No Named Storms Since Debby, But Aug. 2024 Was Still One Of The Wettest Ever! 

While I was working on the stories for this issue, I needed to make multiple trips to The Grill at Morris Bridge and Johnny C’s Italian Eatery on Cross Creek Blvd. at Morris Bridge Rd., and I discovered what appeared to be a new feature on my iPhone’s “Maps” app. For the first time that I can remember, the Maps app gave me alternative routes to take from our Silversaw Apartments to these restaurants in order to “Avoid Flood Warning.” 

Wait, what? I know we’ve had a super-rainy last several weeks (more on this below), but I don’t even remember being cautioned to “Avoid a Flood Warning” even after some of our hurricanes hit — and the only major named storm to hit Florida, which wasn’t even that bad here, was Hurricane Debby, which came ashore as a Category 1 hurricane near Steinhatchee, FL — more than 150 miles north of here — and hit our area with really only mild tropical storm-force winds on Aug. 5. 

Since then, yes there have been many days with heavy rains and I saw lots of reports of major flooding in South Tampa, but very few major roads here that got flooded — and I have done a lot of local driving over the past several weeks and haven’t seen any such flooding. 

Of course, I also haven’t driven the roads through New Tampa’s communities, staying mostly on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., Cross Creek Blvd., Morris Bridge Rd. (which I would think would be the most likely to flood) and County Line Rd., but those were the precise streets my iPhone Maps app was telling me to avoid. 

I was most stunned when the app’s “Suggested Route” to The Grill a couple of days before our press time told me to take I-75 north from the S.R. 56 exit (where I live) and take S.R. 54 east to Morris Bridge Rd. before turning south towards Cross Creek Blvd. That trip, however, would have taken me 35 minutes to drive, rather than the 21 minutes the fastest route offered to me (I-75 south to the BBD exit, north on BBD to Cross Creek Blvd. and east towards Morris Bridge) would take. 

And, these types of go-way-out-of-my-way routes have been offered to me pretty much every day for the past two weeks or so. Of course, I always took the fastest routes instead — and never saw a single flooded road! 

So, what’s going on? Has my Maps app suddenly taken up drinking? 

I honestly have no idea, but I thought I would at least attempt to look into it and ask you, our faithful readers, whether or not you’ve been dealing with flooding in or around your New Tampa communities. Here’s what I found: 

Near-Record Rainfall 

Spectrum Bay News 9 posted a chart on its website that said that Tampa had experienced its second or third highest rainfall total ever in August 2024, with 17.78 inches of rain, or less than an inch less than the city’s all-time record August rainfall of 18.59” set back in 1949. The article that accompanied the chart said that “Average rainfall in a typical August is around 8 to 9 inches. There were some unofficial observations with up to 29 inches during August!” 

Of course, the official rainfall numbers are taken at Tampa International Airport, more than 20 miles from the southern tip of New Tampa in Tampa Palms, but still, how much different could the rainfall here really have been and how does it explain my Maps app trying to get me to drive miles out of my way in order to “Avoid Flood Warnings” every single day? 

As someone who hasn’t had to drive young kids to school for a couple of decades, I can only imagine how difficult it’s been driving to and from school with your kids in this kind of weather, especially with all of the distracted drivers there are on the roads these days. 

In other words, please take extra care out there, whether you have kids or not, and no matter where you are heading. And please, don’t try to zip your way through if you do believe there’s a lot of standing water. It’s never happened to me, but I have known plenty of people who have flooded their engines and stranded their vehicles doing that. 

But, based on what I’ve seen to date, please take these “Avoids Flood Warnings” messages on whatever app you’re using with a grain of salt. 

It just kind of feels like the boy who cried “wolf” to me. If I keep never having to deal with flooding when I’m being warned every day, what will happen the one time I don’t heed the warning when I should have? 

And, just because we haven’t really had to deal with a major storm during this year’s hurricane season yet, please don’t assume that our area is out of the woods when it comes to major storms. The next few weeks represent the peak of the season, so keep those flashlights and portable generators at the ready, keep stocked up on potable water and non-perishable food and do everything else you can to keep your family safe. 

I am genuinely interested to hear from any of you who have already dealt with flooding in your New Tampa neighborhood the past few weeks. If you have, you can either email me at ads@ntneighborhoodnews.com or send me a message on our “Neighborhood News” Facebook page! I will run any messages I get — whether you’ve experienced flooding or not, in our next issue.

County Breaks Ground On Cross Creek Recreation Center! 

 “We know this new facility will be bustling with activity the day it opens .” — Hillsborough Comm. Ken Hagan 

(Photos by Charmaine George; renderings provided by Hillsborough County) 

 Local families and residents have to be happy with all of the new parks now being built or in the planning stages these days in New Tampa, which has long had a dearth of Hillsborough County and City of Tampa parks and recreation facilities. 

Well, no more. Where zip code 33647 at one time only was home to the three-field New Tampa Little League (now called the North East Sports Complex/Eber Baseball) complex on Kinnan St., the county-owned Flatwoods Wilderness/Conservation Park (with entrances on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. and Morris Bridge Rd.) and Branchton Park (on Morris Bridge Rd., south of Cross Creek Blvd.; more on that below), we now have the city’s New Tampa Recreation Center in Tampa Palms, the county-built North Tampa Athletic Assn. field complex at Turner-Bartels K-8 School (in conjunction with the Hillsborough School District) and the city’s New Tampa Nature Park. (Note-Of course, both Flatwoods and the New Tampa Nature Park are largely “passive” parks without much in the way of recreational facilities, other than trails and shelters). 

But, if you thought that was it for our local government-built parks, you were sadly mistaken, as the county is in the process of building a much-expanded Branchton Park, the city has created its first All-Abilities Park at the New Tampa Rec Center, a new covered outdoor “court sport” facility between Freedom High and Liberty Middle School and (as we reported last issue), also is in the planning stages of building a new 60-acre city park in K-Bar Ranch. 

The groundbreaking for Hillsborough County’s new Cross Creek Recreation Center on Aug. 30, where the featured speakers were County Commissioner Ken Hagan (below right) and county parks director Rick Valdez (below left). 

And, on Aug. 30, Hillsborough County held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new indoor Cross Creek Recreation/Community Center & Gymnasium (see the latest graphic of the park’s location, above) on the grounds of what was previously just an unfinished, underused outdoor “practice” facility in Cross Creek (just south of Pride Elementary and the Bassett Creek subdivision of K-Bar Ranch. 

“There are no indoor park facilities like this in New Tampa,” Dist. 7 Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “The city has the gymnastics center in Tampa Palms, but nothing for indoor basketball or volleyball. We know this new facility will be bustling with activity the day it opens.” 

Aug. 30 was a super-hot day, so the festivities for the groundbreaking of the $9-million Cross Creek Recreation Center were short and sweet. 

“I’m so excited for how this park will further our mission of enhancing lives through people, parks and enjoyable experiences,” said Hillsborough Parks & Recreation director Rick Valdez. “Our county’s parks are among our most treasured resources and we are committed to preservingm growing and maintaining these outstanding community assets. And community parks are among our most popular assets, with fun amenities for people of all ages, improving physical fitness and proving that you can have fun and stay healthy at the same time.” 

He added, “This Cross Creek Community and Gymnasium will no doubt serve as a wonderful addition to this community and enrich the lives of our residents.” 

Valdez then introduced District 7 Hillsborough County Commissioner (and former New Tampa resident) Ken Hagan, saying that “The New Tampa community has truly been a labor of love for our next speaker. He has championed major projects, including the state-of-the-art New Tampa Performing Arts Center, the very popular New Tampa dog park (adjacent to the city’s rec center in Tampa Palms), our soon-to-open Branchton Destination Park and now this. I must say that no one has fought harder for New Tampa.” 

Hagan said, “It is such a pleasure to be here as we break ground on the next destination here in New Tampa., one of the most beautiful areas in all of Hillsborough County..” 

Hagan noted that the new park has been “many years in the making” and said that when he did live in Cross Creek and his son was zoned for Pride Elementary, “We did not have any summer or after-school programs, and we still don’t have a public indoor facility, but with this project, that’s about to change. This project will transform this entire area.” 

He then mentioned that the project will include a new 16,000-sq.-ft. community center and gymnasium, with a fitness room, a multi-purpose room with a warming kitchen, it will have multiple classrooms, a covered outdoor space, a new parking lot, walking path, more open green space with a large pavilion and the existing playground will be renovated to be ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)-compliant and there also will be a new picnic shelter. There will be something for everyone here in New Tampa.” 

In addition, Hagan said, there will be summer programs, after-school programs for kids, as well as senior programs during the day, including a possible ceramics studio. “Just imagine all of the possibilities for fun, education, community gatherings and fellowship. You’ll be able to do all of that at this new facility. It did take years for me to secure the funding, but I’m immensely proud to have championed this facility.” 

The rendering of the exterior design of the rec center (top photo) and (below it) the design of the park’s revamped playground. 

Following the “turning of the dirt,” Hagan also noted that because of the after-school programming at the new indoor facility, “We’re confident that it will help the traffic situation at Pride when school lets out. A lot of kids will come to the facility right after school lets out, which will shorten that queue initially and then, it’ll be spread out. Some of them will be picked up at 4 or 5 or even 6, so it will actually relieve the traffic here.” 

Hagan also said that because a rezoning was required to get the park approved, the county’s transportation staff had to come up with a pan to handle the traffic beforehand. He also noted that because Bassett Creek Dr. (the roadway that connects Kinnan St. to Pride is a county road that turns into a city road just north of the park site, how the traffic will be handled is just one of the challenges we’re dealing with.” 

Valdez said that the Cross Creek Rec Center should be open by Fall of 2025. 

Branchton Park Update 

Hagan also said after the groundbreaking that the first phase of the revamped Branchton Park, located further south of Cross Creek Blvd. on Morris Bridge Rd. than the existing park, was expected to open by the end of this month or in early October, but no update was available at our press time. He also said that his pet project at Branchton Park — the county’s first public-private partnership zip line — would not be included in that first phase and that not all of the Branchton Park construction phases were funded yet. 

The Grill At Morris Bridge Wants To Be Your Football HQ! 

In addition to its more upscale dinner items, The Grill at Morris Bridge on Cross Creek Blvd. has a great new bar menu that includes (above left) Nathan’s Coney Island hot dogs with different toppings, (below left) ham-&- cheese croquettes, (below right) savory meatballs, (lower left) crispy pretzels, (lower right) a variety of bar pizzas, brunch items like (bottom right) Berry Berry French toast and a blackened (or fried) grouper sandwich (below right). (Photos by Charmaine George and Gary Nager)

“This is now the fourth college and pro football season since we opened in 2021,” says The Grill at Morris Bridge owner Frank Gouveia, “and we’re really trying to cater to the local bar crowd that doesn’t want to have to deal with the big crowds and average-at-best food at most sports bars.” 

To that end, Frank has expanded his already lower-priced bar menu options to include Nathan’s Famous hot dogs with a variety of toppings, ham and cheese croquettes, zesty meatballs and more. 

“My parents sold Nathan’s hot dogs at their restaurant in New Bedford, Massachusetts, as far back as the 1950s,” he says. “So, having Nathan’s hot dogs here is a tribute to them.” 

And, they’re delicious, too. I grew up on Nathan’s Kosher-style hot dogs at the one-time chain’s second restaurant in Oceanside, Long Island (the original location was, of course, on Coney Island, Brooklyn) and The Grill’s new Coney Island dog with mustard and sauerkraut definitely takes me back to those days, even though Frank serves them with yellow mustard, instead of the brown mustard I was used to — that must also be a Massachusetts thing. But honestly…yum. 

The hot dogs also are available with house-made chili and onions and chili, onions and cheese, and are all served with house-made potato chips for just $6.90 apiece or two for $10.90. The chili is chunky, with just a hint of spice and the melted cheese is a great complement. 

The super-crispy ham, spicy capicola and cheese croquettes come four to an order for just $9.90 and the white cheddar cheese is fully melted inside. The croquettes are served on top of a thick dip of parmesan, goat cheese, ricotta and parsley. Excellent finger food. 

The meatballs are super-tasty, too, and very tender. They are made in-house from a freshly ground blend of The Grill’s ribeye and filet and served in a light tomato sauce for just $13.90 for an order of two. If you’re looking for something to dip in that sauce, try an order of the freshly baked pretzels (just $8.90 per order). They’re nicely crisp outside (as they should be; unlike at most other restaurants) and pillowy soft inside — and even though they’re served with a melted white cheddar dip, Frank won’t throw you out of the place for dipping them in the meatball sauce, too. 

And, of course, The Grill’s Boston-style bar pizza is already legendary and available with a variety of toppings so you can build your own or try the cutely named options, like the New Bedford (with hot chicken, onions, scallions and spicy peri peri sauce) and the Route 140 (with linguiça sausage, banana peppers and onions). The pizzas are hearty, filling and start at just $11.90 for plain cheese. 

Other items on the bar menu include cacoila (paprika-braised pulled pork) sliders for $12.90 and a big stuffed quahog (New England clam) for just $7.90. I haven’t yet sampled either of these. 

But of course, Jannah and I have tried most of The Grill’s full lunch and dinner menu — all of which is available at the bar, too — so if you’re looking for something else when you visit to watch a game or any other reason, you can enjoy everything from the blackened grouper sandwich (and substitute fresh broccoli for the house-made French fries it comes with) to a delicious shaved ribeye sandwich (served with au jus and creamy horseradish sauce for dipping) to what is still New Tampa’s only bone-in tomahawk ribeye steak for two. There’s also true New England-style clam “chowda,” Jannah’s favorite grilled Caesar salad, prime rib (served Fri.-Sun.) in 12- and 16-oz. cuts, teriyaki-glazed salmon, a great smash burger with white cheddar (served with spicy peri peri mayo) and so much more. 


The Grill at Morris Bridge has great food and shows your favorite college and NFL games. 

There’s even a great Sunday Brunch menu, with spinach & artichoke dip, sautĂ©ed mussels, avocado toast, a charcuterie board and a variety of different eggs Benedict options, including braised short rib, salmon, “Southern” and crab cake “Bennys,” as well as a pancakes, Berry Berry French toast, a Nashville hot chicken sandwich, fried or scrambled egg sandwich and much more. 

Try the chef’s super-creamy raspberry cheesecake 

The Grill’s kids menu has mac & cheese, chicken tenders, a smash burger and hot dogs, all for just $7-$9. For dessert, there’s bourbon-glazed chocolate chip bread pudding, chef’s creamy cheesecake and different chef’s cakes. 

And, with New Tampa’s most extensive wine list, plenty of domestic, imported and micro-brewed beers on tap and in bottles and cans and a true craft cocktail selection (Jannah’s favorite is the sparkling French martini), The Grill at Morris Bridge is the perfect place to eat, drink and be merry while watching Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Bucs (above) or your favorite NFL or college teams. 

So, don’t just think of The Grill at Morris Bridge for dinner. Check it out for lunch, brunch and weekend football games, too! 

The Grill at Morris Bridge (10920 Cross Creek Blvd.) is open Sun., 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Mon., 5 p.m.-9 p.m., 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. on Tue. & Wed., 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. on Thur. & Fri. & 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Sat. For more information, call (813) 388-5353 or visit TheGrillatMorrisBridge.com and please tell Frank and his crew I sent you! 

Johnny C’s Italian Eatery — Delicious Food For Dining In Or Catering! 

Try any of Johnny C’s pizzas and ask for the Mike’s Hot Honey to give it a little extra kick. (Some Photos are by Charmaine George and Gary Nager; others were provided by Erik Ravenna) 

Although it’s only been open a little more than a year, Johnny C’s Italian Eatery, located in the small plaza on Cross Creek Blvd. at Morris Bridge Rd., is already one of our area’s favorite restaurants for New York-style pizza and delicious Italian food. 

But lately, co-owner and chef Erik Ravenna says that he’s become more and more passionate about catering — especially as people are starting to think about the upcoming holiday season. 

Johnny C’s even recently provided breakfast for 400 people at Cypress Creek High in Wesley Chapel. 

Johnny C’s, named for Erik’s partner Pat Ciaccio’s father Johnny (a long-time restaurateur himself), can accommodate parties and events — on-site or at a remote location — of pretty much any size, which may have something to do with the fact that Erik and Pat also used to work together at Saddlebrook Resort, where large-scale on-site catering drove the food and beverage end of the business. 

“I really enjoy doing large catering events,” Erik says, “especially events to help people and worthwhile causes.” 

As we reported in March of this year, Erik, who also lives in Wesley Chapel, became friends with Cypress Creek High (CCH) principal Carin Hetzler-Nettles because he has coached at the school and helped start its athletic booster club, and has always offered to help the school in any way he can. That included not only hosting an on-site pizza-making class (he now also offers cooking classes for individuals and small groups at the restaurant) for CCH’s Exceptional Student Education (ESE) students, he also recently provided breakfast for 400 CCH students and teachers. 

Erik loves teaching kids how to cook and offers cooking lessons for small groups and individual kids. “The kids love learning how to make pizzas and different dishes and then being able to serve what they’ve made to their families,” he says. “I always make it fun for them.” 

But, Erik also has donated food for New Tampa schools and organizations, including Benito Middle School, Heritage Elementary, and the Breast Cancer Awareness program at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church. In Feb., he also provided dinner for more than 200 special needs teens and young adults for the Tim Tebow Foundation’s “Night to Shine” prom-style celebration, held at Cypress Point Community Church on Morris Bridge Rd. 

“I do enjoy helping people whenever I can,” Erik says, “but so many of the people I’ve helped also have also become my customers, whether for a dinner with their families or for a large catering. A lot of the people we’ve served at these events may not have known Johnny C’s before, but they definitely do now. We often also get a banner at the schools we help, so even more people find out who we are and where we’re located.” 

When he’s not giving away large amounts of his delicious food for schools and charitable events, Erik still spends most of his days in the kitchen at Johnny C’s and he says that the business has continued to grow in the 16 months or so since it opened. 

The Food 
Catering is a definitely a specialty at Johnny C’s, with everything from great sandwiches to shrimp scampi, chicken parmigiana, garlic knots & so much more available. 

With his New Jersey Italian roots and extensive cooking training and experience, Erik says that although it was never his goal to run a restaurant, he loves the bustle in Johnny C’s open kitchen when the restaurant has a large weekend crowd and even the quieter times, when he can work on tweaking and perfecting his recipes. 

“Our menu hasn’t changed much since we opened,” Erik says, “but I have made minor adjustments here and there.” 

That means Erik is still dusting Johnny C’s pizza crusts with garlic and one of his favorite pizzas — the “Yea, Babe!” — was named after his father-in-law, Grandpa Bill’s favorite saying. The Yea Babe! features pink vodka sauce (instead of traditional red pizza sauce), Italian sausage and mozzarella. The other specialty pizzas on the menu are all named for the five boroughs of New York City, as well as SoHo, but you can get any of the 18 pizza toppings on the menu — from anchovies to sundried tomatoes — on any of the three sizes of pizza and in the calzones. You can even get your pizza made with a gluten-free cauliflower crust, which has become Jannah’s favorite pizza at Johnny C’s, even though she’s not on any kind of gluten-free diet. 

And, although none of his specialty pizzas include it, as so many are these days, Erik does also offer Mike’s Hot Honey in individual-sized mini-tubs and he always asks his new customers ordering pizza if they’ve tried it. “It’s definitely a game-changer,” he says. “It gives your favorite pizza a little extra ‘kick’ and many customers are now coming back and asking for it by name, no matter what kind of pizza they like best.” His fried calamari appetizer also is made with the Mike’s Hot Honey. 

And, while Erik offers a lot of different seafood pasta dishes (“partly because I saw that the other Italian places in New Tampa didn’t offer a lot of it”), other than his Linguini VongolĂ© (with clams, white wine and butter; it’s also offered with marinara), I can’t eat most of them because the dishes have either shrimp, mussels, or both. Even so, he says his shrimp marinara, his two “Fra Diavlo” dishes (literally meaning “Among the Devil” because of their crushed red pepper “heat”) — shrimp Fra Diavlo and “Frutti di Mare (“Fruits of the Sea,” which has shrimp, mussels, clams and calamari) have all proven to be very popular. “But our #1 seafood dish is still our shrimp scampi,” Erik says. 

Speaking of customer favorites, Erik also says his other top sellers are the Italian meatball appetizer and Momma’s lasagna, but whether you prefer tender chicken or eggplant parmigiana over spaghettini, penne a la vodka, chicken or shrimp Alfredo, ravioli pomodoro or chicken Marsala or piccata, I have no doubt you’ll enjoy Erik’s house-made sauces. They’ve become so popular he also sells the marinara, vodka, Alfredo and Marsala sauces by the quart. 


Co-owner & chef Erik Ravenna puts pizzas in boxes for a catering order. 

The Italian meatballs are a Johnny C’s best seller.

“We also sell a lot of our garlic knots,” Erik says, “but you gotta dip ‘em in the ‘gravy’ (marinara) for the best flavor.” 

Johnny C’s also serves a variety of “grinders” (I call them “subs”), including the Italian — with capicola, salami, ham, provolone, tomato, onion, banana peppers and roasted red peppers, plus creamy Italian dressing — and hot grinders like meatball and chicken parm. 

Try Johnny C’s hand-piped cannolis with crushed pistachio nuts and/or chocolate chips. 

Finish off your meal with delicious hand-piped cannolis. I didn’t know I loved them with pistachios until I had them at Johnny C’s. “They’ll make you forget you’re in Pasco County,” Erik said, even though he knows the restaurant is actually located within the City of Tampa limits. 


Johnny C’s also serves beer and wine (for those 21 & older) and has a great $6.95 kids menu. Among the different specials are “Wednesday is a Pastability,” when you get a second pasta entrĂ©e 1/2-off with the purchase of a pasta entrĂ©e, and “Thursday Night Out,” when you can buy one entrĂ©e and get the second 1/2-off. 

Johnny C’s Italian Eatery (10970 Cross Creek Blvd.) is open for dinner only Mon.-Thur. (4 p.m.-9 p.m.) and for lunch and dinner (11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.) Fri.-Sun. For more info, call (813) 278-8020 or visit JohnnyCsItalianEatery.com. Your Booster Club also can hold its Spirit Days at the restaurant. Call during business hours for details. 

Performing Arts Center Hosts 2nd Annual Fall Festival!

Just in case you missed the first annual Fall Festival at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC) last year, this exciting, four-day event is back for a second year this weekend, beginning tonight! Attendees will get to check out the many unique music, dance, art and other cultural programs all weekend long at NTPAC (8550 Hunters Village Rd., Tampa 33647) and, best of all, it’s all free to attend!

Here is a variety of the hundreds of photos we took at last year’s Fall Fest and this year’s weekend promises to be even bigger and better! 

For the complete schedule of NTPAC Fall Festival events, visit NewTampaArtsCenter.org!