus Pools prides itself on bringing the customer’s vision to life. Sometimes, all they have to work with is something sketched on a piece of paper. No matter. Regional manager and designer Doug Griffith takes customers through every step of the process, letting them see and touch the colors and textures that will be used in their dream pool.

The company’s showroom near Tampa International Airport helps bring the customer’s vision into reality.

“We’re not selling a package,” Griffith says. “We spend a lot of time creating the right pool for the right person.”

Griffith, like Messler, has been with Olympus Pools since its inception and as the regional manager, he stays on top of any issues that come up with a new or existing installation.

During construction, customers can use a customized application that enables them to check the construction schedule, communicate with Olympus staff members, access any documents related to the pool’s construction and make secure payments online.

Customers also can receive photos of the project’s progress 24-7, even if they are away from home.

Olympus also utilizes an application created by pool pump manufacturer Hayward called OmniLogic that enables customers to control day-to-day and customized functions of their aquatic oases.

The technology is only three years old, and it allows a homeowner to change the pool’s temperature, check the salinity and chlorine levels, and even turn the spa on or off.

For example, a client could be out to dinner and, by pressing one button on their phone, can set the temperature and lighting just right in their spa for when they get home.

“We want ownership of our pools to be as easy and carefree as possible,” James says.

“The only thing I want them to worry about is what to serve at the barbeque.”

Community Connections

The Statens live in and install a lot of pools in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area, and are big proponents of giving back to the Tampa Bay community.

Four or five times a year, Olympus Pools sponsors a local classroom through Donors Choose.org, a public charitable organization.

DonorsChoose connects contributors to classrooms that have submitted requests through the website. Olympus Pools sponsored five

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classrooms in 2017, which are predominantly in the low-income-area public schools in Hillsborough County.

Recent efforts saw Olympus Pools donate tablets to each student in a selected class, help in donating an entire audio-visual system to a special needs class where the teacher had students who were hard of hearing, and donating $200 from each of 22 different pools they built to Feeding Tampa Bay, a hunger-relief charity — nearly 3,100 meals were purchased with those funds.

“If you’re in business and all you do is make money, you’re not in a very good business,” James says.

Over the years, Olympus had donated more than $50,000 to the aforementioned charities, as well as to Kids Place (a foster home), and in sponsorships and donations to schools in the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel

Neighborhood News

area. Hand-written thank-you letters from dozens of students line the window of the main office and dry erase board in the Olympus Pools showroom.

“We’re all about giving back to the community,” James says. “Most of our staff lives in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area. Our kids go to school in the area and half of our business comes out of that area.”

Olympus Pools has installed custom pools in the Live Oak, K-Bar Ranch, Estancia at Wiregrass Ranch, Union Park, Grand Hampton, Meadow Pointe and Esplanade communities, to name a few. The company’s goal is to make your dream aquatic paradise a reality.

Olympus Pools is located at 4422 N. Lauber Way in Tampa. For more information, visit OlympusPoolsFl. com, call (813) 983-7854, or see the ad on pg. 24 of this issue.

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19

Premier Heart & Vascular Opens New, Freestanding Wesley Chapel Office that could not be done in the previous office is called a nuclear stress test.

“We used to have to send patients to our Zephyrhills office for that,” Dr. Gupta says. “Now, we can do it here.”

He adds that, as people grow older, they may have heart problems they are not aware of. He encourages anyone with symptoms such as chest pains or shortness of breath to make an appointment with the practice. “We also encourage anyone who is 50 or older to come in for baseline testing,” he says.

By CELESTE MCLAUGHLIN celeste@ntneighborhoodnews.com

As development continues along Bruce B. Downs Blvd., especially in the area around Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC), one of the area’s most noticeable new buildings is the standalone office of Premier Heart & Vascular Center.

Premier Heart & Vascular Center was founded by Sunil Gupta, MD, FACC (Fellow of the American College of Cardiology), more than 15 years ago in Zephyrhills.

Dr. Gupta earned his medical degree from Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi, India. He completed a cardiology fellowship in cardiovascular diseases at Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, NJ, and in interventional cardiology at the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY. As the practice has grown, it has expanded to include more doctors, staff and locations.

It now includes eight cardiologists and a total of more than 50 people on staff. In addition to its Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills locations, Premier Heart & Vascular Center has additional offices in North Lakeland, South Lakeland and Carrollwood.

The practice’s first Wesley Chapel office opened in the Summergate Professional Park near Seven Oaks eight years ago. It moved to the new, expansive, 8,000-square-foot building, almost directly across the street from FHWC (and next to the new Goddard School of

20

Meet The Premier Team

Dr. Sunil Gupta (left), who founded Premier Heart & Vascular Center more than 15 years ago, and nurse practitioner Morgan Jones, see patient Ricky Holloway in Premier’s new, freestanding Wesley Chapel office, located across and just south of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel on BBD Blvd.

Wesley Chapel), last November. as coronary artery disease, arterial blockage Outside, its large footprint and disand cardiovascular disease. tinct tile roof attract attention; inside, it’s a “It’s easier to see patients in this larger bustling cardiology practice where doctors, office,” says Dr. Gupta. “We have more nurse practitioners, physician assistants and exam rooms, can do additional testing, and other staff members are busy treating pait’s easier for the physicians to function.” tients who suffer from heart ailments such For example, Dr. Gupta says one test

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All eight cardiologists see patients at the practice’s five locations, as well as at the five hospitals Premier serves, including Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, Florida Hospital Tampa, St. Joseph’s Hospital, and Lakeland Regional Medical Center.

“We work as a team,” explains Dr. Gupta. “We have a culture of team — from our front office staff and medical assistants to our mid-level staff of physician assistants and nurse practitioners, to our physicians — that I’ve never seen in any other medical group anywhere.”

He adds that doing the right thing, being nice, and not greedy, has resulted in practice growth, both in the number of patients, and in the number of highly skilled and highly qualified cardiologists who want to work at the practice.

The practice’s eight physicians are all Board-certified cardiologists, each with

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SPOTLIGHT ON: Pasco’s Masonry & Landscaping!

Premier Heart & Vascular’s new Wesley Chapel office is located just a few minutes north of most of New Tampa and offers plenty of parking, as well as a professional staff and excellent service.

advanced training in diagnosing and treating cardiovascular disease.

Each physician also brings unique knowledge and skills that emphasize particular aspects of the field. The physicians and their specialties are: • Dr. Sunil Gupta: Cardiac catheterizations with coronary stenting • Dr. Ketul Chauhan: Cardiac catheterizations with coronary stenting, pacemaker/defibrillator implantations, peripheral vascular disease/varicose veins • Dr. Chetan Khamare: Cardiac catheterizations with coronary stenting, peripheral vascular disease/stenting • Dr. Vikas Soma: Cardiac catheterizations with radial stenting, pacemaker/defibrillator implantations • Dr. Rajesh Lall: Cardiac catheterizations with coronary stenting • Dr. Konstantinos Marmagkiolis: Cardiac catheterizations with coronary stenting, structural heart disease (specializing in valves) • Dr. Jaime Caballero: Cardiac catheterizations with coronary stenting • Dr. Iosif Kelesidis: Electrophysiology (specializing in the electrical system of the heart) Robert and Mary Lou Mary Lou

Luzzi are a married couple who have been patients of Dr. Gupta’s for at least 10 years.

“He’s always very concerned, goes over everything, asks about your concerns, and is a nice man,” says Mary Lou. “I’ve seen the other doctors, too, and they’re also very nice. The whole staff is great and they go out of their way to help you.”

Mary Lou also says that she is always seen quickly when she arrives.

“He (Dr. Gupta) is never late for an appointment,” she says.

Premier Heart & Vascular accepts a long list of insurance plans and is willing to add to it, according to Robbie Balbontin, RN, who is the practice’s clinical manager, responsible for coordinating its administrative operations.

“We take everything,” Balbontin says.

“If we don’t take it, we’ll apply for it.”

Premier also accepts Medicare and even Medicaid, which Balbontin says is not typical. “We’re one of the few cardiology practices that accepts Medicaid.”

Premier Heart & Vascular Center’s new Wesley Chapel office is located at 2477 BBD Blvd. For more information, visit PremierHeartandVascular. com, call (813) 788-1400, or see the ad on page 14 of this issue.

Just one mile north of Zephyrhills on U.S. Hwy. 301, you’ll find Pasco’s Masonry & Landscape Design, where owner David Colon (photo) and his family are waiting to help you overhaul your yard with a new outdoor fireplace or kitchen, or a fresh and updated landscape design.

“We have pretty much everything you need,’’ David says.

When he says everything, he means anything you can think of to improve your outdoor space.

There are seven types of mulch — such as red, brown, cypress, pine bark.

— sold in bulk by the yard, or in bags.

There’s decorative rock and flagging, materials for retaining walls, stepping stones and sidewalk and driveway pavers. There are slabs of marble for your countertops, as well as more than 3,000 trees and shrubs for your landscaping needs.

Inside the store, there are various tools and other landscaping and masonry items for sale, from best-selling brands.

If Pasco’s Masonry doesn’t have what you need, David says he can get it for you — usually for less than what it would cost you at some of the more familiar chain stores (like Home Depot or Lowe’s).

After 27 years as a contractor in Westchester County, NY, David and his family — wife Clarissa, 24-year-old son Andrew and 20-year-old daughter LoriAnne — moved to Florida two years ago to get away from the cold.

Before getting into construction, David says he studied horticulture at the State University of New York at Farmingdale — which is part of the reason Pasco’s

Masonry & Landscaping Depot specializes in both of David’s loves.

Not only does the store deliver, but they will help you design your outdoor space from start to finish, whether you’re looking for recommendations on what your landscaping should look like or the kinds of foliage you should be planting, or you want to add an outdoor kitchen, fireplace or pavers to your home.

“I like to design stuff for people,’’ David says. “I’ll go out there and lay it out, and let you know which shrubs and trees you need.”

With a touch of pride in his voice, David says the biggest difference between Pasco’s Masonry & Landscaping Depot and the chains is that his is a true family business, with all four family members pitching in, working hard and fully dedicated to their customers’ complete satisfaction.

Pasco’s Masonry & Landscaping Depot is located at 10301 U.S. 301 in Dade City, and is open Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m-4 p.m., and 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, check out PascosMasonry.com, @ PascosMasonry on Facebook, call (352) 437-4408, or see the ad on page 12.

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21

Florida Family Practice Has Two Locations Serving New Tampa & Wesley Chapel

By CELESTE MCLAUGHLIN

celeste@ntneighborhoodnews.com Ronald S. Manalo, M.D., opened Florida Family Practice less than a year ago, seeing patients at both his Wesley Chapel office (in the Cypress Glen Professional Center off S.R. 56 near I-75), and in his Tampa office on E. Fletcher Ave. Dr. Manalo and his family have lived in Wesley Chapel for the last several years.

His wife, Dr. Hoka Nyanda, practices with a local dermatology group. They moved here when she began practicing a few years ago, even while he did his residency at the Mercer School of Medicine in Macon, GA. He finished in 2015, then worked as a hospitalist at Navicent Health Hospital in Macon for a year before making the transition to living full-time in Wesley Chapel and opening his private practice here.

“I love Wesley Chapel,” he says. “It’s great. It’s not busy like Tampa. It’s nice and quiet, but has a lot of growth and potential to grow, and I look forward to growing with the community.”

He says opening his practice is the culmination of many years of hard work and planning.

“Since medical school, it’s been my dream to own my own practice,” says Dr. Manalo, who received his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from Meharny Medical College in Nashville, TN, in 2010. Prior to that, he earned a Bachelor

22

of Science (B.S.) degree from Fort Valley State University in Fort Valley, GA, in 2001.

Now, Dr. Manalo is a family practice physician who sees people in all life stages, from infant to geriatric.

“As a family doctor, you grow with your patients,” he says. “You get to know them, and they become part of your family, too.”

While many parents choose to take their children to a pediatrician, the whole family can see one doctor at Florida Family Practice. Dr. Manalo says anything a pediatrician can do, he can do, too, but a patient who comes to him as a child doesn’t have to transition to a different doctor when they reach a certain age.

“I recently saw a husband and wife who brought their infant to me,” he says. “They’re a young couple, just starting their family, and Dr. Ronald Manalo offers caring, personalized it’s just a joy. It is really rewarding to service for those who want to truly develop a relationship with their primary care doctor. Visit him take care of the whole family.”

He says his practice is different at his Florida Family Practice locations in Wesley Chapel or on E. Fletcher Ave in Tampa. than what’s typical in our area these days. person. We treat your whole body and we “We’re personal, patient, caring and get to know you well.” Dr. Manalo becompassionate,” Dr. Manalo explains. lieves that this whole person philosophy, “You’re not here for a certain time slot “promotes wellness within.” and then out the door.”

He also says that he and his office Instead, he adds, “We want to get administrator Dayna Yannello are always to know you. When you come to see building these types of relationships with me, it’s not just about your diabetes or their patients and creating a different high blood pressure, but you as a whole atmosphere in the practice. “As a new

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practice,” he says, “we have the ability to take time with the patients we see, and to really get to know (them). (We’re) unlike other practices around here.”

Happy, Healthy Patients

José Bernardo and his wife, Lillian Ayala, agree that Florida Family Practice is unique. “When we moved here from Puerto Rico six years ago, we came from a different culture, where it’s more of a family relationship built with you and your kids,” José says. “Our experience here with doctors is that it’s been impersonal, and the feeling that your doctor cares about you just hasn’t been there.”

But, José explains, “Dr. Manalo is completely different from that. He cares.

He follows up, emails you, calls you.

And, Dayna is amazing. They have been available for us on the weekend, after work hours. We have not been able to find this type of treatment and care from anybody else, and we have tried plenty.”

Dr. Manalo explains it this way: “For me personally, the care and services I provide to my patients is a partnership or a trust. A lot of doctors say, ‘do this, take this,’ and that’s that. I like to have more of an open dialogue. We’re developing a relationship; it’s not one-sided where I’m the boss telling the patient what to do.”

He says his dream to own his own medical practice is rooted in caring for his community. “I’m getting to know communities and families and want to be

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the best doctor I can be,” he says. “My vision is to streamline medicine. Some people don’t think primary care is necessary. In the future, I hope to combine family practice and urgent care, so that people who come in just for urgent care can get the follow up they need from a family practice doctor.”

In a way, he says, his office already functions similarly to an urgent care facility. “If you need a sick visit, we can accommodate that.”

The practice offers same-day visits, so you don’t have to schedule months in advance, and you can even schedule online, through FLFamilyPractice.com.

Florida Family Practice is currently seeing patients at the Fletcher Ave. office on Mondays and Tuesdays, and in Wes-

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ley Chapel on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Saturday and after-hours appointments are sometimes available, if needed.

“I’m here and I’m available,” Dr. Manalo says. “I have a new vision of how a practice should be. You can reach us by phone, email or text, and you won’t have to wait several days to hear back from the doctor. You’ll see it as you get to know us. Community is key.”

Florida Family Practice’s Wesley Chapel office is located at 2412 Cypress Glen Dr., Suite 102, and its Tampa office is at 3450 E. Fletcher Ave., Suite 330. For more information, visit FLFamilyPractice.com, call (813) 812-4133, or see the ad on page 13 of this issue.

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23

Murtha & Murtha, LLC, Is Ready To Help You Tackle A Tough Tax Season

By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneighborhoodnews.com Sometimes, your taxes can be a snap.

Buy a computer program, plug in some numbers, and voila! Tax return!

But oftentimes, it’s not that simple.

In fact, for many, it can be a long, painful, costly and needlessly confusing experience. It doesn’t have to be, though.

The father-and-son team of Tom and Patrick Murtha, of Murtha & Murtha, LLC, specialize in making tax season a smoother ride for individual filers and businesses. Stop by, meet the Murthas, hear what they have to offer and experience what the duo refers to as the “Murtha & Murtha Difference.”

“It’s true,’’ says Tom Murtha, CPA (Certified Public Accountant). “We really are different.”

The Murthas, partners and owners of their firm in the Seven Oaks Professional Park off S.R. 56 (across from Sam’s Club), have decades of combined experience. Along with sharing a friendly and an affable nature, they pride themselves on building relationships with clients as much as they do their skill in detangling financial numbers that can mire even the most diligent filer or business person in a maze of numbers, forms and laws.

“We’re very approachable,” Tom says, “and that makes a big difference. People are sometimes afraid of going to professionals with all these licenses. They wonder, ‘Will I be able to talk to them?’ But, we are approachable, and we return phone calls.”

Returning calls may not sound like that big of a deal, but when it comes to

24

Murtha & Murtha Tell You 5 Things You Need To Know About The New Tax Bill:

1

Most of the changes won’t impact this year’s filings.

Most go into effect for the 2018 tax year (due April 15, 2019).

2

The penalty for not having adequate health insurance will still be in effect for 2017 and 2018. It will phase out in 2019.

3

The Standard Deduction will double, but there will be no more personal exemptions or miscellaneous itemized deductions.

4 Tom Murtha, CPA (left), and his son Patrick, of Murtha & Murtha, LLC, go over some of the new tax codes that will take effect next year. (Photo: John C. Cotey) tax season, it is. A lot of the customers the Murthas will see this tax season are those looking for an accountant because theirs have gone missing.

“I’ve been getting a ton of people saying “I don’t know where my CPA is,” Patrick says. “It’s kind of unbelievable.”

Patrick grew up around tax codes,

spending lots of time at his father’s business.

He also became friends with the firm’s senior accountant, Kyle Flischel, the son of one of Tom’s former business partners, while they were both in high school and helping their dads with tax returns.

Patrick and Kyle both attended the University of South Florida. Patrick now holds a

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The Child Tax Credit will double to $2,000, and will phase out at a much higher AGI level than the current amount.

5

In any divorce commenced after Dec. 31, 2018, the spouse paying alimony can’t deduct it, and the spouse receiving the money to pay taxes on it. (Note-the new rules do not apply to

divorces commenced before that date.)

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Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Finance and a B.S. in Accounting, while Kyle holds a B.S. in Accounting and a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Accounting with a tax concentration.

They say this tax season will be the busiest yet, but unlike others who get bogged down and are slow to reply, the team at Murtha & Murtha is ready. The firm added marketing manager Heather Harris to the squad last summer.

“She was a big addition,” Tom says.

“We’re really excited about that as we get ready for tax season, because it’s going to get really crazy.”

The Murthas offer free consultations — and often, peace of mind for those whose tax questions are keeping them up at night — but prefer to do those consults in person. They ask potential clients to bring in their last 2-3 years of tax returns, which Murtha & Murtha will examine and, in quite a few cases, find errors that lead to amending those returns and earning a larger refund (or paying less tax) for their clients. And, the Murthas promise they will always be honest with their clients, whether the news is good or bad.

“We ask people to come in; let’s meet eyeball to eyeball and make sure we want to work together,” Tom says. “I don’t want you to commit to me unless we like each other and can work together. That’s so important.”

Tom earned his B.S. degree in Management from Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY, in 1976, and his M.B.A. (Master of Business Administration) degree in Accounting from St. John’s University in Queens, NY, in 1981.

While he was working on his MBA, Tom also worked as assistant controller in the non-bank financial segment of a major New York City bank.

He moved to Brandon in 1987 and opened Accutax Services, Inc., a non-CPA public accounting business. One day, his wife told him it was time to leave behind the fire ants and cow patties of Brandon for the surf. Around the same time, he received an offer to sell Accutax Services, which he did in 1997.

The Murthas moved to Gasparilla Island, and it wasn’t long before Tom joined another CPA firm in nearby Englewood, FL, that he eventually bought into — Flischel, Murtha & Associates.

An Educated Educator

When Tom passed his Florida CPA test in 2000, he says it was with the fourth

(From l.-r.) Patrick Murtha, Heather Harris, Tom Murtha and Kyle Flischel are ready to tackle the tax season head on. (Photo: John C. Cotey) highest score in the state. He’s also taught nancial reports — “valuable for getting loans accounting courses at both Hillsborough and bringing on investors,” Patrick says — Community College (HCC) in Tampa and and create a budget for the business. at the American Institute of Banking in New “It’s a big deal, because it really makes York City. a business look at numbers and compare Tom says that gives him an edge over it to expectations,” Tom says. “A lot of others when it comes to his ability to easily business owners go day to day, thinking it is explain complicated tax situations in plain what it is and the economy is what it is. But, language to his clients. there’s so much a business can do to bring “I kind of consider myself to be an in more business.” educator,” Tom says. “I make sure when While most accountants focus on clients walk out of here that, after a com- the previous year as they file returns, the plex situation, they understand what’s Murthas also choose to look forward. going on. I’ll ask them to repeat things Because they do valuations as part of their back to me. We go over everything again CFO Retainer Package, businesses can find and again and again. I don’t want people out what they need to do to raise their value walking out of here if they don’t underand sell at the price they desire. stand what’s going on. That doesn’t help The CFO package also offers unlimited anyone.” consulting time with the Murthas.

Patrick graduated in 2009, and joined “It’s really intended for business ownhis father in opening a firm in Tampa in 2010 focusing on mergers and acquisitions.

One of Patrick’s first tasks was to sell Tom’s Englewood accounting firm.

“Within a month, a contract was on my desk,” Tom says. “That was his first success.”

In 2013, the Murthas expanded to full service, and in 2015 moved to their current location in Wesley Chapel.

ers in growth mode, who are excited about it and want it to grow,” Patrick says.

And, for those wondering how the new Republican-backed tax bill might affect their returns, now is as good a time as any to find a trustworthy and reputable CPA firm, like Murtha & Murtha, to prepare. Patrick says that deductions, exemptions and tax rates are all changing, as he plopped a 200-plus page “summary” of some of the new changes coming in 2018 on the table.

“I’ve learned it,” Tom says. “I got it.”

The Murthas handle a wide spectrum of filers, from individuals to businesses that bring in from $100,000 a year to those with $80-million stock portfolios.

Patrick says Murtha & Murtha specializes in big issues, like helping those with rental properties, those who are self-employed, have complicated investments and especially those coming off big life changes like a divorce or an inheritance.

“But we help anyone who needs it,” Tom says.

With tax season ready to kick into high gear, the Murthas are excited for another busy few months.

“The tax season is the best time of the year,” Tom says. “We really enjoy helping people, making a difference with businesses who see their businesses is growing because of us. That keeps me excited. Why do it if it doesn’t make a difference and if you can’t take the worry away?”

Murtha & Murtha, LLC, is located at 2236 Ashley Oaks Cir., Suite 101, in Wesley Chapel. For more information, visit TampaTaxFirm.com or see the ad on pg. 35 of this issue. To schedule a free consultation, call (813) 991-1120.

LET’S TALK

CFO Retainer Packages

At their new location, Patrick conceived of another success — a “CFO Retainer Package” to help businesses and those who are self-employed whose company may need a Chief Financial Officer but don’t have the budget to hire a full-time manager or accountant.

For a fraction of the cost of a full-time CFO, the Murthas will provide monthly fi-

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Besoft

NEW&TAMPA WESLEY CHAPEL Our Readers Pick The Best Of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel!

BEST RESTAURANT

Stonewood Tops List as Best Restaurant Operating partner Dave Rathbun (photo) says he is often amused when he sees people trying to leave his popular Stonewood Grill & Tavern after a meal, only to bump into a neighbor or someone they know and delaying their exit.

Those moments, as much as any other, are when Rathbun can smile and truly appreciate the success of his restaurant.

“We tried to create a culture where it feels like the ‘Cheers’ of New Tampa,’’ Rathbun says.

And indeed, for Rathbun, it is a place where everybody seems to know his name, because they keep coming back.

The friendly and welcoming atmosphere, the familiarity between the customers and Rathbun and his carefully selected staff (the folks he says “bring the place to life”), and a menu and bar area that almost never fail to deliver one of the best dining and imbibing experiences around are why, once again, Stonewood Grill & Tavern is the Neighborhood News “Best Restaurant in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel,” as voted by our readers, for a second straight year.

Stonewood, a Tampa Palms staple since opening in September 2002, beat out Bonefish Grill and newcomer Noble Crust — the reader’s top pick for best new business (see list, on pg. 40) — which are both located in Wesley Chapel, for the top spot.

“It’s just an honor to have people vote for you,” Rathbun says. “I’m humbled by every vote.”

Despite a not-so-great location — Stonewood is tucked behind a 7-Eleven and McDonald’s on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., just north of Commerce Park Blvd. — it has thrived as an upscale family restaurant because, well, Rathbun is kind of like family. He has lived in North Tampa for more than 20 years, including Richmond Place the last 16 years.

He knows most of his customers, and their kids, and where those kids go to school.

“It’s wonderful to work in the community where you also live,” he says.

Stonewood, a small, Orlando-based chain which has 10 locations statewide, is best known for its steaks and seafood.

Rathbun says the restaurant receives all of its steaks from only three different plants in Iowa and, “it’s all Midwestern beef,

Neighborhood News

1. Stonewood Grill & Tavern 2. Bonefish Grill 3. Noble Crust 4. The Hungry Greek 6. Grillsmith 7. Cafe Ole’ 8. Ford’s Garage 9. Texas Raodhouse 10. Burger 21 11. Ciccio Cali 12. BJs Restaurant & Brewhouse 13. Yamato Japanese Restaurant 14. First Watch 15. Capital Tacos

READER SURVEY WINNERS $200 in Gift Cards to the Restaurant of Her Choice:

aged for 28 days, then hand cut to our specs and cooked the way you want them.”

The restaurant has popular main dishes like delightful short ribs with butternut squash ravioli, hearty grilled rosemary and garlic lamb loin chops, tender oven-baked herb-encrusted grouper and cedar plank roasted salmon in an apricot mustard jalapeño glaze, to name a few.

Or, you can hunker down at Stonewood’s popular bar

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Andrea Edwards, Bonterra Park Apartments, Wesley Chapel $100 in Gift Cards to the Restaurant of His Choice: George Lima, Tampa Palms $50 Gift Card to the Restaurant of Her Choice: Daimy Perez, Quail Hollow

See “Stonewood” on page 40.

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29

Best Breakfast: First Watch

BEST YOGURT/ ICE CREAM

BEST BAKERY 1. Publix

1. Happy Cow (see pg. 3)

2. Don Pan

2. Menchie’s

3. Panera Bread

3. Coldstone Creamery

4. Stonemill

4. Twistee Treat

5. Buttermilk Provisions

5. Bruster’s

6. The Cake Shop

6. La Berry

7. 7 Layers Bakery (OOB)

7. Culver’s

8. La Macaron

8. Baskin Robbins

BEST BURGER

BEST SUSHI

1. Burger 21

1. Bonsai Sushi

First Watch Wesley Chapel manager Kerri Hagerman is proud that First Watch has been voted as having the “Best Breakfast in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel” by Neighborhood News readers.

When it comes to places to grab chalkboard at the front of the restaurant.

If they end up being a hit, they make it a hot and healthy breakfast in New onto the regular menu. So, items that Tampa and Wesley Chapel, our readers some across the country are experiencing left no choice that their favorite place to for the first time now, the Wesley Chapel do so was First Watch. location featured a year ago.

While the area doesn’t have a Items currently being featured: wealth of breakfast options, readers still a Mediterranean tomato stew called managed to name 20 places they would Shakshuka with Moroccan red harissa call their favorite. But, it was First stew topped with cageWatch — located on Bruce free poached eggs, a B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in supergreen frittata wrap, the Shoppes at New Tampa of an acai bowl topped with plaza in Wesley Chapel — fruit and granola, rainbow and then everyone else, as & toast featuring ricotta the Bradenton-based chain cheese-covered brioche garnered 56.5 percent of toast topped with berries, the votes. No other style mango and local honey of restaurant dominated its and a blue booster drink category in the Best of New with white grape juice, blueberry, lemon Tampa & Wesley Chapel Reader Survey and basil. the way that First Watch did.

Hagerman says First Watch’s juices, But that is of little surprise to anylike the popular Kale tonic that was one who has waited in line — and who tested here but is now a regular menu hasn’t? — to dine there. item, are always big hits. While the “I think it is multiple things,’’ says restaurant has a reputation for innovaKerri Hagerman, the manager for the tive healthy foods, there also is plenty Wesley Chapel location, which happens for those looking for something more to be the fourth-ranked performing traditional.

First Watch of more than 300 locations “We do serve healthy foods, but nationwide. “One of the biggest reasons we also have a large variety of indulgent is that we focus on quality as a company items as well,” Hagerman said. “There’s — quality of the food, quality of the is definitely plenty for those looking for service and the quality of the people we something heartier as well.” — JCC have working for us.”

Hagerman says it all leads to BEST BREAKFAST achieving the company’s mission statement: “You First.”

1. First Watch The restaurant offers a unique menu of breakfast, brunch and lunch 2. Wolf’s Den items, like its popular avocado toast, 3. Cracker Barrel lemon ricotta pancakes, a “chickichanga” burrito with whipped eggs, 4. Panera Bread chicken, chorizo sausage, various cheeses, a mild Veracruz sauce and a 5. Noble Crust variety of skillet hashes.

Every made-to-order menu item 6. Waffle House is made with the promise of fresh, and 7. Tarek’s Cafe often local, ingredients.

The Tampa Bay area, including 8. Ciccio Cali the Wesley Chapel location, also is First Watch’s test market for limited time offerings. Every 10 weeks or so, five new items are colorfully displayed on the

Best

NEW TAMPA WESLEY CHAPEL

30

2. Burger Monger

2. Sushi Cafe 3. Koizi Endless Hibachi & Sushi

3. Red Robin 4. Ford’s Garage

4. Hibachi Express

5. Oakley’s Grille

5. Ginza 6. Kobe Japanese Steakhouse 7. Yamato Japanese Restaurant

6. Five Guys Burgers & Fries 7. The Fat Rabbit 8. Grillsmith

8. Fong’s Sushi

If you don’t see your favorite restaurants listed on these pages, look for publisher Gary Nager’s 2017 Dining Favorites in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel in our next issue.

BEST STEAK 1. Outback Steakhouse

BEST BAR/ HAPPY HOUR

2. Texas Roadhouse

1. PrimeBar

3. Dempsey’s Steak House

2. The Brass Tap

4. Longhorn Steakhouse

3. Irish 31

5. Stonewood Grill & Tavern

4. Linksters Tap Room

6. Grillsmith

5. The Fat Rabbit

6. Bonefish Grill

6. O’Brien’s Irish Pub (see pg. 41)

7. Glory Days Grill

7. Stonewood Grill & Tavern

8. Café Olé

8. Peabody’s Billiards & Games

BEST MEXICAN

BEST BBQ

1. Vallarta’s Mexican Restaurant

1. Sonny’s BBQ

2. Cantina Laredo

2. Dickey’s Barbecue Pit

3. Tijuana Flats

3. Union 72 Barbecue

4. Capital Tacos

4. Texas Roadhouse

5. Chipotle

5. Mission BBQ (BBD, N. of Fletcher)

6. TacoSon

6. Glory Days Grill

7. Cantina Mexican Bar & Grill

7. Grillsmith

8. Casa Ramos (OOB)

8. TGI Friday’s

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 26, Issue 4 • February 9, 2018 • WCNeighborhoodNews.com

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BEST PIZZA

BEST THAI

COOKED TO ORDER

1. PizzaMania

1. Arroy Thai (S.R. 54, WC)

2. Marcos Pizza

2. Sukhothai

3. 900º Woodfired Pizza

3. Thai Ruby

4. NY NY Pizza

4. Thai Lanna

5. Cappy’s Pizza

5. Orchid Thai (now Palm Thai)

6. Precinct Pizza

6. Liang’s Bistro

7. Woody’s Pizza & Wings

7. Ginza

8. Amici Pizza (temp. closed)

8. Yamato Japanese Restaurant

BEST ITALIAN

Crispy, Golden FAVORITES

butterfly jumbo shrimp value basket

northwoods walleye sandwich

BEST CHINESE

1. Olive Garden

1. Liang’s Bistro

2. Noble Crust

2. China Wok

3. Little Italy’s Family Restaurant (below)

3. Asian Buffet

4. PizzaMania

4. Gonna China

5. 900º Woodfired Pizza

5. Ho Wok

6. Bosco’s Italian-to-Go

6. Panda Express

7. La Prima Pizza

7. China Gourmet

8. Ciccio Cali

8. Kwan Ming

northwoods walleye DINNER Come on in to your local Culver’s restaurant: Culver’s of of Wesley Chapel 2303 Sun Vista Drive • Lutz, Fla. (813) 949-1414

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Open Tuesday-Saturday for Lunch & Dinner at Noon | Open Sundays 12pm - 8pm Neighborhood News

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Give us a call for a free quote, and get a free gift card.

No obligation to purchase. Some restrictions apply.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 26, Issue 4 • February 9, 2018 • WCNeighborhoodNews.com

31

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@NTWCNews

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33

Best Gym: FHWC Wellness Center

BEST MASSAGE 1. Massage Envy

1. Oasis Nails

2. Hand & Stone

2. Nail Country & Tan Spa

3. Essentials Massage & Facials

3. Nails at New Tampa

4. Saddlebrook Resort & Spa

4. Happy Nail Salon

5. Ideal Massage

5. Serenity Nails & Spa

6. Massage Green Spa (see below)

6. Venetian Nail Spa

7. FHWC Health & Wellness Center

7. CND Nail

8. Caribbean Mystique

8. A Nails

BEST GOLF COURSE If you’ve never seen the amazing array of fitness equipment aon the 2nd floor of the Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel Wellness Center, you owe it to yourself to take a tour.

Although we have many wonderful The Health & Wellness Center also fitness facilities located in New Tampa and has a great Fit Fresh café and smoothie Wesley Chapel, our Neighborhood News bar that also sells nutritional supplements readers have voted the Health & Wellness and healthy snacks for people on the go, a Center inside the Wellness Plaza adjacent membership referral program (receive $20 to (and owned by) the same Adventist in “Wellness Bucks” for each new memberHealth Care System as Florida Hospital ship you refer), a Fit Friends Kids Club Wesley Chapel as their favorite. which offers unlimited two-hours-per-day And, who could blame them? Situated babysitting for 1-2 children for just $30 on the first and second floors of the Wellper month or $7 per hour child care — ness Plaza, the 50,000-sq.-ft. whether you’re a member of facility includes two heated, the facility or not. indoor pools, a huge variety of Other fee-based services of include personal training cardio and strength equip& (although members get one ment (including free weights), free consultation with a cermen’s and women’s saunas, tified personal trainer), small a 1/9-mile indoor track and group training, licensed more than 100 group fitness classes, including Les Mills, massage therapy, nutrition Zumba, barre, hot yoga and coaching (members also get indoor cycling. There’s even a circuit trainone free nutrition assessment with a regising area that allows you to get a full-body tered dietitian), swim lessons for adults and workout in just 30 minutes. children, Pilates Reformer and more.

Memberships start at $57 per month “It’s definitely the best gym I’ve ever or $684 for a one-time annual payment belonged to,” I heard one satisfied female (save $114) and you can add a second famcustomer tell another. “I’ve lost 20 lbs. and I ily member, age 13 and over (living in the feel the best I’ve felt in years.” same household), for just $34 per month With its convenient location on Bruce or $408 for a one-time annual payment.

B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., between S.R.s 56 The FHWC Health & Wellness and 54, the FHWC Health & Wellness Center (2700 Healing Way) is open Center is a short drive from I-75 and a Mon.-Fri., 5 a.m.-10 p.m. & 7 a.m.-7 visit for a tour is well worth the trip from p.m. on Sat. & Sun). For more info, anywhere in New Tampa, Wesley Chapel visit FHWCwellness@ahss.org or call and beyond.

I recently took my second tour of the (813) 929-5252. — GN facility with Fatima, one of the enthusiastic front desk staffers, and, even though I live BEST GYM at least 12-15 minutes away and the membership prices aren’t cheap, Jannah and I 1. FHWC Heath & Wellness Center are seriously considering joining because you can’t beat the variety of equipment and 2. LA Fitness classes you get to use or the true commu3. Anytime Fitness nity feeling you get any time you visit.

BEST NAIL SALON

BEST HAIR SALON

1. Pebble Creek Golf Club

1. New Identities (ad below right)

2. Saddlebrook Resort & Spa

2. Hair by Michelle

3. Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club

3. Great Clips

4. Lexington Oaks Golf Club

4. Sports Clips

5. Hunter’s Green Country Club

5. HQ Salon Aveda

6. Heritage Isles Golf Club

6. Studio 56 (Jenny Youmans)

7. Quail Hollow Country Club

7. Salon Tre’ Anne 8. InSignia Hair Salon

Best

NEW TAMPA WESLEY CHAPEL

4. Crunch!

5. New Tampa Family YMCA 6. Orangetheory 7. Fit 4 Life 8. Shapes

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35

Best Plastic Surgeon-Peter Fakhre, MD

Although we have quite a few excellent plastic surgeons advertising with us, we congratulate G. Peter Fakhre, M.D., of New Tampa Plastic Surgery, for far-and-away receiving the most votes in this year’s “Best Of” Reader Survey, as the Best Plastic Surgeon in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel.

But, that’s not the biggest news to announce, as Dr. Fakhre and his professional staff will soon be located in a new building on Cypress Ridge Blvd. (a half-mile or so off S.R. 56) in Wesley Chapel.

Dr. Fakhre, who specializes in aesthetic plastic surgery (one patient calls it “surgical artistry”) of the of face, breasts and body, & expects the new, freestanding, 10,000-sq.-ft. office (photo) to open by sometime in October, “as long as the weather cooperates,” and notes that he has up to 4,800 sq. ft. of space available for lease, as New Tampa Plastic Surgery will occupy only 5,200 sq. ft. of the new space.

“It’s still more than double our existing space (at 2541 Windguard Cir., behind the Grow Financial branch on Bruce B. Downs {BBD} Blvd., across from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel),” he says. “Our current office is only about 2,000 sq. ft.”

Dr. Fakhre and his staff have been located in the Windfair Professional Center since 2011. At that time, he noticed the lot at the corner of Oak Myrtle Lane and Cypress Ridge Blvd. He told his wife if that lot ever became available, “I’m going to buy it. Fortunately, that lot became available in late 2014 and I kept my promise to buy it.”

The new building will offer opportunities for New Tampa Plastic Surgery to expand its non-surgical options, provided by Nurse Practitioner Christina Ahrens, which currently include Botox and dermal fillers, skin care products and chemical peels.

And, Dr. Fakhre says that although the practice has earned the trust of many

Best

NEW TAMPA WESLEY CHAPEL

patients outside of our distribution areas (through word of mouth), he is particularly proud to have won the “Best Of” award from our readers.

“Advertising in both the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News has been a big help in branding our practice, and the stories about us have always brought us new patients. Thank you, Neighborhood News readers!”

For info about New Tampa Plastic Surgery, call (813) PLASTIC (7527842), visit NewTampaPlasticSurgery. com, the practice’s page on Facebook, or see the ad on page 11 of this issue. To rent space in the new office, call (813) 929-1800 or email info@ newtampaplasticsurgery.com. — GN

Expires Dec. 31, 2018

BEST PLASTIC SURGERY

1. New Tampa Plastic Surgery 2. Ambay Plastic Surgery 3. Bella MedSpa 4. Artisan Aesthetics (pg. 7) 5. Elite Facial Plastic Surgery 6. Wesley Chapel Dermatology 7. Vitale Institute

TENDERCARE PEDIATRICS 27432 Cashford Cir, Ste 102 Wesley Chapel, Florida 33543 (DBA for Sveta medical)

“She has exuded professional patient care to a personal level that is beyond our expectations.”

—Facebook review

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 26, Issue 4 • February 9, 2018 • WCNeighborhoodNews.com

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BEST DENTIST

BEST URGENT CARE

1. Dr. Michael Green (see ad, left)

1. Florida Medical Clinic

2. Dr. Rodney Holcombe

2. MedExpress

3. McIlwain Family Dentistry

3. CVS One Minute Clinic

4. Dr. Tom Frankfurth

4. Fast Track Urgent Care (pg. 20)

5. Dr. Nicole Mitchell

5. Baycare Urgent Care

6. Dr. Paul Duga (pg. 37)

6. Centra Care

7. Pediatric Dentistry of NT (pg. 39)

7. Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel

8. Dr. Robert Ferrera

8. Lifetime Family Urgent Care

BEST NEW BUSINESS

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@NTWCNews

What do you want to accomplish this year? Do you want to be tter, eat healthier, run your rst race, t into your favorite dress or have more energy to spend with your family? All these women, ages 40’s to 70’s, had a goal and they were successful because they took the rst step, followed a plan and are now reaping the rewards. Real women. Real Results.

These women have kept their weight off for over a year and one over 10 years! See their before pictures and inspiring stories on our website as they aired on ABC’s Morning Blend.

If You Knew You’d Get Results, Would You Do It? Age 65 Lost 49 lbs.

Age 62 Lost 49 lbs.

Age 43 Lost 50 lbs.

Mid 50s Lost 55 lbs.

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Call 813-377-3739 • SamanthaTaylorFitness.com Neighborhood News

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39

At Stonewood Grill & Tavern in New Tampa, you can get a delicious bacon cheeseburger, topped by a sunny-side-up fried egg. Stonewood topped our Reader Survey for “Best Restaurant.”

‘Stonewood’

Continued from pg. 29 and order tavern wings or oak grilled shrimp or anything else from the full lunch or dinner menu.

“One of my customers once told me, ‘You know, I can come in here and have a real nice dinner and a bottle of wine with my wife and celebrate an event, or I can come in with my guys and have a burger and a beer at the bar and watch a basketball game,’” Rathbun says. “They love the flexibility.”

A new and improved lunch menu, plus weekday specials which can be ordered at

the bar or at your table, also help keep people coming back.

For example, on Tuesdays, Stonewood offers specials on craft beer and craft burgers (see photo). Wine Down Wednesday features half-off discounts on almost a dozen wines, and Thursday is Stoli Martini night.

“We offer something for everyone, and I really like that I’ve been able make so many relationships with my customers over the years,” Rathbun says. “I’m glad so many people enjoy it.”

Stonewood Grill & Tavern is located at 17050 Palm Pointe Dr., Tampa Palms. For info, call (813) 978-0388 or visit StonewoodGrill.com.

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info@EagleFlyMedia.com EagleFlyMedia.com For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 26, Issue 4 • February 9, 2018 • WCNeighborhoodNews.com

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41

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

By GARY NAGER

Mellow Mushroom Opens On SR 56

Even though I’ve never been the biggest chain restaurant fan, I am really enjoying the new Mellow Mushroom that opened a few weeks ago as the anchor tenant of a new plaza on S.R. 56, across from the Tampa Premium Outlets (TPO).

Only open a few days at our press time — Aspen Dental, T-Mobile and Mattress 1 all opened a week or two earlier (with Men’s Wearhouse, Great Clips and Noire Nail Bar all either open or opening shortly) — Mellow Mushroom (25662 Sierra Center Blvd.) is attracting crowds with its thin- and crisp original (thicker) crust pizzas (photo), delicious meatballs, salads, oven-baked wings and the most spacious bar area near TPO this side of Ford’s Garage.

For more info, stop in, call Mellow Mushroom at (813) 948-7337 or visit MellowMushroom.com.

za, which has more than 300 locations open in nearly 30 states (and the United Kingdom).

Locally, MOD Pizza is expected to open in the small retail strip center currently under construction next to the new Starbucks on the south side of S.R. 56, near TPO. Development spokesperson Jeff Craft of Evergreen Ventures told our John Cotey that in addition to MOD Pizza, a Nationwide Vision Center also is coming and that he hopes to announce up to two other tenants to the 5,000+-sq.-ft. plaza.

We will update you as the plaza gets closer to opening, which still looks to be at least a couple of months (or more) away.

VIP event on Jan. 18 which included the dignitaries shown above right: (l.-r.) Pete Hamilton, the southern region president of Audi of America, Dimmitt Auto co-president Peter Dimmitt, Cian O’Brian, the executive VP and COO of Audi of America and Audi Wesley Chapel GM Allen Majewski. Not pictured is Dimmitt CEO Scott Larguier, who hosted the event.

For more info about Audi Wesley Chapel, visit AudiWesleyChapel.com, call (813) 607-3100 or see the ad on pg. 2 of this issue.

In addition to Mellow Mushroom and Blaze Pizza (also coming to Cypress Creek Town Center North; see story on pg. 6), still another artisan pizza place is coming to the area around the Tampa Premium Outlets (TPO) on S.R. 56 — Seattle-based MOD Piz-

Congrats Go Out To...

The Dimmitt Automotive Group and its new Audi Wesley Chapel dealership on S.R. 56 in the Wiregrass Ranch Development of Regional Impact (DRI) on S.R. 56 (at 2500 Lajuana Blvd.).

The Dimmitt family hosted an awesome

So, it’s never easy opening a new business, much less a restaurant, but I’m excited to say that the Top Shelf Sports Lounge at Florida Hospital Center Ice (FHCI) has (finally!) now been for a few weeks and has celebrated with a North Tampa Bay (formerly the Greater Wesley

And, Speaking Of Pizza...

42

Top Shelf’s Grand Opening

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 26, Issue 4 • February 9, 2018• WCNeighborhoodNews.com

Neighborhood News

Chapel; see pg. 3) Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony on February 2.

The 2,500-sq.-ft. restaurant, which overlooks three of the five ice surfaces at FHCI, serves a nice variety of burgers, wings, wrap sandwiches, salads and entrées like beef brisket and potato poutine skillets (a Canadian delicacy).

Best of all, Top Shelf will be participating in this year’s Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel at FHCI on Sunday, March 25, noon-4 p.m. (see pg. 3), after not being able to get open in time for last year’s event.

Co-owner Keenan Cottle (standing in photo, right), who will be serving beer from his 81Bay Brewing Co. in South Tampa at the Taste, thanked FHCI owners Gordie Zimmermann and George Mitchell of ZMitch, LLC, for opening “this amazing rink” during the ribbon-cutting.

Top Shelf co-owner Joe Boyd said that the partners are excited to be part of the Wesley Chapel area and are looking forward to more great events at Top Shelf.

The Top Shelf Sports Lounge is located on the second floor of FHCI (3173 Cypress Ridge Blvd.). For more info, stop in or call (813) 953-1032 or visit TopShelfTampa.com.

@NTWCNews

Oakley’s Grille Sold!

Those of us who have loved the hamburgers and sandwiches at Oakley’s Grille — located at 17631 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (next to Supercuts) — since it opened in 2011 — will be happy to learn that even though owner Keith Oakley recently sold his popular burger-and-sandwich restaurant, everything about the place is expected to remain the same under its new ownership, at least for the foreseeable future.

Oakley’s Grille, which has received first place burger and/or sandwich honors from yours truly every year since it opened, was purchased by first-time restaurateurs Heather Woodall and Ladesha Stoudemire are excited about their new venture.

“We heard Oakley’s was for sale through a business broker, who took us there for lunch,” Heather says. “And, we just loved the quality of the food, the way

Neighborhood News

the staff knew and treated the customers and the entire operation. It was a nobrainer for us.”

Heather and Ladesha agree that while they might try to add menu items in the future — by customer demand — they promise the same amazing burgers, fries, sandwiches and even BBQ ribs done the same way by the same people.

For more info about Oakley’s Grille (17631 BBD), call (813) 5235075 or visit OakleysGrille.com.

And, if you mention this write-up when you order, you can buy one ribeye or chicken Philly sandwich with fries and a beverage and receive a second Philly sandwich of equal or lesser value FREE with the purchase of fries and a beverage. And, please tell Heather, Ladesha and their crew that the Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News sent you.

@NTWCNews

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 26, Issue 4 • February 9, 2018 • WCNeighborhoodNews.com

43

New Tampa & Wesley Chapel PIANO LESSONS PIANO LESSONS Children or adults, beginners or advanced. Master’s Degree in Music Composition, SUNY Stony Brook. Over 55 years of piano study.

Contact Andre Garneau: studiog.newtampa@ gmail.com

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

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

COMPUTER/BUSINESS SERVICES PROFESSIONAL TECH SUPPORT in your home or small business. A+, Certified computer tech with 20 years exp. Maintenance & repairs, upgrades & tutoring. More affordable than large chains! Friendly, personalized svc. Technical jargon explained. Remote assistance available. References available. Call (813) 957-8342 for a free estimate.

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

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POOL SERVICES TRANQUILITY POOL SERVICE. New Tampa owned & operated. Great Pricing with outstanding customer service! LICENSED, BONDED & INSURED. See why we are New Tampa and Wesley Chapel’s #1 Choice!! Call Chris today @ (813) 8575400 or visit TranquilityPoolService.com. New customers get ONE MONTH FREE! AllStarPoolsofTampaBay.com Highest quality salt and ozone generators, pumps, motors, filters.

Marcite, quartz and pebble finishes. Pool cleanups and acid washes, paver and river rock sealing.

Paver decks and driveways. Mention this ad for $69 pool service. Call or text 813-244-7077. Visit AllStarPoolsofTampaBay.com.

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

Ask about our HOA SPECIAL & FREE ESTIMATE! For more info, call (813) 420-4465.

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

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SQUEAKY CLEAN HOME SERVICES Residential cleaning company offering weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly services. We also specialize in move-in/ move-out cleanup. All supplies and equipment provided. We are an Owner Operator company with over 20 years experience. “If it Needs to be Clean, We’re your Team! Call us for your free in home estimate today! 813-625-6045 POWER HOUSE CLEANING SERVICES Offering residential cleaning for weekly, bi-weekly, monthly & occasional. One time, deep cleaning, move-in/ move-outs, real estate, holiday and event cleaning.

Owner Operator with Personal Touch! Licensed and Insured. To schedule or for a free in-home estimate, call (813) 356-8287 or e-mail powerclean16@ gmail.com. Try Power House Cleaning Services - you will be powerfully pleased!

G&E Cleaning Services: Over 15 years experience. Commercial & residential: Weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. New house & post-construction clean-up, move-in or move-out cleanings, pressure washing and window cleaning. Free estimates.

References available. Call 813-325-6446 or email Pinheiro.FG@hotmail.com

_ ANTIQUES & MORE FOR SALE!

MASSAGE IN YOUR HOME

SUSAN’S ANTIQUES, VINTAGE ART, BRICA-BRAC, GLASS & OTHER TREASURES! In Annett’A’s Attic, 2nd Flr, 14136 8th St, Dade City.

For more info, see our display ad below.

SWEDISH MASSAGE - for a relaxing one hour massage, or SPORTS MASSAGE - relieve the aches and pains after exercise or golf. Get a massage, by a licensed professional Massage Therapist, in the comfort of your Wesley Chapel home. Call 570-269-7455 for an appointment. To save $25, see display ad in this issue.

HOME IMPROVEMENT 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.

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

Find your happiness in a fresh, bright clean home.

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

SPACE AVAILABLE SERENITY SALON & SPA SUITES Wesley Chapel. Booth rental for Stylist available. Can be either full time or part time. Give us a call!: 813-3125247 or 813-997-6302.

To order your classified or display ad, call Tom Damico at

(813) 910-2575!

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

RAYMOND PAINTING. Exterior & Interior Services.

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

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

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

MILLENNIUM HOME REPAIR.Professional Handyman. Cabinet Installation, dry wall repair, tile installation & repair, some plumbing, laminate flooring, light fixtures, interior painting, appliance installation, pressure washing, paneling, window repair, awning installation, carpentry, garbage disposal, fence repair, crown molding, window blinds, seal baths & showers, TV mounting & more. Call 813-400-1408 or email TYCOONUNION@YAHOO.COM. DALE’S HOME MAINTENANCE Pressure washing, screen repairs, garage cleaning and organizing, shelving, re-grout tile and caulking, and more.

813-727-2582.

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS WITH MORE THAN 400 CUSTOMERS

44

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 26, Issue 4 • February 9, 2018• WCNeighborhoodNews.com

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

TOPASH PAINTING, L.L.C. FREE ESTIMATES

Doing business in Pasco and Hillsborough County area since 1978

We Don’t Cut Corners, We Dust Them

“Residential and Commercial’’

Family Owned Business with 20Years of Experience We are your all-purpose cleaner with: • High Quality Services • Competitive Rates • Great References • Always the Same Crew

21 Years Experience • Interior/Exterior HUNDREDS OF HAPPY CUSTOMERS

Call K.T. Topash

(owner/painter)

813.780.2511

(813) 381-1430

Topashpainting@Gmail.com

Protect your children and pets with Tampa Bay’s only organic monthly fertizilation and pest control

Whole Home re-pipe

WCNN Exp. 2/28/2018

WCNN Exp. 2/28/2018

WCNN Exp. 2/28/2018

813-343-4951

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

• 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

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 26, Issue 4 • February 9, 2018 • WCNeighborhoodNews.com

45

You are the heart of our business!

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Get 10 FREE units ® of BOTOX with any Filler purchase

SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY

Fractional Laser Resurfacing for Wrinkles, Sun Damage and Scars STARTING AT

SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY

2441 Oak Myrtle Lane | Suite 101 | Wesley Chapel | Behind Tower Radiology in the Transformations building

www.360DermatologyTampa.com | 813-406-4835 |

20306 Trout Creek Dr. Tampa, FL. 336477 (813) 973-0033 24124 FL-54 Lutz, FL 33559 (813) 949-7297 17501 N Palm Village Tampa, FL 33619 (813) 615-1333

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499

SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY

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Oil Changes are up to 5 quarts of oil and filter (most cars). Includes our 14 point inspections and a FREE Car Wash. You must present coupon at time of service. May not be combined with any other coupons or specials.

46

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 26, Issue 4 • February 9, 2018 • WCNeighborhoodNews.com

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews