Weightman Ready To Start Job On County Commission

Newly sworn-in District 2 Pasco County Commissioner Seth Weightman has taken over for Mike Moore in the district that includes much of Wesley Chapel. (Photo by Charmaine George). 

For the first time in eight years, Wesley Chapel’s District 2 has a new Pasco County Commissioner.

While Ron Oakley remains on the Pasco Board of Commissioners (BOC) for District 1, which covers the northern part of Wesley Chapel, newcomer Seth Weightman takes over for Mike Moore in District 2, which includes the rest of Wesley Chapel (and parts of Land O’Lakes).

Weightman was sworn in on Nov. 20 at the Dade City Courthouse.

“I’m looking forward to getting started,” he says. “I have big shoes to fill.”

Married to Jessica and the father of two children, Weightman may be a first-time commissioner but he has deep roots and connections in the county.

“I’m a born-and-bred Pasco guy,” says Weightman, whose great uncle Thomas is the former Pasco Superintendent of Schools for whom Weightman Middle School was named. “My family has been here a long time. I’ve seen all the changes over the years. Knowing the county’s history and being involved in the community for so long, I think I have a really good understanding of the identity of Pasco County.”

Moore, who recently announced he was joining The Southern Group, Florida’s largest lobbying firm, served two terms in District 2, during a time when Wesley Chapel experienced unprecedented growth and change. He spearheaded efforts to speed up construction of the diverging diamond interchange at S.R. 56 and I-75 and the Overpass Rd. interchange, championed parks and recreation projects (including a new indoor recreation center and a universal abilities park at Wesley Chapel District Park), put a focus on public safety, worked to make this area the crown jewel of the county’s sports tourism efforts and took a pro-business stance when it came to development.

Weightman says he plans to pick up where Moore left off.

“I hope to kind of follow Mike’s same path,” Weightman says. “We think very similarly, and  have very similar values. We’re both business-minded and family men. Mike’s done a terrific job in representing Pasco County the last eight years. He set the bar high. I’m competitive, and I know I have work to do, and want to do it as well as he did, if not better.”

Weightman says he has been receiving a crash course in being a county commissioner the past few months, and is eager to start working on some of the goals for his first term.

While he may be new to the county commission, Weightman is far from a political neophyte. 

He has served on the Southwest Florida Water Management District (aka Swiftmud) Board, after being appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in November 2019, and is on the Boards of the Pasco-Hernando State College Foundation and the AdventHealth Foundation.

He also has worked as an aide to former Florida Speaker of the House Will Weatherford, and has a number of strong relationships with Republicans around the state. He says that experience will benefit the county when it comes to negotiating for state funds.

“What the county has done really well is work well with our state delegation, and it has been able to receive a significant amount of road and infrastructure funding,” Weightman says. 

“That’s been a huge feather in the county’s cap. I have built strong relationships, not just with the Pasco delegation but those in the Florida House and Florida Senate. Those are genuine friendships and working relationships that will be a benefit to me as a commissioner when it comes to advocating for the county.”

Weightman will inherit some projects that are already under way. During his term, big developments like Downtown Avalon Park and the Wiregrass Ranch Town Center will unfold, while the Epperson area continues to boom. 

And, while many of the major road projects that began with Moore as commissioner are winding down, the widening of Old Pasco Rd. is only in the early stages.

“When Seth comes in, that’ll be one of the things we wanna make sure that he stays on,” Moore says. “It’s definitely very important for that area, especially with the schools that are there and the new (Overpass Rd.) interchange that’s there.”

With development, however, comes displacement, and not every area resident is enthralled by the growth. 

Weightman, 35, says that as a Pasco native who grew up in the area long before homes and businesses had spread, he understands there needs to be a balance.

“That’s the elephant in the room,” he says. “How do we do this? What’s the happy medium?”

Weightman says that while he is pro-business, he also is a big proponent of the county’s Environmental Lands Acquisition and Management Program (ELAMP), which was created in 2004 and is responsible for purchasing environmentally sensitive lands to protect them.

Moore was the first person to endorse Weightman when he announced his plans to run for the District 2 seat earlier this year. Weightman held off primary challenges from Christie Zimmer and Troy Stevenson, effectively winning the seat.

Now, Moore thinks his replacement is ready to be a great county commissioner.

“I have all the confidence in the world in Seth,” Moore says. “He understands constituent service. It’s what he did for Will Weatherford, and he understands government. He sat on the (Swiftmud) board so he’s already a policy maker, and he actually cut taxes while on that board. I know he will do well on the county commission.”

RADDSports Fights Back Against Pasco County’s Default Claim

Mediation is scheduled for Monday.

RADDSports chief operating officer Anthony Homer appeared at the Nov. 15 Pasco County Commission meeting to ask the commissioners to vote to overturn their previous decision to hold RADD in default. The commissioners refused without discussion. (Screenshot from Pasco Television)

Pasco County is looking to take over the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus, but the company that currently runs it, RADDSports, is claiming that Pasco — primarily Florida Sports Coast director Adam Thomas — has used bogus claims to force RADD out or into a reduced role.

The two sides are at odds over how the facility, which opened in July of 2020 but officially opened in January 2021, is being run and the results of those early efforts.

The county’s Board of Commissioners (BOC) approved a Notice of Default, originally written by Thomas, as part of its Consent Agenda at the BOC’s Oct. 25th meeting, without any discussion. Included was the okay to pay Tampa law firm Carlton Fields up to $200,000 to handle the default case, as well as more than $2.8 million to cover the potential cost of the takeover plan.

Although RADDSports’ lawyers were under the impression that the two sides would be able to meet before the default notice was sent, it was delivered on Nov. 4 by attorney Dane Blunt of Carlton Fields.

“The notice claims that RADDSports is in default of a handful of sections of the contract the two sides originally signed,” said Blunt’s letter. 

However, the letter stated that it is the county’s option to allow RADDSports to continue operating the sports campus and that, “RADDSports is in full control of the future” provided it undergo a ‘radical shift in (its) current operations, promotion, and marketing’ to attain compliance with the contract.”

Anthony Homer, the chief operating officer for RADDSports, told county commissioners at the Oct. 25 meeting that he and his company were eager to come to the table and work out any differences, and appeared to be blindsided by the delivery of the Nov. 4 Notice of Default letter.

Homer also attended the Nov. 15 BOC meeting and delivered RADDSports’ refutation of the Notice of Default in person. Commissioners voted unanimously to allow it into record, but again, with no discussion

He told the commissioners they had been misled and that some data had been misrepresented at the Oct. 25 meeting, and that they approved a Notice of Default “for which the county had no support.”

Homer said he was told by the county’s attorneys after the Oct. 25 meeting that the notice of default would not be issued and, instead, discussions would be held to settle the matter.

“Since then, the county has refused to engage in any substantive discussion,” Homer said. “It has not provided any data upon which it based its claims to put RADDSports in default and, despite saying otherwise, on Nov. 4, the county’s attorneys issued (RADD) a Notice of Default.”

The Nov. 4 notice, says Homer, was different than the one the commissioners voted on at the Oct. 25 meeting, as specific data was removed after RADD supplied the correct data. And, in RADD’s letter of refutation given to the BOC, more data was provided to prove the county had been using incorrect information to make its case.

In fact, Homer said, when it comes to the county’s claims that RADDSports has focused on local residents and events and hasn’t appealed to tourists, the county paid $30,000 to Zartico, a data intelligence company that focuses on the visitor economy, to do a custom analysis of the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus visitor-to-resident ratio.

“(Zartico’s report) actually confirmed the data we had previously provided,” Homer said. “So, it’s now obvious that the county has no support for its claim that RADDSports is in default and is asserting its claims in bad faith.”

The Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus has hosted dozens of sports events involving teams from all over the country.

Homer said the claims made by the county were unfairly damaging the reputation of RADDSports and were making it harder to book events. He asked that the BOC vote to immediately revoke the Notice of Default. 

He didn’t get the vote he requested, but Homer and RADDSports will still be getting a chance to make their case.

In the Nov. 4 default letter, Blunt wrote that, “At this time, the County believes it is in the best interest of both parties’ to mediate their disputes pursuant to the Agreement.”

A mediation with retired Judge Gregory Holder has been scheduled for Monday, Nov. 28, and Blunt said the county plans to participate. 

 “We ask that RADDSports come to mediation prepared to share with the county its detailed, written plan for future compliance with the Agreement,” Blunt said.

RADD will make its defense that most of the claims in the Notice of Default are false, as it already has in multiple letters to the county and to Carlton Fields.

If the contract between the county and RADDSports, which has 18 years remaining on it, is terminated by Pasco, it likely will result in an expensive legal battle.

RADD president & CEO Richard Blalock said he hopes it doesn’t come to that.

“RADDSports remains willing to work with the County and all stakeholders,” Blalock wrote. “The cloud of a bogus Notice of Default will not help those discussions, but will lead to litigation that will be expensive to both parties and hinder the mutually beneficial resolution of the County’s perceived issues.”

And, in his Nov. 14 letter to the commissioners, Homer said, “That the county would allocate $2.8M to take over operations of a facility RADDSports operates at no cost (to the county) is simply mind boggling. We can only imagine there are areas in the County which would be delighted to see that invested in additional parks and recreation offerings.”

Here are the portions of the contract between RADDSports & Pasco County that the county claims RADDSports has defaulted on & RADD’s responses to each claim:

Claim #1 — RADD has not continuously operated the Sports Park Property to ensure that 90% of the 80% annual average of participants and non-participants….are non-County residents. 
RADD’s Response — RADD President and CEO Richard Blalock said in his company’s refutation letter that the county has no supporting data for this claim, and that RADDSports has provided data from a “credible, billion dollar, national 3rd party data provider” to Thomas that shows RADDSports has exceeded those targets and is not in default.

Claim #2 — RADDSports’ events have resulted in hotel stays that are “well short” of what is needed. 
RADD’s Response — RADDSports says it is not to blame for Covid restrictions (as well as the number of people not ready to return to traveling) in 2020 and 2021, but regardless, had 74,400 non-county visits in 2021 (3.7 times more than required) and 59,000 non-county visits through three quarters of 2022 (2.8 times more than required). Blalock calls this claim “particularly egregious” considering the data Pasco received from Zartico (which it also says Florida Sports Coast never told them about) shows the number of out-of-county visitors has increased every year and 83 percent of those visitors required overnight stays.

Claim #3 — RADDSports has failed to promote and market the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus as it relates to promoting tourism, based on a review of RADDSports’ Facebook and Instagram posts and newsletters.  
RADD’s Response — RADDSports claims that the county is misreading the contract, which states that it is Pasco County’s responsibility to market the facility, and other than obligating RADDSports to “provide marketing information and material to the Pasco County Office of Tourism,” does not place any obligations on RADDSports. In fact, RADDSports argues that it is Florida Sports Coast that was in default of that part of the contract. As of September 12 of this year, the Florida Sports Coast website still referred to the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus as a “proposed 8 court indoor sports facility.” Even after asking Thomas to update it, it took more than a month for the changes to be made.

Claim #4 — RADDSports is not cooperating with the Residence Inn by Marriott hotel when it comes to marketing opportunities,     claiming that the hotel operator also has expressed concern about the way RADDSports is operating and has asked the County to step in.  
RADD’s Response — In their response to the county, RADDSports insists the operator of the Residence Inn has not made such claims,  and that the county’s lawyers “affirmatively asked the (Residence Inn) operator to make such claims, and even went so far as to draft a letter for him they asked him to sign making (those) claims….The operator refused to sign the letter drafted by the County’s Lawyers.”

Claim #5 — That RADDSports also has heard from “multiple sources” that they were rudely rebuffed when trying to book events, and failed to timely respond to inquiries while prioritizing local events.  
RADD’s Response — According to data from RADDSports, in 2021, the facility hosted 52 events, when it was projected to host only 38, and brought in 30 organizations, 26,000 athletes and 60,000 spectators. So far this year, the campus has hosted 44 events and will host 62 by year’s end, bringing in 15,000 athletes, 38,000 spectators and $5.5 million in economic impact, and already has 48 events booked for 2023, and 86% are returning events. “We believe this speaks to the professionalism and support (we give to) all event organizers that we are privileged to host at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County,” Blalock wrote.

Claim #6 — That RADDSports is in default of Section 9.03 because it has failed to provide the required annual financial audit for the year ending December 31, 2021. 
RADD’s Response — RADD claims it cannot control the timing of the audit, and due to “significant personal issues” it had been delayed.  Regardless, the contract doesn’t state a deadline for delivery and, last week, RADD said the audit was completed and delivered to Thomas.

Business Notes — GOLFTEC & New Townhomes Coming Soon!

The game of golf received a boost during the pandemic, as more people took up the game, especially at places like Heritage Isles and Hunter’s Green Country Clubs.

So, it makes perfect sense that a golf store & hi-tech training facility would open nearby.

According to City of Tampa permitting records, GOLFTEC will be moving into part of the space formerly occupied by Pier 1 Imports in Highwoods Preserve off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.

GOLFTEC, founded in 1995, will be taking over a portion of former home goods store, on the end closest to Westshore Pizza.

GOLFTEC offers golf lessons, golf instruction and custom club fittings in what it calls a state-of-the-art Training Center. It uses certified coaches and technology to help improve your golf game. For $125, locations offer 60-minute swing evaluations, where motion measurement sensors are attached to the student’s shoulders, arms and hips. The results are evaluated by coaches using hi-def video and other tech and if desired, a lesson plan is formed.

GOLFTEC has 15 locations in the U.S., as well as locations in Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. Nearby, there are locations in Carrollwood and on Boy Scout Rd. in the Westshore business district.

NEW RESIDENCES: Cross Creek Blvd. is getting some of its first building projects in years, as dirt is being moved in two different spots for new townhomes.

We reported in February of last year that both projects had been approved after some debate. Combined, the two townhome projects, towards the eastern end of Cross Creek Blvd., will bring 95 total new residences to the area.

One parcel is located at 10801 Cross Creek Blvd, east of the New Tampa Dance Theatre, and directly across the street from the entrance to the Heritage Isles community. It will have nine buildings and 60 attached single-family residences. 

Further east, a second parcel will consist of six buildings and 35 single-family residences. 

The Brunchery Serving Breakfast & Lunch In Wesley Chapel & New Tampa!

Stuffed strawberry French toast, (Photos by Holly K Photography)

Since opening the second local location (the other is on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in New Tampa) of The Brunchery Breakfast & Lunch on S.R. 56 in March of this year, owner Alket (Al) Marku says he is thrilled with the way the Wesley Chapel community has already embraced the former long-time location of Wolf’s Den.

Despite having some competition nearby, Al says, “Our Wesley Chapel location is actually beating our sales in New Tampa, which is kind of amazing to me.”

Al, who was originally a partner in the New Tampa location when it opened in 2019, bought it outright from his former business partner in 2021. He and his wife Erinda Kostandini will open their third Brunchery location in the Lithia area sometime later this month and will open a fourth location in Riverview in the summer of 2023. “We plan to open many more locations,” Al, 37, says. “We think we have a great variety of menu items that will be welcome wherever we open.”  

Breakfast Feature

Unmatched Breakfast Options!

Breakfast at The Brunchery definitely offers a little something for everyone. My favorite is what is known as the “Breakfast Feature,” which features two eggs any style, with your choice of bacon or sausage, seasoned home fries and a homemade biscuit, which I sub out for The Brunchery’s tasty marble rye toast. Oh, and although you can sub grits for the potatoes, I add a side of grits because it’s so worth having all of it!

But, if you don’t “just” want eggs for breakfast, The Brunchery more than has you covered. There are nine different Benedicts, including smoked salmon, corned beef hash, crab cake and chorizo sausage Benedicts. There also are four different skillet breakfasts, including Al’s favorite chorizo skillet.

Need something sweet? There are four varieties of French toast, including plain, orange pecan, loaded (with strawberries, blueberries and bananas) and the awesome stuffed strawberry French toast shown on this page.

There also are homemade muffins, breakfast crepes, three different pancake and three waffle options, including excellent crispy fried chicken & waffles.

“Our sweet breakfast items may be our most popular,” Al says, although he says items like avocado toast, fluffy omelettes (including heart-healthy egg white omelettes) and bagel & lox breakfasts also are popular. And, even the coffee is delicious, and there are specialty and iced coffee drinks available, too.

What About Lunch?   

Although Al says that the majority of people who visit The Brunchery at lunch time still order breakfast items, Jannah and I really enjoy his smaller lunch menu, too.

My favorite lunch item is the grilled chicken melt with crispy bacon and Swiss cheese on a Kaiser roll. Jannah raves about the chicken salad croissant and I also am partial to the Reuben sandwich (corned beef, sauerkraut and Swiss on grilled marble rye with thousand island dressing). Also on the menu are a BLT avocado wrap, chicken Estrada (grilled chicken breast, spinach, mushrooms, feta and Swiss cheese and may) and even a half-pound cheeseburger.

Please note that while The Brunchery’s New Tampa location serves wine-based cocktails like mimosas and peach mango sangria, Al says they aren’t yet available at Wesley Chapel, but should be within the next few months.

Special Thanks Go Out To…   

Al, who is originally from Albania, says that his entrepreneurial spirit was instilled in him by his family, especially his father Alexander. However, he says his training in (and love of) the restaurant business was provided by the man he calls his mentor, Anthony Moissis, who still owns Anthony’s Family Restaurant in Eastlake, OH, where Al first moved when he was just 15 years old. “It was a great learning experience for me,” Al says, “Anthony taught me everything I know about the restaurant business, especially how to take care of not only my customers, but also my employees. My parents were still back home in Albania, so Anthony’s family became my family in the U.S.”     

About three years later, Al and his brother Alphonse opened Alexander’s Restaurant in Ohio. Years later, when Al and Erinda (who are expecting their first child in a month or so) decided to move to Florida, he brought those experiences with him to The Brunchery.

“I love this community,” Al says. “I appreciate all of the customers who support us.”

Speaking of support, Al says he and Erinda would appreciate your vote when you enter the Neighborhood News Reader Dining Survey & Contest.  

Both Brunchery Breakfast & Lunch locations — 27607 S.R. 56, Unit 110, and 17507 Preserve Walk Ln., New Tampa — are open 8 a.m.-2 p.m. every day. For more info, call (813) 994-9666 (WC) or (813) 533-7271 (NT) or visit LoveBrunchery.com.

Wharton High Drum Line Wins Lion’s Pride Competition

Wharton High’s drum line has brought home the “W” in a local battle for the best, held on Oct. 15 as part of the King High School Lion’s Pride Marching Festival.

While the festival, established in 1997, primarily helps high school bands sharpen their skills on the, ah, march to the height of the season, it allows drum lines the opportunity to choreograph a performance to show off their talents, too, in the Lion’s Pride Battle of the Drum Lines.

When the Wharton students asked director Marques Rudd if they could plan a routine for the competition, he signed them up. They did the rest.

Percussion captain Josh Benalcazar and other percussion leaders — including AJ Coveyou, Clara Riusech and Jeya Williams — came up with music, visuals, and choreography. Then, they planned rehearsals for all 18 members of the school’s drum line.

In addition to playing rhythm and cadences on snares, tenors, bass drums and cymbals, they created choreography to determine their placement on the field, and added visuals such as dancing, swaying, and moving in eye-catching and fun ways.

Wharton won the Lion’s Pride Battle for the first time ever. The Wildcats stunned five-time defending champion Strawberry Crest in the semifinals, and then were chosen as the best drum line in the finale against Spoto.

“It was crazy to me that we were able to put this together entirely student-led,” Benalcazar says proudly. “We had to really think outside the box and be creative.”

Rudd agrees that the students’ creativity is what propelled them to take home the competition’s bragging rights.

“Their interaction with the crowd was awesome,” he says. “They even threw in some cartwheels and something from the Cha Cha Slide.”

Rudd says he’s proud of the students and the fact that they came together to create something they weren’t required to do as a class assignment. He noticed their hard work, and it paid off for them.

“It was surreal when we won and they called our name,” says Josh. “It took a minute for it to process in my brain. It was a dream for me to be able to win such a big competition.”