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.”
Taylor Gardner Gutters owner Taylor Gardner is proud of his new location in Dade City, but he and his crew (photos below) are still installing and repairing gutters at homes and businesses in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa, too. (Photo by Charmaine George)
Although Gardner Gutters had been serving the Tampa Bay area since Ed Gardner established it as a small business in Lutz in 2000, Ed’s son Taylor has grown the business immensely since taking it over in 2020 and renaming it Taylor Gardner Gutters.
It’s grown so much, in fact, that the business outgrew its previous location in Land O’Lakes and recently moved to four acres in Dade City.
“We have 15 vehicles on the road every day,” Taylor says. “Our front two acres are filled with trucks, trailers and an employee parking area. It’s more space than we need right now, but I know we’ll end up growing into it.”
Taylor Gardner Gutters installs and repairs gutters, soffits and facias, and also offers gutter cleaning, which keeps the gutters on your home or business working properly and in good repair.
Taylor says that adding gutters is the least expensive thing you can do to protect the value of your home, ensuring that Florida’s famous summer downpours don’t destroy its foundation or even its aesthetic upgrades.
“Protecting the foundation of your home is the main purpose of gutters,” he says, “but they also protect your paint and will help your grass and sod last longer, too. Gutters protect anything on the outside of your house to help it stay in great shape for as long as possible.”
Without gutters, Taylor says water is much more likely to settle at the base of your home’s foundation. With that saturation, the water can cause erosion to the side of the home, leading to cracks in the stucco and window ledges and forming unsightly trenches. Water under the home also can cause wood floors in the home to pucker or pop.
Taylor first joined the business to help his father after serving in the Marines for nine years, including a tour of duty in Iraq. He used his experience and his Business Administration degree from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA, to start a different career, but came home when his dad needed his help after receiving a cancer diagnosis.
Taylor took over the business when Ed passed away, and Taylor’s older brother, Brandon, who had decades of experience working with their dad, led installations. Unfortunately, Brandon was then diagnosed with cancer as well and passed away just eight months later.
So now, Taylor continues the legacies of his dad and older brother, running the business in a way that would make them both proud.
Photo provided by Taylor Gardner
“Our installers are great, and we have several who have been with the company more than 15 years,” Taylor explains. “They know exactly what they’re doing.”
That’s important to Taylor because his company offers a lifetime warranty on its installations. He says this is what sets Taylor Gardner Gutters apart from its competitors.
Company policy is that any customer who experiences a warranty issue will have the problem inspected within 48 hours and fixed as soon as possible — no matter how many years it’s been since the gutters were originally installed.
“One of reasons we’ve been successful in this business is because we always answer the phone, especially if there’s a problem after installation,” Taylor explains.
He contrasts that with many of his competitors, who are often just one-person companies doing as many jobs as they can, without employees to keep up with other things, such as going back and fixing something if it isn’t right.
“My focus from the beginning has been to really hit customer service as our number one priority,” Taylor says. “We give people what they ask for at a very reasonable price.”
Taylor says some of his customers have been coming back to the company for two decades, since his dad first started the business.
The company’s lifetime no-leak guarantee is a another unique way Taylor builds those lifelong relationships.
“All gutters will leak eventually,” he says. “Mine won’t leak for at least 10 years, but if they do and you still live in that house, call us and we’ll fix it.”
He has one team that is dedicated to only doing repair work, even if it’s not a job originally done by Taylor Gardner Gutters. The repair team also handles any warranty calls that come in.
“After the hurricanes last year, that team was very busy,” Taylor says, with homes that had a gutter or piece of soffit that came down. “Nine times out of ten, it’s not something we did wrong — sometimes it’s because a customer has done no maintenance — but as a courtesy we still take care of the problem. They then tell their neighbors how much they love us and how good we are, and that’s really good for our business.”
It’s also good for his business that there is such a construction boom in our area. Taylor Gardner Gutters also works with several homebuilders to install gutters on newly built homes, including many of the new neighborhoods in Wesley Chapel, such as The Ridge, Winding Ridge, Valencia Ridge and all David Weekley Homes throughout the area.
Photo provided by Taylor Gardner
Those builders are growing in other areas, too, such as further north in and around Brooksville. And, Taylor says his business is expanding into Lakeland, which he describes as “even crazier in construction than Wesley Chapel.”
In addition to helping homeowners, the company installs, repairs and cleans gutters on commercial building for business owners.
Taylor Gardner Gutters just did its largest job ever, replacing gutters at the CENTCOM building at MacDill Air Force Base.
“It was a huge job on a seven-story building that took us four weeks,” Taylor says.
Taylor Gardner Gutters has 200+ reviews on Google, with an average rating of 4.8 stars out of 5. Recently, Scott Hutchison said the company’s crew “arrived on time and did a fantastic, professional, careful, and respectful job of adding new gutters to my two-story metal roof.”
Scott added that he highly recommends Taylor Gardner Gutters, writing, “[The] house looks great! No more water pooling up near my foundation.”
Taylor Gardner Gutters is now located at 10301 U.S. Hwy. 301 in Dade City and serves homeowners in Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, Polk and Citrus counties, including New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. For more info, visit TaylorGardnerGutters.com or call or text (813) 515-0844.
School letter grades in Wesley Chapel are up overall this year, according to a report released by the Florida Department of Education in July.
Four of Wesley Chapel’s nine elementary schools improved by a letter grade, including Sand Pine, which moved from a “B” to an “A.”
“We are thrilled,” says Sand Pine principal Angie Shauger. “For me, this A grade is more than a letter. It’s a celebration of what’s possible when a school unites around a shared mission to do what’s best for our students. I could not be prouder of our students, staff, and school community that has led us here.”
The other three elementary schools that improved their letter grades from the 2023-24 school year to 2024-25 are Double Branch, Quail Hollow and Veterans, all of which moved from a “C” to a “B.”
At Quail Hollow, both principal Norman Graham and assistant principal Nicole Sciarratta joined the school for the 2023-24 school year, and they agree that it’s rare for a school to have a complete turnover of the administrative team all at once. Last year, they say they experienced “typical growing pains,” while this year they were able to establish new expectations and increase the staff’s focus on student achievement.
“Our teachers focused on setting specific goals with every student in reading and math, so they were able to help students make growth in very specific areas,” says Sciarratta. “We saw tremendous growth in proficiency and learning gains this year, and we were just one point from an A.”
All of the elementary schools that improved their grades were quick to express their pride in their school and the importance of hard work by both teachers and students, and the support of parents and the community.
“I am super proud of our community pulling together,” says principal Lisa Grimsley at Double Branch Elementary. “Not just the teachers, but our fantastic PTA and even our PLACE [after-school program] staff, where they have time for homework and support our academic needs.”
While the principals are pleased with the higher grades, they are keeping an eye toward further growth.
“As we look ahead to the new school year, we are energized and committed to reaching an A,” says Melissa Bidgood, the principal at Veterans Elementary, who says this year’s success “stems from a laser-sharp focus on data, identifying areas of need, and closely monitoring student growth.”
Seven Oaks Elementary maintained its A, while Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass elementaries maintained their Bs.
Two Wesley Chapel elementary schools dropped a letter grade, including Watergrass, which fell from a B to a C, and New River, which dropped from a C to a D. Neither New River principal Kelly Wisneski nor Watergrass principal Andrea Altman were reached for comments about their school’s respective grades.
Meanwhile, the new Kirkland Ranch K-8 school received an A as its first ever letter grade.
All of Wesley Chapel’s other K-8 and middle schools maintained their previous letter grades, including As for John Long, Pinecrest Academy, and Union Park Charter Academy, while Cypress Creek, Innovation Prep and Weightman middle schools all earned Bs.
At the high school level, Cypress Creek High earned its first-ever A after earning consistent B ratings since it opened for the 2017-18 school year.
Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation and Wiregrass Ranch High both maintained their As from the previous year, and Pinecrest Academy’s high school showed the largest increase of any Wesley Chapel school, as it moved from a C last year (its first year receiving a grade) to an A this year.
Even high-achieving schools recognize that boiling so many measurements into just one letter can be problematic, and may not represent all of the complexities of an entire school and all of the students within it. The letter grades take into account various measurements to represent student achievement, learning gains, graduation, acceleration success, and maintaining a focus on students who need the most support.
Quail Hollow’s Graham expresses it this way. “At the end of the day, we want each one of our kids to be successful,” he says. “We want to look at each student as an individual and help them get what they need.”
New Tampa’s Hillsborough County public schools continue to earn impressive grades from the Florida Department of Education, which released its 2024-25 School Grades Report earlier this month.
All but one of New Tampa’s elementary and middle schools earned an “A” grade, with Tampa Palms earning a “B” for the second year in a row, after many years of consistent A ratings.
Two New Tampa schools improved from a B to an A. Heritage Elementary earned an A after dipping to a B in 2023- 24. Turner Bartels K-8 earned an A after several years of earning Bs.
“We are so proud of everyone’s hard work,” says Heritage Elementary principal Mary Booth. “It’s a true team effort from teachers and staff, plus our students work so hard and our families are supportive.”
The six schools that maintained their A status include Chiles, Clark, Hunter’s Green and Pride elementary schools and both Benito and Liberty middle schools.
Both of New Tampa’s high schools again earned a “C” grade, as both schools have consistently, going back to 2016.
“But, we’re making growth,” says Taryn Anello, the principal at Wharton High. “Across the board, we’ve made gains in every category, and we’re on an upward trend. We’ve improved 22 points over last year.”
She says she hates for teachers, students and families to feel disheartened because the school’s grade did not improve to a B, when the students, teachers and staff are all working so hard to make gains that they hope will show up in the school’s rating.
“With the storms and the chaotic year we had, sometimes it’s a heavy lift to maintain that focus,” Anello says. “It wasn’t just the adults who went through those hardships, but our kids went through that, too.”
Even those schools that earn an A recognize that boiling so many measurements into just one letter can be problematic, and may not be representative of all of the complexities of an entire school and all of the students within it. The letter grades take into account various measurements to represent student achievement, learning gains, graduation, acceleration success and maintaining a focus on students who need the most support.
For example, Heritage lost just a slight percentage in 2023-24 and dipped an entire letter grade. “It depends on the students in front of you and their needs,” explains Booth. “We look at student learning gains, for example, but sometimes the tests don’t accurately measure the gains we’ve seen.”
Hillsborough County received an overall B grade from the state, which Hillsborough Superintendent of Schools Van Ayres said in an email to families was only one percentage point away from an overall A rating for the District.
“These achievements are a result not only of the hard work of our students, teachers, support professionals and school administrators, but also of our laser-like focus on high-quality core instruction in every classroom and intentional progress monitoring to drive these impressive results,” Superintendent Ayres said in a media release.
Attorney Denise Welter of the Welter Law Office in the Cypress Glen Professional Park wants to be the attorney you turn to when you need any type of estate planning. (Photos by Charmaine George)
When Shari and Bill Daniel had small children more than two decades ago, they realized immediately that they needed a plan in case something ever happened to them.
A friend highly recommended attorney Denise A. Welter, Esq., who was practicing estate law in South Florida, so they reached out.
“She is so easy to work with,” Shari says. “It gives me such peace of mind knowing we have every legal document we need. I have this overwhelming sense of calm that my kids won’t have to worry.”
Even though Shari’s children are now grown and have never yet had to reach for that paperwork, Shari has referred a stream of relatives and friends to Denise, who prepared them for many scenarios that can happen — from incapacity to illness to, of course, death.
“Denise helped my mother before she got sick,” Shari says. “The only non-stressful part of her illness was knowing I had everything I needed at my fingertips. I had medical power of attorney, so I could make the decisions I needed to make. Her wishes were very clear and I could follow them to a ‘T,’ thanks to Denise’s amazing planning.”
Shari says that many people think all they need is a will, but Denise showed her that there are many other options to consider. Denise provides a comprehensive binder for her clients, encouraging them to document family values, funeral preferences and account passwords.
“Just to pay my mom’s water bill, I had to have a durable power of attorney,” Shari says. “But, all I had to do was open the folder and it was there.”
When Denise’s husband of more than four decades retired, the couple moved from South Florida to New Tampa.
Two years ago, Denise opened her Welter Law Office in the Cypress Glen Professional Park, just east of I-75 and north of S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel, where she helps families with estate planning, wills, trusts, probate and advanced health care directives.
In addition to her legal expertise and making it easy for families to organize important legal documents, Shari says the best thing about working with Denise is her compassion.
“Doing this type of paperwork is very emotional,” Shari says. “[Denise] has empathy beyond her legal experience and really understands the emotional aspects of the process.”
Denise had been a legal secretary for 17 years when she was let go from her position, a turning point she describes as the “best worst thing that ever happened to me.”
As a busy mom of two young boys, she then made the decision to pursue a law degree.
Over the next five years, she obtained both her Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree, majoring in Legal Studies, and her Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree, both from Nova Southeastern University, which is based in Ft. Lauderdale.
A member of the Florida Bar since 2002, Denise passed the examination on her first try. After assisting in another firm’s real estate department, she found her calling in estate planning and probate.
“I found my niche, and I’ve been doing it ever since,” she says.
Denise goes over an estate plan with a client.
Emphasizing the importance of wills and trusts, Denise highlights the role of these important legal documents in providing directions to the courts regarding asset distribution.
When someone passes away with assets solely in their name and without a designated beneficiary, their estate has to go through the probate court process before their assets can reach their heirs. In order to bypass probate, Denise advises her clients of the benefits of trust planning, which transfers assets into a trust, creating a separate legal entity that holds and manages them, ensuring a smooth transition to the deceased’s beneficiaries.
“With a trust, because you technically don’t own the assets at your death — the trust owns them — so nothing has to go through the probate process,” she explains. “Most people do trusts to avoid probate and to protect their assets, especially for their minor children.”
She adds that trust planning serves as a preventive measure against court involvement and the necessity for guardianship in situations involving dementia or other illnesses that render individuals incapable of handling their own financial decisions.
Highlighting an often-overlooked scenario, Denise also suggests that parents of 18-year-olds should consider having health care surrogate designations, living wills and powers of attorney for these new adults to navigate potential HIPAA law challenges.
Otherwise, if their 18-year-old is hospitalized or otherwise incapacitated, medical providers are unable to give parents any information about the adult child’s condition.
Denise says that the most important skills she needs in this field are the ability to listen to what her clients’ want and expect and then put together what they need for their family dynamic. “A lot of attorneys like to do a lot of the talking, but when clients come in, they want someone to hear their story,” Denise says.
She notes how helpful that can be, especially when connecting with clients who face difficult and complicated family dynamics, whether it’s a blended family or adult children who are estranged from their parents.
“It’s a very sad trend I’m seeing, but one of our roles as an attorney is as a counselor,” Denise says. “So, I help clients analyze those issues and give them tips to navigate those waters that can sometimes feel overwhelming.”
Denise also sends digital follow-ups annually to inform her clients of any law changes that could affect them and encourages them to review their estate plans every five years or during important life changes.
She is a member of the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys, Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys, The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, The Real Property Probate & Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar, Lawyers of Distinction and Lead Council Verified.
Denise offers a free consultation to sit down and talk through a client’s needs and wants and understand what their complications might be. Then, she quotes a flat fee of the cost to prepare the needed documents.
Denise and her paralegal, Jackie Shoemaker, are committed to great client communication. Jackie joined the firm after Denise’s former paralegal moved out of the area.
“Jackie has been here since January and has already become a great asset to the firm in such a short time,” Denise says. “She has a lot of experience.”
When not at her law office, Denise says she can be found at the beach with Bob, her high school sweetheart, visiting her sons Chris and Eric, playing with her three grand-daughters, Abbey, Amelia and Lillian, traveling, or participating in a marriage communications weekend with United Marriage Encounters.
For more about info about the Welter Law Office (2405 Creel Lane, Suite 102, Wesley Chapel), call (850) 388-3845, visit WelterLawOffice.com.
