GEICO Wesley Chapel — Where You Can ‘Shop Local’ For Insurance!

Jaime Bryant (in white shirt) & his friendly staff at the GEICO local office on BBD Blvd. in Wesley Chapel can help you with many types of insurance without having to call a 1-800 number. (Photos by Charmaine George)

If you’re like most people, you probably know GEICO Insurance from the company’s countless television commercials offering low rates with a 1-800 phone number. 

What you might not know is that you can get the same GEICO products — and much more personalized service — by calling the local GEICO office, where real people who live and work in our community answer the phone. You can work with an agent who knows your name, understands local insurance issues and wants to help you navigate the complicated world of insurance to find what’s best for you. 

The Wesley Chapel local office of GEICO is owned by Jaime Bryant and is located in the Northwoods shopping center, which is anchored by Super Target just north of County Line Rd., on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.

While GEICO is mostly known for its auto insurance — insuring close to 30 million vehicles — the company also offers insurance for homes, condos, rental apartments, boats/watercrafts, jewelry, floods, mobile homes/RVs, motorcycles and umbrella policies, which provide extended liability coverage for people with a lot of assets. 

With hurricane season fast approaching, Jaime says it’s important to be prepared. 

“Last year was a busy year, and this season is expected to be slightly above average,” he says. 

Jaime also says that one thing many people are unaware of is that if their home is damaged by a hurricane or tropical storm, the policy has different terms than if the damage is caused by wind unrelated to a named storm. 

“People don’t realize it’s a higher deductible,” he explains. “Ideally before storm season, but definitely before you contact anyone to repair the damage at your home, be sure you know what your out-of-pocket cost will be.” 

After a storm, you may have companies offering to replace your roof. To know whether or not you should move forward with the replacement, you need to know how much of that cost will be your responsibility. 

“For example,” Jaime says, “a roofer will file a claim, the insured will get paid, but insurance only covers half because of the deductible. It’s really important to know what your deductible is and make sure you can pay that deductible before moving forward with those repairs.” 

And, he says, now is the time to shop for new homeowner’s insurance. If you’re thinking of changing policies, or if your policy renews during hurricane season, sometimes a storm comes through and companies pause writing new policies for 30 to 45 days. In that case, you can’t get immediate coverage. “You need to be proactive with homeowner’s insurance during hurricane season,” Jaime says. “Time is not your friend.” 

He adds that right now is a good time to shop for new auto insurance, too. 

“Rates have stabilized and a lot of people are finding lower prices now,” Jaime says. 

Jaime’s office has 10 agents, all of whom are experienced and trained to help you get the right insurance for you and your needs. Each person’s situation is unique, so a local agent can be sure to ask you the right questions to get the right policies in place. 

Jaime has lived in the Tampa Bay area for more than 20 years and is a University of South Florida graduate with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. He worked for GEICO in Lakeland for 16 years, prior to opening the Wesley Chapel office. 

He says calling his office, instead of the 1-800 number, ensures that you’re talking with someone who understands Florida and the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area specifically. 

“We want to make sure you don’t have too much or too little insurance for your situation,” he says. “Nothing’s ever one-size-fits-all.” 

Andrea Shank is a long-time GEICO customer who was comfortable using GEICO’s online tools and never considered working with a local agent. When her brother recently passed away, her mom was dealing with a probate process and needed to insure vehicles that weren’t registered in her name yet. Andrea’s mom had previously worked with someone in the Wesley Chapel office, so they reached out and connected with George, one of Jaime’s local agents. 

Andrea says George spent most of that entire day serving them — answering questions, getting verification on complicated questions, researching answers, calling back, sending forms for them to fill out, etc. – but she says that what stood out was the compassionate way George treated her mom during the difficult loss of her son, which was completely unexpected. 

“He was so patient with her,” Andrea says. “He was funny, and made my mom laugh, which was pretty wonderful in that circumstance.” 

Andrea adds that he also took the time to share a personal recommendation for a company that could help her mom modify the vehicles to adjust the pedals, even emailing her contact information after business hours. 

“He went so far above and beyond, it was amazing to me,” Andrea says. “The level of customer service he provided is a startling contrast from what we’ve come to expect.” 

In fact, she says, she’s already referred her nephew, sister and best friend to the office. 

“No doubt,” she says, “I will not go back to an online situation. We all get used to what we buy and don’t think about making changes, even when our circumstances change. That’s something we should look at. I will definitely continue to call George, because it was such a nice experience.” 

The GEICO-Wesley Chapel local office is located at 1227 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. It is open Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m., and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sat. For more information, visit GEICO.com/Wesley-Chapel-Bryant or call (813) 953-4200.

Introducing New Pride Elementary Principal Kirsten Meyer!

With the 2025-26 school year having started on Aug. 11 for all Hillsborough County students, Pride Elementary has a new principal who has taken the helm after the retirement of former principal Paulette English. 

Kirsten Meyer says it feels like “coming full circle” for her, after starting her career as a second grade teacher at Hunter’s Green Elementary (HGE) in 1998. 

In fact, two teachers who are now part of the staff at Pride — Julia McKernan and Lucy Kovach — were once her students at HGE. 

“It’s nice to see the growth in the community and see the love and passion that teachers have for their kids,” Meyer says. “There’s an energetic feeling and a love for learning at all of the schools in this area.” 

Most recently, Meyer was assistant principal at Mitchell Elementary in South Tampa, where she served for two years. Prior to that, she was the assistant principal at Foster Elementary off of 22nd St. in North Tampa. 

At Pride, she leads one of the largest schools in Hillsborough County — about 1,000 students. 

“To be a first-time principal and have the responsibility to take on a school that is such a high-performing school is an honor,” Meyer says. “I know the expectation walking in. I know that I have to keep this going.” 

In fact, Pride has never received any letter grade other than “A” from the State Dept. of Education in the 23 years it has received one since first opening for the 2001-02 school year. 

Meyer says the staff and parents have been welcoming and supportive, and that she is excited to work with the “amazing” staff, including her experienced assistant principal, Heather Moncrief. 

She says she recently learned that the school’s namesake, Dr. Richard Ford Pride, is the grandfather of Shaylia McRae, whom Meyer worked under when McRae was a regional superintendent for the county. 

“It’s another personal connection,” Meyer says. “I have to live up to her namesake. This school has a tradition of high standards, so I want to make this community proud and make these teachers proud.” 

Speaking a few days before school started, she said she couldn’t want for the students to come back and get the year under way. 

“Pinch me,” she says. “It’s a dream come true. I couldn’t have wished for anything better.” 

The Search For Wesley Chapel’s Favorite Fried Chicken Is Over! Well, Sort Of!

So, which is our readers’ favorite fried chick- lace in the Wesley Chapel area?

The answer I have for you is certainly not definitive, although the nine judges yours truly picked from amongst nearly 50 of our readers in both of our distribution areas definitely were in agreement on their favorites…well, mostly anyway.

Picking those nine judges was not an easy task. Of the 50 people who volunteered, I originally planned to only have five judges. But then, I thought, what would happen if more than one of the people we picked ended up not being able to be there for all three rounds? I decided that having at least a couple more couldn’t hurt — it would even allow us to employ Olympic-style scoring, if necessary (it wasn’t), where we could throw out the high and the low and just use the other seven scores for each restaurant.

At any rate, the nine people selected, from left to right in the top left photo, were: Bill Johnston (aka Colonel Sanders himself!) and his wife Suzanne Reno of Quail Hollow, Aaron “Dion” Rocha of New River Township, Cindy Cooley of Tampa Palms, Dion’s wife Suzanne Rocha, the father-daughter duo of Joshua & Zoe Paine of Heritage Isles and the son-&-father team of Karson (the self-proclaimed & costumed “King Chicken Wing” and Jason Centeno of Live Oak Preserve (and yes, a certain editor is in there, too).

All three rounds of judging were a blast for yours truly, the judges and even for Jannah, whose unenviable job it was to go and pick up the chicken from each of the restaurants, cut each tender into bite-sized pieces and plate them for me to bring to the judges.

I originally thought we were going to split the number of places into one group of 5 for Round 1 and one group of 6 for Round 2, but after Round 1, I realized that one Wesley Chapel chicken place (Wing Stop) had recently added tenders to its menu, so Round 2 ended up having the Mild and Spicy chicken tenders from seven places.

A few other things I have to mention:

  1. Because we bought and had to bring the chicken from multiple places to one central location, the judges knew beforehand that none of the chicken would ever be as hot or as moist as it would be at each of the actual restaurants.
  2. None of the chicken was served with sauces for fear that the judges would figure out whose chicken was whose too easily. But again, it also kept each place’s chicken from tasting its best.
  3. I have to thank president & CEO Hope Kennedy and office administrator Darlene Hill of the North Tampa Bay Chamber for allowing us to use the board room in the Chamber’s beautiful, new office in The Shops at Wiregrass for all three rounds of the contest.
  4. I also have to thank our photographer/ videographer Charmaine George for not only shooting still pictures, but also videotaping all of the proceedings. Although we are announcing the winners in this issue, we also will show video highlights from all three rounds as the premiere episode of our “Neighborhood Newsmakers” podcast. Look for updates about that first podcast on our “Neighborhood News” Facebook page.
  5. Yours truly didn’t sample all of the chicken nor did I try to influence the judges in any way.

Here’s how the judging went for the first two nds of the contest, as each chicken tender was judged based on its Crispness, Moistness, Seasoning (for Mild) and Heat (for Spicy), but only the Overall score given for each restaurant counted:

Round 1 (July 23) —There were five Mild but only four spicy chicken tenders in this round, because Raising Cane’s is the only one of the 12 total restaurants that doesn’t sell spicy tenders.

The Mild tenders were from PDQ, Chicken Guy, Zaxby’s, Raising Cane’s and Dave’s Hot Chicken. The favorite of these five was Chicken Guy, with PDQ second (both of which advanced to the Finals) and Raising Cane’s third, with Zaxby’s fourth and Dave’s fifth.

On the Spicy side this round, Zaxby’s was the clear-cut winner by average score, but Chicken Guy was the #1 choice of more of the judges, so both advanced to the Finals, with PDQ and Dave’s not advancing.

Round 2 (July 30) — Chick-fil-A and Slim Chickens finished solidly as #s 1 and 2 (in that order) to advance to the Mild Finals, and they were followed by Popeye’s,Wing Stop,Chick’n Fun, Hangry Joe’s and Sweet Krunch, in that order.

The same seven restaurants competed for Favorite Spicy, with Chick-fil-A and Slim Chickens again finishing in the top two spots, followed (in order) by Chick’n Fun, Popeye’s,Wing Stop, Hangry Joe’s & Sweet Krunch.

Finals (Aug. 4) — The judges were never told which four Mild and which four Spicy tenders advanced to the Finals, but several recognized PDQ & Chick-fil-A from the first two rounds and one judge identified Chicken Guy from Round 1.

For the Finals, each judge was asked to put the four Finalists in each category from their overall #1 Favorite down to #4.

For Favorite Mild Tenders, PDQand Chick-fil-A finished in a flat-footed tie for first place, with each receiving 3 first-place, 3 second-place and 3 third-place votes. But, since five of the judges had PDQ finishing higher than Chick-fil-A, PDQ won for Favorite Mild Tenders. Chick-fil-A was second and Chicken Guy finished third (with 2 first-place votes), and Slim Chickens was fourth, with only 1 first-place vote.

The judges agreed that the four Mild Finalists were their four favorites from the first two rounds.

For Favorite Spicy Tenders, Chick-fil-A and Slim Chickens each had 3 first-place votes, but Chick-fil-A also had 4 second-place votes to Slim Chickens’ 1, so Chick-fil-A was named the Favorite Spicy Tenders winner, followed by Slim Chickens. Zaxby’s just beat out Chicken Guy to finish third.

Looking Back

The contest was certainly not scientific and I know it really doesn’t “prove” anything. I’m also quite certain that many, if not most, of our readers will disagree with the results.

But, what it did accomplish was to bring together a diverse group of our readers for a fun and interesting cause and there’s no doubt that these nine previous strangers — two couples, two father-&-child combos and one not-partnered judge — all became friends and took their “jobs” very seriously, but not too seriously.

There were comments like, “I can’t taste the chicken,” “Dill pickle undertones,” “Only one I didn’t finish,” “Needs sauce,” “Tastes like Publix” and “Heavy vinegar flavor” — and a lot of laughs.

All nine judges also want to try judging the Best Steaks, Best Fries, Best Burgers and a couple that I might actually try to put together — Best Pizza and Best Tacos, but I probably will have to select a whole new crew of judges next time.

Look for the podcast on our Facebook page!

Review Of Heartbreaker: A Memoir By Mike Campbell with Ari Surdoval

I have been a huge Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers fan since high school, when I first heard “American Girl” on the radio. Even though I was born and raised in New Yawk, I loved Tom’s folksy southern rock style and his amazing voice and songwriting ability.

When the band’s third album (and first monster hit), Damn The Torpedoes, came out in 1979, and the entire world heard singles like “Don’t Do Me Like That,” “Here Comes My Girl” and especially, “Refugee,” I was already at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Tom’s hometown, and the place where Tom first got together with Heartbreakers’ lead guitarist Mike Campbell, a guy I always felt was severely underrated in the business. I felt the same way about Miami Steve Van Zandt, who still plays lead guitar for Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, my other favorite live rock act.

So, when I found out that Mike and his current band, The Dirty Knobs (which he formed in 2020, or about three years after Tom passed away in 2017), were playing Ruth Eckerd Hall on Aug. 13, I bought tickets for myself and Jannah, made arrangements for a photo pass for the show (Ruth Eckerd Hall’s director of public relations Katie Pedretty has always been so fair and accommodating to me) and we stayed over in Clearwater for the night.

Katie also mentioned the possibility of — and I really was hoping to also get — an interview with Mike, especially in light of the fact that he had just had his book, Heartbreaker: A Memoir, released the same week as the Ruth Eckerd show by Grand Central Publishing. I ordered a copy on Amazon, received it two days before the concert, and had read the first 150 or so pages by time we arrived in Clearwater to see Mike & The Dirty Knobs perform. I’ve already reviewed the concert online, but couldn’t yet review the book at that time because I hadn’t yet finished it.

But, Heartbreaker
what an absolutely amazing read! Mike talks about his tough upbringing in a run-down north side neighborhood in Jacksonville, FL, called Sherwood Forest. He says he loved his father, Malcolm Campbell, who loved Johnny Cash and was in the Air Force. But, not long after his father got transferred to Okinawa, Japan, he stopped sending Mike’s mother Helen money. The family had to move multiple times and Mike said all he had were two shirts, one pair of jeans and a pair of old sneakers, “but all I wanted was a guitar.”

Naturally quiet and shy, Mike said he was always the new kid at school as his family kept moving around, but his father eventually sent him a cheap Japanese guitar and he learned how to play from a “Learn to Play” book by Beach Boys guitarist Carl Wilson, even though Mike couldn’t read music. Despite his shyness, he somehow maintained straight As and his high school guidance counselor helped him earn a scholarship to U-F.

He eventually met Tom when he heard the original lineup of Tom’s band Mudcrutch play in a local bar in Gainesville and then saw a “Help Wanted” ad posted in the local music store that “Mudcrutch Needs
” and both Mike and the drummer he had been living with, Randall Marsh, were asked to join the band.

The book then chronicles the years of struggles of Mudcrutch, which became popular as a cover band that played bars that doubled as strip clubs, including a famous one called Dub’s, where each member of the band got paid $100 a week — more money than Mike says he had ever seen in his lifetime up to that point. But of course, Tom Petty wanted to play his original songs, which wasn’t what Dub had hired them to do.

Mike recounts these stories and more about Mudcrutch’s struggles as a talented band that never quite made it. There were personality conflicts, money problems and a first record that didn’t sell. And, the one record company that was interested only wanted Tom Petty. But, Tom insisted that Mike be included in any deal.

Eventually, they let Mudcrutch go, but soon, Tom and Mike reconnected with drummer Stan Lynch, bassist Ron Blair and keyboard player Benmont Tench, all of whom they knew from Gainesville.

But, even the debut, self-titled album of the new Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers struggled to find an audience. Only the song “Breakdown” cracked the top-40, while the anthem that would become even bigger later on, “American Girl,” never did.

The Heartbreakers’ second album, You’re Gonna Get It, also failed to find an audience of significant size, but Petty and his bandmates knew they were getting closer. Personality clashes, especially between Petty and Lynch, nearly derailed the band, but once the songs from Damn The Torpedoes started hitting the airwaves, the Heartbreakers quickly became one of rock’s biggest and most sought-after acts.

Campbell and Surdoval do an amazing job of bringing you deep inside the band’s rise to stardom, including the lawsuit between MCA Records and Petty that could have kept Damn The Torpedoes from ever being released, if not for Petty himself finding the loophole he needed and the courage to stand up to MCA and the group’s original manager Denny Cordell, and getting them to settle the lawsuit.

Heartbreaker also provides insight into the making of every album that came after Torpedoes, including Tom’s first “solo” (in quotes because Campbell and nearly all of the other Heartbreakers also played on it) album Full Moon Fever, which included the monster hits “Free Fallin’” and “I Won’t Back Down.” It was on Full Moon Fever that Tom began working with former Electric Light Orchestra frontman (and fellow future Traveling Wilbury) Jeff Lynne as his producer.

The book also gives amazing insights into Campbell’s now-50-year marriage to his wife Marcie, Petty’s divorce from his first wife Jane and his second marriage to his wife Dana, the band’s use of drugs, especially cocaine, the abuse of heroin by bass player Howie Epstein (who replaced Blair in the band) and, for a while, by Petty himself, Tench’s drinking problem and even Campbell’s one-time overdose on amphetamines, which landed him in the hospital.

The chapters about the Traveling Wilburys — George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Lynne and Tom —as well as Mike’s work with the Eagles’ Don Henley (Campbell wrote the music for Henley’s solo hit “The Heart of the Matter”), and co-writing, with Tom, the huge hit Stevie Nicks (of Fleetwood Mac fame, of course) song “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” are all told from Mike’s unique perspective.

But, through all of these trials and tribulations — and huge successes — Campbell and Petty endured together, not only as lead guitarist and lead vocalist, but as a powerful songwriting duo. Mike explains how his songwriting process was completely different than Petty’s and that he composed at least pieces of dozens of songs that never made it onto a Heartbreakers or Petty solo album. Many of those compositions by Campbell did, however, end up as part of the three Dirty Knobs albums (so far, at least).

The story about the Heartbreakers’ final tour and final performance at the Hollywood Bowl in 2017 — only days before Petty passed away from an accidental overdose of painkillers, after he played the final shows of that tour with a broken hip — is absolutely a gut punch. Campbell says he finally told his long-time friend and partner, “I love you, brother” as he held Petty’s hand shortly before Tom passed away.

The book also talks about Mike touring for two years as the replacement guitarist for Lindsey Buckingham in Fleetwood Mac after Tom’s passing, and how Nicks got Mike together with her vocal coach.

And, there also are chapters about Mike’s time as the primary songwriter and lead singer in his band The Dirty Knobs, which basically brought me right up to date just days after seeing the wonderful concert which featured more songs by the Heartbreakers (11) than by The Dirty Knobs (8).

I’ve tried to touch on as many periods as possible in the amazing life of Mike Campbell without giving away the entire story. Whether or not you’re a fan of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Heartbreaker: A Memoir is a true page-turner.

I picked up my hardcover copy of it on Amazon.com.

Stonewood Grill Hosts Its Own Celebration Of Dave Rathbun 

I remember very clearly the day Bella Brave general manager Tina Stormer called to tell me that my friend and former long-time Stonewood Grill & Tavern managing partner Dave Rathbun had passed away at the age of 69.

The first phone call I made immediately after I told Jannah was to current Stonewood Grill managing partner Dennis Diaz to ask him what, if anything, he planned to do in order to give all of Dave’s seemingly thousands of long- time customers and friends an opportunity to pay their respects and share their love for Dave.

Apparently, I wasn’t alone. When I asked Dennis how many people had called to ask him the same question, he said “Everybody! But, I don’t know his family or even how to get in touch with them.”

I didn’t either, but I found Dave’s step-daughter Emily Barreira on Facebook and told her that although I knew Bella Brava — where Dave was working the last year+ — was planning a “Celebration of Life” for him at the restaurant located off S.R. 54 near the Veterans Expy., I was concerned that most of his Stonewood customers would not be in attendance at that event.

So, I asked Emily to talk to her mom (and Dave’s truly beloved widow) Gina to see if it would be OK for me to put together a second Celebration of Life for Dave. She got back to me and said it would be fine to do that and that she and her mom would try to be there for it.

As we reported last issue, the Bella Brava event was an amazing recap of Dave’s too-short life, which also included his three brothers and two sisters and what seemed to be at least 300- 400 people — including a few of his New Tampa “peeps.” Among those in attendance were Dennis Diaz and Stonewood’s executive chef Danny Manzur. Together, we set the date for Stone- wood’s “In Remembrance of Dave” event for two weeks later — July 28 — which I announced on the front cover of our last New Tampa issue.

Although I was hoping to hold the event sometime after 5 p.m., Stonewood needed to hold it at 1 p.m., and although that time may have kept the attendance down somewhat, what took place was exactly what I had hoped for — a wonderful celebration of a deeply loved man, with great food provided mainly by Stonewood but also by some of the attendees and of course, great stories about a man they all knew and loved.

So, somewhere between 60-70 people came three hours before Stonewood opened on July 28. There was food and bar stools and booths filled with people, with some of the plaques, awards and photos Dave received over the years.

And, Emily and Gina were not only on-hand (they are in the top photo, with Stonewood’s Danny Manzur, far left, and Dennis Diaz, far right, and several other of the restaurant’s employees who helped make the event a success), they also brought along the memory board that also was on display at the Bella Brava event.

The Neighborhood News sponsored the opening round of drinks and one of Dave’s long-time customers brought along a remembrance guest book that most of the people in attendance signed.

Everyone talked about how Dave always knew not just everyone’s name, but where they preferred to sit, what food and drinks they usually had and more than a lit- tle info about each person’s job, family, etc.

“Dave definitely had a gift,” said long-time customer and friend Debby Amon. “He was just such a wonderful man.”

Many of those on hand at the Stonewood event knew Dave from when he worked at the Carrabba’s Italian Grill on N. 56th St. in Temple Terrace before he helped open Stonewood.

Here are just a few excerpts from the “In Loving Memory of Dave” guest book. I honestly can’t read all of the signatures, so I won’t include any of the signers’ names here — but you all know who you are and what you said:

“We lost a truly remarkable man – someone whose presence lit up every room, every shift & every heart that walked into Stonewood. As GM, he wasn’t just a leader, he was the heartbeat of the place. He had a gift for making everyone feel seen & valued – whether you were a longtime customer or a first-time visitor. He never met a stranger & he never let a day go by without a warm smile, a gentle hug, or a kind word. His employees adored him, not just for how he led, but for how he cared. He built a family, not just a team & that love ran deep. His joy was infectious, his heart was enormous & his legacy is etched into the lives of everyone lucky enough to know him. We will miss him dearly, but will carry his light forward. It was an honor to call him our friend.”

“I grew up in [the Rathbun family’s] neighborhood. Every year when I’d do the food drive, David was so wonderful & charitable. Always had a smile on his face & told us to come to Stonewood. He & his generous spirit will be missed.”

“We experienced Dave’s kindness & generosity of spirit on many occasions. He has served as an example in our lives for what it means to live your faith with simplicity & authenticity. Dave had the heart of a true angel. All his employees always commented that he was the best boss they ever had & we know why.”

“Dave was a man unlike anyone we have ever met. Truly special. He touched people’s lives in ways that left an everlasting impression.”

“Dave was the dearest person we met upon relocating to Tampa. While we were new, Dave made us feel like old friends, or better yet FAMILY! And, to Dave’s family, thank you for sharing Dave with us!”

“Dave trained my sister when she started as a waitress for Carrabba’s. I saw him frequently through the Stonewood days & more recently played golf with him & learned of his transition to Bella Brava. You can’t ask for a better guy or restaurant manager. His spiritual growth was very inspirational to me. We have been spiritual brothers since. You will be doing great things up there!”

“Emily & Gina – We loved Dave so much. From years ago at Stonewood to our long conversations in Publi to always visiting him at Bella Brava.”