Regarding The Passing Of Rich Reidy (1957-2025)

Hillsborough County commissioner Ken Hagan and his long-time aide Rich Reidy. Rich passed away on Nov. 11 after a short battle with cancer. He was 68. (Photos provided by Ken Hagan)

Even if you’ve been faithfully reading every issue of the Neighborhood News for years, you may not know who Rich Reidy is. But, rest assured, Rich was one of the most important people working in the Hillsborough County government, someone who played a role behind the scenes in most every decision that has affected New Tampa for more than the past two decades. 

Rich, who passed away suddenly at age 68 on Nov. 11, first became Dist. 2 County Commissioner Ken Hagan’s legislative aide when Ken was first elected back in 2002. (Note-Rich left to become the top aide for then-State Sen. John Legg in 2013, but he returned as Hagan’s top aide in 2018, after Legg was replaced by Sen. Jack Latvala, who was forced to resign at the end of 2017). “Rich did love the legislature,” Ken says. “I was so glad he came back.” 

Here’s how I found out Rich had passed: 

I wanted to get an update on the planned safety improvements to Morris Bridge Rd. south of Cross Creek Blvd. So, instead of calling Comm. Hagan directly on his cell phone, I did what I usually did — I called Ken’s office. Jannah asked me who I was calling and I said, “What I usually do when I have to ask Hagan something, I’m calling Rich Reidy at Ken’s office.” 

I had my phone on speaker because I wanted Jannah to hear just how helpful the guy has always been to me — from when I first started trying to find out when Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. was going to be widened (what now seems like an eternity ago) through questions of county parks in New Tampa and the extension of Cross Creek Blvd., to the New Tampa Performing Arts Center, to Morris Bridge Rd. and many more. 

Instead of Rich’s usual happy-to-help attitude, Comm. Hagan’s other aide, Glorivee “Glory” Burgos, answered the phone. I had spoken with Glory a few times over the past few years, but I didn’t “know” her like I do Rich, so I asked her, “Can I speak with Rich, please?” 

“What is this regarding?,” she asked politely. “Is there something I can help you with?” 

I said, “I’m just calling for an update on the Morris Bridge Rd. safety improvements and Rich is always who I ask things like this.” 

The silent few-second pause that followed was deafening, but Glory finally said, “I guess you didn’t hear, but…Rich…passed away last week.” 

Jannah and I both let out an audible gasp at the same time. “What happened,” I asked, holding back tears. “Was it a heart attack?” 

“No,” Glory responded. “He had a short battle with cancer.” 

And, even though I think Glory mentioned that some of the safety improvements planned for Morris Bridge, the ones we reported back in our Apr. 1 issue, had either already begun or were getting ready to begin, I honestly believe I wasn’t really listening anymore. All I could think of was talking to Ken about Rich. 

“He was having trouble catching his breath and keeping his balance, but like most guys, he just tried to ignore it,” Ken told me. “He went to his doctor, who sent him to Moffitt (Cancer Center). Apparently, the cancer had started in his brain and it spread quickly throughout his body. He never got to go home.” 

He added, “The whole thing took maybe six or seven weeks, In hindsight, I guess it was a blessing that he didn’t suffer long, at least, but his only thoughts, right up until the end, were for his wife Donna.” 

Ken admitted that when he first took office, his friends would call to ask him for his help with something, but over time, the answer always seemed to be, “Just call Rich, which is what I said at his Celebration of Life.” Ken says. “After a while, my friends would just call him directly and I wouldn’t even know. He’d resolve the issue and then, when I’d see them again they’d say, ‘Thanks for taking care of that for me,’ and I’d be like, ‘Sure. Anything for you, buddy.’” 

He also said Rich championed a county statute that became a statewide internet safety bill to protect kids from sexual predators. “I got the credit for it, but Rich actually did all of the work,” Ken says. He also noted that Rich also was, “a ‘scab’ umpire during the strike-shortened 1995 Major League Baseball season, a former small business owner, an animal lover…and a true friend.” 

And, the government staffer I trusted the most. R.I.P., Rich. 

Once Again Wondering Where The Heck The Boundaries Of Wesley Chapel Really Should Be

This Neighborhood News-created map from Oct. 2023 shows the Wesley Chapel CDP boundaries.

It’s amazing how many times I hear someone talk about something that happened in “Wesley Chapel” and it turns out to actually have happened in Lutz, Land O’Lakes, Zephyrhills or New Tampa. 

For example, a recent shooting at the Total Wine on S.R. 56 was described in multiple news reports as having taken place in Wesley Chapel, even though Total Wine has a Lutz zip code. Many of the other businesses located along Sierra Center Blvd. — including Ford’s Garage, Bonefish Grill, Mellow Mushroom, BJ’s Brewhouse, Five Guys and many others located on either side of S.R. 56 west of I-75, in the Cypress Creek Town Center development — all of which have Lutz’s 33559 zip code, also are marketed as being in “The Chap.” 

Other businesses in the same area have gotten a little more creative — such as Chicken Guy (Cypress Creek), Longhorn Steakhouse (Lutz-Wesley Chapel), the Hyatt Place hotel (Tampa-Wesley Chapel) and the new Cheesecake Factory (marketed as “Tampa Premium Outlets,” see pg. 40) — but the bottom line is that most people who live in Wesley Chapel, and even those who visit from other areas, also see all of these places as located in Wesley Chapel. 

The massive Two Rivers development — all of which is located east of Morris Bridge Rd. — is being marketed as a Wesley Chapel community, even though the addresses of all of the homes in Two Rivers have a 33541 zip code, which has always been a Zephyrhills location to me. 

The new Fresh Monkee protein shake shop located south of County Line Rd. (see page 52) is being marketed as Wesley Chapel, even though it is located south of County Line Rd., in New Tampa’s 33647 zip code. Fresh Monkee has opened in the former location of Island Fin Poké Co., which also was marketed as Wesley Chapel. 

So, my question is this: Should all of these places be considered Wesley Chapel, despite where their U.S. Postal Service geography says they are located? 

One person who says “yes” is my friend Hope Kennedy, the president and CEO of the North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC). Two years ago, in October 2023, Hope discussed her fight with the former Central Pasco (now “Greater Pasco”) Chamber, when the Chamber Hope led was called the “Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber,” regarding the boundaries of Lutz vs. New Tampa. 

The Central Pasco Chamber wanted nothing with a Lutz zip code to be part of Wesley Chapel, while Hope wanted to use the U.S. Census Designated Place (CDP) known as Wesley Chapel (see map) to be the boundary. 

However, the Wesley Chapel CDP does not include communities that we direct-mail to, including Avalon Park/New River Township, Chapel Crossings, Watergrass and half of Epperson — all of which have one of the three WC zip codes — 33543, 33544 or 33545. 

In the 2020 U.S. Census, the communities located within the Wesley Chapel CDP boundary only had a combined population of 64,866 people, with 20,251 households and 15,315 families — a nearly 50% increase from the 2010 Census, when the Wesley Chapel CDP had only 44,092 people. The problem is that, as of 2020, we were already mailing to roughly 28,000 homes, apartments and businesses and an estimated 80,000+ people (according to the Post Office’s estimates of the number of people per household) in all of our postal carrier routes in zip codes 33543, 33544 & 33545. 

Those direct-mail Wesley Chapel numbers ballooned to more than 33,000 residences and businesses and 90,000+ people by Oct. 2023 and now, our count in Wesley Chapel just surpassed 42,000 residences and businesses and 112,000+ people in just the last two years — or roughly 25% total growth. Is it any wonder why there are so many more traffic accidents and fatalities on our roads now than there were even two years ago (see this issue’s cover story)? 

Hope says that her Chamber is still trying to raise enough money ($75,000) to fund an independent economic impact study and another $75,000 for a separate feasibility study to see if incorporating Wesley Chapel as its own city in Pasco County is feasible, even though many local residents oppose it because they believe it will increase their taxes. The feasibility study also could help better determine the boundaries of the “City of Wesley Chapel” — and Hope and her Board of the NTBC believe it will be feasible. 

She says, however, that it will be fine, both with her and her Board, if incorporation is shown to not be feasible, or if it’s only feasible with a huge increase in taxes, which they would not support. 

In the meantime, I’ll keep using zip codes to determine what is and isn’t located in WC. 

Tallo Caribbean/American Restaurant Adds A Deliciously Unique Weekend Brunch!

If you still haven’t tried the new Tallo American/Caribbean Restaurant at 4424 Friendly Way in Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel, my question to you is, “Why not?” 

Not only is Tallo an elegant, one-of-a-kind mom-&-pop restaurant — the kind that our readers and so many online posters say they crave — it offers Executive Chef José Soto’s Caribbean twist for dinner and now, for weekend brunch. 

We were invited to sample Tallo’s new brunch on Nov. 23 — the first weekend it was offered — and Jannah and I were super-pleased with everything we sampled. 

Our “Warmup” started with a beef-&-cheese empanada (left), which was extra-crispy and served with a creamy garlic aioli dipping sauce. Chef Soto says he will vary the “surprise” filling of the empanadas every week. Jannah also appreciated the way Tallo does its “Mamita’s Mimosas” — providing a 375-ml (or half) bottle of her favorite La Marca prosecco with your choice of two delicious juices — orange, peach, cranberry, pineapple or mango. Jannah only chose the peach (below right) and savored every sip. 

For our brunch mains, my wife picked Tallo’s omelette, which was overstuffed with arugula, green and red peppers, onions and smoked gouda cheese and served with well-seasoned breakfast potatoes. We added the side of crispy bacon shown in the bottom left photo. 

Meanwhile, I absolutely loved the super-crispy, deliciously different fried chicken & sugar waffles I ordered. The two big waffles were topped with powdered sugar and butter (although I didn’t really need either one) and served with a side of bourbon maple syrup — the syrup was a game-changer for yours truly. The fried chicken on the bone isn’t typical of other places. Instead, it has a Caribbean-spiced twist that I totally ate up! (Pun intended? Maybe!) 

The brunch menu also features avocado bruschetta; creamy smoked fish dip served with artisan toasts, fried shishito peppers and pickled red onions; and a different-each-day Puerto Rican bread I totally will be trying on our next visit. 

There also are four flatbreads on the brunch menu, including a meat & egg variety with scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, chicken, capicola ham and yellow cheddar cheese we saw someone else order — and devour. If you feel like a salad instead, there’s a Caribbean mixed green salad with fried sweet plantains, red onions, tomatoes, fried cheese, Duroc bacon and a lime dressing; as well as a burrata caprese, which adds peaches to the usual tomatoes, basil and balsamic glaze. 

Other brunch entrées and handhelds include a Tallo Cuban sandwich, a chimi burger, two Benedicts — one featuring baked salmon and the other with pork belly, both on a bagel with arugula, tomato and herbed Hollandaise, and served with those yummy breakfast potatoes. 

There’s also French toast with citrus cream, maple syrup, mint and fresh berries; a “Great America” option with two eggs, bacon, sausage, fried sweet plantains and an English muffin; skirt steak a Caballo (with a sunny-side-up egg on top, chimichurri sauce and mamposteao rice); a four-stack of pancakes (bananas Foster, pecan or plain); and the Mallorca — scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, white cheddar and powdered sugar. 

And, there are actually two desserts on the “Warmup” menu — a dulce de leche cinnamon roll with roasted pecans, and the P.R. donuts shown above, covered in sugar & cinnamon, chocolate sauce & caramel. Oh so decadent! 

I’ve written before about Tallo’s amazing dinner options, but if you’re looking for a truly unique and beautiful brunch place with a full premium liquor bar, call (813) 355-3603 or visit TalloRestaurant.com for reservations and go check it out this weekend! Also, see the ad (below) on this page! — GN 

Did You Wobble?

More than 1,400 runners — a 40% increase over last year — participated in the annual BayCare Wobble Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, with Steinbrenner High runner and Lutz resident Luca Martin finishing first in a personal best time of 15:37:32 (or just about 5:02 per mile!). The first overall female finisher was Tampa’s Amira Johnson, who also competed in the age 15-19 division. Amira crossed the finish line in 19:00:37, or 6:08 per mile. For the full results of the BayCare wobble, visit runsignup.com and search “BayCare Wobble.”

Hueland Pond Blvd. Extension, To Be Called Maggie Hill Blvd., To Begin Building

(Above, left & right) The Hueland Pond Blvd. extension, which will be called Maggie Hill Blvd., is shown in the maps of two new planned communities in Wiregrass Ranch. (Map source: Pasco County)

The Wiregrass Ranch area north of S.R. 56 is about to get another major connector road — with construction anticipated to start very soon. 

Since it was first built in 2016, Hueland Pond Blvd. (see maps) has ended at a large T-intersection with S.R. 56. That will soon change, as the Wiregrass Ranch development submitted final engineering plans with Pasco County on Oct. 14 to extend Hueland Pond Blvd. further to the north by about a mile, past S.R. 56 and through the cow fields, intersecting with another recently extended corridor — the east-west Chancey Rd. 

The new Hueland Pond Blvd. extension will be known as Maggie Hill Blvd and will connect and align exactly where the new back gate for the 55+ community of Esplanade at Wiregrass Ranch is located. 

The extension of Hueland Pond Blvd. is being designed to serve a couple of upcoming communities and will be a 4-lane divided roadway with 10’-wide sidewalks on both sides, making it very pedestrian-friendly. 

Flanked by the 76 gas station on the east side and Florida Cancer Specialists on the west, the intersection of Hueland Pond Blvd. with S.R. 56 will become yet another major roadway for Wiregrass Ranch, as development continues around it. 

These road improvements were approved nearly 20 years ago under the original Wiregrass Ranch Master-Planned Unit Development (MPUD) plan, and since that time, Maggie Hill Blvd. always been shown on the master development map as a critical future road, being placed in a sweeping ‘S-shape,’ almost exactly where the old cattle ranch service path (above photo) exists today. 

Per the development agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation (or FDOT), Wiregrass Ranch will be responsible to construct a traffic signal on S.R. 56 once traffic volumes at the intersection warrant one. The intersection will eventually feature dual left turn lanes in each direction. 

All of this will probably come sooner rather than later, because plans have also been submitted for two new communities (pictured in the two maps) to be constructed on the north side of S.R. 56, both taking advantage of the upcoming extension of Hueland Pond/Maggie Hill Blvd. 

The first one will be a 225 single-family-home community with access directly off of Maggie Hill Blvd, and the other one will feature 111 single-family homes with access off of Chancey Rd. — both on the west side of the proposed Hueland Pond/Maggie Hill extension. 

Unfortunately, no builder info has been announced yet, nor do either of the planned communities yet have a name, but preliminary plans have been submitted that are being reviewed by Pasco County. 

This photo (above) is looking south from Chancey Road across the cow fields toward S.R. 56, at the point of future connection of Hueland Pond/Maggie Hill Blvd.