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.”

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Celebrates Urgent Care Grand Opening!

Susan Byrd, RN (at right in left photo below) and Dr. Joseph Perno (at right in right photo below) led the tours of the new Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital After Hours Pediatric Urgent Care on Oct. 17. (Photos by Charmaine George) 

The Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital under construction in Wesley Chapel isn’t expected to open until late 2027, but that doesn’t mean the pediatric clinical and academic health system isn’t making news in our area. 

Not only does Johns Hopkins All Children’s already have a specialty clinic open off Wesley Chapel Blvd., it also celebrated the opening of its first-ever pediatric urgent care facility in Tampa (which is located at 12220 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Suite B, near USF) on Oct. 17, with a North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) ribbon-cutting event that included tours of the after-hours (it’s open 5 p.m.-midnight on weekdays and 11:30 a.m.-midnight on weekends) and pediatric (under age 21)-only urgent care facility. 

The tours were led by Susan Byrd, RN, the executive director of ambulatory services, Dr. Joseph Perno, the VP of medical affairs, and Chrissie Ladd, PA (in floral dress in top photo), for Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. The NTBC ribbon was cut by the urgent care facility’s first patient Shanella Fisher (with scissors in photo below). 

And, the Johns Hopkins All Children’s OB/ GYN Specialists Office located at 19707 Aprile Dr., Land O’Lakes, was set to host another NTBC ribbon-cutting event on Nov. 18, 

For more information about the new Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Pediatric After Hours Urgent Care, call (727) 767- 8170 or visit HopkinsMedicine.org. — GN 

Former Gator All-American Celebrates Grand Reopening Of Sonny’s BBQ

Photos by Charmaine George

As a former Gator, I remember when former University of Florida guard Shannon Snell — who recently became the franchise owner of the Sonny’s BBQ (Note-Snell took over for previous franchisees and New Tampa residents Jim and Cristina Hoff, who ran the local Sonny’s since it opened in 1998) on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Wesley Chapel — was a first-team All-American back in 2003. 

What I didn’t know was that Snell lived in Tampa Palms, but attended Hillsborough High instead of Wharton (where he was zoned to attend), and he was a three-year starter for the Terriers and a USA Today High School All-American. 

But, Snell told me that he injured his shoulder during his junior season at Florida and somehow went undrafted by the NFL because he never had the shoulder repaired and couldn’t pass a physical. “It just kept getting worse,” he said. “But, I just wanted to rehab it and not have surgery.” 

Between 2004-06, he had brief stints with the Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys, but told me, “I loved football, but I knew I didn’t have the passion to play that some guys did. My dad said that when you find your passion in work, it’s more fun, more like a hobby.” 

So, when he was still living in Gainesville, Snell says he, “started at the bottom with Sonny’s. But, it had everything I wanted — a chance to move up, with a corporate structure.” 

He adds that today, all Sonny’s franchisees have to also become barbecue pitmasters. 

“Every location has a real person who really knows how to do barbecue,” he says. “And, since every pitmaster does barbecue a little different, you’re allowed to have your individuality, but within our corporate standards. We go to Florida BBQ Association competitions and even have corporate competitions, so we’re always learning how to do barbecue better.” 

Today, Sonny’s has almost 100 locations throughout the Southeastern U.S., owned by CEO Jamie Yarmuth, and Snell says that even though Yarmuth is young himself, he has been “a mentor to me. After I was the GM of a Gainesville location for ten years, he came to me and said, ‘Wesley Chapel is coming available and we’d like you to become the new franchisee.’” 

So, after a couple of months with Sonny’s “back home,” Snell held a North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon-cutting (top photo) on Oct. 29, that Yarmuth and other Sonny’s execs also attended. 

Snell likes to show off the seasonal menu, with items that aren’t always available — like the maple BBQ turkey club sandwich (left) and the maple BBQ pork burnt ends (above right), which were my favorites of the seasonal items. There’s also a pulled pork stack on “corncakes” (cornbread “waffles”), sweet potato fries, pulled pork mac & cheese and seasonal wings tossed in maple or golden BBQ sauce. 

My favorite thing at Sonny’s, since BBQ sauce doesn’t always agree with me, are the grilled steakburgers (like the candied bacon burger below right) and the new loaded tots (topped with crispy onion straws, queso & drizzled with BBQ sauce, top left). We added some pulled pork because the tots just didn’t seem messy enough (just kidding — they were definitely messy!). 

Every attendee at the ribbon cutting also received a free “Pork Big Deal” with any other entrée purchase. It included a big pulled pork sandwich, a side and a drink. 

And of course, Sonny’s — “Pitmasters since ‘68” — also still has “Signature BBQ” like St. Louis-style and baby back pork ribs, beef brisket and more. We believe Snell is going to do great at his Wesley Chapel location! 

Sonny’s BBQ (5324 BBD Blvd.) is open every day for lunch & dinner (11 a.m.-9 p.m.). For info, call (813) 994-8989 or visit SonnysBBQ.com. — GN