A Little About Political Ads & Introducing Our ‘New’ Managing Editor

If you check out the first 20 pages of the current New Tampa issue — and I hear so many of you read every page — you’ll see that we have quite a few more political ads than we normally do.

That’s by design. I have always felt that if those running for office were made to understand that:

1) the Neighborhood News is the one and only news magazine serving New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, the only publication providing actual news New Tampa residents need to know and not just advertorials; and that

2) we reach more than 27,000 residences and businesses and at least 60,000 potential voters in New Tampa’s zip code 33647 (and roughly 23,000 residences and businesses and 50,000 voters receive our Wesley Chapel edition) by direct mail) who tell us they voraciously read every issue cover-to-cover; and that

3) it costs significantly less to put a 1/4- or a 1/2-page ad in the Neighborhood News than it does to do a solo direct mail piece (that more than 90 percent of the people who receive them throw away without looking at them), that

4)  it wouldn’t make sense for those hoping to entice New Tampa’s upscale, but notoriously non-voting public to not want to throw a few dollars our way in order to get their names and faces in front of all of those voters in a medium they already turn to for their local news.

Well, it hasn’t been easy to get them all to spend that money, but I’m proud to say this issue is packed with not only political ads, but also with information you should check out before the General Election on Tuesday, November 6, including two sales tax referendums that are both on the ballot, plus stories about a couple of candidates you may not have heard of before.

In addition, we have an update on New Tampa Blvd., a new partnership program for the New Tampa Players, the opening of a new reading room at the New Tampa Regional Library and a story about a Wharton High grad capitalizing on the probiotic tea craze in a big way.

And, that’s just in our first 17 pages, where those political ads have taken up shop for at least one issue, and, hopefully, they will again for New Tampa Issue #23-18 (Nov. 2), which comes out the Friday before the election.

Because of the open nature of campaign fundraising, all local candidates have to provide lists of all the money they’ve raised for their respective campaigns to Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer’s office, but there’s no doubt that while some candidates have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for these local races, others have mostly self-funded their candidacies or raised in the low thousands of dollars. To that end, some of the candidates with ads in these pages have raised a lot of money, while others are at the lower end of the spectrum, yet they all felt strongly enough about the nature of our readership to at least take a shot with us.

I am proud, nearly 25 years later, to still be New Tampa’s primary source of news and information and you have no idea how much it means to me when those of you who see me out and about in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel, as I so often am, stop to tell me how much you read and love the Neighborhood News. — and even how much you enjoy our WCNT-tv segments. It certainly makes the late deadline evenings all the more worthwhile for yours truly.

Better Late Than Never, John…

A big part of why I have been able to be more involved in the sales side of this business is because for three years, I have had, hands down, not only the best assistant editor I’ve ever worked with in John C. Cotey, but truly one of the best  local beat writers/editors in the entire country — with a sense of humor to match.

John, a 16-year New Tampa resident, has been providing not only great local news and sports coverage for us since 2015, he also has found — and covered — some of the most touching and even heart-breaking human interest stories about people in and around New Tampa and Wesley Chapel we’ve ever covered.

In addition, he has continued to put his own thumbprint on the look of our publications and makes sure we cover as many stories as we can in every issue, every two weeks. He also does an outstanding job of managing our excellent freelance writers, including Brad Stager, Andy Warrener, Jarrett Guthrie and the incredible Celeste McLaughlin. (By the way, if you don’t read Celeste’s Kombucha tea and hippotherapy, which may not be what you’re thinking, stories in this issue, you’ll be missing some great stuff.)

And of course, as soon as we put a New Tampa issue to bed, John flips his hat (although he rarely wears a hat) to provide the same coverage of Wesley Chapel that he does here for zip code 33647 two weeks later.

In other words, there is no way in the world this publication would be what it is right now without him. So, that’s why I am proud to announce that John finally has gotten a long-overdue promotion. Instead of assistant editor, John C. Cotey is now the managing editor of both the New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News!

The best thing about that, for John, may be the fact that now, WCNT-tv senior video producer and photographer Gavin Olsen has to answer to him. Ah, good times, guys, and congratulations and thank you, John!

Wharton Graduate Brews Success With Kombucha Tea & Publix

Big Easy Bucha is available in all Publix stores. Austin Sherman shows off his original product – with flavors such as Jazz Juice and Streetcar Sipper — and its first-to-market kombucha “shots.”

When Austin Sherman graduated from New Tampa’s Wharton High School in 2001, he headed to the nearby University of South Florida to pursue a degree in communications.

At that time, he wouldn’t have guessed he’d be where he is now — leading a company brewing kombucha, a fermented, probiotic tea that is increasing in popularity and market share, with products in many major grocery stores, such as Whole Foods and Publix.

Austin and his wife, Alexis Korman, who co-founded Big Easy Bucha in New Orleans four years ago, expect to sell 3 million bottles in 2018.

And, with the way they’re growing, Austin says they’ll sell 10 million bottles next year.

It’s not how Austin envisioned his future. He left college in 2005 to join a commercial real estate firm in Seattle. He remembers it being a busy, stressful time, while he worked hard.

“Every dollar I made, I would invest in more real estate,” he says. “I was 25 years old, with a couple of million dollars in real estate. Then, I woke up one day and it was all worth nothing.”

The real estate bubble had burst. Over time, the firm he worked for let its employees go and shut its doors, and Austin came back to New Tampa to figure out what to do next.

He landed a job as a bartender at the old Ciccio & Tony’s in Tampa Palms, where he met people like Dan Costello.

“Dan was one of my favorite customers,” Austin says. “He was very active in the beverage and salty snack business, and I found that fascinating.”

Austin was living with his younger sister, Chelsea, who was studying to be a nurse. It was Chelsea who learned how to brew kombucha. Many people drink kombucha because of the health benefits associated with its probiotics.

“In nursing school, all of my peers were super health conscious,” says Chelsea. “Some were brewing kombucha; and we all were drinking it. We were trying to be health forward for our patients.”

Austin Sherman and his sister, Chelsea, before Wharton’s prom in 2001, when the siblings were growing up in Arbor Greene.

Chelsea taught Austin how to brew kombucha, which he had been introduced to in Seattle.

“I had been in bartending and mixology, so I knew how to put ingredients together and get a desired result,” says Austin. “I made my first batch with pineapple and elderflower.”

He began experimenting with different flavors and made small batches to pass out to his friends and family.

He moved to New Orleans, where Alexis was living and working as a writer.

In 2014, they officially launched their company in New Orleans and called it Big Easy Bucha.

“I really didn’t have a vision of what this could become,” Austin says. “At that time, it was just a hobby.”

Just four years later, it’s so much more. The friends and family he used to pass out samples to are not only his customers, they’re also his biggest supporters — and some are even employees.

Chelsea left nursing to work full-time as a marketing associate for the company.

Meanwhile, Dan Costello has served as an advisor and has just transitioned to the role of president of Big Easy Bucha.

Austin’s best friend from high school, Ted Krawsck, lives in Wesley Chapel and says he’s now a Big Easy Bucha “one-a-day-er.”

Ted says he was surprised to discover the positive effects kombucha has had for him.

“It had huge health benefits,” Ted says. “As someone with stomach problems, I instantly started feeling better. My stomach felt completely different.”

Austin says he and Alexis had tried other brands and were put off by the flavor, so they wanted to be a “gateway” drink for people who are new to kombucha.

While the kombucha trend started in the west, Big Easy Bucha is focused on the growing markets in the southeastern United States.

“Big Easy Bucha is definitely based on the Southern palate, with flavors that are very fruit forward,” such as strawberry, blueberry, pineapple, and satsuma — a citrus fruit similar to a Mandarin or clementine orange, Chelsea says.

Austin’s favorite flavor is still that first combination he put together in his first brew in Tampa, pineapple and elderflower. Now, that combo is known as Big Easy Bucha’s “Jazz Juice.”

A highlight of the company’s story so far is that last year, Big Easy Bucha was successful in getting its products into Publix stores.

“It’s really hard to do,” says Austin. “I’ve been a customer of Publix my entire life. I remember shopping at the store on Cross Creek Blvd.”

He adds that in the year that Big Easy Bucha products have been sold at Publix, the chain has opened 50 new stores, for a total of 1,196 Publix stores nationwide. Whenever a new Publix opens, it stocks Big Easy Bucha.

“It’s been fun,” Austin says. “We’ve been able to grow in Publix.”

He thinks Publix likes working with Big Easy Bucha, too.

“We’re known to Publix as innovators,” Austin explains. Recently, a Publix buyer suggested an idea for a new product — a kombucha “shot” for people who want the probiotics and healthy organic acids of the drink, but don’t want to have to drink a full 16 ounces.

“Within four weeks, we had samples for them,” says Austin. “Coke and Pepsi can’t move that fast. It takes them a year to get it through research and development and another two years to get to market, if they decide to make the product.”

Now, the four-ounce shots also are available at all Publix stores and Big Easy Bucha is the first kombucha company making the product, which are called Lil’ Easy Kombucha Shots.

“It’s the same strength and efficacy, in a fun and festive shot format,” explains Austin. “We’re in New Orleans, so everything’s festive (here).”

To buy Big Easy Bucha, visit any local Publix store and look for it in the refrigerated aisle, next to the juices. For more information about the company, visit BigEasyBucha.com.

Former New Tampa Resident Helping Veterans & Kids With Hippotherapy

At 11 years old, Sarah Clanton is finally learning to walk, thanks to the help of the special horses and people at Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center in Brooksville.

Sarah was adopted from an orphanage in Ukraine when she was five. At just 19 pounds, she had been kept in a bed all her life. Her mom, Yvonne, says she could barely sit up.

Yvonne and her husband, Jon, began helping Sarah in all the ways they could, including physical therapy, to help her learn to walk.

While Sarah has special needs, including blindness and other conditions, doctors could find no reason physically why she wouldn’t be able to walk.

“There’s no muscular or neurological reason she can’t walk,” Yvonne says. “It’s just that she’s missing all those milestones and all those years of development, and her brain just doesn’t have ability to put it together.”

Earlier this year, Yvonne decided to take a chance on something different. It’s called hippotherapy, and it uses the movements of a horse to help people like Sarah. Yvonne had heard about a place called Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center, so she decided to try it out.

“I did this just for the heck of it,” says Yvonne. “I didn’t really expect it to work.”

But, it has.

“It’s amazing,” says Yvonne. “We can walk with her now, just by holding one hand. Before, most of the time we just carried her — even around the house — because it was just easier.”

Yvonne and Jon have four other children. Of their five kids, three have some sort of disability, and their son, Sam, also benefits from hippotherapy at Emerald M. Of all the therapies her kids have experienced, says Yvonne, “Nothing has ever been as dramatic the change we’ve seen in Sarah.”

Lisa Michelangelo

(To purchase tickets to its Grand Opening Fundraiser on Saturday, October 20, 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m., visit EmeraldMTherapeuticRidingCenter.org.)

Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center was founded by Lisa Michelangelo, a former New Tampa resident who is a physical therapist. For about eight years, she managed the physical therapy department at the Fit 4 Life Personal Training & Physical Therapy studio in Tampa Palms.

She and her family always loved horses, so in 2013 – when Lisa’s daughters were 13 and 10 – they moved out to Dade City, where they could have a larger property and be able to live with their horses, rather than boarding them elsewhere.

At that time, it occurred to Lisa that she had the opportunity to combine her love of horses with her professional career as a physical therapist.

Lisa did extensive continuing education through the American Hippotherapy Association to be able to provide this unique therapy.

“Through the use of a horse and movement, we target deficiencies and work on areas such as core strength, balance and walking,” explains Lisa. “The horse replicates human walking. I can put someone on the back of the horse, and they feel like they’re walking on air. Once we can recreate the walking pattern on the horse, we can also recreate it on the ground.”

In 2014, Lisa launched Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center on her property in Dade City.

“The name, Emerald M, comes from the emerald gem stone,” Lisa explains. “The emerald stands for hope, renewal and growth, and that’s what we provide to the people we serve. We provide hope and a renewed sense of self, and then they continue to grow.” She says the “M” is for her last name.

Lisa explains that participants in her program have a wide variety of conditions that bring them to her.
“We have kids and adults who come to us with autism, processing disorders, emotional disorders, cerebral palsy, paralysis and brain tumors,” she explains, “It’s a whole plethora of diagnoses.”

She explains that sometimes a child or adult can complete hippotherapy, because they have successfully overcome the condition that caused them to need the therapy. At that point, they graduate to therapeutic riding, which is where they learn horsemanship skills and how to ride.

In addition, Emerald M offers beginner riding lessons for siblings of program participants, too.

“We know it affects the whole family,” Lisa says, speaking of the conditions that cause people to come to her riding center for therapy. “Often, the siblings of the children with special needs are watching their brother or sister ride, and they want to ride, too.”

Growth
 And Tragedy
A couple of years ago, Emerald M became a nonprofit organization, with Lisa as its founder. “Since then, the program has exploded,” Lisa says, explaining that word of mouth and practitioner support continues to draw new people into the program.

Soon, the programs Lisa offers outgrew the five-acre property she had in Dade City, so she moved the riding center to Brooksville.

She says the new property is only 5 miles from the former one, and her participants coming from places such as Wesley Chapel and New Tampa don’t mind the drive. Sarah’s mom, Yvonne, who drives from Zephyrhills, says the hour-long drive is absolutely worth it, for the amazing results they are seeing in Sarah.

“We had to make that move to accommodate the growth,” says Lisa. “The new property is much more suited for the kind of work that we do.”

In the midst of moving, the staff and volunteers at Emerald M experienced a tragedy. When a storm blew through the area, three of the riding center’s horses were killed by a lightning strike.

“It was tragic,” said Lisa, who adds that says she has had support from the organization’s board of directors and volunteers, and throughout the community, as supporters set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to help with the cost of new horses.

“They will never be replaced,” says Lisa. “However, we have come through and have brought in some new furry friends. The new horses help to carry the load.”To celebrate the opening of the new location and to continue to raise funds for the organization’s mission, Emerald M is hosting a grand opening fundraising dinner on Saturday, October 20, from 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m.

Helping Veterans, Too
About a year ago, Lisa began partnering with an organization called Veterans Alternative to help U.S. Military combat veterans and their spouses. Veterans Alternative helps veterans from all over the country, all branches of the military, and all eras of war, by providing a weeklong retreat to work through PTSD and other issues.

Lisa facilitates the part of the program called P.E.A.C.E., or “Powerful Equine Assisted Counseling Experience.” She says she comes alongside mental health providers who join these combat veterans and their spouses for a day of therapy with the horses at Emerald M.

Each horse has a story — what jobs they’ve done, or what hurdles they’ve faced — which are relayed by mental health counselors. And in turn, the veterans relate their own personal stories to the stories of the horses they are working with. Lisa says they begin to talk about things that might be challenging to them.

“It’s incredible,” she says.

Over the past year, 135 combat veterans have completed the program.

“We even have combat veterans who have found so much reward in this program, that now they’re out here volunteering, giving back by helping their brothers and sisters in the military,” says Lisa.

One such veteran is Franco Caro, a former U.S. Marine who served from 2001-05, and who deployed to Iraq in 2003. After leaving the military, he struggled with finding a sense of purpose.

“I tried to take my life nine times between 2005 and 2010,” he says. “To go from working nonstop in the military to being told you can’t do that anymore, you feel lost.”

Working with mental health providers and taking medications didn’t keep him from attempting suicide.

But, Franco’s last suicide attempt was in 2010, before he found something to give him the sense of accomplishment he was looking for.

Franco says he first encountered horses and the idea of therapy through riding and caring for them at a place called Rocking Horse Farm in New Port Richey. Just this summer, he was introduced to Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center, and he now volunteers there two or three times a week.

“I don’t realize how far I’ve come until I start thinking back,” Franco says. “When I go there, instead of overanalyzing myself, it allows my brain an escape to focus on something else.”

He explains that his role is to be sure the horse he cares for, named Anna, is ready to work with the hippotherapy participants. He grooms Anna, rides her to be sure she’s properly exercised, gets her tacked up, and makes sure she’s comfortable.

“I look over my horse from nose to tail, make sure she’s walking correctly, standing correctly, doesn’t have any wounds or discomfort,” Franco says. “She can’t tell me, so I form a strong bond with her. It puts me at ease, too, and Lisa’s getting a volunteer who knows horsemanship and what to do.”

Those volunteers, Lisa says, are essential. “I couldn’t do it without them,” she says.

Franco also volunteers with the P.E.A.C.E. program, where he can tell his story to fellow veterans and share how equine therapy has helped him. “They are very small, very personal groups, and we are there connecting with the veterans one-on-one,” Franco says.

Whether it’s working with veterans or kids with special needs, Lisa says she has been a part of incredible changes at Emerald M.

“Miracles happen out here,” Lisa says. “A lot of times, it’s unexplainable. It truly is the horses. I facilitate it, but the animals do have a sense that we can’t explain. The changes that we see out here are monumental for both families and individuals.”

For more information about Emerald M Riding Center, to donate to its GoFundMe campaign, or to purchase tickets to its Grand Opening Fundraiser on Saturday, October 20,5:30 p.m.-10 p.m., visit EmeraldMTherapeuticRidingCenter.org.