Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News, Volume 29. Issue 8, April 13, 2021

WESLEY CHAPEL

NEWS

Volume 29 Issue 8 April 13, 2021

Blue Heron Senior Living Grand Opening Apr. 28!

Wesley Chapel’s First Assisted Living Community With On-Site Skilled Nursing Is Ready To Debut!

By Gary Nager Photos by Charmaine George

Before you argue that the opening of another assisted living facility in our area isn’t worthy of a front-page story in the Neighborhood News, consider this — the Blue Heron Senior Living & Memory Care getting ready to open off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. south of S.R. 54 will be the first in our area that also will provide on-site skilled nursing and rehabilitation services in either of our distribution areas.

Blue Heron, which is being developed

by TLC Management, is hosting an opento-the-public Grand Opening celebration on Wednesday, April 28, 1 p.m.-3 p.m., so if you or someone you love is considering moving to an assisted living facility, you should definitely visit that Grand Opening event (or call the number at the end of this story to arrange a tour if you can’t make it that day).

The Grand Opening celebration will include a variety of foods prepared by Blue Heron’s in-house chef, refreshments, live music and tours of this beautiful new addition to the Wesley Chapel community.

Blue Heron’s community relations director Sarah Dymond took the Neighborhood News on a sneak preview tour of the 159,000-sq.-ft. facility, just before we went to press and I definitely came away impressed.

The place, which is visible from I-75 looks huge from the outside (drone photo, top right), but actually is laid out so that it still feels cozy, comfortable and homey.

The entrance lobby is warm and inviting, with comfortable seating and a gas-fired fireplace where residents and visitors can sit and enjoy each other’s company. Directly behind the lobby is the equally attractive main dining area (bottom photo), while to your right is an open kitchen area called The Bistro, where residents can enjoy grab-and-go snacks, coffee drinks and other beverages (there’s even wine on tap) and watch TV as they enjoy their snacks and beverages.

Behind the main dining room is a beautiful outdoor patio, complete with a gas grill, a putting green and plenty of umbrella-covered seating, all overlooking a sizable pond.

The outdoor area also will feature live music events for residents.

The first floor also features a great workout facility/wellness center, as well as an art studio/gallery, spa/salon and a life enrichment center.

The first floor also is home to the separate and secure memory care area, which has its own lobby (see photo on pg. 4), its own dining room and 22 studio apartments featuring a front-porch-cottage theme.

See “Blue Heron” on pg. 4

Garden Mediterranean Grill — So Close & So Authentic!

For the story & more pics, see pages 34-35!

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Why The Neighborhood News Is Still Your Best Local News Source An editorial by Gary Nager I have to admit that I was really excited to see (on Mar. 26) WFTS-TV’s ABC Action News set up its “Good Morning Tampa Bay” morning show outside the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County, where my wife Jannah is the director of marketing for RADDSports, which manages the programs at the campus.

“Good Morning Wesley Chapel” was the fifth stop on the morning show’s ongoing tour of Tampa Bay communities, so I had hopes to find some new information that maybe managing editor John Cotey, videographer Charmaine George and I haven’t been able to bring you because we’re a three-person team, while ABC Action News has an entire team of reporters, anchors and producers who created multiple features between 5 a.m.-7 a.m. that day about our area.

As a 27-year veteran of covering the news and information coming out of Wesley Chapel, I have to say that I was expecting more — and better — information coming out of that show.

First of all, anchor Deiah Riley started off by calling the Sports Campus the Sports Complex and repeated throughout the morning that the Sports Campus features 16 volleyball courts and eight (at first she said 18) basketball courts (both correct), plus 56 fencing “lanes” and 8 wrestling mats?

Here’s the thing — the Sports Campus does have room for that number of fencing pistes (the correct term) and wrestling mats, but has yet (or any plans) to host a fencing or wrestling event.

There was no mention of the Sports Campus’ state-of-the-art cheerleading facility, indoor and outdoor soccer under the direction of former Tampa Bay Rowdies head coach Stuart Campbell (see pg. 32) or the Yo Murphy Performance training area we told you about in our Feb. 16 issue.

OK, so the producers of “Good Morning Wesley Chapel” obviously didn’t read any recent issues of the Neighborhood News to get their information, but there were mistakes and discrepancies throughout the morning.

For example, Riley’s pre-recorded report mistakenly repeated multiple times during those two hours that the ever-expanding Wesley Chapel District Park on Boyette Rd. is part of the county’s sports tourism efforts and re-branding as “Florida’s Sports Coast” — when the WCDP always has been intended for local residents (unlike the Sports Campus). That report also said that WCDP’s inclusive playground (the first of its kind in Pasco) was paid for by impact fees without mentioning the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel, AdventHealth, the Lennar Foundation and others who gave money for that project.

And, speaking of sports tourism, there was no mention of AdventHealth Center Ice, in the heart of Wesley Chapel, or the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center in nearby Zephyrhills.

Plus, while there was a short feature about the new Grove Theater, there was no interview clip with developer Mark Gold, nor any mention of The Grove’s coming-soon KRATE container park, which will bring dozens of new eateries to Wesley Chapel. The theater piece also mentioned its sushi bar, but not the Bistro restaurant.

And, while there were good stats provided about the rise in average home prices in Wesley Neighborhood News

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Chapel, the Realtor interviewed is based out of South Tampa and featured an interview with a family who bought a home with a large body of water behind it which likely also wasn’t located in Wesley Chapel.

The two best features were about Wesley Chapel youngsters, one of which was an update on Janiah Hinds, who we featured back in August 2020 for her “Slay it Proud” T-shirt line. The other was an excellent “Deiah’s Brag Book” feature about 12-year-old soccer player Peyton Wheatley, who suffered a life-threatening event back in late Feb., too late to get the story in our Mar. 16 issue. To help Peyton’s family, visit GoFundMe.com and search “Peyton’s Road to Recovery.”

INSIDE:

Pasco County to add more security to the gate at Kinnan and Mansfield?

Page 8

Screen shot of Deiah Riley from ABCActionNews.com.

Kids ‘R’ Kids of Meadow Pointe is still helping parents during the Covid crisis.

Pages 26-27

Señor Tequila getting ready to open in former Bonefish Grill location on BBD!

Page 38

Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News

OUR NEW ADDRESS: 28949 State Road 54 Wesley Chapel, FL 33543 Phone: (813) 910-2575 Advertising E-mail: Ads@NTNeighborhoodNews.com Editorial E-mail: EditorialDept@NTNeighborhoodNews.com Publisher & Editor /Ad Sales Gary Nager Managing Editor / Photographer John C. Cotey Correspondents Celeste McLaughlin • Mike Camunas Lead Video Producer/Multimedia Specialist Charmaine George Graphic Designers Georgia Carmichael • Valerie Wegener Billing Assistant Jannah Nager Office Assistant Benjamin Hobe Nothing that appears in Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News may be reproduced, whether wholly or in part, without permission.

Opinions expressed by Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News writers are their own and do not reflect the publisher’s opinion.

The deadline for outside editorial submissions and advertisement reservations for Volume 29, Issue 10, of Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News is Monday, April 26, 2021.

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.

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Blue Heron: Assisted Living, Memory Care, Skilled Nursing, Rehab & More!

Continued from page 1.

The upper floors are home to Blue Heron’s 73 one- and two-bedroom assisted living apartments, all of which are beautifully designed, with their own kitchens, washer and dryers and easy-access showers.

And, perhaps best of all, Blue Heron is a true rental community , with no buy-in required. “Our residents are free from longterm financial commitments,” Sarah says, “and have the flexibility to manage their own assets and investments.”

Skilled Nursing & Rehab, Too

As I mentioned on page 1, Blue Heron is Wesley Chapel’s only assisted living facility

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that also offers both short-term rehabilitation services and skilled nursing care on-site.

For residents who require 24-hour nursing care, Blue Heron has private suites in its health & rehabilitation center, where each resident will enjoy consistent care delivered by a dedicated team of professional, licensed specialists.

Offering shortterm rehabilitation in Florida’s newest stateof-the-art therapy cent(Clockwise from top left): Residents at Blue Heron er, Blue Heron’s health Senior Living have access to an awesome cinema room and rehabilitation blends (photo taken outside it) and beautiful 1- & 2-bedroom the comforts of a luxury apartments, all of which have easy-entry showers. The hotel with advanced memory care area offers its own hotel-like lobby, as well therapies and facilities as a kitchen & 22 studio apartments separate from the in a unique “Return to rest of the community. (Photos by Charmaine George) Home” program that includes private suites, advanced therapy equipment, physical, occupational and speech therapies, virtual reality workouts and neighborhood amenities.

For more information about the Apr. 28 Grand Opening at Blue Heron Senior Living (5085 Eagleston Blvd.) or to arrange a private tour, call (813) 454-0513, visit SeniorLivingatBlueHeron.com or see the ad on pg. 37 of this issue.

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Quail Hollow Residents Prepare For Another Fight

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com

Lane Mendelsohn has had his eye on the more than 1,000 acres of land next to where his family lives in the Quail Hollow area for a few years now. Not because he wants to buy it, but because those who own it have plans he feels aren’t best for that area.

SoHo Capital, LLC, the developers of the proposed Dayflower Master Planned Unit Development (MPUD), may be prepping to ask the county for a rezoning that will increase how many homes it can build on the land from roughly 1,000 to almost 1,500. Mendelsohn is worried about overcrowding, flooding, damage to wetlands and roads buckling under an influx of new traffic, to name a few.

So, instead of sitting back and waiting to see what happens, Mendelsohn and a group of Quail Hollow residents are on a mission to stop a potential rezoning of the land before it even gets started.

Mendelsohn has spent a good deal of his own money founding the Quail Hollow Alliance (QHA), creating a website and forming a team of land and environmental experts. He has rallied the communities of Quail Hollow, Angus Valley and Lexington Oaks — and residents of those developments account for the many of the more than 2,000 signatures in opposition he has collected — in a proactive effort to save the area.

“I’m not an activist that goes around county looking for a fight,” Mendelsohn says. “I got involved because this

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The proposed Dayflower MPUD (in yellow) has many residents of Quail Hollow and Angus Valley concerned about the impact on roads, the environment and their communities.

affects me, my family and my community. We’ve got one shot to stop this proposed development on a very environmentally sensitive piece of property and once built on, that’s it, there’s no turning back. If someone didn’t step up with the time and financial resources, my feeling was we may blow it and have to live with the adverse effects. If I didn’t

do this, I would never be able to forgive myself.”

SoHo Capital is likely to bring its plans to the Pasco County Planning Commission in the near future. It owns 1,007 acres north of Wesley Chapel Blvd. and west of Old Pasco Rd. The property touches three established communities, but mostly Quail Hollow and Angus Valley, communities which date back to the 1950s, where home lots are generally three quarters of an acre or larger.

Mendelsohn owns a 75-acre lot just north of the property, a six-acre plot and a 2-acre plot where he lives next to his parents’ 14-acre lot.

Mendelsohn says Soho Capital wants to fill the developable areas (probably 500 acres, due to how much of the property is wetlands) with 40-foot lots.

While he says he respects a land owner’s rights to do what is allowed under its zoning, he is opposed to rezoning to allow even more homes.

While SoHo is already permitted to build around 1,000 homes (2.2 homes per buildable acre due to its current Res-1 zoning), Mendelsohn says the developer is working towards a rezoning which would allow for 1,439 homes.

“My feeling is development has to be responsible, and has to be consistent and compatible with the surrounding areas,” Mendelsohn says.

Jennifer Seney, a Quail Hollow resident who researches most of the information that fills the group’s website, feels the same.

“I’ll even go a step further,” Seney says, “I’ll say that what is being proposed for this piece of land is

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completely inappropriate.”

The additional density from a rezoning, not what is currently allowed, is where the QHA finds the problem.

According to Mendelsohn, SoHo Capital estimates the development would add 13,309 additional day trips on three small country roads that run right through Quail Hollow and Angus Valley. Mendelsohn says those roads — Sandy Ln., Mangrove Dr. and Armenian Ln. — are already classified as substandard by the county for not being thick or wide enough, and there is no room to widen them without getting rid of the swales that help control the area’s persistent flooding.

Seney has particularly strong feelings about the roads, because she says SoHo Capital is requesting that the county allow it to pay “fair share” on the road improvements, which means splitting the costs with the county, rather than footing the bill themselves. She believes the county’s share would end up as an assessment on those living near and using the roads. In other words, the residents of Quail Hollow and Angus Valley.

“The road improvements are solely for the benefit of the developer,” Seney says. “We don’t need them (with the current population that uses them), and would never ask for them, but will have to pay for them.”

Seney, who worked for Pasco County as a recycling supervisor from 2008-18, fears the county may see this as an opportunity to bring the roads up to a higher level of service without having to pay for anything.

Following a March 1 required virtual public meeting with the developer, QHA members also claimed the project, which is adjacent to the Cypress Creek Preserve, would destroy “at least 11 acres of pristine wetlands, which help recharge Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater’s water supply through Pasco’s Cypress Creek Watershed.”

SoHo Capital, or SoHo Dayflower

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LLC, does not yet have any meetings scheduled yet before the planning commission, which would be the next step.

Mendelsohn is hoping that such meetings won’t happen at all. The main goal of his group is to convince county staff that the project isn’t worth putting to any vote, due to the numerous questions — which Mendelsohn says have not been answered — put forth by the QHA. “I don’t want this to get in front of the planning commission and then the county commissioners and have us have to fight this out in front of them,” Mendelsohn says. “If the Pasco County Planning department really takes a look at this, they would see that this project is not a good project for this area.”

District 2 County Commissioner Mike Moore says he has been contacted by the group, but until the project moves onto the planning commission agenda, he has little to say about it.

The QHA is not trying to stop SoHo from building any homes on the land it owns. Mendelsohn says he is not anti-development. And in fact, if developers were only trying to build the number of homes the property was currently zoned for, the QHA wouldn’t even exist.

However, if a rezoning does take place, he feels that more homes will equal more problems for long-time residents of Quail Hollow and Angus Valley.

“My main point is, building 40-foot lots is just not compatible in an area where the lots are bigger and there isn’t that kind of density,” Mendelsohn says. ““I do believe property owners have rights and I respect that, however my hope is that the county commissioners are listening to the people and just because a developer requests a rezoning, that is not something they are entitled to or that the commissioners are required to grant.”

For more information, check out QuailHollowAlliance.org

Ascend At Grove West Coming DHI Communities has closed on 34 acres of land it plans on developing as a multi-family residential community just west of I-75 and S.R. 54.

The multifamily division of national homebuilder D.R. Horton says the DHI Communities development is located between Old Pasco Rd, and Oakley Blvd., north of Wesley Chapel Blvd. and adjacent to The Grove.

DHI paid $9.5 million for the parcel, which is zoned for 330 apartments and 82 for-sale townhomes.

The $80-million development will be called Ascend at Grove West, and is DHI Communities’ first multifamily project in the Tampa Bay area. It will be within walking distance from The Grove entertainment complex, which will soon include dozens of new restaurants and businesses at the underconstruction KRATE container park.

“Developers are taking every opportunity to develop along the State

Road 54 corridor,” says Mark Eilers, executive managing director of land services at Colliers International, which represented DHI Communities in the sale. “This is a great location for DHI Communities to enter the Tampa Bay market due to its superior access to State Road 54 and Interstate 75, proximity to major employment centers and walkability to nearby retail and restaurants.”

Construction is expected to begin this month, with completion by early 2022. ­— JCC

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Meadow Pointe residents say the gap to the left in the photo above is being exploited by motor vehicles traveling between Kinnan St. and Mansfield Blvd. (Photo: John C. Cotey)

Beefing Up Kinnan-Mansfield

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com The connection of Kinnan St. in K-Bar Ranch to Mansfield Blvd. in Meadow Pointe continues to be a problem, according to some area residents.

A number of emails sent to Pasco County District 2 Commissioner Mike Moore suggest that far too many cars have been making their way around the barrier, which is a mechanical arm designed to only let first responders and emergency vehicles through.

As a result, Pasco County is taking action. Moore says the county will be installing security cameras and additional barriers to prevent any more cars from sneaking through the small opening.

Chris Dillinger, a member of the Meadow Pointe II CDD, says he also has heard the complaints, including by some who feel the connection is the first step towards opening the connected roads to all traffic. But, he says as long as Pasco County controls the gate, which is part of the agreement with Hillsborough County, which constructed the connection, he is confident the roads will remain closed and adjustments will be made to stop cars from circumventing the barriers.

After years of debate over connecting the roads, it was finally decided last year to make a connection that would only be accessible by law enforcement, fire and other emergency vehicles, and to police it with a barrier gate arm.

New, wider bike paths and sidewalks also were added to the connection for cyclists and pedestrians.

However, those wider paths are be8

ing used by cars, according to critics.

The Neighborhood News has received some emails making the same charge. As a result, we visited the connection, and witnessed a small black car slipping through the bike path on the east side of the gate, where a generous gap exists (photo), and crossing from New Tampa into Wesley Chapel.

You can see by looking at the picture above that there is still room for smaller cars to get through, although it is a fairly tight fit.

“While there are supposedly things in place to prevent traffic from entering the road...especially on the Mansfield side, it is not effective,” one emailer who did not want to be identified told us. “Those of us who use it for walking, running and cycling were so excited that we would not have to be exposed to a lot of fumes from vehicles. But, no matter what time I walk in that area, there are always vehicles that enter from Kinnan and Mansfield. There are vehicles that, from the Mansfield side, can successfully drive slowly and carefully through there...and there are enough violators for me to be concerned. This road is not closed to traffic; it’s being used more frequently than you know.”

Commissioner Moore contacted both Ken Hagan, the Hillsborough County Commissioner for District 2 which includes Kinnan St., and District 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera, who represents the New Tampa area that includes K-Bar Ranch.

“The gate is a good idea,” Viera says. “It helps emergency vehicles and first responders get through and it will save lives. Let’s hope we don’t let a few people ruin that.”

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Plans Ongoing For The Median South Of BBD/54 Intersection

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com Residents were assured during a sparsely attended virtual public hearing hosted by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in February that the plans to redesign and modify part of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. south of its intersection with S.R. 54 are ongoing.

Construction on the median project is expected to begin in early 2022.

The project centers around the northbound and southbound median just south of the actual intersection.

The median currently has an opening allowing motorists to cross from exits between the Sonny’s BBQ and Sun Trust Bank adjacent to the Publixanchored Hollybrook Plaza to southbound BBD or straight across to the west, to the Village Market shopping center, and from the Village Market to northbound BBD or across eastbound to the Hollybrook Plaza.

The plan is basically to extend the median and eliminate any cutting across BBD from either side.

It is not an uncommon sight to see an accident at the northbound side in front of the Sonny’s BBQ or Taco Bell.

According to FDOT, the median project was initiated by an intersection study that showed 233 “crashes” had been reported in that area from 2011-15.

A Neighborhood News Reader Survey in 2017 voted the BBD/54 intersection as the second-worst in Wesley Chapel, behind the I-75 and S.R. 56 intersection (which will have a new Diverging Diamond Interchange by the end of 2021).

The plan to make the location safer centers around closing what is now a split median and constructing one long median from Eagleston Blvd. to the south all the way north to S.R. 54.

Under the current set up, the northbound far left turn lane, when filled during busy traffic hours, extends beyond the median opening and blocks those trying to cross BBD. Now, with a single, longer median, that left turn lane will be extended to accommodate more vehicles, which will reduce congestion.

There also will be a new traffic signal installed at Eagleston, and new roadNeighborhood News

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To State Rd. 54

WC Blvd/SR 54

The top map shows the currently open median between the Village Market plaza on the left and the SunTrust Bank and Sonny’s BBQ on the right that will be closed off. SR 54 can’t be seen at the top of the top map, but the bottom map shows S.R. 54’s location.

way lighting added to the northbound lanes, as well as some resurfacing.

At the southbound end of the new median where the light will be installed, a dedicated U-turn lane will be built for motorists wanting to get to Hollybrook Plaza (this also can be achieved by merely driving east through the BBD/54 intersection and entering via two entrance points off S.R. 54).

FDOT says it plans to let the project out to bid in October, with construction beginning a few months later.

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Commissioners Help ‘Push-In’ New Engines At Fire Stations 13 & 38

Pasco County District 2 Commissioner Mike Moore helped Pasco County Fire Rescue firefighters during a traditional fire engine “push-in” ceremony at Fire Rescue Station No. 13 on Old Pasco Rd. last month. Also during the ceremony, the bell from the old fire engine was transferred to the new one. In February, a push-in ceremony (not shown) also was held at Fire Rescue Station No. 38 in Watergrass, with District 1 Commissioner Ron Oakley helping out with the pushing-in of a new $1-million ladder truck.

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Wesley Chapel Rotary Stays Busy With ‘Grease,’ Eggs & Golf!

Despite the still-looming spectre of Covid-19, the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel (which meets Wednesdays at noon at Omari’s Grill at Lexington Oaks Golf Club) is still hosting special events for the community in our area.

On Mar. 13, the club put on an awesome “Pasco 911 Grease is the Word” singalong event that featured Pasco Firefighters and Sheriff’s Deputies singing songs from the Broadway hit (and hit movie of the same name) “Grease” for a $5,000 Grand Prize, donated by T-Mobile, at Land O’Lakes Heritage Park. The event, which also featured an Elvis impersonator, a Classic Car Show and at least 200 socially-distanced spectators, was a tremendous success, with Pasco Dep. Christina Demas named the winner of the $5,000 Grand Prize. The firefighters and deputies in attendance announced that the money would be donated to the families of fallen law enforcement officers Michael Magli (Pinellas Sheriff’s Office) and Jesse Madsen (Tampa Police Dept.).

Two weeks later, on Mar. 27, the Wesley Chapel Rotary held a unique Drive-Through Egg Hunt event at the Wesley Chapel District Park, with more than 250 vehicles driving past decorated vendor vehicle booths, where they were given brightly colored eggs with candy and other kids’ treats. There were even gift baskets with prizes like gift cards and scratch-off Florida Lottery tickets for adults won by many of the attendees. Club president Jodie Sullivan was excited about the turnout and the event itself.

Rather than rest on those laurels, the Wesley Chapel Rotary also will host a Charity Golf Open (to benefit the Pasco Sheriff’s Office Charities & WC Rotary community projects) on Friday, April 30, at Lexington Oaks Golf

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(Clockwise from above left): Firefighter Logan Mielke sings “Beauty School Dropout” and PCSO Dep. Christina Demas accepts the $5,000 Grand Prize from Rotarian Troy Stevenson at the “Pasco 911 Grease is the Word” singalong event on Mar. 13. Lisa Moore (right) and Cathy Di Leo (below right) were among the Rotarians giving out Easter eggs at the Egg Hunt Drive-Through event on Mar. 27. An adult winner receives a prize from WC Rotary president Jodie Sullivan at the Egg Hunt Drive-Through.

Club (26133 Lexington Oaks Blvd.). The event will feature lots of great prizes, including a car courtesy of Parks Ford, a Sandals vacation, trophies and more. The cost to enter the 4-person scramble is $100 per player.

For more information, visit WCRotary.com or see the ad on pg. 12.— GN

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We Help Raj Find A Kidney Donor!

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com It was an ordinary December day and Joel Morales was getting ready to put the latest issue of the New Tampa Neighborhood News into the recycling bin.

But first, he wanted to see what was going on in New Tampa, and maybe pick up a suggestion for a place to grab some dinner. Since moving to K-Bar Ranch from Ohio in late 2019, Joel and wife Shelby had practically been quarantined the whole time due to Covid.

Maybe this night would be the one they would finally venture out.

So, he started thumbing through the pages.

Then, he stopped. A picture of a 13-year-old boy named Raj Guntuku, and his 70-pound Golden Doodle Benji, caught his attention. “I’ll probably never forget it,” Joel says. “It was such a cute picture.”

Joel read the story. Raj needed a kidney. His parents were desperate.

Then, the strangest darned thing happened. Almost immediately, Joel decided he was going to give Raj his kidney.

On March 4, just a few weeks after meeting for the first time and passing all of the required tests, Joel was wheeled into an operating room, and four hours later, his kidney had been transplanted into Raj. “A miracle,” says Raj’s mother Radha.

Just a few days later, both Raj, who friends and family call “Bunny,” and Joel returned home from the hospital, and they were online playing Fortnite

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After six months on a strict diet, Raj Guntuku enjoys a potato chip after receiving a new kidney from Joel Morales.

together on the Xbox.

“Joel is so happy to see him happy,” Radha says. “I don’t know if we will ever meet anyone like that in this world again, but we are so fortunate to have him.”

Raj has a new lease on life, and Joel is glad he could help.

So, the question remains, why did he?

“It seems strange to say, but when I read the article, it just seemed like the obvious thing to do,” says Joel. “I had done a tiny bit of research after I read the article, just to see the long-term impacts of donating a kidney, and it was surprising to me. It seems like there’s really nothing I have to watch out for or need to be careful of. I can’t take any more ibuprofen, and I have to eat enough protein, but to me it’s just life as normal. It just seemed obvious that there’s this poor 13-yrold kid with his life ahead of him, and I

should do what I can to help. Thank God I ended up being a match.”

A wholesaler for Nationwide Insurance, Joel says he doesn’t regret his decision, even if some of his friends and co-workers questioned his sanity.

“My boss said, ‘Hold on, let me see if I understand this — you have never met this boy, you never met this family, you have no relationship with them whatsoever, and you just decided to give your kidney to him?,’” Joel says. “That was the moment I probably understood it was a little bit crazy.”

But, the only person he really had to convince was Shelby, and her primary concern was what if their 2-year-old son Leo, or another family member, needed a kidney one day?

“My thought process was, if you look at the stats, the chances of one of our children or someone in our family

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needing a kidney are extremely low,” Joel says. “But, the chances of Raj needing a kidney is 100 percent. He needs one. He might not get one.”

It was only a 10-minute conversation. Joel said he probably had that look in his eyes, where Shelby knew he wasn’t going to be talked out of it.

Besides, he reasoned, “Hopefully now, we’ve got some good karma coming our way.”

Radha says Joel certainly deserves it. Before he read the article about Raj in the Neighborhood News, she had been relying on a growing list of 15 or so potential donors who had stepped forward after a television report on Thanksgiving Day. More names were added as time went on. The Neighborhood News article about Raj’s plight hit mailboxes on December 8.

“You put in a great article which was super detailed,” Radha says. “When I read it, I even started to get emotional, even though it is our own story. So many people told us they read it.”

However, day by day, many potential donors had dropped out. Some were talked out of it, others were worried about being able to afford missing work, and some just changed their minds.

Soon, a carefully curated spread sheet which, Radha says, had as many as 30 names on it at one point, had red lines through most of those potential donors, and only four remained.

Then, Joel called. He asked Nehru, Raj’s dad, to explain the process. Joel says he told Nehru it sounded as if he had explained all this before, and Nehru

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said he had. But, few had followed through, and it was becoming frustrating.

Joel, however, was in it to the finish. He filled out the paperwork, got tested and, on Feb. 24, was approved to be Raj’s donor. The surgery was scheduled.

The families finally met at Raj’s Tampa Palms home a few days later.

Everyone was too nervous to eat, and they just ended up nibbling at the Olive Garden and Liang’s Bistro takeout Radha had picked up. Raj, however, was bursting with joy.

It was a great night, both families say. Raj and his sister Bhavika, a senior at King High, thought Joel was “cool,” Shelby spent the night cracking jokes and Joel left knowing that he had a made a great decision.

On the way home, he turned to Shelby and said he hoped the Guntuku family liked him.

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He told Joel the first thing he was going to do after receiving his kidney was eat a slice of cheese pizza.

However, his diet will have to be limited.

He will need to eat healthier, but Radha says Raj is ready for that challenge. At a Super Bowl party a month before his surgery, everyone was celebrating the Tampa Bay Bucs’ victory with cupcakes.

“I would like to eat,” Raj said, “but sadly, I cannot. No Raj and Joel meet for the first time (left). Joel thank you.” (above) says he couldn’t be any happier to have Raj’s immunity will helped Raj get a new lease on life. be lower than it used to be, and special care “You’re giving Raj a kidney,” will need to be taken for the next 90 days.

Shelby said. “I think they like you fine.”

He is on seven medications, gets his blood And they both laughed. tested twice a week, and has to stay out of On March 4, Raj and Joel went in for the surgery. Joel was home after two the sun.

He is eager to shoot some hoops, days, while Raj came home on March 9. but contact sports like soccer and The families have spoken via FaceTime football are off limits. His dream to be every day since.

Raj had been sick for much of 2020. In early September, he vomited after waking up one morning, and it happened again a few weeks later. He went and had bloodwork done, and the results concerned his doctor. In October, Raj was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), which is characterized by the gradual loss of kidney function. He was Stage 5 at the time, and his kidneys were operating at less than 10 percent of their normal function.

Raj has been on a strict diet ever since, and will need to watch what he eats now that he has a new kidney.

a grand master at karate, which he has been taking since he was 4, may be in peril, but Radha says they will have to decide on that later.

It is likely that Raj will have to go through this process again, in 20 or 30 years, so he needs to maximize the health of this kidney. “He knows he needs to be careful,” Radha says.

As for Joel, he was off the pain medication in a week and doctors say he’ll be fully recovered in 4-6 weeks.

“They really just said stay away from contact sports, so my future NFL career is no longer an option at the ripe age of 28,” Joel says.

He’s back at work, and every once in a while he thinks about the selfless decision he made. He doesn’t regret it for a second.

“I don’t think I knew, even today, just how big a deal this was, which probably helped with the nerves,” Joel says. “I genuinely just felt like this was the obvious thing to do. I may not have thought about it as much as I probably should have, but even if I had, I still think the outcome would have been the same. It was definitely well worth it.

“I’d say I’d do it again, but I can’t.

You can only do this once.”

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Covid Changes Plans For the Better At Pediatric Dentistry

By RODNEY PAGE Pediatric Dentistry of New Tampa has been in its Tampa Palms Professional Center location since 2008. Over the years, pediatric dentist Marta Rivera, D.M.D., has seen thousands of patients.

But, like all of us, she says she has never seen a time like the one we are currently experiencing.

When the world went into quarantine due to Covid-19 last March, Dr. Marta (as her young patients call her) and her staff needed to adjust. Because they were deemed an essential business, the practice could stay open but only for emergency and urgent services. They were only open a few hours per day to service the patients most in need.

That’s how it was from March until May, when restrictions on medical offices in Florida were lifted. Prior to May, Dr. Marta says the pandemic allowed the staff to prepare the office for a postCovid world. The whole place was

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sanitized. Fans and ionizers were installed to purify the air.

The layout also was changed, so that there was only one entrance door and one exit door.

Arrows on the floor made sure patients weren’t running into each other. Exam rooms are cleaned thoroughly after each procedure.

And, of course, all of the staff members and patients have been required to wear masks.

“People feel safer,’’ Dr. Marta says. “There were a lot of changes but we got through it. Everybody has been safe, thank goodness.

Now we are waiting for everyone (staff and some patients and their parents) to get the (Covid) vaccines. We are going to continue to wear masks and probably will for a couple of years. We deal with children and children can’t get vaccinated. We have to continue with the mask mandate. We are a medical facility.’’

Dr. Marta has been practicing dentistry since 1988. She is a native of Brooklyn, NY, but

moved to Puerto Rico with her family when she was 10 years old.

She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and then earned her D.M.D. degree from the university’s School of Dental Medicine.

Dr. Marta had her own dentistry practice for seven years in Puerto Rico. She moved to Florida in 1997 and, after passing the Florida Dental Board, worked in dental offices in Lakeland and Plant City before opening her own practice in Hunter’s Green in 2003. Five years later, she moved to her current location.

“It’s a developing area, it’s the suburbs, lots of families and their children are here and I love the area,’’ she says.

While Dr. Marta almost exclusively works on children ages 1-18, she says that she does have a few patients in their early 20s. However, the practice is very much catered to children. Dr. Marta calls them the “stars of the show.’’

Your kids will show off their happiest smiles, too, if they become patients at Pediatric Dentistry of New Tampa in Tampa Palms. (Photo courtesy of Pediatric Dentistry)

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Getting Down To Basics

One of the cool amenities at Pediatric Dentistry of New Tampa is that there are televisions in the ceilings of the exam/treatment rooms so kids can watch TV while they are in the dental chairs, which cuts down significantly on their nervous fidgeting.

Dr. Marta recommends a cleaning and first dental exam when children turn age one. She offers digital, low-dose X-rays, offers both sedation dentistry and conscious sedation with nitrous oxide, mercury-free restorations and custom made mouth guards and treats periodontal disease. Her cosmetic services include bleaching of teeth for teenagers.

Dr. Marta says she was the first provider in Florida to offer Myobrace, a type of “myofunctional” (meaning it deals with the muscle function of the mouth) orthodontics. Myobrace is often an ideal treatment to eliminate habits such as thumb sucking or tongue thrust that cause teeth to become misaligned. With Myobrace, a child can correct those habits before beginning traditional orthodontics, or sometimes eliminate the need for traditional orthodontics altogether.

Although Dr. Marta is not an

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orthodontist, because she was trained in her residency to do orthodontics, it is another service available at her office — although she says she only provides it to patients she knows she can help and refers more complicated cases to orthodontic specialists.

Felix Ramirez has four children, ranging in age from four- to 14-yearsold. After dissatisfaction with other dentists, it was suggested that he check out Dr. Marta. That was more than seven years ago.

His oldest child already has gone through a braces program. He expects his next two oldest children to get braces as well. Additionally, Ramirez uses Invisalign on his own teeth, also thanks to Dr. Marta.

“It’s really been a blessing,’’ Ramirez says. “To be able to trust a dentist fully like we trust Dr. Marta really gives you peace of mind. And, she is an amazing professional. Put it this way, my kids aren’t afraid to go to the dentist. They actually like to go. That’s saying something.’’

As an added bonus, Dr. Marta also is fluent in Spanish.

Adapting To The Pandemic

Due to the changes brought on

Although she specializes in children ages 1-18, Dr. Marta has been known to help out an adult patient here and there, too.

by Covid-19, Dr. Marta also has added tele-dentistry to her menu of options.

While she obviously isn’t able to physically work on a tele-dentistry patient’s teeth, she can answer parents’ questions and look at abscesses, for example, and suggest options if those patients require further treatment.

“It was helpful in giving peace of

mind to the parents,’’ Dr. Marta says.

Once medical facilities were allowed to see more patients, she says she wasn’t sure if they would return, since Covid-19 is still a threat. She said she was surprised when the office was full again by May. Part of the reason may be due to what she calls “Quarantine Cavities.’’

Dr. Marta focuses a lot of her attention on preventive care, especially when it comes to cavities. Many of those problems can come as a result of bad diets or bad habits. In this case, being stuck inside the house for a year now has contributed to both.

“There has been an uptick in cavities,’’ Dr. Marta says. “(People) are quarantined and there is eating and drinking when you are home. The snacking went up. Unfortunately, part of why we are so busy now is because of that.”

Pediatric Dentistry of New Tampa is located at 5326 Primrose Lake Cir., Tampa, FL 33647, and is open Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. The office accepts many insurance policies, primarily PPOs. For additional information, call (813) 374-0388, visit TampaHappySmiles.com or see the ad on page 28 of this issue.

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Corbett Prep-IDS Offers Unique Indoor/Outdoor Learning & Camps morning, excited to go to school, and he wants parents to understand that can be their kids, too, “when your children are with the right teachers in the right curriculum, at a school like ours.” He adds that having multiple teachers in classrooms ensures that students find those “right teachers” for them.

By CELESTE McLAUGHLIN On a recent spring day at Corbett Preparatory School of IDS (Independent Day School; also known as Corbett Prep), a team of seventh grade students set out in a canoe with the day’s science lesson — to find the depth and investigate the water quality of the lake on which they were paddling.

Since the campus is on the edge of Lake Lipsey, it affords students unique opportunities for all kinds of outdoor learning, and the school’s teachers and administrators take advantage of them.

In fact, Corbett Prep’s campus became a huge benefit as the school faced numerous challenges because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a result, the school’s extensive outdoor space, where children already were regularly learning and playing, became even more popular as a classroom.

“We’re fortunate to be on a stunning campus surrounded by nature,” explains Head of School Nick Rodriguez. “Our classrooms are like separate, beautiful little houses.”

Nick says that this helps keep students separated into their own groups, as well as socially distant.

The campus, located south of W. Fletcher Ave. in Carrollwood, is home to more than 500 students in all grades from 3-year-olds in pre-kindergarten through the eighth grade.

The middle school campus, where each of the three grades has about 60 students, is across Orange Grove Dr. from the younger grades.

“Our middle school students get a sense of their own campus, but also the leadership opportunities of coming over to the elementary school,” Nick says.

Last fall, the year started with more than 100 students choosing remote learning, with teachers providing instruction simultaneously to classes both in person and online.

“As we’ve proved we can keep our campus safe and our protocols are working, we continue to get students back,” Nick explains. “Now about 20 are (still) remote,

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Connected To New Tampa

Doing science projects outdoors is one of the unique, and scenic, perks of attending Corbett Preparatory School Independent Day School (IDS) in Carrollwood – also known as Corbett Prep. but the rest are on campus.”

He says he understands parents’ concerns, because their highest priority is their children, both their education and their safety.

He says Corbett Prep has always maintained a clean, beautiful campus, but steps were taken this year to be even safer during the pandemic. For example, additional sinks and sanitation stations were installed, plexiglass barriers have been added in classrooms, and the administration team focused on scheduling and transition time to minimize interactions between groups.

“At the end of this year we will be stronger than we’ve ever been,” explains Nick. “We’ve added an entirely new skill set to our platform.”

He says this includes online communication, such as software that kids use at home to check homework, and teachers increasing their skills and technology usage.

He also says that this year has given them even more opportunities to think creatively, which is a strong suit at Corbett Prep.

“Learning happens everywhere and it’s all tied together,” he explains. As an example, in order to get kids outside more this year, the eighth graders were given the opportunity to design a mural. “It turned into a full course where they had to plan, measure, design letters and spacing, use geometry, and choose paint colors.”

Nick explains that Corbett Prep is an International Baccalaureate (IB) school with creativity at its heart.

“It really makes you proud to see kids who are creative and engaged,” he says. “We want to create ‘wow’ lessons for our students as often as possible to keep them active in their learning.”

He says he is proud that Corbett Prep students get out of the car smiling in the

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Kids from all over the Tampa Bay area attend Corbett Prep, and bus service is available from New Tampa and Wesley Chapel.

Martha and Carlton Fleming live in Grand Hampton. Their daughters, Layla and Naomi, both started at the school as three year olds. Layla is now in high school and Naomi is finishing her eighth grade year.

Back when their girls were little, Martha says they first fell in love with the outdoor environment, then the curriculum and the way Corbett Prep engages the students in handson learning. Even today, she says Layla and Naomi still sometimes talk about their favorite learning experiences, such as “Senses Day,” where students immerse their senses outdoors (by jumping in a tub of oatmeal, for example) or “Living Thanksgiving,” where they engage in activities the Pilgrims would have, such as making their own candles.

“At Corbett, they are building confident students,” explains Martha. “They set up many little successes that build confident kids.”

She says one of the main reasons her family moved to Grand Hampton was the area’s A-rated public schools, but their girls had such a phenomenal preschool experience at Corbett Prep that they didn’t want to move them.

“Corbett has helped our girls become very well rounded, in every sense,” says Carlton. “The girls are doing well academically, but there’s something else that our girls have gotten out of that experience. I think Corbett has this trifecta of very strong education, but they also value athletics and the arts.”

He also praises the compassion his girls developed during their time at the school.

Martha adds, “They build the social emo-

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he’s also a parent. His daughter, Sloane, is an elementary school student at Corbett Prep.

The Independent Day School was started in 1968 by Marilyn Gatlin and Betty Anderson, who wanted to create a school where every child’s gifts and talents could be identified and encouraged. Nearly a decade ago, the school was renamed Corbett Prep at IDS. “The Corbett family is incredibly generous to the entire Tampa Bay area and has supported our initiatives for 40 years,” says Nick.

He adds that he’s very proud of the school’s more than 50 years of history, and excited to continue its legacy in the community.

tional awareness in terms of being connected with their own internal feelings and how that is projecting outward and affecting others.”

She says as she speaks with friends and observes students in other schools, “we realize the uniqueness of what our daughters have had, and we have learned to appreciate that so much more now that they’re teenagers,” explains Martha. “It’s a process you invest in, but I feel like we’ve seen the fruits of it.”

Summer Camps

Learning takes place on the campus year-round, and the summer offers a unique opportunity for students to enjoy all that Corbett Prep has to offer, whether or not they attend school there.

“Most summers we have about 1,000 different students on campus for summer camps,” explains Nick, “but last year, with Covid, we still had about 700.”

He says they offer morning, afternoon and full-day camps, featuring everything from academics, to nature, to the arts.

“It’s a big undertaking for our school,” he explains, saying that all Camp IDS camps are led by highly qualified, trained educators.

More information about summer camps is available on the school’s website at CorbettPrep.com, then click on the “Camp IDS” tab at the top of the page.

History

Nick Rodriguez was named Head of

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Now Is The Time To Enroll

Corbett Prep’s administrative team works together at one of the school’s many beautiful outdoor areas. (L.-r.) Associate Head of School Michael Johnson; Head of School Nicholas B. Rodriguez; President of Initiatives & Training Dr. Joyce Burick Swarzman, and Middle School Division Leader Jennifer Jagdmann.

“It was not in the plan for me to come School in July 2020, taking over from Dr. back,” he says, “but I couldn’t say ‘yes’ Joyce Swarzman, who led the school for more quick enough.” than two decades and has transitioned into a training and initiatives role.

“Dr. Swarzman’s background in eduNick first came to Corbett Prep more cation and where she’s taken our school is than a decade ago for a fellowship program, unmatched,” Nick says, “and I’m so fortunate then went on to lead other Bay-area schools. to be following her and teaming and partnerHe says his immense respect for Dr. Swarzman ing with her through this crazy year.” was among the reasons he joined the school.

Not only is Nick the school’s head, but

While traditional open houses and big campus tours are not currently available, families are still welcome to visit the Corbett Prep campus.

Enrollment for the 2021-22 school year is under way, and Nick says that, within the next few weeks, some grade levels already will have waiting lists.

Nick says he encourages families to take a tour, because parents know a school is right for their child, “when you see their faces light up as they step onto the campus.”

Corbett Preparatory School of IDS is located at 12015 Orange Grove Dr. in Tampa. For more information, visit CorbettPrep.com, call (813) 961-3087, or see the ad on page 31.

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GEICO’s Wesley Chapel Office Offers Great Service From Local Agents

By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneighborhoodnews.com

GEICO Insurance is known not only for its humorous TV commercials, but also for its online service, thanks to a mobile app that makes it easy to have control over all of your accounts.

Need to add a driver? Need to change a car? Need to change your plan? Well, there’s an app for that when it comes to having your insurance with GEICO. However, not everyone is proficient with their cell phones, nor do they prefer doing business online.

To that end, customers in the Wesley Chapel area can now meet with GEICO agents face-to-face, thanks to the new office opened by Jaime Bryant in the North Woods Shopping Center (anchored by the Super Target just north of County Line Rd.).

Although GEICO has had offices for years, including one in Tampa for 40 years, as well as others in Clearwater and New Port Richey, Bryant’s new location, which features an aquarium with — you guessed it — a real gecko lizard, is the first even close to Wesley Chapel.

That is a surprise to many, due to GEI-

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Earlier this year, Jaime Bryant cut the ribbon at the first-ever GEICO Insurance office to be located in Wesley Chapel, which has been open since December 2020. (Photos: Charmaine George)

CO’s strong TV and online presence.

“A lot of people don’t expect a local office because most people think of GEICO as a digital company,” Bryant says. “So, they

are surprised to find us in this shopping center. But, we’ve been in the Neighborhood News, and people find us online as well, so they are noticing.”

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That may not sound like a big deal in today’s tech-crazy society, and a good many people still prefer the convenience of using a web browser, mobile app or even a 1-800 number, to do their insurance business.

There are, however, benefits to going into an office.

Bryant, who has six agents working at his location, says many customers like talking to the same person every time. Others just prefer dealing with a human being.

Although known mostly for its auto insurance (insuring more than 30 million vehicles), GEICO also offers motorcycle, RV, boat, condo and renter’s insurance, as well as life and umbrella policies, which provide extended liability for those with a lot of assets.

Coming to the office won’t get your rates any cheaper than those of someone using the online platforms, but Bryant says it provides a comfort level for many — especially customers who have multiple things insured by GEICO. “We can handle almost all of the products they have (online),” Bryant says, “where if they call the 1-800 number, they might talk to three different people for three different products. We can sell auto,

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renter’s, RV, we can do all of that. And, you can have the convenience of one person handling everything.”

On Google, Bryant and his staff have yet to receive a negative review. They have been praised for explaining the different types of auto coverages, making the process easy and, of course, finding the cheapest rates possible.

However, the online game remains one that GEICO is winning, thanks to the 24/7 access to your account and the easy-to-use, multiple-award-winning mobile app.

“You can do it online or do it with an agent,” Bryant says. “It’s really every way you can possibly do business, you can do it with GEICO.”

A Little History...

GEICO was founded in 1936 by Leo Goodwin and his wife Lillian to provide auto insurance directly to federal government employees and their families. Bryant says very few people know that GEICO is actually an acronym for Government Employees Insurance Company.

Bryant says GEICO was the first insurance company that he can recall that began selling insurance directly to customers, as opposed to working only through agents.

That has helped GEICO, headquartered in Maryland, become the second-largest auto

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Jaime Bryant and his wife Shannon pose with the costumed GEICO gecko at the office’s grand opening, while a real gecko (right) says hi from his aquarium, where he greet visitors to the new location.

insurer in the U.S., behind State Farm, as well as the largest auto insurer here in the state of Florida.

Bryant says that’s because GEICO offers two very important things for those looking for insurance: its competitive rates and discounts, and its customer service.

“It’s like you are paying a discounted

rate for a high-quality product,” he says.

GEICO also has done a masterful job of marketing itself in a competitive field where NFL quarterbacks and fictional characters like Flo become familiar standards in today’s pop culture.

GEICO currently is still repped by its beloved “spokes-lizard,” a gold dust day

gecko with a cockney accent that is familiar to almost everyone. Along with the charming lizard, GEICO has used the Cavemen, Maxwell the piggy, and a humorous campaign comparing how easy it is to use GEICO to things that are not easy, as well as others. Almost every campaign has left a lasting impression.

Bryant has lived in the Tampa Bay area for roughly 20 years, and is a University of South Florida graduate, with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.

He worked for GEICO in Lakeland for 16 years, the last few while driving a long commute from his family home in Live Oak Preserve in New Tampa, which he shares with his wife of six years, Shannon.

When GEICO decided to open an office in Wesley Chapel, Bryant says he jumped at the chance.

“You want to be your own boss and have that freedom.” Bryant says. “But, we love it here, too. We plan on retiring here, and we plan on having this office in Wesley Chapel for many, many years.”

The GEICO-Wesley Chapel local office is located at 1227 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. It is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m., and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit Geico.com/wesley-chapel-bryant, call (813) 953-4200 or see the ad on page 29.

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AllergyTampa.com Provides Old-Fashioned Care & Cutting-Edge Research

By CELESTE McLAUGHLIN When Richard Lockey, M.D., founded his allergy and immunology practice in 1984, he brought in and trained Roger Fox, M.D., and Dennis Ledford, M.D. While Dr. Fox and Dr. Ledford have both recently retired, Dr. Lockey has no plans to slow down. He has always struck a balance between old-fashioned good practices and cutting-edge technology.

“I have no plans to retire,” Dr. Lockey says. “I like medicine, and I like what I do.”

And, while a new generation of doctors comes up behind him, his practice continues to move forward and grow, with Drs. Glaum, Cho and Pepper, all of whom have been part of the practice for several years.

The doctors are a team of Board-certified allergists and immunologists found online at AllergyTampa.com. They treat patients in private practice and also conduct research at the University of South Florida (USF) Division of Allergy & Immunology Clinical Research Unit (CRU). The private practice office and CRU make up the top floor of a medical building near the corner of Fletcher Ave. and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd, just south of New Tampa.

“We all want to be in academics to push the window forward,” says Dr. Lockey, who says he has written 800 papers and 50 books. “We want to be innovative and learn, and participate in studies.”

He says that there’s nothing wrong with a doctor who chooses only to focus on seeing patients, but that physicians join his team because they want more than that.

“We also want to do academic research and teaching,” he says. “All of the doctors here are fantastically excellent at that.”

Drs. Lockey, Glaum, Cho and Pepper manage a variety of disorders related to allergies, asthma and immunology, including food allergies, rhinitis (inflammation and swelling of the mucous membrane of the nose, often referred to as hay fever), cough,

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Dr. Richard Lockey, shown here with patient Sadie Hurley & her mother Belinda, has been one of the top allergy specialists in the Tampa Bay area for more than two decades, by caring for the whole person, not just the allergy symptoms of his patients at his office in Tampa. (Photos: Charmaine George)

laryngitis, headaches and immune disorders.

These specialists also treat allergic reactions and immune responses resulting in rashes and dermatitis.

As members of the USF Division of Allergy & Immunology, they meet weekly via conference call with about 30 members of the division, all of whom are experts in their field.

“We all have our areas of specialty and interest,” Dr. Lockey explains. “That’s what makes us so powerful.”

For example, he says, Amber Pepper, M.D., is an expert on food allergies. All the physicians within the division know to call on her when they have questions about their patients struggling with food allergies.

“It’s shared knowledge,” Dr. Lockey says, “Know what you know, know what you don’t know, and know who to know.

That’s the secret to being a good doctor.”

medicine has changed over the past several decades, and that’s not always a good thing.

While the doctors in his practice are committed to research that keeps them on the cutting edge of advancement in their field, they also adhere to some old-fashioned techniques that are forgotten at some other practices.

“I always take a new patient’s history and do a physical,” explains Dr. Lockey.

He gets frustrated to hear that patients are shuffled from doctor to doctor, being given a test and then referred to the next doctor.

He says that there are some conditions that can only be diagnosed through spending time talking with a patient.

He says it’s a problem within his specialty that physicians aren’t paid for their time, but for procedures they perform. As a result, they often order a test and move on, when what a patient really needs is someone to listen to them.

When Dr. Lockey trains physicians, he says he always tells them to treat patients like they are their own next of kin.

“If it was your mother, father, sister, brother, son or daughter,” he says, “what would you do?”

Covid Repercussions

He also says that there have been repercussions of Covid-19 that many people don’t realize.

“Covid has caused so much anxiety and upheaval,” he says. “There’s been a lot of weight gain, and patients delaying seeing their doctors.”

In fact, some of Dr. Lockey’s patients

Decades Of Quality Care

Dr. Lockey says that the practice of

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were so fearful, they wouldn’t come in to see him. One had pneumonia and died from that, rather than from Covid.

Dr. Lockey says he protects himself by wearing a mask, but never considered not working, even though many people told him he was at-risk and shouldn’t see patients.

“I was more scared in the 1980s when we were dealing with HIV patients,” he says. “As immunologists, we set up a clinic.

We were afraid because we didn’t know how (HIV) was transmitted and it was universally deadly. If you survived during the first 10 years, it was an enigma. We thought it was viral, and knew it was sexually transmitted, but we didn’t know if it was transmitted other ways, too.”

He says he treated patients and worked to advance medicine through research despite the risks, and will continue to do so.

“As long as I am physically and mentally capable, I will practice medicine,” he says.

“We’re doctors. That’s what we do.”

About The Doctors...

Richard Lockey, M.D., founded the practice in 1984 as Academic Associates in Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. He earned his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from the Temple University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Lockey served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, then subsequently joined the faculty

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The doctors of AllergyTampa.com include (left to right) Dr. Amber Pepper, Dr. Richard Lockey, Dr. Mark Glaum and Dr. Seong Cho. In addition to seeing patients, all four also participate in clinical research and teach at the University of South Florida.

of the USF (now the Morsani) College of Medicine as a Professor of Medicine. He currently is the director of USF’s Division of Allergy & Immunology. He also volunteers at the James A. Haley Veterans (VA) Hospital, where he was previously Chief of

Allergy & Immunology. Dr. Lockey also has served as president of the World Allergy Organization and is a past president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), of which all of the practice’s specialists are members.

Mark Glaum, M.D., Ph.D., earned his M.D. at Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. He completed a fellowship in allergy and clinical immunology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, also in Philadelphia. His areas of interest include how the body responds to substances that cause allergic reactions and advancing diagnostic techniques, such as rhinoscopies (examining nasal passages with specialized instruments).

Seong Cho, M.D., received his M.D. degree as an otolaryngologist — an ear, nose and throat doctor — from Kyung Hee University School of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea. His allergy and immunology training was completed at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL. Amber Pepper, M.D., joined the practice in 2018. Dr. Pepper earned her M.D. from USF in 2013, then completed her residency in internal medicine in 2016 also at USF, where she was in a once-weekly rotation at the practice. She then completed a fellowship at the practice through USF’s Division of Allergy & Immunology.

To learn more about Drs. Lockey, Glaum, Cho and Pepper, visit AllergyTampa.com, call (813) 971-9743, or see the ad on page 37. The office is located at 13801 BBD Blvd., Ste. 502, Tampa 33613.

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Kids ‘R’ Kids Of Meadow Pointe Continued Serving Families Despite Covid trips, the staff came up with the idea to set up a dramatic play area featuring a campground. The teachers lined the classroom walls with black paper and stars to look like a night sky, then the kids helped fill in the space by making trees, a bonfire, sticks with marshmallows, and a pond complete with fish and lily pads.

“The kids did story time in there, and pretended they were camping,” Roxanne explains. “They went into caves and read stories. It was quite an adventure.”

By CELESTE McLAUGHLIN Right before Spring Break last year, the Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academy of Meadow Pointe had 264 students enrolled.

With new owner Payel Dutt and director Roxanne Jeffcoat, the school — a licensed childcare facility for children ages six weeks to 12 years — was thriving.

Then, all of a sudden, everything changed.

As the Covid crisis began and people were told to stay home, public schools closed, and many families pulled their kids out of daycare.

“By the end of March in 2020,” says Payel, “we had 12 kids enrolled.”

However, Payel and Roxanne were determined to keep the doors open for those 12 kids, who were from families of front-line workers.

One such family was the Johnsons, who live in New Tampa. Julie is a nurse and her husband, Desmond, is a nurse anesthetist.

Their daughters, Kyah (now 5) and Kenna (now 3), attend Kids ‘R’ Kids.

“We have no family here,” explains Julie, “so daycare is our only option. We were very concerned about what we were going to do. So many centers closed.”

But, Kids ‘R’ Kids didn’t. That’s what Payel says her school is all about — connecting with families and serving the community, while doing what’s best for kids.

“It’s about being here for our children and their parents,” says Payel. “We still paid our teachers. We tried to make sure we were here keeping kids safe.”

Over time, as the crisis has waned and families’ needs have changed, the children have started to come back. Many new families have joined the school community, too.

The center is growing again, as it is now back up to more than 150 students.

New Ownership

Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academy of Meadow Pointe first opened at its County Line Rd. and Mansfield Blvd. location in 2006. When the original owner retired in August 2019, Payel and her husband, Prabir Das, purchased the local franchise, which has more than 170 locations across the United States.

Payel’s previous career was as a financial analyst, but she wanted to own her own business. As a mom of two kids, now 8 and 12, she says she is passionate about helping families who need daycare and wanted to use her experience to be hands-on in running her new business.

The following January, in 2020, they hired Roxanne, who has 30 years of experience in childcare. Roxanne lives in Wesley 26

Full-Time, After-School Care & More

Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academy of Meadow Pointe, for children ages six weeks to 12 years, offers both full- and part-time care, and before- and after-school care, including drop-off and pick-up service to and from four local schools. (Photos: Charmaine George).

Chapel, where she started working at a small school which her kids — now 29, 27, and 25 — attended. She continued her career, becoming licensed by the State of Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) as a Director about seven years ago.

“She is awesome,” says Payel. “We go hand in hand.”

The respect is clearly mutual, as Roxanne says about Payel, “Most owners don’t do the things I’ve seen her do. She’s here every day, and that’s a real big motivator for the staff. We’re not asking anyone to do anything that we’re not doing ourselves.”

In fact, Payel used the slower times of the pandemic to also get credentialed as a Director by DCF, so that she can better understand all the nuances of the day-to-day operations of running a school.

Payel and Roxanne emphasize that while they are part of a large franchise, which can sometimes get a bad rap, the school is there for one main purpose — to serve the local community.

“We’re very family oriented,” says Roxanne. “And we’re all about the kids.”

STEAM teacher who leads the students in activities such as making thermometers, kinetic sand, storm in a jar, snow globes, slime and crystals.

Last fall, with restrictions in place that prevented students from going on field

Kids ‘R’ Kids of Meadow Pointe offers flexible scheduling to help families with their child-care needs for its young attendees.

The center is open weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., offering both full- and parttime care, and before- and after-school care, including drop-off and pick-up for four local schools. Payel and Roxanne emphasize that they are here for families. Let them know what your family needs, and they will work to accommodate you.

For school-age children, care is available during days off from school, and Kids ‘R’ Kids currently is enrolling students for summer camps.

Curriculum/STEAM

One benefit of being part of a franchise is the school’s exclusive curriculum, with learning methods supported by leading educational theories. Its Brain Waves curriculum is designed to stimulate brain development during the most critical years.

Kids of all ages use learning stations, math manipulatives, science elements and stimulating visuals, with lots of hands-on learning and Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (aka “STEAM”) activities. In fact, Kids ‘R’ Kids has a dedicated

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While last year’s summer camps could not have field trips, the camps are designed to be fun and engaging, with lots of indoor and outdoor activities, which include a very large outdoor play area, jungle gym, basketball court and bicycle path. The kids do chalk paint, bubbles, parachute, jump rope, and even have water days with balloons and foam sprayers.

The school has a full kitchen serving hot breakfasts and lunches, rotating kid-friendly meals prepared by a professional chef, always carefully served, being mindful of allergies.

Partnerships With Parents

At Kids ‘R’ Kids of Meadow Pointe, it’s a priority for teachers and parents to collaborate with each other for the betterment of the Kids ‘R’ Kids director Roxanne Jeffcoat (left) and owner children. “We are very transparPayel Dutt are ready to care for your children like their ent with parents,” says Payel. “We own. They offer in-person tours of the facility after hours. ensure parents are informed about their child.” give tours to prospective families at the Payel says that she and Roxanne and end of the day, when all of the children all the teachers communicate with parents have left the building. about what their kids do each day, what they “We appreciate all the extra steps,” says are learning, and are always happy to answer Julie Johnson. “It’s an adjustment to drop questions. Conferences also are scheduled. the kids at the door rather than going in They also have cameras in the classevery day and talking with the teachers, but rooms, so parents can have access to view I’ve been very grateful for them to stay open their children at any time during the day. and all the extra steps they went through to Private logins and passwords are provided. make it a safe environment for everybody.”

She says the care that Payel, Roxanne Covid Precautions and the teachers offer is evident, and families The school has several precautions in at Kids ‘R’ Kids of Meadow Pointe are very place to keep kids safe, such as a station happy with their choice. where everyone washes their hands as they “I absolutely recommend it,” says come in, and temperature checks at the Julie. “With my oldest being in VPK, I’m door. Staff and teachers wear masks at all hypersensitive to whether she’s going to be times. And, while the school always has prepared for school and where she’s at combeen sanitized and disinfected several times pared with other kids. I’m very happy with throughout the day, Payel says those procethe education my kids are getting.” dures have been enhanced.

The Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning AcadeKids ‘R’ Kids of Meadow Pointe also my of Meadow Pointe is located at 1540 does not currently allow any third parties Mansfield Blvd. at the corner of County in the building. So, classes such as robotics Line Rd. For more information, call that used to come in to the school are (813) 994-4525, visit KidsRKidsMeadcurrently paused. Payel and Roxanne now owPointe.com, or see the ad on page 37.

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Coyotes Packing A Punch During Hot Start

LOCAL ATHLETES CLEAN UP! Wesley Chapel (WCH), Wiregrass Ranch (WRH) and Cypress Creek (CCH) high schools dominated the All-Sunshine Athletic Conference teams for the 2020-21 winter sports season, picking up a combined five team-, four player- and three coach-of -the-year honors.

In boys basketball, first-year WCH coach Marvin Gray was named SAC Coach of the Year after guiding the Wildcats to a co-championship, and Wildcats’ senior Sam Lowe was joined on the All-SAC first-team

by WRH junior Josh Martin and senior Quincy Smith.

In girls basketball, WCH was the team champion, and junior Emari Lewis and senior Mia Nicholson made the All-SAC first team, along with WRH senior Zoi Evans.

In boys soccer, WRH was the team champion and the Bulls’ Dave Wilson (coach), Alec Santiago (Offensive Player) and Patrick Amis (Defensive Player) earned top honors. The Bulls put three other players on the All-SAC first team (Justin Amis, Aidan Ettouati and Sammy Salas) and three more on second team, while WCH placed George Obregon on first team.

The Bulls’ girls also were team champions, with Ellie Klem earning first-team honors. However, Sydney Bauer of WCH was named Defensive Player of the Year, and joined Maddy Golka on the first team.

One wrestler from each local school was named to the All-SAC first team: WRH sophomore Devin Lanier (106 lbs.), WCH sophomore Nicholas Iserino (145) and CCH senior Johnathan Cardona (52).

CCH junior Andje Costa earned Athlete of the Year in girls weightlifting, and was the only girl not from Sunlake and Zephyrhills to make the All-SAC first team.

WRH also produced the team champion in competitive cheerleading, as well as the Coach of the Year in Maya Hines and first-teamers Avery Warner and Natalie Joles, both seniors. — JCC 30

Mandy Schwartz digs the long ball.

Through the first 13 games this season, the Cypress Creek High (CCH) junior third baseman has launched nine pitches over the softball fences at various high schools, from Zephyrhills (twice) to Wiregrass Ranch to Berkeley Prep, to name a few.

Her eighth home run, which came in the sixth inning against Class 5A, No. 3-ranked River Ridge, tied a game the Coyotes eventually lost 5-4, but it also set a school record for a season, breaking Neely Peterson’s previous mark of seven set in 2019.

Schwartz’s ninth homer, three days later, tied her for the state lead with two other players.

And, there were still six games left to play, not including the Class 3A, District 9 tournament.

Schwartz doesn’t see herself as a home run hitter, just someone who can mash.

“I definitely think I am a power hitter, but not necessarily a home run hitter,” she says.

Schwartz combines her power with contact, and is hitting .600 with only three strikeouts in 43 plate appearances this season. It is one of the primary reasons the Coyotes got off to a surprising 10-3 start in 2021, including 4-0 in the District.

And, there have been other bright spots. Senior centerfielder Emma Coons is hitting over .300 with nine stolen bases, junior Jillian Hudson is batting .444 with a team-high five doubles, and senior Hailey Vazquez has given Cypress Creek a legitimate ace in the circle for the first time in its four years of existence.

Vazquez boasts a 0.81 ERA, and has struck out 90 batters in 52 innings.

“I can’t ask more of Hailey,” says first-year Coyotes’ head coach Jennelle Day. “She’s a great leader on and off the field and has a confidence the girls follow. She’s done a lot of big things for us.”

Schwartz has been a starter since her freshman year, when she batted .467 with three homers, eight doubles and 25 RBI. That team won a District title, a Regional playoff game and came within a run of making it to the Regional championship game.

She credits her offensive numbers to Tommy Santiago, who was her private hitting coach before rejoining the staff of the University of South Florida softball team last year.

Santiago changed Schwartz’s swing a few years back, and after struggling a few months to get the mechanics just right, she has been on a tear.

Last season, she didn’t get a chance to follow up her impressive freshman season due to Covid-19, which cut the season short (but not before she was able to hit a home run in the Coyotes’ season opener against Mitchell).

Schwartz was unsure what to expect in 2021, and has been a little surprised by CCH’s hot start.

“Honestly, I really didn’t expect this because we lost a majority of our players (the past two seasons),” Schwartz says.

“We currently have eight freshmen on our roster, so I thought it might be a little rocky. But, everything just clicked early on.”

Mandy Schwartz (above) has nine home runs in just 13 games this season, while pitcher Hailey Vazquez (below) is sporting a sub-1.00 ERA, and both have helped Cypress Creek High to an impressive 10-3 start this season. (Photo: Charmaine George)

Even with Schwartz’s big bat and Vazquez’s stalwart arm filling two important areas, the CCH defense may deserve just as much credit for the team’s success. Through 12 games, the Coyotes had committed just eight errors.

“The bats can be shaky, but the defense has really stepped up,” Schwartz says.

As a result, she thinks this year’s version of the Coyotes can match what the 2019 team did, and maybe even advance in the State playoffs.

“I think as long as we stay focused we can definitely do that again,” Schwartz says. — JCC

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Campbell To Coach PHSC & WPSL Teams At The Sports Campus

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com Congratulations, mate! Stuart Campbell, the director of soccer at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County, has added some new highlights to his already-impressive resumé.

First of all, Campbell (photo), the Wesley Chapel resident who also is a former Tampa Bay Rowdies player and head coach, will be the first-ever head coach of the new women’s soccer program PascoHernando State College (PHSC).

PHSC, which already competes in basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball and cross country at its main campus in New Port Richey, is adding girls soccer to its athletic program beginning in August.

The twist is that PHSC’s women’s soccer side won’t play in New Port Richey, but instead will call the PHSC Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch home.

That also means the women will play their home matches at the new Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus off S.R. 56.

But wait, there’s more! Campbell also will also head up Wesley Chapel’s entry in the Women’s Premier Soccer League

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(WPSL), which will be called RADD FC and also will play its home games at the Sports Campus for this upcoming season.

The WPSL is the longest active women’s pro soccer league in the U.S. It was created in 1998 and is an affiliate of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), the ruling body of soccer in this country. Most of RADD FC’s players are current student-athletes.

There are 141 WPSL teams nationwide, in 32 different states, as well as teams in Vancouver, British Columbia.

RADD FC will compete in the Northern Division of the Sunshine Conference, along with the Clermont Kicks FC, Florida Krush (Winter Park) and Tampa teams Florida Premier FC and Tampa Bay United.

“I can’t wait to be part of RADD FC’s WPSL team,” Campbell said.“ This will take women’s soccer to another level, as well as grow within our community.”

Campbell, 43, was born to Scottish parents in England, played professionally from 1996-13, including a stint with Leicester City of the renowned English Premier League. He signed with the Tampa Bay Rowdies in 2013, playing one

season, and then served as an assistant coach from 2014-15 and as the team’s head coach from 2015-18.

Both RADD FC and the PHSC women’s team are expected to elevate the footprint of women’s soccer in the Tampa Bay area.

Go, Bobcats!

The PHSC Bobcats will be a member of the National Junior College Athletic

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Association (NJCAA) at the Division II level, as well as the Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA).

PHSC athletic director Steve Winterling thinks the idea of providing another opportunity for women athletes is great timing, considering that many colleges are dropping athletic programs to save money in the wake of Covid-19, while also offering an extra year for the athletes already at their schools, creating a potential backlog. It also helps PHSC meet Title IX requirements.

“The college was looking to expand its athletic program, and you’re always dealing with gender equity so it helped balanced us out in several areas,” Winterling says. “Also, financial times are tough, and we were looking at also giving women an opportunity to participate (in what is a relatively inexpensive sport).”

As for playing at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus, Winterling says he has been thinking about ways to bring PHSC athletics to the east side of the county for years. While the school considered playing at other sites on the west side of the county, he says RADD Sports CEO Richard Blalock, who manages the private side of the Sports Campus in the public-private partnership

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with Pasco County, expressed interest in a relationship, especially with soccer.

“It’s a great opportunity for us,” Winterling says.

Campbell was chosen to lead the program from a pool of 13 applicants.

PHSC has a lot of work ahead of it before it opens the season in August against Polk State College. One of the first issues to solve after finding players will be finding teams to play. Winterling says there are only three other NJCAA Division II women’s soccer teams in the state — Daytona State College, Eastern Florida State and Polk State College.

PHSC has already scheduled Polk State

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four times this upcoming season.

“We’ll have to scramble a little and maybe travel out of state to find some competition,” he says. “We have a few questions to iron out, but we’re really excited to get this going.”

Time To Go Camping!

Meanwhile, Campbell also will be part of the Nike US Sports Camps at the Sports Campus, which will include basketball, soccer, volleyball and cheerleading camps for boys and girls, ages 8-18.

For more information about the Nike Sports Camps at the Sports Campus, see the ad, right.

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Garden Mediterranean Grill — So Close & So Authentic!

Story by Gary Nager Most photos by Charmaine George Even though there are quite a few Mediterranean/Middle Eastern restaurants located in New Tampa, based on what I’ve already tasted and heard from customers, it’s still well worth a few-minute drive to the Eagle Plaza on Oak grove Blvd. at S.R. 54 in Lutz to try the new Garden Mediterranean Grill.

Owners Raja Saad and her husband, Chef Hedi Jlassi (top right photo), are both from the Arabic North African nation of Tunisia and they offer a huge variety of delicious Mediterranean-influenced food in a beautiful, but casual setting.

The restaurant now called Garden Mediterranean Grill has had a number of previous tenants, including a Latin restaurant and a number of coffee shops, but Raja and Hedi and their family believe that they have brought the right cuisine and the right price to the location — and yes, the food is delicious!

Whether you dine as a couple of bring a large family or group of friends to the Garden, you’re sure to find plenty of options, as well as huge portions.

To start, try the Foule (pronounced “fool”; center photo, far right), a delicious dish of puréed fava beans, garlic, lemon and topped with virgin olive oil. It’s served with the fluffiest pita bread I’ve had anywhere. To really get into the variety of starters, however, Raja and Hedi recommend the appetizer plat-

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ter (bottom far right), which includes hummus, baba Ghanouj (mashed, cooked eggplant), labneh (strained yogurt), falafel (fried, ground chick peas) and grape leaves. Other starters include fried calamari, Nabulsi fried cheese, tabouli (chopped parsley, diced tomatoes, onions, dry mint, lemon juice and olive oil), shakshouka merguez (sautée of Merguez sausage and eggs cooked with tomatoes, onion, garlic and spices; bottom left photo below) and even shrimp scampi.

So far, the only salad I’ve sampled is the tangy house salad (diced tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, lettuce, parsley, herbs, olive oil and lemon juice), but there also is a great-looking Greek salad, fattoush, tahini and Caesar salads. You also can top your salad with a variety of meats and seafood, including chicken kabobs (so good) or shawarma, beef or lamb shish kabobs, kufta (ground lamb) kabobs, delicious, fresh-cut gyro meat, salmon or shrimp.

I haven’t sampled any of the sandwiches yet, but I have had several of the meats available as sandwiches as entrée platters. The sandwich that looked the most interesting to me was the chicken shawarma quesadilla below right, which is a nice Middle Eastern take on the popular Mexican dish which combines sliced

chicken shawarma meat and a delicious garlic sauce with cheese, onions and tomatoes stuffed inside a soft tortilla.

There’s also fish, shrimp and falafel wraps on the menu.

The perfectly-season meat entrée platters all include long-grain yellow rice and amazing grilled veggies (onions and red and green peppers; Jannah and I order them well-cooked). Among my favorite entrées so far are the gyro, beef shawarma and chicken kabob platters, but my can’t-miss option so far is the lamb chop platter above. You get four tender, delicious rib chops that are grilled to perfection.

Other entrée options include Turkish kabobs (ground lamb and beef, but Raja says they are different from kufta kabobs), Merguez sausage, lamb shanks and chicken tekka (top left photo on next page), which is a marinated halfchicken char-grilled in what appears to be an Indian-influenced blend of spices. I didn’t taste it but photographer Charmaine George said it was outstanding.

Although I can’t eat shrimp

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and personally don’t love salmon or tilapia, the seafood entrées include shrimp kabobs, salmon, fish and mixed seafood platters, as well as the char-broiled whole fish of the day, usually red snapper or bronzino. There are also are large meat-lovers’ platters (with shish, kufta and chicken kabobs, gyro and beef and chicken shawarma) and royal meat-lovers’ platters (add lamb chops, shrimp and salmon), both in sizes to serve 2-3 and 4-6 people, although all of them honestly look like they could serve even more people to me.

Desserts & Beverages!

Like most Mediterranean restaurants, Garden Mediterranean Grill offers dessert favorites like baklava, warbat (filo dough stuffed with cream) and a variety of cakes, but my favorite so far are the almond baklava fingers shown (above) and the salted caramel cheesecake (top). I’ve yet to try the baklava with ice cream, but it’s definitely on my list. As for beverages, try the Turkish coffee, the Moroccan mint green tea and the fresh mint lemonade.

Garden Mediterranean Grill is located at 1900 Oak Grove Blvd., Lutz (zip code 33559) and is open Mon.-Thur., 10 a.m.-10 p.m., 10 a.m.-11 p.m. on Fri., 9 a.m.-11 p.m. on Sat. and 9 a.m.-10 p.m. on Sun. For more information, call (813) 528-8088 or see the ad on pg. 39 of this issue for a Grand Opening Special 15%-off coupon.

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More Grove Updates!

FINALLY COOKING!

Pick Of The Week: Fresh Kitchen!

Even though it’s located in the Village at Hunter’s Lake plaza in New Tampa and not Wesley Chapel proper — and despite the fact there are so many bowl places in both of our markets — there’s been a lot of excitement around the opening of the new Fresh Kitchen location at 8648 Hunters Village Rd., Tampa.

The design-it-yourself bowl eatery features an entirely gluten-free menu and the items like the grilled steak and almond-baked chicken planks above are delicious.

Also opening as we went to press, next to Fresh Kitchen, is the second location of First Watch on BBD Blvd. (the other, ironically, is in the Shoppes at New Tampa plaza in WC), and no, the Wesley Chapel location is not closing, as First Watch management believes there is plenty of business for both locations. — GN

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The kitchen at Double Branch Artisanal Ales (DBAA), the first business to sign a lease at the new Grove development, is finally ready to open.

Although an official opening date hasn’t been announced yet — unofficially it’s April 15 — the kitchen should be open any day now.

Travis Glenn and his wife Tammi (photo) will rent the space from DBAA co-owner Ryan Clarke and manage the food side of things. Travis has been a general manager of various restaurants in his 30 years in and out of the business, including eight years at the Dark Horse Brewing Company in Marshall, MI. Travis has been with DBAA since the day it opened, working as a bartender, but when the original kitchen manager backed out, he applied to take over.

That’s good news for the pub, which has weathered Covid-19, and the lack of a kitchen, from the day it opened. Travis says you could just see the money floating out the door as patrons stopped by for a beer on their way to dinner somewhere else. “It’s been a huge loss,” he says.

“People pop their heads in and ask if we have food. I feel like I’ve turned away 30-

35 people a day. It happens all the time.”

Not for long, however. Travis says his menu at DBAA will feature “good, honest, straightforward bar-type food” with some personal touches. Everything will be made from scratch, he will smoke his brisket in-house, serve smash-style burgers and says one of his goals is to have the best chicken wings in the area, with some unique sauces.

He will also dedicate one of his fryers to only vegan and gluten free options, like french fries and Brussels sprouts.

“The energy is everything from nervous to super excited to almost a sense of relief,” Travis says.

DBAA has other plans as well.

There’s a new brewer, Robert Hunt, who used to work at Tampa Beer Works, in charge of the beers. Ryan says they will continue to produce the wide variety of pilsener, IPA, Hazy and Sour beverages, including a soon-to-be released Grove Gold Florida pilsener, named after Grove developer Mark Gold.

Ryan is adding video and board games to the selection of entertainment, and is already hosting events like yoga, where an hour of Sunday yoga is followed by a beer. The first yoga class was held last month, drawing 23 people.

Adding brunch on the weekends also is being considered.

Ryan also would like to put together a Father’s Day beer festival.

“The (Covid) delays have definitely created challenges,” Ryan says.

“We’re still very excited about the things coming to The Grove, like the container park, and the new apartments across the street, and looking forward to what this can be.”

For more info about Double Branch Artisanal Ales (5956 Wesley Grove Blvd.), call (813) 492-8800 or visit DBAA.com. — JCC

If you haven’t driven by The Grove lately, you may not have been able to see just how close portions of the KRATE container park section are getting to being completed, although they’re likely still a few months away from opening.

Also getting closer in The Village at The Grove section are The Dessert Box, featuring the combined talents of Joe Schembri from The Ice Dreammm Shop and Evelyn Barreno of 7 Layers Bakery, as well as Falabella Family Bistro, which owner Steve Falabella (of 900º Woodfired Pizza fame) says has been delayed by restaurant equipment shipments from China and other countries stalled by the still-ongoing Covid crisis.

“Hopefully, I’ll be able to make an opening announcement soon,” Falabella says. “We’re getting close.” — GN

Coming Soon, Señor!

Wesley Chapel should have another Mexican restaurant for the locals to choose from by early May, or so we’ve been told.

That’s when the Señor Tequila Mexican Grille is expected to open at the old site of the old Bonefish Grill location on the Shoppes at New Tampa on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. and S.R. 56.

The new Señor Tequila will be the third location in the Tampa Bay area, joining restaurants in Westchase and Carrollwood.

Señor Tequila checks all the major boxes for a good Mexican restaurant. The Tampa locations have great atmosphere (especially if you like salsa music and the occasional Mariachi band), quality margaritas and betterthan-average Mexican food, with an extensive menu that features your typical fare and lots of steak and seafood options as well.

There’s plenty of competition in the Mexican food scene in Wesley Chapel, with established names like Chuy’s, Cantina Laredo and Vallarta’s, to name a few, but Señor Tequila is likely to find an audience. — JCC

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News • Volume 29, Issue 8 • April 13, 2021 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News • Volume 29, Issue 8 • April 13, 2021 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

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New Tampa & Wesley Chapel HOME IMPROVEMENT TOM JOSEPH HANDYMAN: FREE ESTIMATES! Serving residents, Realtors & property mgrs. 30+ yrs home construction exp. Move in/out setups & repairs.

Repairs for sale/rent. Hang flatscreen TVs. Setup wifi & home theater. Install closet organizers. Cabinets, pullouts, shelving. Gen’l carpentry. Crown molding. Kitchen backsplash. Door install/repair & more! Call 813-751-4998 or email JosephHomesllc@outlook.com AMBLER ENTERPRISES Home Improvement. Call James at 813-385-6402. 30 Years of exp. Specialist in Kitchens & Bathrooms. Referrals upon request. All interior work: Drywall, Texture Paining, Doors, etc. Use us once & you won’t need to look elsewhere. Google us to see pictures: Wesley Chapel Ambler Enterprises.

See our display ad at the bottom of this page!

JUNK HAULING SERVICE! • We handle all types of furniture removal — bedroom sets, chairs, mattresses & box springs • Hot water heaters & hot tubs — take apart & remove • Construction material • Carpet removal • Estate, eviction, yard, garage & attic clean-outs • Office, home & factory • Comm’l/resdt’l. GorillaJunkremovalExperts.com. For appts/info, call/text Nigel @ 888-346-5865.

WESLEYCHAPELPRESSUREWASHING.COM Soft pressure ext. house cleaning, screen enclosures, pool decks, driveways, sidewalks, fences, roofs, paver sealing & deck staining. We clean everything. No job too big/small.

Exp. the difference when you hire a pressure cleaning pro. Licensed & insured. Owner operated. Call for a free estimate or visit our website. 813-433-6015.

RAYMOND PAINTING. Ext. & Int. Svcs. Exterior: Painting, pressure washing, clean & seal pavers, stucco, roofing, leaks & wood rot repair. Interior: Painting, plastering, ceiling & wall repairs & tiles. Licensed & Bonded.

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

CHARLES POPPE ELECTRIC. Electric of all kinds: pools, spas, svc changes, new circuits, low-voltage, repairs, upgrades, changes to existing, troubleshoot’g, GFCI performance testing, generators. We are experts w/40+ years exp. Discount of 50% off labor for senior citizens! Lic’d & Insured Master Electrician (EC 13002399) - free phone estimates. Call 813-477-9068.

MILLENNIUM HOME REPAIR. Prof’l Handyman.

Cabinet install., dry wall repair, tile install. & repair, some plumbing, laminate flooring, light fixtures, int. painting, appliance install., pressure washing, paneling, window repair, awning install., carpentry, garbage disposal, fence repair, crown molding, window blinds, seal baths & showers, TV mounting & more. Call 813-400-1408 or email TycoonUnion@yahoo.com.

DRY WALL SPECIALIST. Not a handyman. Affordable, Quality Work repairing water damage, ceilings & walls, re-texturing, popcorn removal, room addt’ns, cracks, holes, plaster & stucco repair. 26 years exp. WC resident. State Certified. Call Ron for a free estimate: 813-784-5999.

Classifieds HOME HEALTH CARE

CAREGIVER/HOUSEKEEPER URGENTLY NEEDED! This is a live-out position. Work MonThurs, $650 weekly. Childcare & light housekeeping. Must be able to interact with children & speak English. Non-smoker, please! MUST HAVE REFERENCES & BE RESPONSIBLE! If interested, email Linda at flowershop998@ gmail.com.

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

CNA/HHA available to do private duty care in your home. 30 years of exp. Will attend to all of your daily needs. References upon request. Call Rhonda at 850-586-1868.

COMPUTER/BUSINESS SERVICES

DO YOU HATE YOUR COMPUTER?!? WE CAN HELP YOU! Troubleshooting, Installation, Networking & Virus Removal. WE COME TO YOU! Residences & Businesses, more than 25-Years Experience. Contact Jeffrey Blank at 813-973-4507, visit WSICA. COM or email Wsica@wsica.com.

PROFESSIONAL TECH SUPPORT in your home or small business. A+, Certified computer tech w/20 years exp. Maintenance & Repairs, Upgrades & Tutoring. More affordable than large chains! Friendly, personalized service. Tech jargon explained. Remote assistance & references avail. Call (813) 957-8342 for a free estimate.

MISCELLANEOUS

ELITE RIDES. Private rides in a sanitized 2020 Tesla, plus concierge services. Airport, schools, medical appointments, shopping, etc. Courteous, reliable professional. New Tampa to Tampa Int’l Airport - $35 (one way, 24/7). Driver vaccinated w/two shots.

Cory Lake Isles resident. Call/text 813.765.2037.

GET $500 TOWARDS CLOSING COSTS... when you buy a NEW CONSTRUCTION HOME with Florida Homes with Geri at Epperson OR Mirada. Schedule a PRIVATE TOUR of both Communities by a Resident Realtor. Join @LifeAtTheLagoon with @RealtorGeri Call/Text 813-609-0966. Connect with me on Instagram & Facebook.

Neighborhood News Classified Ads Deliver Results! Order yours today at NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net.

LAWN & LANDSCAPING

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ALL DIMENSIONS LANDSCAPE & EXTERIORS, LLC. Complete residential & commercial landscape, hardscape & softscape. Mulch & decorative stone.

Patios, decks, retaining walls, property maintenance & lawn care. Sod & lawn installation, artificial turf, fencing, railings, soft & hard pressure washing, painting. We do anything exterior. Call (724) 541-2535 or (813) 485-6661 for a 25% discount on labor & materials.

NTLC Property Maintenance. Residential & Commercial lawn maintenance for New Tampa & Wesley Chapel. Sprinkler repairs, tree trimming, mulching, landscaping & clean-ups also available. Licensed & Insured. CALL BILL @ (813) 973-3825.

A.T.B. Landscaping & Lawn Service. Lic’d & insured, serving the Tampa Bay area 20+ years. Family owned & operated. Quality work, affordable rates.

Gutter clean-outs, screen repairs, pressure washing & sprinkler repairs. Landscaping & property maint., including sod, tree & hedge trimming & clean ups.

Other services avail. CALL 813-907-LAWN (5296).

Jasmine Landscaping, Inc. Complete lawn maint.: Tree, palm & hedge trimming, planting, mulching, stones, sod replacement. Gutter cleaning, leaf removal & more. Cited by your HOA? Ask about our HOA Compliance Special, our Fall/Spring Special & FREE estimate! Lic’d & insured. Accepting new resid’l & comm’l accounts. Visa, MC, PayPal, Zelle, AmEx. Call or text 813-420-4465. Now hiring FT workers.

HEAVY HITTER LAWN CARE: Veteran owned & operated lawn care maint. service, focused on lawn mowing, trimming, edging & blowing (flexible w/extra svcs.). Well maintained & professional laborer ensuring cust. satisfaction & on-time cuts. Rain or shine, quality & schedule will be kept. Lic’d & Insured. Call or text 678-673-7856 for your FREE Estimate.

CLEANING SERVICES

A-to-Z CLEANING & ORGANIZING. Home & Ofc Cleaning & Organizing Svcs! We use our own supplies. Affordable & Reliable. Family-Owned & Operated. WC resident. Weekly & Bi-Weekly / Deep Cleaning/ Move-In / Move-Out. Serving WC & NT. Call today for a FREE No-Obligation Quote: 813462-1270. Local references supplied upon request.

CLEAN-IT RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL CLEANING: Following all CDC guidelines, 18 years cleaning in NT & WC. Lic’d & Insured. Call 813.505.0431, email cleanitmc@gmail.com or see our display ad on page 41!.

B CLEANING SERVICES: Over 18 years exp.! Comm’l & Resid’l; Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly; New house & postconstruction clean-up; Window cleaning; Move-in & moveout cleanings; Press. washing; FREE ests.; Refs. avail. Call 813-531-0154 or e-mail: bcleanings@hotmail.com D-ULTRA CLEANING SERVICE We have our own supplies & more than 400 clients in New Tampa!

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

POOL SERVICES ALLSTARPOOLSOFTAMPABAY.COM. Pool cleanups, & acid washing of old pool finishes. Marcite, quartz & pebble finishes from $3K. We offer cool decking, Eurocrete & paver decking options. Paver, river rock sealing, leak detection & inground vinyl liner replacements avail. Quality salt & ozone generators, pumps, motors & filters. Mention this ad for a $79 pool svc. (restrictions apply). Serving NT & WC since 1990. Call/text 813-244-7077 or visit AllStarPoolsofTampaBay.com.

TRANQUILITY POOL SERVICE. New Tampa owned & operated. Great Pricing with outstanding customer service! LICENSED, BONDED & INSURED. See why we are New Tampa and Wesley Chapel’s #1 Choice!!

Call or Text Chris today @ 813-857-5400 or visit TranquilityPoolService.com. New customers get ONE MONTH FREE! AQUATEC POOL SERVICE has been keeping pools clear & swim-safe since 1994. WE DO POOLS RIGHT! Commercial & Residential. CPO #33-303052 Licensed & Insured. Service guarantee. Call 813-312-5694 TODAY and get ONE MONTH OF QUALITY SERVICE FREE. www.aquatecpool.com.

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

PHOTOGRAPHY

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

FITNESS & WELL BEING YOGA, PERSONAL TRAINING, NUTRITION & PHYSICAL THERAPY w/DR. LAUREN LEIVA, DPT! Phys Ed for everyone, including all children, w/a certified personal trainer who also is a degreed Dr. of Physical Therapy. Ask Dr. Leiva about her PE4ME sliding scale pay program! For more info, visit TheExerscienceCenter.com, call 813.464.0313 or see the ad on pg. 6 of this issue.

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

Our publications are directly mailed to 150,000+ people every 4 weeks!

TJ’s PRESSURE WASHING LLC. Houses, Fences, Driveways, Lanais & Screened Enclosures. Most resdt’l 2-car driveways & vinyl fences start at $75. House washing starts at $150 for 1-story home & $199 for 2-story home. Need an instant quote? Text me a picture of the job you need done. Call Tj at 727-808-7775.

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

24-Hour Emergency Storm Service. Free Mulch. Call 813-495-9541 or 813-788-TREE.

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News • Volume 29, Issue 8 • April 13, 2021 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News • Volume 29, Issue 8 • April 13, 2021 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News • Volume 29, Issue 8 • April 13, 2021 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News • Volume 29, Issue 8 • April 13, 2021 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net

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