Viera Files For Third Term & New Facilities Near Openings

Tampa City Councilman and long-time Hunter’s Green resident Luis Viera officially files to run for a third term.

Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera, who represents the New Tampa area as part of District 7, likes to joke that he only won his first election by a mere 65 votes in a runoff.

In his second election, however, he trounced opponent Quinton Robinson 76.2 percent to 23.8 percent.

After building a strong list of accomplishments and being attentive to New Tampa, where he has lived for 16 years, Viera thinks a third term is in order. He officially filed for reelection earlier this month.

The Tampa City Council election isn’t until March 7, 2023; Viera does not have an opponent yet.

“I feel like I have a lot more work to do for the district, and the City of Tampa,” Viera said. “There’s a lot more things to be done.”

Viera played a significant role in rallying New Tampa residents to be more active politically and impacted a city budget that led to funding for the New Tampa Recreation Center expansion and the building of the New Tampa Sensory & Autism Friendly Park, the first of its kind in the city. The Sensory Park is under construction and will hold a ribbon cutting later this year.

Viera, who fancies himself as a throwback politician focused more on bridge-building and working with opponents to get things done, says there still are a number of transportation and fire rescue needs, like a fire station in K-Bar Ranch, that he says he will tackle if reelected.

One thing he has tackled is finally open — the closed-and-opened-and-closed and now open again Meadow Pointe Blvd. connector road to K-Bar Ranch, officially voted on by the City Council on August 27.

The connection between Meadow Pointe Blvd. (in Wesley Chapel/Pasco County) and K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. was opened around May 30 for utility workers to finish their work, but eager K-Bar Ranch residents immediately began driving on the new extension, forcing the barricades to be put back in place. The long-awaited connector has been back to being closed since early June. 

New Tampa residents in the Cross Creek/Live Oak/K-Bar Ranch areas are now be able to bypass Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. by driving north on Meadow Pointe Blvd., which leads all the way to busy S.R. 56.

Ready For Branchton Park

A massive upgrade to the current Branchton Park will break ground on Wednesday, September 14.

A splash pad, pickleball and basketball courts, two dog parks and hiking trails are just some of the amenities planned for Phase 1 of the new park, which will be just south of the current Branchton Park, which sits on the southwest corner of Morris Bridge Rd. and Cross Creek Blvd.

The second phase could include a Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office mini-substation at the park, according to Hagan.

Hagan also has said a second phase could include a possible public-private partnership (PPP) with a zip line or “challenge” course for the park. 

PAC Opening Set

The New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC) ribbon cutting is officially set for Friday, October 7, says Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan, who represents New Tampa in District 2.

The 20,000-sq.-ft. NTPAC, which can be expanded later to 30,000 sq. ft., will have a 343-seat theater with retractable seating among its other features. The NTPAC is located behind the Village at Hunter’s Lake shopping plaza, across BBD from the entrance to the Hunter’s Green community.

Long Lines But For One Hour, Cheap Gas For New Tampa 

There haven’t been too many times this year that you would see Andrea Ramos smiling as she pumped gas into her 2020 Jeep Sahara.

On August 1, however, the West Meadows resident and about 100 other people were grinning from ear to ear as they filled their vehicles with gas priced at just $2.38 a gallon.

The cheaper gas at the Flatwoods Marathon on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. was offered for one hour only by the Americans For Prosperity (AFP) as part of its “The True Cost of Washington” campaign.

Ramos (pictured above) said that it usually costs about $90 to fill up her Sahara. She had about a quarter of a tank when she got in line for an hour wait, and then spent $42.10 for 17.6 gallons to top off her tank.

“That’s cheap. I’ll take it any time I can get it, especially with this,” Ramos said, pointing at her Jeep, which she says gets just 14 miles to the gallon.

Jeeps, vans and pickup trucks were the most common vehicles filling their tanks. Brandon Azzolini saw the event advertised on Instagram in the morning and drove all the way from Riverview to fill his 2022 Jeep Gladiator Mojave. He used some of his $50 savings to buy a pizza at the Sbarro inside the gas station before heading back to work.

Michelle Saffor said she drove up from South Tampa in her 2017 Dodge Caravan to put $30 in her tank, getting 12.5 gallons worth.

“I ain’t seen 12 gallons in a loooong time,” Saffor said. “You can’t beat that these days.”

Brandon’s Taylor Solomon had one of the biggest trucks to show up, a big-wheeled 2015 Chevy Silverado. She filled it up, with 24 gallons for $58. “It usually costs me $120-$130 to fill up,” she said. “That’s a big hit, so it was worth the trip.”

Making a shorter trip was Wesley Chapel’s Michael Rogers, who  found out about the cheaper gas that same morning. He decided to take his chances anyway.

Although the line at one point extended to the I-75 interchange, turned right at the 7-Eleven and wrapped past the Home Depot and Steak ‘n Shake, Rogers got in before it backed too far up.

“It was a great deal, so I didn’t want to miss it,” Rogers said. “When I got here (about an hour before the event), I realized I had a chance.

Rogers filled the tank of his Ford F-150 truck, which was 75 percent empty, for about $40. He said it usually costs him $110 to fill it.

Another Wesley Chapel resident, Amanda Harrison, put 19.9 gallons of gas in her 2021 Dodge Caravan for $47.71, saving about $63 from her usual $120 fillup.

“I was practically on ‘E,’” Harrison said. “So, I was committed once I was in line.”

Afterwards, the workers from AFP paid their bill inside. They managed to serve 101 vehicles in an hour, while turning away dozens of cars. Those lucky enough to get the discount paid a total of $3,241.56 to fill their tanks with 1,362 gallons of gas. 

The Marathon station was charging $4.07 at the time of the fillup event, leaving AFP to pick up the $2,301.78 difference — the cost of spreading their message (along with a few free hats) about government waste.

Now Open: Gorkhali Kitchen & Nova Pizza!

So, even though I’m from New York and lived and/or worked in Manhattan for about 10 years, I never remembered seeing a Nepalese restaurant featuring the cuisine of Nepal, a small country located in the Himalayan mountains between China and India.

So, when I found out that Gorkhali Kitchen (named for a soldier from a certain region in Nepal), located at 10044 Cross Creek Blvd. in the Cross Creek Center plaza (in the former location of India Gate restaurant), was going to be the first Nepali restaurant to open in the entire Tampa Bay area, I had to check it out.

Veggie Momo dumplings (left) and tandoor oven lamb shop.

And, while the menu also features many dishes from India (including delicious tandoor oven lamb chops), I had to try at least one of the most authentic dishes from Nepal, the pan-fried chicken and veggie momo dumnplings (photo). Momos also are available steamed, deep-fried, in a soup broth and just with veggies. I also really enjoyed the Nepalese fried rice with egg, veggies and soy sauce.

Please tell my new friends Menora, Reena, Ponam and Rajesh that I sent you.

For more info, call (813) 388-6404 or visit GorkhaliKitchenTampa.com.

Meanwhile, even though it didn’t open until the day after we went to press, Nova Pizza is now open in the Pebble Creek Collection at 19651  Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in the former location of both Windy City Pizza and Full Circle Pizza.

And, even though some folks aren’t happy that Nova Pizza doesn’t offer Chicago-style pizza, yours truly and others are thrilled it has NY-style ‘za and Italian fare. — GN

Habla Español? There’s Cancer Support For You

Deacon José Moronta and Mariela Labrador have organized a cancer support group that helps break down the language barrier for Spanish-speaking people. They group meets at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church the third Thursday of each month. (Photo: Charmaine George)

When Mariela Labrador, a long-time parishioner of St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church on Cross Creek Blvd., found herself a caregiver for a loved one with cancer, she looked around for resources and support from her community.

As a native Spanish-language speaker, she found it helpful to connect with others who understood what she was going through, and where she could communicate without any language barrier.

She found Latinos Unidos Por Un Nuveo Amanecer (Latinos United for a New Dawn, or LUNA) online at LunaCancerFL.org. LUNA’s mission is to reach out to the Spanish-speaking community to help cancer patients, survivors and their families.

Over time, Mariela began volunteering for the organization, which has been part of the Tampa Bay community for more than 20 years, and eventually, she became a member of the organization’s Board of Directors.

Earlier this year, Mariela says, she decided to connect her work with LUNA to her church and organized a support group to meet at St. Mark’s for Spanish speakers who are facing cancer.

She says she hopes to grow the group to be large enough to support bringing in guest speakers on relevant topics, such as nutrition, relaxation, or pain management. But, at this time, she is focusing on building relationships and growing the group so people can share experiences and lean on each other.

“At this point, I’m concentrating on reaching out to the community and identifying the needs,” Mariela says.

The local LUNA group meets at St. Mark’s on the third Thursday of each month, from 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m.

While the group took a break over the summer, its next meeting will be held on Thursday, September 15. All are welcome to attend. You do not have to attend St. Mark’s or be of any particular faith tradition to participate in the support group, and there is no need to RSVP in advance.

Anyone who has questions or needs more information, can call the church at (813) 907-7746.

New Field, New Attitude, Winning Season? Pats Hope So!

Hudson Brown is one of the few veterans on the Freedom football team. (Photos: John C. Cotey)

Freedom senior Jimmy Carson is a confident kid. Despite living through an 0-9 season in 2020 and last year’s 1-9 record, when he looks out at his teammates practicing on the school’s new artificial turf field, he sees possibilities.

“New teammates, new field, new offense,” Carson says. “To be honest, I see a 7-3 record this season. And, if we’re lucky, we’ll make the playoffs.”

Carson, the Patriots best playmaker, is counting on breaking out this season and taking his teammates along for the ride. He is one of only two seniors on a Freedom team hoping to end a string of losing seasons dating back to 2014.

Jimmy Carson.

Coach Chris Short will once again be working with a small roster of about 30-35 players, and is unlikely to have enough kids for a junior varsity team. However, he is optimistic the Patriots can improve on last year. Although they lost their last eight games, they averaged 23 points per game the last three and pulled out a 7-6 win over King in the spring jamboree, creating some enthusiasm. 

Unfortunately, because the playing field at Freedom was being replaced all summer and the weight room was unavailable due to construction at the high school, Short couldn’t hold summer workouts and build on that spring win, so he’s hoping some of that enthusiasm is still left over.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys that didn’t see much playing time last year that we are eager to see,” Short says. “We’ll be relying on them this year.”

Two of those young guys will be under center — sophomore Hassan “Duke” Corley and Tampa Catholic junior transfer Austin Swank. Freedom will employ a two-quarterback system while running the triple option this year. Corley is more athletic, and Swank is more of a thrower, but both are capable signal callers, Short says.

“We’ll use each of their strengths to our advantage,” the coach adds.

Carson, a natural wideout who had to play running back last year and led the team with just 224 yards rushing, will be counted on to be one of the wings in the triple option. Carson says he is gunning for 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. Short wants to get the ball in his hands in space as much as possible.

“If Jimmy buys in, he can have a huge year,” Short says.

Junior Osman Hafiz and sophomores Jordan Gentry and Devin Lee will share the carries in the backfield, and Bradley “Tre” Cole and Chris Xander-Gomez will get time and carries as well.

Aubin Maka Maka

The offensive line is small, and will be built around junior tackle/guard Hudson Brown, who is the biggest starter at 6-foot, 235 pounds, and sophomore center Doug Ruggero. Both also will play on the defensive line, which is a work in progress.

Linebackers Aubin Maka Maka (four sacks last season as a junior) and Hafiz give the Patriots some talent in the middle of the defense. Maka Maka is still new to the game, playing just his second year, but is Freedom’s best-looking prospect at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds.

Bradley Cole, who played for Freedom as a freshman before transferring to Tampa Catholic and Wharton last year, is back for his junior season, and will be joined in the defensive backfield by sophomore Jordan Gentry and junior Romell Taylor.

Short says he has enough young talent to improve on last year’s record, but his District, 3M-4, consists of three powerhouses who are considered State championship contenders in 2022 — Wharton, Armwood and Tampa Bay Tech.

Otherwise, the non-district schedule could yield a few Freedom wins.

Hafiz says a new group of leaders is ready to rewrite the Freedom narrative of the past few years.

“We’re like an upwards graph,” says Hafiz. “If you’re looking at the stock market, it’s like that, we’re going up.”