A jury of six people found former Olympus Pools owner and New Tampa resident James Staten guilty on 35 of 36 counts of willingly defrauding customers by accepting money from them knowing he would not fulfill the contracts to build their pools.
Staten, who opened Olympus Pools in 2013, will be sentenced by Circuit Judge Mary Handsel on May 7 and the minimum sentence he can receive is 20 years, but Judge Handsel said that, based on sentencing guidelines, she can sentence Staten to up to 285 years in prison.
Among the felony charges Staten was found guilty of are fraud, misapplication of construction funds of more than $100,000, having an organized scheme to defraud and aggravated white-collar crime. The only charge he was not convicted of was one of the grand theft charges.
Investigators said that Staten, who did take the stand in his own defense on the last of ten days of testimony in the trial, stole more than $1.5 million of his clients’ money to fund a lavish lifestyle that included multiple trips, jewelry and Super Bowl tickets.
Prosecutors Stephanie Bergen and Panagiota Papakos of Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office told the jury that Staten continued to instruct his sales people to accept large down payments from customers even though he had no intention of building their pools. Dozens of those customers were left with holes in the ground on their respective properties and many had no work started at all.
The jurors were apparently unimpressed with defense attorney Dino Michaels’ argument that Staten didn’t intend to defraud his customers: “If you have a business plan, that’s just not a scheme to defraud. It’s a business plan. To sell more pools, unfortunately, is a bad business plan. And so, this company failed.” It took only four hours for the jury to reach their verdict on all 36 counts, with 35 of those coming back as “guilty” verdicts.
According to a press release dated March 17, Uthmeier previously “took civil action to shut down Olympus Pools, permanently shuttering the company. As a result of the civil action, [Olympus] is enjoined permanently from conducting business, and Staten is banned for life from operating a pool company in Florida.”
Obviously, Staten, 42, is facing a much more stringent penalty now, as he could spend the rest of his life in prison, depending upon how long Judge Handsel decides to sentence him to serve on May 7. — GN
If you haven’t yet been to the new North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) office — located at 28329 Paseo Dr., Suite 195, in the same space next to Dillard’s in the Shops at Wiregrass that previously was home to a Pasco Sheriff’s Office substation (and then, the off-site office for the Amberlin at Wiregrass Ranch apartments), you really should go check it out.
As NTBC president & CEO Hope Kennedy mentioned when I was her first guest at her new in-office studio for her “Chamber Chatter” podcast last week, “This is the office I always wanted here at the mall. I’m so glad we finally were able to get it!”
Hope said that it was only fitting that I would be her first guest in the new studio, because of the long-standing symbiotic relationship between the Chamber and the Neighborhood News, especially since Hope first took over the reins at the former Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber 13 or so years ago.
Not only did I get to tell that story, but also a lot of the history of the only news publication directly mailed to all of New Tampa and Wesley Chapel for the last 30 years under the same owner and editor.
My 30-minute chat with Hope also touched on my obsession with helping local mom-and-pop restaurants succeed in our communities, on my not understanding why we have to have so many chicken places and my decision to host a contest to find our readers’ favorite chicken restaurant.
Hope also brought up my dismay over the fact that two sisters who live in Wesley Chapel — Scarlett Spongberg and Fallon Fields (above left photo) — didn’t get to win one of 20 drawn-at-random free Raising Cane’s-for-a-year prizes, despite being first in line at the Raising Cane’s Grand Opening. Hope mentioned “the nice story” that local Realtors Chad and April Emory of Emorys Rock Realty split the cost with me of providing that prize for the two young women.
Check out “Chamber Chatter” at NorthTampaBayChamber.com. To try to be a guest on the show, call the Chamber office at (813) 994-8534.
Congrats, Tri-Health!
One of the other things Hope mentioned during the podcast was how much she appreciates us shining the spotlight in print on so many Chamber members who host NTBC ribbon-cutting events at their locations.
One such event we never published was the ribbon cutting (right) for Tri-Health Primary Care & Women’s Health Services, located at 2253 Green Hedges Way, #101, in the Summergate Prof. Center, which cut a Chamber ribbon on Jan. 30.
When I first bought the Neighborhood News back in Feb. 1994, I knew I wanted to get people not only reading what we put into print, but also engaging with our content.
One of the ways I decided to make that happen was to put contests in these pages. We started with things like labor-intensive, Gary-created crossword puzzles and Fantasy Baseball and Football contests, trivia contests (which have now been rendered obsolete with the advent of Google) and our most popular annual contest, our Reader Dining Survey & Contest, which is still going strong some 30 years since I started it.
Over the years, I’ve added other contests, such as our “Big Game Squares,” “March Madness” and “Oscars” contests, but the timing from when either the Academy Awards nominations are announced or the teams are set for the sports contests hasn’t always worked with our every-four-week deadlines.
This year, however, we were able to make both the “Squares” and “Oscars” (the latter with the delay in the announcement of the nominees and the televised broadcast both delayed by the California wildfires) contests work with online-only entries.
While only about 100 people total entered this year’s “Big Game” and “Oscars” contests, that doesn’t mean that folks like (l.-r. above) Eddie Mancuso of Highwoods Preserve, who won the Grand Prize of $200 (he chose Stonewood Grill & Tavern); Lianne Kowiak of Arbor Green (with me), who won $100 (and picked Ulele); and Wharton High alum and West Meadows resident MaeLee Rich — who has been entering our contests since her teens and who won one of the two $50 prizes (to Hungry Crab Juicy Seafood) in the Squares contest — weren’t thrilled to win those Squares prizes. The fourth Squares winner, Allison Smith of Pebble Creek, hasn’t yet received her $50 gift card to Grillsmith.
We also have three winners in our “Oscars” contests. Our Grand Prize winner — one of only two contestants to correctly pick the winners in six of the seven major Academy Awards categories, chosen at random, was Meadow Pointe resident Dawn Kidle, who wins a $200 gift card to B&B Theatres at The Grove. The other tied contestant was John Bailey of Palatine, IL, who not only doesn’t live here — he says he searched “Oscars Contests” online and entered all of them! — Illinois doesn’t even have a B&B Theatre, so I mailed him a $60 gift card to AMC Theaters. There were four contestants who correctly picked five of the seven categories and that winner, drawn at random to receive the $60 B&B gift card I bought for John, is Gail Bialk of Watergrass. I just gave Dawn her prize (4th photo above) and I plan to give Gail hers soon!
We also now also have 25 local residents who have told us they want to be judges in our contest to pick the Wesley Chapel area’s favorite chicken restaurant. I’m still working out the details of how that contest will work, but I think we now have enough potential judges to make it happen! Look for details in our next issue (hopefully)!
So, why do we still have contests, with prizes we almost always pay for ourselves (we occasionally have had a restaurant agree to donate prizes, but that’s pretty rare)? Since most of us will never win the Lottery or hit it big in Vegas, it’s nice to have much better odds of winning one of our contest prizes — and my pleasure to provide them. Congrats, winners!
The updated site plan submitted to Pasco County for a five-building commercial plaza in the Meadow Pointe area of Wesley Chapel that is expected to include a Whole Foods market. (Source: Pasco County)
Whole Foods Moving Forward?
In mid-February, updated plans were submitted to Pasco County for a high-end retail center on the long-vacant land north of Aronwood Blvd. and east of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in Wesley Chapel that previously was announced as having both a Whole Foods grocery store and a Life Time Fitness center. Those original plans, filed in March of 2024, were withdrawn two days later.
The new plans — submitted by privately held commercial developer SJC Ventures — do not mention any of the proposed tenants, but they look similar enough to the former site plan that did include Whole Foods and Life Time for some local news media to assume that those major tenants are likely still part of the new five-building (totalling 160,468 sq. ft.) plans (see site plan, above).
The new plan calls for “Major Tenant A,” believed to be Whole Foods, occupying a 35,518-sq.-ft. building, with “Major Tenant B,” believed to be Life Time Fitness, in the site’s easternmost 84,500-sq.-ft. building. Other buildings included in the new site plan are a 10,416-sq. ft. “Shops” building adjacent to Major Tenant A, and two additional “Shops” buildings of 16,017 and 14,017 sq. ft. at the southwest corner of the site.
If ultimately approved by Pasco, which is expected, the new plaza likely won’t be ready to open until 2027.
Tampa Palms Joann Fabrics Closing?
Also in mid-February, a judge approved the second declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy by Joann Fabrics & Crafts that will allow the retailer to close 500 of its 800 U.S. stores.
Among the locations already holding a “Going Out of Business” sale is the Joann’s located at 6234 Commerce Palms Blvd., in the Market Square at Tampa Palms plaza (photo left).
“Right-sizing our store footprint is a critical part of our efforts to ensure the best path forward for Joann,” the company said in a prepared news release on Feb. 14. “We anticipate the store closures to occur over the next few months, although some stores may close within a shorter or longer time period.” We had not heard at our press time when the Tampa Palms Joann’s will actually close.
For more information, call (813) 910-8996 or visit Joann.com.
New Tampa Winn-Dixie Will Become An Aldi!
We reported a couple of issues ago that the Winn-Dixie supermarket located at 6425 County Line Rd. had closed and was being converted to an Aldi market, since Aldi had purchased all of the remaining links in the Winn-Dixie chain.
However, Aldi sold 170 of its Winn-Dixie stores to a private consortium of investors in Feb. However, we now have it on good authority from another tenant in the same plaza that Aldi has, in fact, signed a long-term lease for the former New Tampa Winn-Dixie.
We did not know at our press time, however, when the conversion will be completed or when the third Aldi in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area is expected to open.
Nothing Bundt Cakes Is Open!
If your sweet tooth has been acting up, local residents can now get their fix of Nothing Bundt Cakes, which opened in mid-February in the City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center at 16047 Tampa Palms Blvd. W (right photo).
The new store — the second in our distribution areas (the other is in the Shops at Wiregrass mall) — features the same delicious bundt cakes in a variety of sizes and flavors (with that delectable icing) as the chain’s 600+ other stores in the U.S. and Canada.
Founded in Las Vegas in 1997 by Dena Tripp and Debbie Shwetz, Nothing Bundt Cakes has been named the #1 Favorite Brand in America, according to Nation’s Restaurant News.
I got to sample the new Reese’s Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor on my first visit to the new bakery. I’ll definitely be visiting again soon!
Local Business Community Begins Investigating The Possibility Of Incorporation; Feasibility & Boundaries Will Be Determined By Studies
The last time we posted a map of Wesley Chapel on our front cover, back in Oct. of 2023, it was pretty obvious that a lot of people didn’t know what the boundaries of the fastest-growing community in the state of Florida actually were.
And, even though a small group of local business leaders is now talking about incorporating Wesley Chapel as its own municipality again, where to draw the boundaries of the proposed new city is still a work in progress.
What is clear, however, at least according to Jamie Hess (at right in photo), the owner of the Computer Emergency Room locations on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in Wesley Chapel and on County Line Rd. in Lutz, is that the time for Wesley Chapel to become a city is now.
“We already have almost everything we need here, other than maybe a true city center and a post office,” Hess told me during an exclusive interview at the North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) office, along with NTBC president and chief executive officer Hope Kennedy (left in photo). Hess has been an NTBC Board member for several years and he and his fellow Board members gave Kennedy the O.K. to at least look into what an incorporated Wesley Chapel would look like, and what areas it would include. For right now, the group is using the zip codes currently called “Wesley Chapel” — 33543, 33544 and 33545 — as the boundaries, but Hess and Kennedy acknowledge that “fixing” those boundaries is a long way off.
With her Board’s directive in place, Kennedy already has a proposal from a company in Texas to conduct two studies that she says would both have to have favorable results before the subject of incorporation can gather any real momentum.
How It All Began
But speaking of momentum, Hess said that the catalyst for the NTBC Board to begin seriously considering the possibility began with a seemingly innocent comment made at an NTBC Coffee event in Oct. of 2024, where District 20 State Senator Danny Burgess, himself at one time the youngest-ever Mayor of Zephyrhills, said that the one goal he had before he retired from government service was, “For Wesley Chapel to become its own city.”
That got the wheels turning for Hess, who was sitting in the front row (with yours truly) that day. “I kept asking myself, ‘Why not? Why can’t we?,’” Hess told me. “Wesley Chapel is basically a cash machine for Pasco County, so it would be great for us to keep our tax dollars right here.” Kennedy added, “Right after that meeting, our Board came together and said to me, ‘Make it happen.’”
The Op-Ed Piece
Right before sitting down with me, the following Op-Ed piece by Hess appeared in the Tampa Bay Business Journal on March 7:
The Time is Now: Why Wesley Chapel Must Take Control Of Its Future
Wesley Chapel is no longer just a suburb — it’s a thriving economic powerhouse. Yet, despite our rapid growth, we remain unincorporated, with no direct control over how our tax dollars are spent. We generate millions in revenue, yet much of it is allocated to projects outside our community. It’s time to consider incorporation to ensure our tax dollars are reinvested where they belong — right here in Wesley Chapel.
Once a rural town, Wesley Chapel has evolved into one of Florida’s fastest-growing areas. We have top-tier healthcare, strong schools, and a booming business community, yet we lack a local government to advocate for our needs.
Currently, all decisions affecting our growth — zoning, infrastructure, business regulations — are made at the county level. Incorporation would allow us to shape policies that align with our community’s unique needs and priorities. Incorporation would allow us to establish a true city center — a place where businesses thrive, government services are easily accessible, and residents can engage with their local leaders. A true city center would create a hub for commerce, government services, and civic engagement. A dedicated city hall would bring the government closer to the people, offering a place for public meetings, business licensing, municipal planning, and other vital functions. A local post office would provide more convenient service, rather than relying on locations serving multiple communities. Wesley Chapel is large enough to sustain these services, it’s time we took ownership of them.
For businesses, incorporation means stability and efficiency. Permitting, zoning, and economic incentives would be handled locally, reducing delays and creating a business-friendly environment. With direct control over tax revenue, we could fund infrastructure improvements, support local businesses, and attract new industries. Instead of waiting for county-wide initiatives, we could take immediate action to enhance our economic future.
Traffic congestion on S.R. 54 and I-75 is a growing issue, yet local infrastructure projects often take a backseat to county-wide priorities. As an incorporated city, we could direct funding toward much-needed road improvements and explore expanded transit options. Public safety is another pressing concern. Wesley Chapel relies on county services spread thin across a vast area. Incorporation would allow us to create a dedicated police and fire department, ensuring faster response times and better community-focused safety measures.
Before moving forward, we need a comprehensive economic impact study to assess the feasibility of incorporation. This study will provide critical data on how incorporation would affect residents, businesses, and public services. With clear financial insights, we can make informed decisions about our community’s future.
Wesley Chapel has outgrown its unincorporated status. Our businesses and residents deserve a government that prioritizes local needs, reinvests tax dollars into our own infrastructure, and fosters economic growth. The time has come to take control of our destiny and build a Wesley Chapel that works for us.
The future is ours—let’s take the next step. — Reprinted from the Tampa Bay Business Journal
The Game Plan
Hess and Kennedy assured me that the process currently being undertaken has been a “very thoughtful one,” according to Kennedy. “It’s going to be very much data-driven.”
“We’re starting by raising money for an economic impact study,” Hess added. “That’s the first step.”
At our press time, the NTBC Board had not yet ratified the decision to officially retain a neutral third party — Austin, TX-based Angelou Economics — to conduct the economic impact study, at a cost of $75,000. But, Hess was confident that the Board would approve Kennedy’s recommendation at the Board meeting on Mar. 11.
“My initial conversation with [Angelou] was so extraordinary,” Kennedy said. “They said, ‘This situation (the possibility of incorporating Wesley Chapel) is incredible.”
If and when that economic impact study comes back with a positive result, as Hess and Kennedy expect, another $75,000 would be needed to fund a second study — an actual incorporation feasibility study — that also would be conducted by Angelou.
“Right now, we only need $75,000,” Hess said. “If the economic impact study doesn’t come back favorable, we’re probably not going to need that other $75,000. There would be no need to raise money for a feasibility study. But, we’re confident that both studies are going to end up giving us the green light to move forward.”
Kennedy added, “We’re actually planning to try to raise a total of $200,000, because we estimate that we’re also going to need about $50,000 for community engagement and marketing. But, we believe that doing it incrementally is a good idea. Angelou isn’t going to require us to pay for the second study until the first one comes back positive. This way, we won’t be on the hook for the whole $200,000. Yes, we are currently raising capital, but we haven’t made an official ‘ask’ yet and we’re not ready to announce any major donors at this time.”
Hess added, however, “That a lot of people have already told us they want to help, but until enough people actually write a check, we’ll still be in fund-raising mode.” He noted that even small amounts contributing to the fund-raising campaign, as a couple of local business owners have offered, “will definitely be accepted.”
Hess and Kennedy said they are thankful to former Florida House Speaker (and Wesley Chapel resident) Will Weatherford, who got legislation passed before he left the house in 2014 that said a community wanting to incorporate did not need to get permission from the county in which it is located. “It will be a referendum for those impacted,” Kennedy said, “and we believe that 50% + 1 vote of the registered voters who show up to the polls for the referendum from the area proposing incorporation will have to vote in favor of it for it to pass.”
Kennedy also acknowledged that this is not the first time incorporating Wesley Chapel has been considered. “But, the last time, around 2016 or so, a group of Wesley Chapel residents came to the Chamber and said, ‘We want to incorporate,’ which gave us quite a lift, but it fell apart for two main reasons — arguing over what the boundaries should be and the lack of involvement from the business community.”
Of course, there are dozens more large-scale businesses located within what could become the City of Wesley Chapel now than there were ten (or even five) years ago, and. Kennedy said, “Because we’re starting with the business community and the studies, we feel confident there will be more momentum for it this time around.”
She also noted, however, that the Chamber has its own 501(c)(3) foundation that the funds for the studies could flow through, “because it’s in our Foundation bylaws that we can use Foundation funds for ‘Studies of Community Impact.’ So, any donations to this cause would be tax deductible because you’d be funding a study.”
Igniting The Spark
“Senator Danny Burgess (photo left, with Kennedy) essentially lit this idea on fire,” Kennedy said of the Oct. 2024 Chamber Coffee event. “Our Board came back to me after that meeting and said, ‘Go ahead. Make it happen.’ And, I’ve been working on this ever since.”
One of the first things Kennedy and Hess had to look into was law enforcement.
“We approached (Pasco) Sheriff Chris Nocco’s office about establishing a police presence in Wesley Chapel,” Kennedy said. “They have told us that, ‘[PCSO’s] official position is that we will support whatever the citizens of Wesley Chapel decide for their future.”
That could mean hiring additional Pasco Sheriff’s deputies just for Wesley Chapel or establishing a municipal police force (as in the cities of Dade City and Zephyrhills). Either way, police protection would be paid by the residents of the new City of Wesley Chapel.
“The only thing we have out here in terms of services that’s doing O.K. is fire,” Hess added. “The fire [and emergency medical] services are pretty good, but police is way behind. Plus, we can’t seem to get a post office and we have no municipal buildings of any kind.”
So, the fund raising is beginning in earnest now and Hess is quick to point out that the group is not looking for one or two sweetheart donors to fund the whole $75,000 starting cost.
“We’re looking for local business people and residents who want to donate anything from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars to get the ball rolling,” he said. “We don’t want anyone thinking that because they funded most or all of it, that they have control over how we proceed.”
Kennedy also has made an initial inquiry with Pasco supervisor of elections Brian Corley, who said he would have to look into how it would work to set up an initial municipal election and how potential voters would be notified.
“Brian said, I’ve never done this before, so I will have to get back to you. But this is exciting!”
Thankfully, Hess noted, “There are a lot of examples over the last 10 years or so of communities in Florida incorporating, so at least we have some examples to study.”
The most recent such example is Westlake, which became the 411th municipality in Florida on June 22, 2016. Of course, the master-planned unit development known as Westlake only had about 900 residents when it incorporated (it’s up to about 6,000 today), vs. anywhere from about 60,000 to more than 100,000 residents of what would be the City of Wesley Chapel, depending upon whose population estimates you use and where the boundaries would be set.
“As far as places our size in Florida, there’s only a handful that aren’t incorporated,” Hess said. “We would definitely be a city, because of the size, not an incorporated town or village.”
Kennedy and Hess also discussed the type of municipal government that might be set up in the City of Wesley Chapel.
The current cities in Pasco County — Dade City, Zephyrhills, San Antonio, New Port Richey and Port Richey (St. Leo is an incorporated town)— are all run by City Councils, with mayors selected from the Council members.
But, Kennedy said that because Wesley Chapel is so much bigger, the government could be set up as a strong mayoral form of government, with City Council members representing the districts in which they live. “All of that needs to be figured out in the future,” she said.
They both said that if the studies come back favorable, the goal is to get the proposed city charter written in time for consideration by the 2026 State Legislative session. If approved, the governor could then select a charter mayor, and there could be municipal elections sometime during the following election cycle. As for who might be interested in serving as (or running for) the Mayor of Wesley Chapel, neither of them wanted to speculate. “It’s just so early in the process,” Hess said.
So, What About Those Boundaries?
As mentioned above, for now, the “working” boundaries for the proposed city are the three Wesley Chapel zip codes (33543, 33544 & 33545 on the map), but that could change.
As we reported in Oct. 2023, Kennedy would prefer to use the Census Designated Places (CDP) map, which uses natural boundaries for CDP boundaries, which would move the boundary of Wesley Chapel well west of I-75, to Cypress Creek. This would allow Wesley Chapel to also include the Tampa Premium Outlets, but using the CDP map also would mean that places like Watergrass, the northern half of Epperson and other parts of the so-called “Connected City” would not be included in the city limits.
No matter which boundaries end up being used, the City of Wesley Chapel would include all three local hospitals, plus Pasco Fire Rescue Station Nos. 13 (on Old Pasco Rd.) and 26 (in Meadow Pointe) and could include No. 38 in Watergrass.
Hess said that until the economic impact study comes back, there’s no reason to try to set the boundaries.
“The main thing for me,” he said, “is that if our taxes would have to go up significantly to make this happen, I couldn’t support it.”
For more info about the City of Wesley Chapel, email Jamie Hess at jamie.hess@computeremergencyroom.com.
