SPOTLIGHT ON…Samantha Taylor Fitness!

Fitness professional Samantha Taylor (photo) offers fitness training and nutritional counseling for women only, helping them to “age backwards,” as Samantha says, at her Wesley Chapel location, across the street from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC) in the Shoppes of Wesley Chapel plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.

Her Pure Health Personal Training and Fit Body Boot Camp programs start with a completely free, no-obligation consultation called a “Body Transformation Analysis” to determine goals and plan a fitness program.

The most customized, personal and private option available is Pure Health Personal Training. This can be done in one-on-one, semi-private, or in small group sessions. In addition to the personal training, each client also meets with an assigned results coach monthly, to make sure they’re progressing.

Clients who choose Samantha’s Fit Body Boot Camp attend regular or beginner Boot Camp sessions, which vary in cardiovascular intensity levels. Several classes are offered every day, and many women choose three or more times each week to attend.

“We are getting women in amazing shape,” says Samantha. She is a Certified Personal Trainer who began her career 24 years ago and launched her own business 17 years ago. During that time, she estimates that she has trained 5,000 local women. Samantha uses her experience as a personal trainer – seeing what works and what doesn’t with her many clients – and her years of intensely studying the human body to coach women in fitness and healthy eating.

“Most of the people who come to us have done all the diets,” says Samantha. “The shakes, pills, protein diets and calorie deprivation diets. They’re shocked they can eat the way I show them. They love the food and they lose weight.”

She says many of her clients see more than just weight loss – they’re getting healthier as well.

“They are preventing diseases such as heart disease and diabetes,” she says. “Some clients no longer have to take cholesterol or blood pressure medication, and no longer suffer from muscle pains and aches.”

Samantha’s original location also is nearby in Land O’Lakes, off S.R. 54 on Knight Rd., and she has recently opened her third and fourth locations in Carrollwood and Westchase, respectively.

She’ll host another free seminar Saturday, August 26, 12:30 p.m., at her Land O’Lakes location (2206 Knight Rd.) featuring Shannon Barker, the Samantha Taylor Fitness Nutrition Educator, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Food Science & Nutrition. Taylor and Barker will help attendees achieve their fullest potential in health and fitness by learning to tweak their diets and track their calories for maximum results.

Light snacks and gourmet coffee will be  provided at the seminar, which is free for members and guests. Reserve your space at SamanthaTaylorSeminars.com.

For more info, call (813) 377-3739, visit SamanthaTaylorFitness.com.

VIP Pest Control Can Help You With All Of Your Florida Bug Problems

VIP Pest Control owner Vicki Hutto wants her customers to know that they are “Very Important People.”

“We work for you,” Vicki says. That’s why, for example, you’ll always talk with a live person when you call VIP’s office.  “We give our customers personal attention. No two people are alike, and no two houses are alike.”

For the past 11 years (it was established in 2006), VIP Pest Control has served Wesley Chapel and the surrounding areas of Pasco and Hillsborough counties, keeping homes and businesses free from insects — including termites, mosquitoes, ants, roaches, bed bugs and more — with treatments that include both traditional chemical and kid-friendly and pet-friendly organic options. VIP also handles problems with nuisance animals such as rodents and snakes.

Same-day service is often available, especially if you have a serious issue that needs immediate attention. “If you call us in the morning,” says Vicki, “we can usually work you in that day.”

She and her team emphasize the importance of taking care of the families and pets in the homes they treat. They always are aware that pets and kids spend time on the floor, so they use pet-friendly and child-friendly treatments. That’s why VIP technicians offer many organic options, and Vicki says you won’t be charged a premium for using those organic products.

Prior to launching VIP Pest Control, Vicki worked for Orkin and says she was the first female termite inspector in the entire company. She was inducted into the Orkin National President’s Club three years in a row, a prestigious honor given to the top three percent of sales producers nationwide. She also worked at two smaller pest control companies.

Vicki says she’s proud that every review on the company’s Facebook page rates VIP Pest Control as 5 stars. Vicki wants all of her customers to feel like Anisa Jivanjee, who writes, “Just got my house treated by VIP’s Vaughn and Vernon. I am so impressed by their detailed treatment of nook and crannies, attic and perimeter of the house. Plus, I got a very courteous explanation of what they were doing. Can’t talk enough about Lilly, who is always so patient, respectful and thorough whenever I call. I love VIP Pest Control!”

Termite Tips & Treatments

Vicki says the most important thing you should get from reading this article is this: Every homeowner in Florida should get a termite inspection every year. You should have a company that will inspect your home and guarantee they will treat and get rid of any termites that move into your home with a termite bond.

She says the bond is similar to an insurance policy. If it expires and you get termites, you’re no longer covered, so it’s important to renew annually.

While a sure sign of termites is a visible swarm of the bugs, you can have termites even if you don’t see that telltale swarm.

“A common misconception is that when that swarm is gone and you no longer see bugs, you no longer have a problem,” says Vicki. “That’s not true. They’re still there, and you have no idea how fast they can destroy a house. They only swarm once a year, but they eat 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Vicki explains there are two kinds of termites that typically affect houses in the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel area — drywood and subterranean termites — and VIP Pest Control can treat both. While many companies often treat drywood termites by spot treating (which Vicki says doesn’t work) or tenting (which is expensive, causes an enormous inconvenience and can often cause damage to your home), VIP Pest Control uses a fogging method that treats the entire house and leaves a residual product in the wall to discourage the termites from coming back.

“Tenting a house means you have to move yourself, your kids, your pets, even your plants out of your home for several days, and the tent itself is heavy and can break roof tiles and ruin shrubs and sprinklers,” Vicki says. “Then, your house is filled with an odorless, colorless gas that can kill you, and then they take the tent off and you move right back in.”

She says her system is not going to damage your house, and that she’s been using it for three years, with great results.

VIP Pest Control also offers a preventive treatment in the walls of your home that can keep it from getting termites, and also will act as a fire retardant and protect against mold.

“It costs 10 cents on the dollar to prevent instead of treating (termites),” she says. “It’s affordable and can save you a lot of money and headaches in the long run.”

Rodent Control

“If you see signs of rodents, such as droppings, or hear noises, call us right away,” says Vicki. “Rodents can be dangerous, because they can chew through wires and actually set your whole house on fire.”

She says it’s important to not only eradicate the pests, but also to close the holes that allowed them to come in to your home, so they can’t get back in.

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are a nuisance and very difficult to eradicate. While bed bugs have a reputation for being transmitted via hotels, Vicki says you should be concerned about them even if you don’t travel.

“Anytime someone’s stuff is touching someone else’s stuff — such as backpacks at school — that’s an opportunity for bed bugs to be transmitted,” explains Vicki.

So, if you see black spots in a bed — a telltale sign of bed bugs — be sure to call an expert. You also can check VIPPestControlLLC.com for a wealth of information. Vicki notes that, while they can be difficult to find and eradicate, the experts at VIP can help you get rid of bed bugs with minimal headaches.

Other Pests

You should also call a pro if you see ants or roaches. “We see it all the time,” she says. “People tell me they get a can and spray the bugs. All that does is cause them to scatter, so that by the time we come out, your problem is three times worse — and in three different places.”

While palmetto bugs are big and ugly, they’re not harmful like German roaches, which carry many diseases. Vicki says that one female German roach will have 50 babies every 28 days, so if you see one roach, that probably means you have 50 more behind your walls.

VIP Pest Control also treats lawns for mosquitoes, and can provide a one-time treatment to keep your yard mosquito-free for an event, such as a wedding or party.

Woman-Owned

Vicki says that being a woman-owned business also sets her apart in the pest control industry and helps her to better relate to many of her customers.

“Most times when we visit a home, it’s the woman who is there to meet with us,” she says.  Vicki says she is always looking to hire female technicians to join her company, too.

VIP Pest Control specializes in working with homeowners associations, townhome and condo associations, too, “because you will get what your neighbor has,” she says.

VIP Pest Control is located at 119 Flagship Dr. in Lutz. It is open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Now through September, get 30-percent off any regularly priced termite treatment. For a free quote, or for more information, visit VIPPestControlLLC.com or call (813) 234-8888.

Nibbles and Bytes!

Chamber Ribbon Cuttings

I’m so glad that our outstanding new sales and marketing rep Tom Damico (email him at Tom@NTNeighborhoodNews.com) is now going to many of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) ribbon cuttings these days because, quite honestly, I just can’t go to as many of them as I once did (which was pretty much all of them).

The Chamber, fresh off its second acquisition of/merger with another Chamber (the Greater Pasco Chamber, as we reported in our last issue), continues to cut ribbons all over New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. Among the recent free events either myself or Tom attended were:

‱ July 12 for Mosquito Hunters

‱ July 15 at The Goddard School for Early Childhood Development of Wesley Chapel

‱ July 20 at The Learning Experience of New Tampa

‱ July 27, VIP Travel

‱ Aug. 2 at Cry-X

‱ Aug. 5 at KidsPark of Tampa, celebrating its one-year anniversary

 

For more info (including all start times for its events), call (813) 994-8534 or visit WesleyChapelChamber.com. — GN

Have You Tried Fat Rabbit & Precinct Pizza?

Although S.R. 56 and the Shops at Wiregrass get the most attention, the New Tampa area has had two pretty good restaurants open since our last issue reached you. The Fat Rabbit Pub, located near Vallarta’s & Cappy’s Pizza in the City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center, has a great menu with outstanding blackened wings, great burgers and a premium liquor bar with great drink prices and a more upscale atmosphere than you might expect. 

For info, stop in or visit FatRabbitPub.com.

‱ I also really like the new Precinct Pizza, located in the space formerly occupied by Zaytoun Mediterranean Grill on Cross Creek Blvd. at Morris Bridge Rd.

Featuring a huge menu of Italian favorites, in addition to very good NY-style ‘za and dĂ©cor, owner Rick Drury and his family are proud to bring the 2nd location of this Channelside favorite to New Tampa.

Visit PrecinctPizza.com.— GN

Tourist Tax Raised For Sports Complex

The long-awaited multi-use sports complex  in the Wiregrass Ranch Development of Regional Impact (DRI) was officially approved by the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) on Aug. 5, and the county’s Tourist Development Tax (TDT), or “bed” tax, will be doubled to pay for it.

By a 4-0 vote, with District 4 commissioner Jack Mariano abstaining, the county approved the plan to build the $44-million complex on a 224-acre parcel of land owned by the county (that was previously donated by the Porter family) and located northeast of the Shops at Wiregrass.

The TDT is a tax placed on overnight hotel stays within the county.

Steve Domonkos, specialty leasing manager at the Shops at Wiregrass, and Hope Allen, the CEO of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC), were the only speakers at the public hearing, and  both spoke in favor of increasing the TDT from two percent to four percent.

The BCC already had set aside $11 million ($8.5-million in tourist tax funds and $2.5 million in excess bond proceeds from a prior half-cent sales tax bond) and a county-backed loan of $14.2 million to pay for the project.

The increase in the TDT is expected to generate $1.2 million annually, which will help pay down the loan. RADDSports, which is developing the indoor sports facility that anchors the project, says that the projected revenue generated by the indoor/outdoor facility also will help repay the loan.

A 128-room Residence Inn by Marriott, which will be owned and operated by Mainsail Lodging & Development, also will be built at the complex, at a cost of roughly $19 million.

The pet-friendly hotel is expected to house many of the youth sports teams from all over the state that RADDSports’ Richard Blalock says will flock to the facility for tournaments.

The county expects the sports complex to generate 27,000 room nights per year.

The  98,000-sq.-ft. indoor sports facility, the first phase of the project, will host major tournaments for basketball, volleyball, cheerleading and other indoor sports. It also will boast meeting rooms and concession stands, and share the 60-acre site with an amphitheatre, as well as football and soccer fields and park trails, all part of the complex’s second phase.

So, Here’s A Little Back-To-School Reminiscing & The Latest News About WCNT-tv!

My sons, Jared and Jake, are now 28- and 25-year-old grown men, respectively, but I can still clearly remember the excitement they both felt every year when they went back to school, even through high school.

They’d be armed with new notebooks, pencils and calculators, some new clothes and would look forward to making new friends and catching up with old ones as they returned from whatever summertime activities or family vacations they had enjoyed.

And, although they both grew up in and went to public schools in nearby New Tampa, both of them always had friends who lived and went to school in Wesley Chapel, often through the many sports they both played. “The Chap” didn’t have nearly as many organized sports programs as New Tampa at that time, so the kids who lived in Meadow Pointe and even Lexington Oaks often had to cross the county line to play competitive soccer or baseball.

And, even though it wasn’t that long ago, there’s no doubt in my mind that it was a simpler time, especially in light of the truly frightening craziness going on throughout the world today, even though both of them were old enough then to still remember 9-11.

And yes, I’m proud to say that Jared, Jake and I are all products of public schools, although I grew up in Long Island, NY, and they spent their formative years here in Florida.

Today, Jared, who graduated, as I did, from the University of Florida in Gainesville, is the vice president of business development for the Orlando office of USA Solar, Inc., a solar energy installation company, while he is getting close to rolling out a new cell phone app that he has worked on for almost two years now.

Jake, who graduated cum laude  from that other big state school in Tallahassee, is now a sales rep for Medtronic, a global leader in medical technology, services and solutions, sitting in on operations with doctors in Milwaukee, WI. 

In other words, both are doing great and proof positive that school is what you make of it, whether public, private or home-schooled. If your kids have been coming home since school started here in Pasco County on August 14 excited about their teachers, their friends and their school and you remain involved in the education process with them, it doesn’t matter how overcrowded their school might be. Both of my boys attended Hunter’s Green Elementary when it was at about twice its capacity of 900 students — bigger than many high schools today, including the new Cypress Creek Middle High on Old Pasco Rd. — and there’s no doubt in my mind that they both loved it there.

I’ll be honest that I’m glad that there was no Facebook, social media or smartphones when my kids were young, but seeing so many families I know and love posting their back-to-school pics recently got me feeling pretty nostalgic for those fun, albeit trying, days gone by.

I definitely don’t miss the long car lines, the homework help I often had to provide or the multiple trips to the emergency room with them, but my experience was definitely a positive one, so I hope it’ll be the same for you.

And, for those of you, like me, who no longer have young’ns, please remember that school is back in session, so put down those cell phones while driving, sit back, relax and enjoy all of the new restaurants now open and still to come in our area.

The Latest News About WCNT-tv!

Now just a couple of months into its second year as the only YouTube- and Facebook-based video webcast for New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, I’m proud to say that WCNT-tv — Wesley Chapel and New Tampa Television — is fast approaching a total reach of one million people and 500,000 total views between Facebook and YouTube.

We have changed the format of the “show” quite a bit, with more and shorter news, dining, Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) Featured Business and entertainment segments that always seem to get people talking.

And, that is the primary reason I co-founded the show nearly 15 months ago. With my degree, training and background in broadcasting, I simply could no longer allow this publication to be the only way I could reach out to the people in the communities I have served for the last 23-1/2 years.

During our most recent news segments, we’ve updated our map of the State Road 56 area near the Tampa Premium Outlets, previewed U.S. Congressman Gus Bilirakis and Pasco Commissioner Mike Moore’s transportation meeting on Aug. 21 (which we will recap in our next issue), and told you about not only Noble Crust and Irish 31 here in Wesley Chapel, but also the new Fat Rabbit Pub and Precinct Pizza in New Tampa.

If you’ve been reading this publication for any period of time, you know how much I love telling you about the new places to eat in our distribution areas and I’m not going to lie about how proud I am when the WCNT-tv “Neighborhood Dining News” segments get so many reactions like “Let’s Go!” anytime I’m the first to tell you about a new eatery.

My WCNT-tv co-anchor Susanna Martinez, WCCC Featured Business host Mollyana Ward, production assistant/video editor Gavin Olsen, cameraman Eric Cupps and I will have multiple new news, dining and business items to share with you on the show before the next issue of this publication reaches your mailbox, so please, subscribe to our Neighborhood News Facebook page and remember to View, Like & Share every episode of WCNT-tv!