In pretty much every issue of Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News, we tell you whatโs new and what businesses are coming to our area. Thatโs because pretty much every time weโre putting together an issue, thereโs something else new, and something else coming.
We know you love it. We can tell.
When we post on Facebook that a new restaurant is coming, our readers like it and share it more than any of our other posts.
But, even with all the growth weโre seeing in Wesley Chapel, it seems thereโs room for more.
When Marilyn Chick, a Wesley Chapel resident for 19 years, posed a simple question on the Wesley Chapel Community page on Facebook last month, Marilyn had no idea that people would comment on it more than 1,000 times.
โWhat new businesses would you like to see come to Wesley Chapel?โ
โI was so surprised,โ Marilyn says, โItโs the first time Iโve ever posted something on Facebook that got that kind of response.โ
Facebook statistics show that, although the post itself had only 30 โlikes,โ the comments the post generated got about 2,300 โlikes,โ and about 7,400 people viewed the original post.
Scrolling through the comments, itโs easy to see a big trend. Most of the responses say, โTrader Joeโs,โ โWhole Foods,โ โFresh Market,โ or some combination of the above, with plenty of โAldiโ thrown in there, too.
Besides the requests for green grocers, many posts asked for specific restaurants.
Cheesecake Factoryโฆ Carrabbaโsโฆ PF Changโsโฆ More places like Buttermilk Provisions and Capital Tacosโฆ Friendlyโsโฆ Einstein Brothers Bagelsโฆ Even Ciciโs Pizza, Steak โn Shake and White Castle.
โI get it,โ says Marilyn. โEveryone has an idea of what they want, what they havenโt had in a while and (especially) what theyโre hungry for.โ
And, of course, there were some tongue-in-cheek responses, like this one from Krista Davidson, poking a little fun at the Fucillio Kia on S.R. 54, โA car dealership where the salesmen stand outside in red shirts.โ
There also were plenty of responses saying, โno more!,โ like this one, from Rusch Jason, which says, โNo new businesses. If anything, they need to slow down growth until the roads catch up!!!!โ
All those posts didnโt answer the bigger question Marilyn says she was really searching for. โIโve retired as a radiology nurse from the Zephyrhills hospital, so Iโm looking for something to do,โ Marilyn explains. โMy daughter, Maxine, and I are thinking about starting a business.โ
Marilyn says neither she nor her daughter cook, so a restaurant is out of the question.
But, in the hundreds of suggestions, she says she found a few that resonate with her, especially the ones that suggested a community center and something for kids.
โIt would be so nice to have something for the performing arts,โ she says, which was suggested in a few comments. โWe have a lot of sports, which is great, but there are other kids who would love to be in a play, or have a place to play their instruments.โ
Marilyn says she doesnโt consider herself to be an entrepreneur, but admits, โweโre thinking about it and looking at what would fit best for usโ as she moves forward and hopes to open a business here in Wesley Chapel.
She has plenty of suggestions to consider.
And, donโt worry, weโll still be sure to tell you when that Fresh Market, Trader Joeโs, Whole Foods or Aldi finally opens in Wesley Chapel.
General & cosmetic dentist Dr. Robert Ferrera of Ferrera Dental Care, located just off BBD Blvd.
If youโre coming in for an appointment at Ferrera Dental Care, located just off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., south of E. Bearss Ave., be prepared to use your mouth โ and not just to โopen wide.โ
General and cosmetic dentist Robert Ferrera, D.D.S., believes that effective, two-way communication is key to achieving excellent results.
โI know it sometimes drives my staff crazy because they are looking at the appointment books,โ Dr. Ferrera says, โbut I always like to have a conversation with my patients before we start any kind of procedure.โ
Those conversations help familiarize the patient with their dentist, which helps build the kind of patient-doctor relationship that makes any local practice thrive. As a result, Dr. Ferrera has had some clients who have been with him for most of his 30-year career, like Bob Cornett.
โI have known Dr. Ferrera for many years, in fact I was his first patient,โ Cornett says. โOver the years, Iโve been blessed to have been associated with him. I canโt say enough for the respect I have for Dr. Ferrera and his entire staff. Iโm there every three months, and have been doing this for many years.โ
The initial conversation also helps Ferrera ascertain what the patient is or is not doing that could be causing his or her problem. Oftentimes, itโs not something quite as simple as forgetting to brush your teeth. Permanent and full mouth damage can be caused by certain habits that patients develop, sometimes unbeknownst to them.
โMost people who come in needing full mouth rehabs did the damage to their teeth unintentionally,โ Dr. Ferrera says.
Full mouth rehabs are a specialty at Ferrera Dental.
Teeth grinding is one of the leading causes for patients requiring full mouth rehabilitation. Dr. Ferrera says that grinding is not only something people do while sleeping, but something they also may be doing while they are wide awake.
Having a conversation with patients prior to a procedure can reveal clues about the causes of other dental/mouth issues. Whatever the solution, a friendly, familiar environment is provided where the patient can relax, even when undergoing an otherwise uncomfortable procedure. (Donโt worry, though โ Dr. Ferreraโs office offers sedation dentistry for patients who want it.)
โFull mouth rehabs are not just problems with your teeth, itโs where the uppers and lowers donโt fit together properly anymore,โ Ferrera says. โThe work is partially cosmetic, but we give patients function they havenโt had before.โ
Itโs not an overnight process, Dr. Ferrera says. Thereโs a strategic approach that he takes in order to start moving forward in the treatment process, using implants, crowns, bridges and veneers. Sometimes, if the case warrants it, Ferrera will refer a patient to one of the orthodontic specialists or oral surgeons he has worked with before.
โI try to work with specialists who have worked with me for a long time, so we can get the result the patient wants in the long run,โ Dr. Ferrera says. โSome of these specialists I refer patients to have worked with me for 15 to 20 years.โ
That familiarity helps Ferrera Dental maintain a level of consistency. This is especially important when it comes to patients who require ongoing treatments.
โI happen to be one of those individuals that needed extensive dental work,โ Cornett says. โDr. Ferrera not only diagnosed my problems, but set me up with the appropriate surgeons to have the surgeries performed. After the surgeries, he took care of all the dental fixtures that were required.โ
Continuing Education & New Technology
Even though Dr. Ferrera says he has been a practicing dentist for more than 30 years, he never stops learning.
While the State of Florida requires 30 hours of continuing education every two years, Ferrera says he takes 60 hours every two years. At each course or seminar, he says he looks for at least one new piece of information that he can apply to his practice.
โTechnology and procedures are constantly changing and evolving,โ he says.
Cerec Restoration is one of those developing technologies. Cerec is a dental restoration system that allows dentists to produce and place custom-fitted ceramic dental restorations using a variety of computer-assisted technologies.
Ferrera got involved with Cerec in 2009, during the nationwide economic downturn. Domestic laboratories were raising prices for lab work and many dentists turned to sending crowns offshore to keep costs down.ย โI never wanted to send anything offshore,โ Dr. Ferrera says. โI realized that I could control my costs by using the Cerec machine.โ
Today, instead of multiple appointments and sometimes a weeks-long process, Dr. Ferrera can now create and place a crown in only one day.
There are two parts to the Cerec machine. The first uses two tiny cameras to map a 3-D image of the patientโs tooth or mouth.
The information is sent to a second machine that processes the information and mills a piece of porcelain right there in the office. The system can be used to produce any permanent, single-tooth ceramic restoration, including crowns, veneers, onlays and inlays.
A Hometown Guy
Ferrera has deep roots in the Tampa Bay community.
He graduated from Tampa Catholic High School and earned his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree from the University of South Florida.
He graduated at the top of his class in 1985 from the Ohio State University College of Dentistry in Columbus, with his Doctorate of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) degree. His first job upon returning to Tampa after college was with the late Dr. Richard Valdes, who had an office in northeast Tampa near what is now Florida Hospital Tampa on BBD.
Ferreraโs father, Robert, worked at the American Canning Company in Tampa until the plant closed down and shipped production overseas. Robert Sr. then got a job as a security officer at Avila. It was there that he met Dr. Valdes, one of the few residents the elder Ferrera felt was gracious and down-to-earth. One day, Ferreraโs father waved down Valdes and asked him to counsel his son.
โI was very fortunate (Dr. Valdes) chose me,โ Ferrera says. โI see him as my mentor. If thereโs anything Iโm good at, itโs because of him.โ
Dr. Ferrera worked in an associate position for Valdes for seven years, until his mentor passed away in 1991. By then, Ferrera was already involved in the Temple Terrace Rotary Club. He would soon team up with his friend and neighbor Bill Leonard (as well as Tom Wade) to help create the Rotary Club of New Tampa in 1995, which still meets Fridays at 7 a.m. at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club.
Ferrera has held every chair position in the Rotary Club of New Tampa with the exception of president.
Participation in community events attracted Ferrera to other organizations, like the Krewe of the Knights of Santโ Yago & Santโ Yago Foundation, and the Rough Riders, which both are part of Gasparilla.
The Santโ Yago Foundation connected Ferrera โ whose grandfather was from Spain and grandmother was from Cuba โ to his Latin roots. The foundation provides full-ride scholarships to 22-25 junior and senior students at USF, the University of Tampa and Hillsborough Community College who are of Hispanic origin.
Ferrera joined the Rough Riders in 2017. The Rough Riders are a 501(c)(3) non-profit group whose members dress in regalia reminiscent of U.S. President Teddy Rooseveltโs Rough Riders, who camped in Tampa on their way to Cuba during the Spanish-American War. In addition to participating in Gasparilla, they organize their own Saint Patrickโs Day in Ybor City and go on teddy bear runs, delivering plush toys to children in hospitals; they also visit veterans in VA hospitals.
Ferrera has lived in Tampa Palms with his family for the last 26 years. His wife Cheri manages the accounting department at Ferrera Dental and his daughter Morgan runs the office. Dental hygienists Diantha Higdon and Marie Crenshaw each have 20 years each of experience, as does dental assistant Lisa Snow, who works the front desk.
โI can actually say I look forward to my visits,โ Cornett says. โIf youโre looking for a dentist with exceptional skill and compassion, give his office a ring.โ
Ferrera Dental Care will celebrate its 20th anniversary at its 15047 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. location in March. For more information, call (813) 558-6684 or visit DrFerrera.com.
If youโve never seen the amazing array of fitness equipment on the 2nd floor of the Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel Wellness Center, you owe it to yourself to take a tour.
Although we have many wonderful fitness facilities located in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, our Neighborhood News readers have voted the Health & Wellness Center inside the Wellness Plaza adjacent to (and owned by) the same Adventist Health Care System as Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel as their favorite.
And, who could blame them? Situated on the first and second floors of the Wellness Plaza, the 50,000-sq.-ft. facility includes two heated, indoor pools, a huge variety of cardio and strength equipment (including free weights), menโs and womenโs saunas, a 1/9-mile indoor track and more than 100 group fitness classes, including Les Mills, Zumba, barre, hot yoga and indoor cycling. Thereโs even a circuit training area that allows you to get a full-body workout in just 30 minutes.
โItโs definitely the best gym Iโve ever belonged to,โ I heard one satisfied female customer tell another. โIโve lost 20 lbs. and I feel the best Iโve felt in years.โ
With its convenient location on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., between S.R.s 56 and 54, the FHWC Health & Wellness Center is a short drive from I-75 and a visit for a tour is well worth the trip from anywhere in New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and beyond.
I recently took my second tour of the facility with Fatima, one of the enthusiastic front desk staffers, and, even though I live at least 12-15 minutes away and the membership prices arenโt cheap, Jannah and I are seriously considering joining because you canโt beat the variety of equipment and classes you get to use or the true community feeling you get any time you visit.
The Health & Wellness Center also has a great Fit Fresh cafรฉ and smoothie bar that also sells nutritional supplements and healthy snacks for people on the go, a membership referral program (receive $20 in โWellness Bucksโ for each new membership you refer), a Fit Friends Kids Club which offers unlimited two-hours-per-day babysitting for 1-2 children for just $30 per month or $7 per hour child care, whether youโre a member of the facility or not.
Other fee-based services include personal training (although members get one free consultation with a certified personal trainer), small group training, licensed massage therapy, nutrition coaching (members also get one free nutrition assessment with a registered dietitian), swim lessons for adults and children, Pilates Reformer and more.
Memberships start at $57 per month or $684 for a one-time annual payment (save $114) and you can add a second family member, age 13 and over (living in the same household) for just $34 per month or $408 for a one-time annual payment.
The FHWC Health & Wellness Center (2700 Healing Way) is open Mon.-Fri., 5 a.m.-10 p.m. & 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Sat. & Sun). For more info, visit FHWCwellness@ahss.org or call (813) 929-5252. โ GN
Former Liberty Middle School standout Nelson Agholor celebrates a catch against the Washington Redskins last year. Photo by Keith Allison, Hanover, MD.
Liberty Middle Schoolโs Joe Merritt remembers the best flag football player he ever coached scoring four touchdowns on four straight plays โ and none of them counted.
It was overtime, against Benito he thinks, and his Liberty Eagles were on the 2-yard-line. His best player rushes for what Merritt says was a sure touchdown, before the refs ruled he was down at the 1.
On the next play, the same kid throws for a touchdown, but the refs said the receiver was out of bounds. And, the play after that, the very same kid lines up at wide receiver and catches a touchdown pass, although the ref said he didnโt land with his feet inbounds.
Twice. Seriously.
Years later, Merritt couldnโt help but remember that game as he sat and watched that same player, Nelson Agholor, catch nine passes for the other Eagles, of Philadelphia, in a thrilling Super Bowl win over favored New England.
Merritt has taught and coached the boys flag football team since Liberty opened, and his list of former players include Matt Patchan and Jordan Sherit (both of whom went on to the University of Florida in Gainesville out of high school), Mattโs brother Scott Patchan (currently at the University of Miami, FL) and Chaz Neal (who signed with Florida State University in Tallahassee on Feb. 7).
The night of the Super Bowl, however, was the first time Merritt says he had chills watching a former player, sitting on the couch at his parentsโ house, jumping up and yelling every time Agholor grabbed a pass on his way to 84 yards receiving.
โItโs like you knew he was going to be a good athlete, but with each passing year, there was a new accolade that made you just feel happy for him,โ said Merritt, who had Agholor in his sixth grade reading class. โHe reached the pinnacle in high school, he reached the pinnacle in college, he was a first-round draft pick out of college, and he wins the Super Bowl? I mean, come on. Thatโs what every kid dreams of, holding up that Lombardi Trophy.โ
A Humble Beginning…
Agholor, who was born in Nigeria, grew up in northeast Tampa, in the Suitcase City area near the University of South Florida. He attended Liberty from 2005-08, where he starred on both the football field and the basketball court. In fact, his overtime performance aside, some remember Agholor as a better basketball player initially than football.
โI didnโt see the talent as much in football as in basketball,โ says Phil Lana, who taught Agholor in his sixth grade science class. โHe was an incredible basketball player in middle school. I thought that would be what he ended up going to college for.โ
Merritt agrees. โI thought his older brother Franklin was the better football player,โ he says, laughing.
In previous stories written about him, Agholor has talked about avoiding the trouble that dogged many of the friends he grew up with in northeast Tampa. The temptation to take the wrong path when that fork in the road presented itself was hard for many to resist.
It was at Liberty, some teachers who remember him say, that Agholor had help in fighting those urges.
โNelson was a bit of a knucklehead coming in here,โ Merritt recalled. โThere were some teachers that took him under their wing, to get him right. He was smart…great personality…athletic. And, we started preaching to him how far those things can take you in life.โ
โHe was a genuinely nice kid, very charismatic,โ says Brendan Paul, who had Agholor in his seventh grade math class. โHe definitely grew quite a bit throughout the time he was here. If you listen to his interviews, he talks a lot about being given opportunities and making the most of those opportunities, and he definitely made the most of his time here. Liberty got him on right track. He had a lot of teachers looking out for him.โ
Agholor responded to the mentoring. As an eighth grader, he was one of the most popular kids in school, and was named one of Libertyโs Turnaround Achievement Award winners. โBy the end of his eighth grade year, I remember seeing him as more of a leader than anything else,โ Lana says. โHe was already helping the younger kids then.โ
After graduating from middle school, Agholorย went to Berkeley Prep, where he became one of Floridaโs top football recruits as both a running back and a defensive back. He rushed for 4,732 yards in four seasons, and added 921 receiving yards, 12 interceptions and eight kickoff returns for touchdowns.
As a senior, Agholorย led the Bucs to the Class 3A State semifinals, rushing for 1,983 yards and 28 touchdowns, and won the Guy Toph award as Hillsborough Countyโs top high school football player. He chose the University of Southern California at Los Angeles from dozens of college suitors, where he blossomed as a wide receiver and caught 104 passes for 1,313 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior.
That was enough to make Agholor the 20th overall pick of Philadelphia in the 2015 NFL draft.
โHe was one of those kids that stayed in touch,โ Paul says. โBefore the draft, he visited and spent time with students in a mentoring group here. I had the opportunity to go to his very first game in Atlanta (with Lana), and we met up with him afterwards.โ
Agholor disappointed during his first two pro seasons in Philly, before a breakout 2017 campaign that saw him catch 62 passes for 768 yards (more than his first two seasons combined) and 12 touchdowns. In the postseason, he was brilliant, including a 42-yard TD catch in the NFC Championship game. His nine catches in the Super Bowl were a career high.
Few were happier to see Agholor bounce back than his former Liberty mentors.
โItโs definitely surreal,โ Paul says. โI think his career thus far just speaks volumes about who he is. He had two really rough years, and just turned it around. Itโs just that attitude and effort he has.โ
Lana, who is now the Director of Operations and logistics for the Atlanta Football Host Committee bringing the Super Bowl to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium next year, watched Agholorโs performance in person.
โIt really added to the whole experience, knowing I was actually watching someone I knew playing in the game,โ says Lana, who wasnโt shy about letting everyone know about Agholorโs days at Liberty.
โPretty much everybody around me knew I had taught him in sixth grade,โ Lana says. โI sat in a section heavy with Patriotsโ fans, but they knew when I stood and cheered every time he caught a pass.โ
Agholor comes back to Liberty a few times a year to preach to kids, many from the same rough-around-the-edges neighborhood he grew up in, the same message he was taught โ make good choices, listen to your teachers and school administrators, and they will help you reach the goals that you strive for. His words will carry added weight, as a newly-minted Super Bowl champion.ย
โThe fact that he does come back, and does impact other kids and thatโs something thatโs important to him, that just tells you the kind of dude that he is, the kind of character he has,โ Merritt says.
Agholor has purchased shoes, helmets and other equipment for kids who canโt afford them. He has given them his cell phone number and told them to text him if they need something, even just a little advice. Merritt says Agholor reaches out to kids that he sees a little of himself in, to do what he can.
It is that connection, more than a decade later, that makes it easy to cheer for Agholor, to tune in on Sundays and root for the former Liberty Eagle.
โThe whole school is super proud of him,โ Merritt says. โThereโs a lot of pride that Nelson used to go here. The fact that he turned out to be great kid, and did great things, itโs just icing on the cake that he won a Super Bowl. When I watch, I still see that 12-year-old kid.โ
