Mike Moore Running On His Record

If you’re looking for a reason to vote for Mike Moore, he can give you many.

But, where he starts is pretty simple – his last campaign.

When the Seven Oaks resident first ran for the then-open District 2 seat on the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) in 2014, he promised that he would 1) fight for increased funding for law enforcement to keep citizens and schools safe and secure, 2) he would promote industry and jobs, and 3) he would focus on transportation.

“We’ve accomplished all those things,” he says, proudly.

Moore, a Republican who is looking to retain his seat against Democrat Kelly Smith in the General Election on Tuesday, November 6, has represented almost all of Wesley Chapel on the BCC during its most tumultuous and expansive time. The area has continued to transform itself since he was elected, and he said he is proud of his role in promoting the things that he says make Wesley Chapel a desirable place to live, work and play.

“Before I ran for office, I was just like anyone else — a small business owner who lived in the community, raising a family,” says Moore, who lives in Seven Oaks with his wife Lauren and their three children. “I think a few of the things that were important to me were important to the citizens, and continue to be important to the citizens in 2018.”

Active in the community – he still coaches flag football at the Wesley Chapel District Park (WCDP) and rarely misses a public event or ribbon cutting in our area —Moore said what has made his tenure on the BCC an effective one is listening.

He has supported small projects, like helping local cricket enthusiasts find a place to play or pushing for traffic signals in neighborhoods, to big projects like the “connected city” project that has led to the country’s first-ever Crystal Lagoons® amenity in Epperson, or the Wiregrass Sports Complex that is currently under construction.

“There’s nothing too big or too small,” Moore says. “We’re a very diverse community. What’s important to one person may not be to the next person, but they’re all important issues.”

Topping the list, according to Moore, is public safety, and he stands by his — and the current commission’s — record of supporting first-responder needs in Pasco County.

“Public safety is definitely number one,” Moore says. “People want to be safe and secure.”

To fulfill that need, the Pasco County BCC last month approved a Fiscal Year 2019 budget that allocates 25.7 percent of total expenditures to public safety. That amounts to $232,689,204 out of $905,109,906 in total expenditures, making public safety the single largest expenditure in the FY 2019 budget.

Last October, Moore was endorsed by Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco.

Born in St. Petersburg, Moore grew up in Winter Haven before graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio & Television from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. He started a homecare agency that provided home healthcare to seniors and the disabled in 2004, before selling it in 2011, and he owned a business brokerage and mergers and acquisition firm before selling that in 2015.

It was his time as a small business owner that Moore says began to spark his interest in politics. “When I was doing that, I realized how much government affected our day-to-day lives,” Moore says, referring to regulations he says can suffocate small business owners. “When I started having children, you really realize how much government affects your everyday life.”

Moore became more engaged with the local community, he says, supporting candidates and volunteering for campaigns, most notably for Republican Will Weatherford, the former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.

“My interest in politics was gradual, but you don’t just jump in because, ‘Hey, I want to run for office,’” Moore says. “There has to be a message, a thought that you can make a difference. Then, you need to get involved in the community, and truly spend time there so you can understand the issues and what you can do to make things better before you can run.”

And, Moore says he did just that, building relationships and listening to fellow members at the former Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (now the North Tampa Bay Chamber) and Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel, and being active in the community. He won his first election in 2014 with 58.9 percent of the vote.

“I got a lot of support in Wesley Chapel (where he received 55 percent of votes cast),” Moore says. “I was grateful for that.”

Moore cites a number of projects that the county has undergone since he’s been on the BCC — a blight ordinance, which has helped clean up Pasco County; a host of flooding issues on the west coast; the whirlwind growth in Wesley Chapel; and a number of traffic issues (like the widening of S.R. 56, the diverging diamond interchange at the S.R. 56 exit off I-75 and the proposed I-75 interchange at Overpass Rd.) – and his stalwart stance that Mansfield Blvd. in Meadow Pointe II should not be connected to Kinnan St. in New Tampa.

Moore, who has to make decisions that affect all of Pasco County, not just Wesley Chapel, thinks his resume the last four years fulfills what he promised to voters. And, he says those who decide to vote for him again can expect more of the same.

“I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished the last four years,” Moore says. “I think I’ve done a great job of listening to citizens. In fact, a lot of the things I bring to (the BCC) come from the citizens. I think we’ve accomplished a lot.”

He says the most challenging part of his job is finding a balance between being a commissioner and his family, which can be difficult with all the events and meetings Moore attends.

He still manages to get his family away for vacations, often camping and fishing trips, in the family’s motor home. His daughter’s horse shows and competitions keep him busy, as does coaching flag football.

When it’s time for work, though, he operates on a simple premise.

“In the end, you have to make decisions that you feel are best for everyone,” Moore says. “Do what you think will be best as a whole, now and 20 years down the road.”

 

 

Pebble Creek’s Karen Perez Is Running For Hillsborough School Board Dist. 6

The difference that a good learning environment can make to a child is a lesson Karen Perez says she learned when her family moved to Tampa from Brooklyn, NY, so she could attend a safer high school (King High, on N. 56th St. in Tampa).

As one of two candidates in the run-off for the Hillsborough County School Board District 6 county-wide race, the Pebble Creek resident, who has been endorsed by previous HCSB District 6 seat holder April Griffin, says that ensuring today’s students have that same opportunity to get a good education without distractions, such as school violence, is what she wants to achieve as a School Board member.

“I was able to go to high school here in Tampa and I was able to focus on my education and not have to worry about the crime. What is ironic is, what I experienced at 16 in New York, is now something that students nationwide are experiencing.”

What also has changed, according to Perez, is the nature of some problems, like bullying, that have been around for decades, but which have taken on new meaning in the Digital Age, where rumors and gossip can spread far and wide very quickly.

“Before, it was between you and the bully,” Perez says. “But now, because of social media, it’s cyberbullying.”

Perez adds that signs of the need for mental health support in schools include that fact that more and younger children are committing suicide, rather than dealing with the challenges that life presents to them.

“The mental health piece in these children’s lives is at a critical point,” she says. “We need to address this with our children.”

Perez has insight to issues related to mental health. She followed up her graduation from King High by earning her Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) degrees from the University of South Florida and building her private Tampa practice, the Embracing Changes Center for Mental Wellness.

She also is a primary social worker at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital.

Perez says her 17 years of experience as a mental health professional will bring a new and much-needed perspective to the School Board, which is responsible for ensuring the success and safety of more than 200,000 students in 250-plus schools in the eighth-largest school district in the U.S., while dealing with issues ranging from broken air conditioners to finding enough bus drivers.

“When you have an education board that has members on it with the same mindset, everybody’s looking through the same lens and everybody’s coming toward a problem with the same tools, everybody’s going to come up with the same conclusion,” Perez says. “When you have someone that’s thinking outside the box…you get a different viewpoint.”

Another way Perez, who unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the School Board in 2006, wants to bring diverse perspectives to the school district’s operations and possibly stretch resources, is by working with people and businesses who want to be involved in helping to educate the community’s children.

“There is so much collaboration we could be doing,” says Perez, who has lived in New Tampa for 18 years and has raised two daughters and a son, all of whom are now either working in or pursuing professions of their own.

After nearly two decades living in the local community, Perez has become known to her neighbors, like Ann Green, who says Perez is accessible and committed to supporting others in achieving their goals.

“Karen is a great listener,” Green says. “Her ears and heart are always turning to help people and when she says she’s willing to do something, she’ll do it no matter what.”

Opposing Perez in the General Election on Tuesday is Henry “Shake” Washington, a retired Hillsborough School District educator who touts his 42 years of experience with the school district.

Washington began his career with the district as an instructional assistant and came up through the system to work as a teacher, principal and area superintendent for Hillsborough County schools.

Among the positions Washington’s campaign promotes on its website (ShakeforSchoolBoard.com) are strong oversight and accountability of the School District’s finances and putting more emphasis on learning skills and course content in the classroom, instead of standardized test preparation. The District 6 at-large seat is currently held by April Griffin, who decided not to run for reelection. Griffin has endorsed Perez to succeed her.

Perez ran for State House in 2006, winning her primary with 62 percent of the vote before falling in the General election to Ed Homan.

 

New Tampa Players Fall Production Follows a Road Map to the Soul

The New Tampa Players’ fall production of “Violet” takes a mid-20th Century bus ride through the American southland, stopping at cheap hotels and honky tonks and gaining personal and social awareness along the way.

Based on author Doris Betts’ short story, “The Ugliest Pilgrim,” “Violet” examines themes of religious faith, pursuit of freedom and acceptance of oneself and others for who they are.

Principal performances in NTP’s production of “Violet” include Bri Filippelli in the title role of 26-year old Violet, who is introduced in the play as a teenager, portrayed by Olivia Carr. Violet’s father is portrayed by Matthew Melenas.

The younger Violet suffers a disfiguring facial injury in a wood-chopping accident that sets the play’s narrative in motion and its cast and audience on a trip back to 1964 America — with the music oscillating between blues and bluegrass. G. Frank Meekins is the music director.

Violet starts out from her home in the mountains of North Carolina with Tulsa, OK as her destination, where she’s counting on a renowned TV faith healer (played by Ryan Farnworth) to dissipate the physical scars she’s incurred. On the bus ride she becomes friends with two young soldiers, one black and one white, who provide reasons for the story to delve into the hot topics of that time: civil rights and the Vietnam War. Kyle Billington and Cody Carlson portray the two conscripts, Flick and Monty, respectively.

Community theatres like NTP offer an opportunity to see local productions of award-winning works like “Violet,” which had its 1997 premiere Off-Broadway and won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Best Musical award. A revised, Broadway production received several Tony Awards nominations in 2014, including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Direction of a Musical.

“Violet” is NTP’s Volunteers Choice show for the 2018-19 season. That annual selection is made by the community theatre’s volunteers, who accumulate the number of votes they get to cast by the number of hours spent volunteering for NTP.

This year’s production is co-directed by Frank Stinehour and Nora Paine, who also is NTP’s president. Paine says that there is plenty to consider and enjoy from attending one of the performances.

“It’s a very beautiful show with a very important message,” Paine says. “It addresses many things that a lot of people face personally, in a very creative manner.”

Performances of “Violet” will be performed at the University Area Community Center (14013 N. 22nd St., just south of Bearss Ave.), which is NTP’s home stage, the weekends of Oct. 19-21 and 26-28.

The curtain rises at 8 p.m. for Friday and Saturday evening performances and 2 p.m. for Saturday and Sunday matinees. NOTE: On Saturday, Oct. 20, the matinee of “Violet” will begin at 2:30 p.m.

For more information, call (813) 644-8285 or visit NewTampaPlayers.org, where you also can purchase tickets for $25. There is a $2 discount for students, seniors and military members, and a $5 per ticket discount for groups of 10 or more.

Dem. Kelly Smith To Take On Mike Moore For County Commission In November

Kelly Smith 

For Kelly Smith, running as the Democratic Party’s candidate for the District 2 seat on the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners is more about civic duty than personal achievement.

“I really am coming at this from a public service standpoint. I never imagined I would run for office,” says Smith, who has lived in Wesley Chapel for 10 years and will oppose Republican incumbent and fellow Wesley Chapel resident Mike Moore in this year’s general election on Tuesday, November 6.

Neither candidate will face a primary opponent. In addition to partisan primaries for local, state and national offices, the primary election, which also included the only elections for Pasco School Board and several judges, were held on August 28.

Smith says that watching District 2’s boundaries evolve from relatively pastoral to thoroughly suburban provided her with the motivation to enter politics. She says her goal is to ensure that Pasco voters have distinct options as to who will best help manage the area’s growth.

“We need to bring change to our community and really be looking at how we can serve our community the best,” Smith says.

The foot-shaped Dist. 2 extends from the Hillsborough County line to north of S.R. 52, with its western border between U.S. 41 and the Suncoast Pkwy., and extending all the way to U.S. 301/Gall Blvd. at its easternmost edge in Zephyrhills.

Smith says she believes that the current lineup of Pasco commissioners has fallen short in meeting residents’ needs.

“Without a doubt, (they’re) not planning for the infrastructure and the service needs that go along with the growth we’re experiencing,” Smith says.

She says that growth is coming at a cost, and usually one that prospective homeowners can’t afford. She believes that future development needs to include a wider variety of affordbale housing for residents.

“One of the big components that’s missing in Pasco County is a better variety of dwelling types and a better variety of (housing) price points,” Smith says.

Smith also says she wants to attract more skilled jobs to the area’s economy, which already has a lot of customer service positions. Pasco County government can encourage wage growth in the private sector, she says, by setting an example and adopting a minimum salary of $15 an hour for full-time positions.

“Currently, 24 percent of full-time employees (who work for Pasco County) make less than $15 an hour,” she says. “As the second largest employer in Pasco County, that would certainly set a standard that hopefully the rest of the community would follow.”

Smith says her more than 20 years of professional experience provides an informed background from which to draw on when it comes to addressing quality-of-life issues like congestion. Her resume includes positions in engineering operations (including data analysis and contract administration) for site development and transportation projects in the private sector and serving as a zoning administrator for the City of Marco Island, near Naples, FL.

She also has been a coordinator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the City of Naples and Collier County. Smith earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Liberal Arts (with minors in Computer Science, School Health Education and Special Education) from Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven.

“I really do think that my experience has put me in exactly the right position to be a county commissioner,” says Smith.

In addition to her professional work experience, Smith volunteers on behalf of young people, advocating for kids going through the legal system with the Florida Guardian ad Litem program and as a photographer with Heart Gallery of Pinellas & Pasco, a nonprofit organization that promotes the adoption of children in foster care.

“I have always looked at how my actions can have a positive consequence outside of me,” says Smith, who lives in Meadow Pointe with her husband Patrick and their three adopted teenage children: Macy, Andrew and Carter.

Running as a Democratic against a popular Republican opponent in a county where President Trump won 58 percent of the vote in 2016 might seem to be a formidable task, but Smith says she’s up to it.

“I really do think I have a chance,” she says, adding that she gets a good response from people, including Republicans, when she canvases neighborhoods. “Local government is not so partisan. It’s about what’s best for your community.”

Visit KellySmithforPasco.com or “Kelly Smith for Pasco County Commissioner” on Facebook to find out more.

Cabana Spas Offers A Plethora Of Services To Help Leave Your Worries Behind

Clients take part in a group workout in the FitBomb infrared sauna at Cabana Spas.

When chaos and stress are running up the score in the game of life, Cabana Spas offers a place where you can call a personal “time out”.

Originally opened two years ago in Wesley Chapel’s Seven Oaks Plaza on S.R. 56, Cabana Spas has expanded to two other locations: one in the Carrollwood/Lutz area, and the other in the downtown Tampa Channel District.

Cabana Spas promotes itself as a place to, “Relax, Refresh & Renew.”

“Every one of our services fulfills at least one of those categories,” says Glen Harrod, who co-owns Cabana Spas with his wife, Jill.

Services available at Cabana Spas include hydro-massage, oxygen therapy, facial LED therapy, an infrared sauna large enough for multiple people, teeth whitening and more.

The rejuvenation begins as soon as you step through the door as you leave behind the hustle and bustle of today’s busy world and the responsibilities and pressures that go with it.

MacKenzie Carr, area manager of Cabana Spas’ parent company — which is called “Glill,” a combination of Glen and Jill’s names — says the growing business has a “New Age” atmosphere that looks to transport you from business to pleasure.

“The energy of the store is relaxing,” Carr says. “You’re not really walking into a business; (it’s more like) you’re walking into our home.”

Cabana Spas’ concierge service can also be called “hospitable pampering.”

“We want to make sure our clients are taken care of and we give them the royal treatment” says Carr, who explains that first-time customers begin their Cabana Spa experience with a conversation about what they want to achieve. “We’re going to sit down with a client and have a consultation with them and ask, ‘Do you want to relax, do you want to refresh, or do you want to renew?,’” she says.

A Unique Variety Of Services
Options are selected from Cabana Spa’s menu of services and treatments, based upon each clients’ desired outcomes, such as relieving muscle tension, improving skin conditions and even weight loss.

“We’re big on making our customers feel good about themselves internally and externally,” says Carr. “We have a lot of services that take care of the skin and (also have services) that make you feel good on the inside.”

Services are provided in a self-directed manner, meaning clients generally apply treatments — including teeth whitening and facial masks — themselves after receiving instructions from a Cabana Spas team member, who will also make sure you have all of the information you need before you try any of the relaxing and refreshing therapies.

Here are a few popular services offered by Cabana Spas:

The Oxygen Bar (above left) at Cabana Spas on S.R. 56 has a number of different flavors to offer, while the Hydration Station (right) mists the body with steam, which can include ingredients such as an aloe-based moisturizer. (Photos: Gavin Olsen)

Hydro Massage: There are many different ways to deliver a hydro massage, which has long been considered a natural remedy for a number of maladies.

At Cabana Spas, this choice offers a deep-tissue stimulation delivered via a table with a mattress-like top that transmits energy from pulsating jets of water to a client’s body.

FitBomb: The Fit Bomb Infrared Sauna can be a solo excursion, or 2-3 people can relax or even enjoy a workout together.

Getting the benefits of a dry sauna has typically meant enduring not only heat, but the tedium of inactivity during a sweat session. That is not the case with the FitBomb.

It is cozy in size, but is configured so customers can use their session to do some resistance training with built-in D-ring fixtures, or merely just to relax by watching videos on a monitor inside the FitBomb.

Facial LED Therapy: While Cabana Spas doesn’t offer indoor tanning (although that is available nearby, at Glen and Jill’s South Beach Tanning Company location on Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in the Super Target-anchored Northwood Plaza), it does harness the reputed cosmetic power of light in the forms of facial LED therapy.

Using the intense illumination from different colored lights as treatment, Wesley Chapel store manager Olivia Fleshman says each of the seven different colors of LED light used have specific benefits.

“Blue light is going to kill bacteria, so it’s really good for acne-prone skin,’’ she says. “Red light is going to help with scarring and fine lines or wrinkles and the green light is really good for oily or sensitive skin and blackheads. The yellow light has a relaxing effect and it’s really good for soothing a sunburnt face.”

Hydration Station: Another popular service with Cabana Spas’ clients, the hydration station, is an open-ended capsule that mists the body with steam, which can include ingredients such as an aloe-based moisturizer.

“It’s like a steam bath from the neck down and is really good for hydrating the skin,” says Fleshman.
Oxygen Bar: A session at Cabana Spas can be breathtaking, so for clients who want to top off their lungs with some flavored oxygen, the members-only Cabana Room features an Oxygen Bar.

Customers partake of the life-giving gas through disposable “nose-hose” masks, that allow you to drink beverages such as coffee or water, and have conversations.

Carr says the atmosphere often becomes festive and has generated the idea of a Cabana Bash, whereby customers can rent out the facility to have a private oxygen party for a few hours.

The Oxygen Bar is popular with clients who gather in the Cabana Room to inhale the fragrances and often bond over the experience, perhaps comparing the merits of berry over mint and otherwise getting acquainted.

Oxygen bars are a popular feature at “high-end Las Vegas casinos,” Carr says.

Satisfied Customers

The Harrods often partner with other Wesley Chapel businesses to promote their shopping center oasis, and that’s how Astrid Jean-Paul discovered it.

Astrid is a busy executive who runs the J&M Consulting Firm in New Tampa. She says she earned a free visit at a local networking event, got hooked and is now a loyal customer of Cabana Spas.

“I made an appointment not knowing what to expect, thinking deep tissue massage, hot rocks, etc.,” says Jean-Paul. “But, I entered another world of innovation, technology, deep muscle detoxification, and so many more surprises. I now continuously invite my dear friends and family to experience this phenomenon of alternative health and beauty.”

Cabana Spas’ services are available as individual sessions or as part of a monthly membership.

Jill says the goal is to offer flexible access to meet the lifestyle needs of as many people as possible, whether they have 30 minutes or three hours available to indulge themselves.

“We’re affordable to your budget and also convenient because some people just want to run in on their lunch hour for one service or enjoy the oxygen bar,” she says.

And, no appointments are ever needed.

The Harrods are true lifestyle entrepreneurs, as they also operate three South Beach Tanning Company franchises (including the aforementioned one in Wesley Chapel) and a LaVida Massage franchise in Carrollwood.

While they take pride in serving the unique needs of the clients at all of their businesses, Cabana Spas occupies a special place in the Harrods’ entrepreneurial hearts.

“With Cabana Spas, there’s nobody else doing this,” says Glen. “It’s building a brand based upon personal services at a great value. Our memberships cost less than you would typically spend on one service at a resort-style spa. Cabana Spas is truly our own unique brand.”

The Wesley Chapel Cabana Spas is located at 27607 SR 56. It is open Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., 9 a.m.-7 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call (813) 991-4433, visit CabanaSpas.com or search “Cabana Spas-Wesley Chapel” on Facebook