With the world having gone completely crazy over Covid-19, the Rotary Club of New Tampa Noon rightfully decided to postpone this year’s New Tampa BrewFest (which was seriously packed last year; photo, top right).
Recognizing that the original August date was too soon to host even a socially-distanced event, BrewFest chair Jeff Ulbrich said the Rotary Club decided to postpone the 2020 BrewFest until Saturday, November 7, beginning at 6 p.m., again at the Venetian Events Center on Cross Creek Blvd.
Attendees can again expect a huge variety (90 or more!) of craft, micro and other brews (from 30 top local breweries), including ciders and “hard” seltzers, plus top-notch wines and deliciously “legit” food trucks.
Look for additional updates in these pages and go ahead and pre-buy your tickets now at NewTampaNoonRotaryClub.eventbrite.com.
Saying Goodbye To Pier 1
I have never been the biggest fan of Pier 1 Imports in either of its New Tampa locations — I felt it was always just a little too pricey for the quality of the merchandise — but I am never happy to see another major anchor store close, and the Pier 1 located at 18047 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. in The Walk at Highwoods Preserve plaza on BBD was clearing out its inventory in preparation for the local store’s closing, as part of the Ft. Worth, TX-based chain’s shuttering of between 400-450 of its 1,000 or so locations nationwide.
But, this store appears to be in no hurry to close. The 20%-50%-off promise on every sign inside (photo, far right) still only brings Pier 1’s prices down to almost as low as the regular prices at Target or even At Home. I’m guessing that until the discounts hit 50%-70% off, there will still be plenty of inventory to keep it open.
Coming To The Grove In WC!
Here are some of the new eateries and businesses that are either open now, are opening soon or are under construction in The Village at The Grove at Wesley Chapel:
• Double Branch Artisanal Ales (now open, but currently to-go only)
• F45 Training (open)
• Jillian Joseph Photography (open)
• Roman Group Realty
• Treble Makers Dueling Piano Bar
• Lagoon Realty
• The Dessert Box
• Brooklyn Bagel Co. (frontage on S.R. 54)
• King of the Coop (fried chicken; located next to Brooklyn Bagel on 54)
• Falabella Family Bistro
• The Kilted Axe
• Pizza Worx NY pizza
• Pasco EDC Business Incubator
• Japanese Restaurant (unnamed; replaces Casa Cubana, which will open a different eatery in the under-construction Krate container park at The Grove).
For The Grove leasing info, email Keren@mgoldgroup.com; for event info, email matheus@mgoldgroup.com! — GN
It was not quite 20 years ago when optometrist David Scamard, O.D., who had only recently opened his first office on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., first asked me my age and then said, “Yes, that makes sense. You’re going to need to start wearing reading glasses soon.”
I was flabbergasted.
“But Doctor Dave, I’ve been nearsighted since I was eight years old. You’re going to tell me that now, I’m going to be farsighted, too? How can that even be?”
As it turned out, he was right. I started needing either bifocal contact lenses or correcting one eye for close-up reading and the other eye for activities like watching TV and driving — by the following year.
So, even though Dr. Dave has had other offices in Lutz since then, his “Excellence in Eye Care, LLC” office has been located in his new home — he has been the Independent Optometrist inside the Costco off S.R. 56 — for about two years.
And, even though I briefly changed optometrists after Dr. Dave closed his most recent office on S.R. 54 in Lutz, when I was told late last year by that other optometrist that I had a cataract in my left eye that might need to be surgically corrected in the future, I got a second opinion months later from Dr. Dave, whose new office in Costco is across the street from where Jannah and I live.
Fortunately for me, not only did Dr. Dave confirm that I had a cataract in my left eye, he said, “You also have just the beginning of one in your right eye, too.”
I wasn’t really considering surgery before I visited Dr. Dave, because I hadn’t yet really noticed any change in my vision.
That is, until Jannah and I were driving home one evening in January of this year, after visiting my mom in Sarasota. As the skies turned from dusk into dark, I noticed that whenever there was a vehicle driving southbound as we were headed northbound on I-75, the glare from the headlights of those oncoming vehicles would temporarily prevent me from seeing the tail lights of the vehicles in front of me.
Everytime this happened, I would tap my brakes, to make sure I wasn’t getting too close, which isn’t a particularly safe thing to do when you’re going 70 mph on an interstate highway. I immediately stopped driving at night after that incident and asked my old friend to recommend a good cataract surgeon.
Cataracts are like a film over the lens of your eye, so even I could understand that when they replace the “foggy” lens surgically, it definitely will make your vision clearer.
Thank You, St. Luke’s!
Dr. Dave recommended two or three different ophthalmic surgeons that he felt comfortable with, but I ultimately chose to go with Dr. Jeffrey Wipfli of the St. Luke’s Cataract & Laser Institute, who had amazing reviews online and an office nearby (on N. Dale Mabry Hwy. in Carrollwood), but who performs his surgeries at the main St. Luke’s location on U.S. Hwy. 19 in Tarpon Springs.
Not only that, but St. Luke’s has been a some-time advertiser with us and we actually did a story about Dr. Wipfli in a Wesley Chapel issue last October, so I felt even better about entrusting him with something as precious as my eyesight.
The truly amazing thing is that I got the cataract in my left eye fixed in late January and the right eye in mid-February, so my eyes were all fixed prior to the shutdown of elective surgeries in Florida due to Covid-19. I even got to do both follow-up appointments with Dr. Dave before he had to temporarily close his office in Costco.
Easiest Surgery Ever!
I have no idea how it’s been for surgery patients at St. Luke’s since March, but I did notice this on the company’s website as I was writing this story:
“This has been a challenging time for all of us. Many of you know that St. Luke’s has remained open on a much restricted schedule to do our best to serve our patients through the last several weeks. We have been able to serve many of our patients who have had urgent needs by keeping our doors open in our main office in Tarpon Springs….We have resumed surgery and all clinic locations are now open. Safety of our patients and employees is the priority for us as we continue to practice social distance and adhere to all CDC and governmental guidelines.”
But, here’s how both cataract surgeries went for me at St. Luke’s:
The office staff tells you to expect your total time there to be between 3-4 hours, of which waiting and taking care of all of your pre-surgical paperwork takes up about two of those hours. Jannah drove me and waited for me to drive me home both times, since your vision can be a little blurry at first and because you are mildly sedated during the surgery. All the amazing St. Luke’s surgical assistants tell you to do is to focus on the light being shined in that eye and the surgeries seemed to be over in a few seconds, rather than the few minutes it actually does take.
I could see pretty well out of the surgical eye both times right away, but it takes some getting used to because none of your old glasses will properly correct your vision in the surgical eye and wearing one of your existing contact lenses on the other eye really only works after the first surgery.
The cool thing was that Dr. Wipfli let me pick beforehand what I wanted my vision to be after the surgery. And, because I spend so much time at the computer writing and editing, I chose to be able to see up close with no correction whatsoever and to only have to wear glasses to watch TV and drive. Most patients can choose to have uncorrected vision for both far and near, but it was more expensive to do so and Dr. Wipfli said that, for a variety of reasons specific to me, I might still need some correction for either near or far, even if I did pay more.
And I’m glad, because since Covid-19, I’ve been able to wear my glasses anytime I go anywhere (some eye protection is better than none) and I really only have to take them off to read a menu at a restaurant (which we didn’t do for a long while).
Best Post-Surgical Care, Too!
So now, here’s the scoop on doing business with Dr. Dave, whose Excellence in Eye Care, LLC, is an A-Rated business, according to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and still has a 5-Star rating on Google Reviews with more than 160 reviews. The practice even has a 5-Star rating on its Facebook page.
Excellence in Eye Care also features some amazingly high-tech equipment. For eye exams, Dr. Dave uses an Optos retinal camera (photo on this page) in his office. This high-tech machine is a retinal imager that gives the optometrist a view of the internal structures of your eyes, so that, for many patients, it means they don’t have to have their eyes dilated at their annual exam.
“When your pupils are dilated,” Dr. Dave explains, “you are very sensitive to bright light and your nearsightedness is fuzzy, sometimes for up to five hours after dilation. It’s something that compels a lot of people to pass up their eye exams.”
One of the other high-tech devices Dr. Dave uses is a RT-5100 Refractor, a digital refractor with electric motors that change the lenses. He operates the digital refractor from a console on his desk.
“The digital refractor is faster, more accurate and more efficient than the old-style analog devices,” Dr. Dave says. “Our patients appreciate that we have the latest technology available to them.”
But, perhaps the most important thing going for Dr. Dave as an optometrist is his people skills — which are awesome — and his entire office staff is always friendly, professional and happy to serve their patients.
And, you do not have to be a Costco member to see Dr. Dave. Tell the membership checkers at the entrance that you’re there to see him and they’ll let you go back.
He notes, however, that you do have to be a Costco member to purchase your glasses or contact lenses in the store, but Dr. Dave will provide you with both prescriptions so you can buy your glasses/lenses anywhere else you choose.
And, it’s nice to be able to pick up a bottle (or case) of wine or a 3-lb. bag of coffee when you get your eyes checked, too.
Excellence in Eye Care is located at 2225 Grand Cypress Dr. The office is open Tues. & Thur., 1 p.m.-7 p.m.; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wed. & Fri. & 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sat. Optical insurance is not accepted, although itemized receipts are provided that patients can use to get reimbursed by their providers. I]Eye insurance can, however, be applied to lenses and frames you buy at Costco. For appointments (although walk-ins are welcome) and more info, call (813) 279-7038 or visit ExcellenceinEyeCare.net.
During these unprecedented times, as the fear of going out during the coronavirus pandemic continues to be a part of our lives, more and more people are spending time in their own kitchens.
Instead of going to restaurants, we are making our own meals. Instead of eating out, we are eating in.
For many, especially during the hot summer months when you don’t want to heat up the house and might just need to get outside, that means turning to your outdoor kitchens and grills.
If you’re looking for ways to expand your outdoor horizons, then Gas N Grills, located on Livingston Ave. just west of E. Bearss Ave., might just have everything you’re looking for. Not only does the Lutz location offer grilling accessories, charcoal and wood chips and propane, the store’s selection of grills can help transform your outdoor cooking space into a charming culinary oasis.
“We specialize in high-end grills, mostly outdoor kitchens with built-in grills,” says Gas N Grills owner Joe Baker. “We have pretty much everything.”
Gas N Grills has been around since 1989, and like many specialty businesses, has experienced its ups and downs, from the economic crash in 2008 to the current online ordering revolution during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Before the 2008 crash, Joe says that built-in outdoor kitchens were all the rage, but he adds they are coming back.
At his store, Joe offers everything from the usual Weber and Broil Master grills to a number of high-priced stainless steel beauties from top name brands like Alfresco, Blaze and Tec.
But, the first thing you notice when you walk in, aside from the wall of replacement parts that make up a large portion of Joe’s business, are the Saffire Grills, which are similar to the more-well-known Big Green Egg grills but are even better, says Joe.
Both are what are known as kamado grills, which are kettle-shaped and made with a ceramic shell that offer a ton of grilling and smoking versatility.
The Saffire uses charcoal, and can be used to grill, smoke, bake, roast and BBQ. Not only can you cook steaks and burgers on it, you also can slow-cook some ribs, and even use it to make a true wood-fired pizza if you so desire.
“It gives you better results than a regular grill,” Joe says. “The food stays so juicy that once you eat something cooked on it, you will never go back to just a ‘regular’ grill.”
The Saffire grills are definitely a little pricey — they are available in multiple sizes but a medium-sized one will run you roughly $1,000 — but they all come with a lifetime warranty and Joe says it will probably be the last grill you’ll ever buy.
In fact, that’s the case with many of the grills Joe sells at Gas N Grills, which are more for the dedicated and serious grilling enthusiasts who like to cook outdoors more than they do inside, moreso than the usual weekend chefs just looking to cook up a few burgers and hot dogs.
At Gas N Grills, the high-end grill selections feature large cooking areas and perks like rotisserie kits, side burners, adjustable warming racks, shelves, cabinet storage and even blue LED lights for nighttime grilling.
What you won’t find at Gas N Grills are the same, basic $199 grills you see lined up outside the bigger box stores, especially during the spring and summer.
“We don’t carry what they carry, we sell better quality grills,” Joe says. “We target those customers who are looking for a better cooking experience. People who know the difference are very interested in what we have. Spending $1,000, though, may be overkill for some people. But, I have customers who cook on their grills five times a week.”
Gas N Grills also sells camping stoves, turkey fryers, pizza ovens and a wide variety of grilling accessories, to go along with its brisk online sales of various grill replacement parts.
Gas N Grills is located at 14615 Livingston Ave. For more information, visit GasNGrills.com, call (813) 972-4984, or see the ad on pg. 32 of the latest New Tampa issue, which features a coupon for $2 off any propane fill.
For the last few issues, I’ve been writing in this space about how I’ve personally felt about the state of race relations in this country. And now, I feel fortunate that I have found a way to do something about it — and several dozen of my readers in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel have agreed to see if we can do that something together.
And, even though I still have no idea what I hope this group can accomplish, I do know that the readers who have responded that they’re interested in participating are of all different racial, socioeconomic and religious backgrounds.
It’s the kind of group I hope to someday have a chance to meet with in person to have a beverage and/or a meal, or even a large-scale gathering in an open auditorium. But for now, it will begin with a Zoom meeting that originally had been scheduled for August 10 but has been postponed until a weeknight between August 19-August 26 that will be open to anyone who genuinely wants to be part of something that I hope will be helpful in some way.
In my August 4 editorial in Wesley Chapel Issue #16-20, I said that because it will be a Zoom meeting, I plan to moderate the discussion that evening and I have asked someone I have a huge amount of respect for to co-moderate it with me — District 63 State Representative Fentrice Driskell — who has already re-won reelection to her seat because of having no opponent and who represents the New Tampa area in the Florida House of Representatives.
Rep. Driskell is originally from Tampa Bay and moved back home after law school to find meaningful ways to involve herself in the community. So, as my co-moderator, she is someone who is familiar with our local context. Rep. Driskell believes that, in order to address racism, and ultimately, to heal its wounds, our community must be willing to have tough, honest and sometimes uncomfortable conversations about race. She also is in conversation with multiple stakeholders around these issues to develop policy solutions to tackle institutional racism at the legislative level.
Rep. Driskell also is working with other elected officials and community leaders on a project in conjunction with the Equal Justice Initiative that will lead to more community conversations about race. Through the project, local officials will erect a marker that will honor and memorialize the lives lost to racial lynchings in Hillsborough County during the Jim Crow era. The goal of that project is both to educate our community about its past with respect to racially motivated violence and also to spark dialogue about how our shared past is relevant to the structural racism that we see today. She believes that this kind of dialogue, rooted in the factual truth of our common past, will help us develop solutions to build a future that is more fair, inclusive and expansive in opportunity for us all.
After mentioning Rep. Driskell in my Aug. 4 editorial, I also mentioned, in the last paragraph of that editorial, that, “As the moderator of the Zoom meeting, one thing I won’t be interested in discussing is the defunding of law enforcement, which has become a popular rallying cry in the wake of (George) Floyd’s death. I also will do everything I can to not allow finger-pointing or for the meeting to become about Red vs. Blue.
“As someone who grew up in New York and saw police officers running towards people who had just been shot as I tried to go in the opposite direction — away from the danger — no one can convince me that 1) most cops aren’t good public servants & 2) to improve law enforcement’s protection of us will mean additional training that will cost more money, not less.”
Once Rep. Driskell saw my editorial, however, she called me to discuss it and shared her sentiment that in order for the meeting to be as inclusive as possible, it would be important for us to welcome the perspectives of all participants. She also shared that, as an elected official, it is her job and duty to listen and to consider the opinions of all of her constituents.
I really felt badly when Rep. Driskell brought this to my attention and, after we spoke about it, I better understood why I received some negative emails because of that paragraph.
So, while we may have differing viewpoints on some issues, Rep. Driskell and I agree that we have a responsibility to not exclude anyone’s ideas that would be productive to the discussion.
In addition, even though I didn’t want to postpone the meeting, in light of how Rep. Driskell felt about my editorial — which I didn’t share with her prior to publishing it in that Aug. 4 issue — in the current scope of the discussion, I agreed it was the right thing to do.
I knew it wasn’t easy for her to have to call me about it, but even though all of the opinions expressed in all 600+ of my page 3 editorials I have published in the 26 years I have owned and been the editor of the Neighborhood News have always been mine alone, once I was introducing Rep. Driskell as my co-moderator, I should have at least run the column by her, which might have prevented us from having to postpone it.
Please send me an email at ads@ntneighborhoodnews.com to join this open dialogue with this diverse group of your neighbors in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. Once the revised Zoom meeting date and time are set, I will again email everyone who signed up with a link to the meeting.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor has presented her annual budget proposal to the Tampa City Council — via a socially distant video conference, naturally — and the news was mostly good for New Tampa.
The Fiscal Year 2021 budget didn’t raise property taxes, or cut any essential services, and there were no layoffs.
But, the $1.254 billion plan included a big surprise: Money for the New Tampa Sensory & Autism Friendly Park, or Inclusive Park, which Tampa City Council member Luis Viera had all but given up on a few months ago, due to the city’s anticipated financial shortfall due to Covid-19.
“I knew due to the economy there would be a scaling back of priorities, and there has been,” says Viera, whose District 7 includes most of New Tampa. “But I was pleasantly surprised to see it in there.”
The budget, Tampa’s biggest ever, includes $1.7 million to build the Inclusive Park just behind the New Tampa Recreation Center (see story on pg. 6). While Tampa has made a number of improvements in recent years, with playground equipment that makes the parks more accessible to children with autism, including the NTRC’s Community Park, this full-fledged autism/sensory park will be the first of its kind in the city.
Roughly $90,000, from the 2018 budget, was used to design the park, originally planned for the area behind BJ’s Wholesale Club, also in Tampa Palms.
“It’s a huge win for New Tampa kids with disabilities, as well for the city of Tampa,” says Viera, who made the autism park one of his first goals when he was elected in 2016. “I’m thrilled they didn’t put the brakes on the project. Under Mayor Castor’s administration, you can see they are trying to take a positive stand in regards to persons with special needs. It’s great to see.”
Castor says the pandemic has cost the city $24 million in revenues. She also says she has no plans to cut from the police budget, which is roughly $175 Castor, Tampa’s Police Chief from 2009-15, said her plan was to invest, not divest, even in the wake of nationwide demands that police spending is reevaluated and reduced following the death of George Floyd and the ensuing protests. Castor’s budget must be approved by the City Council by Oct. 1. — JCC
