At New Tampa’s Wharton High, about 180 students are part of the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC; photo). According to Gretchen Channell, whose son is a cadet, “It’s a great mix of students, both girls and boys. You don’t have to be military-bound to join. It’s all about leadership, service to the community, and to country.”
Channell and other members of the Wharton NJROTC Booster Club, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, will host the group’s third annual “Sporting Clays Classic” on Saturday, April 1, 8 a.m., at Tampa Bay Sporting Clays & Archery at 10514 Ehren Cutoff in nearby Land O’Lakes.
All proceeds assist cadets with expenses related to activities, competitions and summer leadership camps.
“Our teens compete all over the state in air rifle marksmanship, academic team and drill team,” explains Melissa Hale, another Wharton NJROTC mom and booster member. “Our color guard has performed at dozens of sporting events, memorials and competitions. Our cadets take special trips during the school year and go to several different leadership camps over the summer.”
Cadets will be manning each of the stations, launching the clays that participants will shoot.
The day will start with a light breakfast, followed by the chance to hit 50 clay targets at 15 stations. Golf cart and ammo are provided. Shotguns can even be rented from Tampa Bay Sporting Clays & Archery.
After teams and individuals are done with the course, lunch will be served, followed by raffles and trophies for the top finishers. The booster club can accommodate about 100 participants and is hoping to fill all of those available spots.
To register, please visit SportingClaysClassic3.eventbrite.com. For info about sponsorships or other questions, email wharton.jrotcbooster@gmail.com.
The School District plans to move students who live in Arbor Greene & Cory Lake Isles to Hunter’s Green Elem. for 2018-19 school year
**Please note — This story had to be updated after we went to press (on March 17) with our March 24 New Tampa issue. The information about which students the Hillsborough County School District planned to move wasn’t made available to the public or the media until March 21st.
OnThursday, March 30, 6 p.m.,officials from Hillsborough County Public Schools will meet with parents at Benito Middle School (10101 Cross Creek Blvd.) to discuss proposed changes to attendance boundaries.
The affected schools will include Pride, Heritage, Hunter’s Green and Clark elementaries. These changes will not take effect for next school year (2017-18), but the following year, starting in August 2018.
The biggest change in the proposed boundaries is that the students from the University area who currently are being bused into Hunter’s Green and Clark are being reassigned to neighborhood schools closer to their residences to make room for expected growth – about 1,500 homes – in K-Bar Ranch.
Then, the boundaries of the four schools along Cross Creek/New Tampa Blvd., are being adjusted to balance attendance at those schools.
In the proposal, 563 students who live in Arbor Greene and Cory Lake Isles who currently are assigned to Pride will be re-assigned Hunter’s Green, says Lorraine Duffy Suarez, Hillsborough County Public Schools’ general manager for growth management. “We’re changing a lot of students, and I understand that,” Duffy Suarez says. “They have a lot of pride in their Pride, but Pride can’t hold all the students who are going to come there.”
She says moving so many students should give the affected students a measure of reassurance. “The whole neighborhood is moving,” she explains. “You’re going to a different school, but you’re taking 562 of your friends with you. It’s like a big chunk of Pride is now going to be called Hunter’s Green.”
She explains that, while it may be uncomfortable for those who are affected, the change is needed. “We monitor growth, and we know how much growth is coming, and we have to accommodate it,” she says. “Pride was built on land that we bought from K-Bar Ranch. The school was sited there because we knew that development was coming. Now is the time.”
School grades for last year, which are based on test scores, rank Pride and Clark as A schools, Heritage as a B, and Hunter’s Green as a C. For those families moving from Pride to Hunter’s Green, Duffy Suarez says, “You’re not moving from an A school to a C school, you’re taking your A school with you.”
Another proposed change is that students who are residents of the Morgan Creek apartments, just north of the Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. exit off I-75 will move from Hunter’s Green to Clark, which affects assignments for 187 students.
Students who live in most of K-Bar Ranch, who currently are assigned to attend Heritage, will move to Pride. This affects 154 students. Some students who move into areas of K-Bar Ranch that are not yet built, along with students in Easton Park, will remain at Heritage.
Duffy Suarez explains these numbers are not exact. “These are the numbers of students who are assigned to (those) schools,” she says. “Not every kid we assign to a school actually goes there.” Some students attend magnet, charter, or private schools, or are homeschooled.
Jason Pepe, chief community relations officer for Hillsborough County Public Schools, encourages all parents and interested community members to visit a special webpage that’s been set up with frequently asked questions regarding the changes that are happening in New Tampa and surrounding areas. It is available atsdhc.k12.fl.us/doc/1831/universityfaqs.
“The purpose of the FAQs is to be transparent,” says Pepe. “We have shared everything we know at this point and we really want to get this information to as many people as possible.”
Comments from parents and the community will be accepted at the meeting on March 30, as well as via email.
Duffy Suarez explains that the meeting will be “open house” style. “We have tables and stations set up for people to ask questions,” she says. “For example, if you’re being changed, you can go talk to the principal of the school you’re moving to.”
She says they’ll have maps set up, and she and her colleagues will be there to explain the maps to those who attend.
There also will be staffers on hand at the meeting who can answer questions about the process for choosing a different school, rather than their assigned neighborhood school.
“Our purpose in this meeting is to hear from (people who are affected by the changes),” Duffy Suarez says. “We will take written comments, and then we (will) come back and sort through it. We can’t make everyone who doesn’t want to move not move, but we will review comments and rationale and can make changes to the proposals.”
Plans outlining the new proposed school boundaries were released on the school district’s website at sdhc.k12.fl.us on March 21 (after we went to press with our latest issue, hitting mailboxes Friday).
These proposed changes will not take effect for next (the 2017-18) school year, but the following year, starting in August 2018.
“It’s important to recognize that these changes are (only) proposed,” says Pepe. “All boundary changes have to be approved by the School Board.”
Comments from parents and the community will be accepted at the meeting on March 30, as well as via email. Changes may be made based on that input before a final recommendation is made by school superintendent Jeff Eakins to the seven-member School Board.
The School Board is expected to consider the proposed recommendation – including any changes made as a result of comments from the community – at its meeting onTuesday, May 16.
Tom and Patrick Murtha admit that most new clients find their full-service accounting firm, Murtha & Murtha Certified Public Accountants (CPA), around tax season. That’s when people are scrambling to meet deadlines for both their personal and business taxes.
They are quick to point out, however, that with Murtha & Murtha, it’s just the beginning of a personal relationship that lasts year-round.
“We have a tremendous amount of experience,” says Tom.“We’re here to be your most trusted advisor.”
Tom and Patrick are the father-and-son team who are both partners and owners of the firm, located in the Seven Oaks Professional Park off S.R. 56 (across from Sam’s Club). Kyle Flischel serves as the firm’s senior accountant.
Thomas E. Murtha, CPA, earned his B.S. degree in Management from Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY, in 1976, and his M.B.A. (Master of Business Administration) degree in Accounting from St. John’s University in Queens, NY, in 1981. While he was working on his MBA, Tom also worked as assistant controller in the non-bank financial segment of a major New York City bank.
He moved to Tampa in 1987 and opened Accutax Services, Inc., a non-CPA public accounting business that he sold in 2010. In 1999, he also joined another CPA firm in Englewood, FL, that he eventually bought into — Flischel, Murtha & Associates. When Tom passed his Florida CPA test in 2000, he says it was with the fourth highest score in the state. He’s also taught accounting courses at both Hillsborough Community College in Tampa and at the American Institute of Banking in New York City.
Patrick grew up around his father’s business and met Kyle, the son of Tom’s former business partner, while they were both in high school and helping their dads with tax returns. Patrick and Kyle then both attended the University of South Florida. Patrick now holds a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Finance and a B.S. in Accounting, while Kyle holds a B.S. in Accounting and a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Accounting with a tax concentration.
When the partners opened their firm in 2010, Murtha & Murtha focused on mergers and acquisitions and was located in downtown Tampa. In 2013, the Murthas expanded to a full-service accounting firm and moved to their current Seven Oaks location.
“We work with businesses from startup to $25 million,” says Tom.“We don’t just juggle numbers. We get our business clients into budgeting.” He explains that businesses with a budget can then compare their budgets to their actual expenses to see where the numbers are out of line.
“When you have a budget, that’s when you start to control your business and keep it from controlling you,” Patrick adds.
Your Company’s CFO?
Murtha & Murtha offers a “CFO retainer package” to help businesses that need the role of a Chief Financial Officer but don’t have the budget to hire a full-time manager. For a fixed monthly fee, the firm provides services such as monthly accounting, annual budgeting and annual market value estimations.
Tom says that’s an important function. “Everyone who owns a business hopes to sell it someday,” he explains, “and hopefully make some income along the way.”
If you buy or start a business, Tom asks, “Is the value of your company going the right way?”
He says it’s important for business owners to take the time to consider these and other questions. “We like seeing our clients be successful,” Tom says. “That’s what makes us successful.”
Jorge Brea, owner of Symphonic Distribution, a Wesley Chapel company that distributes music to iTunes, Spotify and other outlets, is one of the companies that look to Murtha & Murtha for an annual market valuation and other services.
“Truthfully, they’ve been tremendous,” Jorge says. “They’ve helped us take more control of our books and have been really helpful in providing best practices and standards.”
Jorge also says the market valuation service is extremely helpful. “It’s this really cool yearly report that gives you a lot of statistics and data to see how you compare to other companies,” he explains. “It’s information that you can’t just look up on your own.”
Murtha & Murtha’s customized, personal approach is the hallmark of the way the firm works with both its business and individual clients. This isn’t the kind of accounting firm where clients are encouraged to simply drop off a folder and wait for an email. Tom, Patrick or Kyle will sit down with each new client, interview them and really get to know and understand each of them and their unique financial situations.
Responsiveness is another hallmark of Murtha & Murtha. “The number one reason people tell us they’re switching CPAs is because their CPA didn’t return their phone call or emails,” says Patrick. “We have a system in place to be sure we’re communicating with customers well, and we don’t use ‘it’s tax season’ as an excuse (for not returning calls).”
Tom and Patrick say people are often nervous about how expensive it is to hire a CPA to help with taxes. “The reality is that, of course, it costs more than doing it yourself with tax software,” explains Patrick. “But very frequently, we can find more savings, and we can go up to three years back to get refunds.”
He explains that silly mistakes answering simple yes or no questions can have implications that the typical tax software user just doesn’t understand.
“There are a lot of things you can do, and we understand the implications of the decisions you make in how to prepare your taxes,” explains Patrick, a long-time member, former treasurer and current Sergeant-at-Arms of the Wesley Chapel Rotary Club. “We always advise what’s in our client’s best interest, not our own.”
Tom adds, “In my 30 years in the business, I have seen everything that can go right, and everything that can go wrong. I like getting into things that are complicated.”
They caution people not to make financial decisions based on tax implications alone. Murtha & Murtha has a strong network of financial advisors, bankers and attorneys to refer their clients.
“It’s great to be aware of tax implications, but what happens when life comes along?” asks Patrick. “We’ll work with your financial advisor throughout the year and look at financial implications and all factors in a decision.”
He adds, “We’ll sit and talk with you, and work together with you. We’re not high pressure, and we’re not trying to sell you on anything. People get intimidated by taxes, but we know the tricks and we’ve got the experience to help you.”
Murtha & Murtha CPAs is located at 2236 Ashley Oaks Cir., Suite 101. For more information, visit TampaTaxFirm.com. To schedule a free consultation, call 991-1120.
(L.-r.): Cole, K.T. and Hollie Topash hope that when you need or want to have your home painted, you’ll think of Topash Painting first.
For three generations now, the Topash family has been painting homes in Wesley Chapel and surrounding areas.
“We’ve always been a family-owned business and we’ve been a second-generation business,” says K.T., who bought Topash Painting from his dad, Paul, in 2009. “But now, we’re getting to be third-generation painting company.”
He explains that his son, Cole, who is 16 and homeschooled, often works as his father’s helper. “He’s working with me today, in fact,” says K.T.
Paul Topash established his company in the Lutz area in 1978. “About 20 years ago, we moved the business out to Wesley Chapel to keep it local to where we live, and we’ve been there ever since,” says K.T.
Never A Subcontractor
When you hire Topash Painting, you will always work directly with K.T.
“Our family is a great team,” says K.T. “My wife, Hollie, does all the bookkeeping, which is a full-time job in itself. Without her, I couldn’t do what I do. She frees me up to do the painting, the estimates, and what I need to do to get the job. Then, my son helps me paint. We all make a great team together.”
K.T. also has a helper for bigger jobs when his son is not available, but Hollie says you’ll always see K.T. at your home when you hire Topash Painting.
“There’s not a job where you won’t see K.T.,” explains Hollie. “His helper won’t be there without him; that will never happen. K.T. does each estimate, does every job himself – from start to finish, including pressure washing – on every job.”
Because his services are so in demand and he doesn’t hire subcontractors or laborers, he often books well in advance, sometimes as much as 90 days in advance.
“When I say I’m going to be there, I’m going to be there,” he says. Hollie adds, “The only thing that gets us off schedule is rain – or the occasional illness or emergency – but we’re usually able to swap an interior job for an exterior, and it works out so that we stay on schedule.”
K.T. jokes that he, “works to support his hobby,” which is another family affair. K.T., Hollie, and Cole are all licensed falconers, training birds of prey. Hollie explains, “They hunt for squirrel or rabbit or pheasant, and are taught to come back to us on a whistle. K.T.’s bird is a falcon that hunts ducks or other birds.The falcons develop a real bond with their trainers.”
K.T. adds, “Whenever we’re not painting, that’s our life.”
How To Hire A Painter
K.T. stresses the importance of protecting your investment in your home by painting the exterior when needed.
“Paint helps to seal off the wood and keep moisture out,” he explains. “Using a good quality paint makes a tremendous difference in how long the paint lasts. Some paints can be really expensive, but there’s a place where you get the biggest bang for your buck as far as quality.”
K.T. will help you get the best paint for your personal circumstances, such as if you’re planning to sell your home soon or if it will be your “forever home.” He offers some additional helpful tips for anyone who is considering hiring a painter for interior or exterior work:
• Ask friends and neighbors about painters they’ve used.
• A clean vehicle indicates a neat painter who takes pride in his or her work. Observe the vehicle he or she arrives in when they come to do the estimate.
• You shouldn’t be asked to buy your own paint before the job.
• Painters should return your calls in a timely manner.
• They must be able to show they are licensed, bonded and insured in your county.
“Always ask,” says Hollie. “If someone gets hurt at your house and isn’t insured, you’re liable. Make sure they’re bonded, too. If something expensive gets broken at your house, K.T. is bonded so you can replace it.”
She adds that if you’re not specific and you only ask, “Are you licensed?,” some contractors might answer “yes,” meaning they hold an occupational license.“Anyone can pay $35 at the county and get an occupational license,” she says. “Ask if they are a licensed paint contractor.” Hollie says this is what K.T. is, and he’s had training, invested money, and had to take a test to earn it.
“There are a lot of companies in Pasco and Hillsborough counties who are not licensed,” says Hollie. “There’s a big difference between an occupational license and a proper paint contractor license. It doesn’t benefit us to be properly licensed; it protects the customers.”
Painting His Whole Life
“K.T.’s dad, Paul, painted for me and my family when K.T. was a kid,” says Michelle, a long-time Wesley Chapel resident who didn’t want to share her last name. “The minute K.T. could hold a paintbrush, he was painting. I’ve seen him grow and watched him become the dad to his son that his dad was to him. He’s just a great guy.”
She says that K.T. also is a man of integrity, which she believes is rare. “I’ve watched him hold tight to his moral code,” Michelle says. “This is a time of uncertainty with contractors. You wonder if they’re coming, if they’ll be on time, (if they’re) using the product they say they’re using. K.T. is true to his word and he really cares.”
She adds, “I think that’s why he has so many repeat customers. Sometimes he gets really busy, but I don’t mind waiting. I just tell him to put me on his list.”
K.T.’s truck touts that Topash Painting is the home of the “neat and tidy professionals,” and Michelle says that’s absolutely true. “I have white carpet in my house that’s 25 years old. It’s that old because I take really good care of it. He’s painted every wall inside and out you don’t even know he’s been in the room.”
Gary Cucchi (fifth from the left in front row) and his professional crew at Florida Educators Insurance in the Cypress Glen Professional Park off S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel can handle your insurance and financial services needs, even if you’re not an educator yourself.
The word “educators” in Florida Educators Insurance indicates that, primarily, this local insurance agency serves teachers and others who work in schools. Owner Gary Cucchi says it’s also a hallmark of how his agency does business.
“The biggest thing we do is educate our clients,” Gary says, “Not only do we serve educators and their neighbors, family members and friends, but we also educate our clients about their insurance and retirement plans to be sure they have the right strategy and coverages so their family is protected, now and in the future.”
Gary adds that it’s a common misconception that, because the company is called “Florida Educators Insurance,” people think the agency only serves educators.
“But, that’s not the case,” Gary explains. “We help non-educators all the time. They’re often family members, friends, and neighbors of our current clients — but they don’t have to be — and we help them with auto insurance, homeowner’s insurance, life insurance, IRAs, and 401k accounts.”
Gary is a Seven Oaks resident who used to be a teacher himself, before opening Florida Educators Insurance in 2002. His company is an independent agency of Horace Mann, which specializes in insurance products and financial services for educators. Founded in Springfield, IL, in 1945, Horace Mann is named for the founder of American public education and is now a multi-billion-dollar company traded publicly on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HMN).
Florida Educators Insurance moved to its current location in the Cypress Glen Professional Park off S.R. 56 (just east of I-75) in 2008. The agency offers auto, home, umbrella, flood and life insurance, along with retirement and investment plans, such as IRAs and 401(k) plans, “529” college savings plans, plus plans just for educators known as 403(b) and 457 plans.
As an independent agency, Florida Educators Insurance writes policies with a wide variety of insurance companies. Gary explains that he works with many of the largest companies across the industries his agency represents. Some examples include insurance and financial services through – of course – Horace Mann, and financial services from American Funds, Fidelity and Raymond James Financial, life insurance through Lincoln Financial and Ameritas, home insurance through Tower Hill and American Integrity, and auto insurance through Safeco, Progressive and Mercury.
Of about 1,000 Horace Mann agencies nationwide, Gary says Florida Educators Insurance is now the largest.
“We don’t try to be the largest,” he explains, “It just happens and we get some plaque (from Horace Mann for it). I don’t care about how big we are; I care about my employees and our clients. If all that’s going well, it doesn’t matter if we’re number one or 100.”
Gary says all 19 agents in his office are fully licensed through the Florida Department of Insurance, and all financial services staff members hold numerous state and federal investment licenses through FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
“We’re a good size, especially staff-wise, but we’re like a mom-’n-pop in that we try to really get to know people and get to know their families so we can advise them properly,” Gary says. “We genuinely care about our clients and are not just trying to sell policies. The teacher in me has this philosophy to help people.”
Serving Schools
Gary says that in 2016, Florida Educators Insurance spent at least $100,000 to provide reading and attendance incentives, school supplies, teacher appreciation gifts, and more to local schools in Pasco, Hillsborough, and Pinellas County.
“Instead of buying billboards, we try to give back to the community,” Gary explains. “We advertise in the Neighborhood News because it’s local, but we don’t do any other ads. We want our dollars to go back to the people we serve.”
Florida Educators Insurance often gives away bicycles, based on incentives chosen by participating schools, including all of the schools in Wesley Chapel.
“For the last five years or more, we have donated several hundred bikes a year to schools in the area to promote attendance and reading,” he says. “It takes us a couple of weeks to deliver all the bikes. We got tired of renting U-hauls to do it, so we decided to get our own bus.”
Now, Florida Educators Insurance delivers those bikes in a customized school bus that has been wrapped with the company’s information and had seats removed on the inside to accommodate bikes, school supplies, or whatever is being delivered.
“Our relationships with the schools are based on what (each) school needs,” Gary explains. “Not every school needs bikes. We help every school in Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties in some way.”
He says this includes providing at least $25,000 worth of teacher appreciation gifts, typically $25 gift certificates to local restaurants, which many schools give away at appreciation breakfasts and lunches.
“This is our way of letting [teachers] know that we care about them, with no strings attached,” Gary says. “They don’t have to be clients, although we do insure 10,000 people in that three-county area.”
Happy Customers
Jerry Jackson is a recently retired educator who has been a Florida Educators Insurance client for 15 years, in part because he thinks so highly of Gary.
“He’s awesome,” Jerry says. “With him, there’s no high pressure. (Gary) just really wants to help people.”
Jerry also explains that he was in the State of Florida deferred retirement program, and Gary made retirement easy for him.
“He guided me through all of the requirements and all of the paperwork,” he says. “He’s an expert. If I need any kind of advice, I’ll call Gary. If he doesn’t know the answer, he knows where to find it. I refer him to everybody I know.”
Gary adds, “We’re not here just to save you a couple of dollars on your auto and home insurance, although we generally do that, and that’s the fun stuff. But, saving money on your home and auto insurance isn’t going to change your life. We also change lives with what we do. When we help someone properly plan for their future — their retirement needs —that can be life-changing.”
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to insurance and investment planning, so Gary asks his clients to be willing to discuss their unique situation with a Florida Educators Insurance agent.
“Most people spend more time planning for their summer vacations every year than they do for their own futures,” says Gary. “We ask you to give us one hour each year to go over your budget and goals so that you can be better prepared for the future.”
He explains that budgeting and goal-setting are part of the agency’s full-service retirement planning, but adds that the agency provides these services for all of their clients, even those who might only have auto insurance through the company.
“We’re here for all phases of your life,” Gary says.
Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News readers who call for a free quote on home or auto insurance, or who meet with a Florida Educators Insurance agent to discuss planning for retirement or insurance, and mention this story or the ad on page 18 will receive a $25 Restaurant.com gift certificate, and, Gary says, there’s absolutely no obligation to purchase anything to receive it.
Florida Educators Insurance is located at 26809 Tanic Dr., Suite 101.For more information, call 600-3268 or visit FloridaEducatorsInsurance.com. The office is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and on Saturdays by appointment.
At New Tampa’s Wharton High, about 180 students are part of the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC; photo). According to Gretchen Channell, whose son is a cadet, “It’s a great mix of students, both girls and boys. You don’t have to be military-bound to join. It’s all about leadership, service to the community, and to country.”
