JD Porter Getting Ready To Build His Legacy At Wiregrass Ranch! 

Wiregrass Ranch Developer Is Still Waiting To Finalize The Agreement With Pasco County Before Proceeding With His ‘Downtown’ 

The planned 1,500-seat concert hall and five-story parking structure (far left) planned in Phase One of The Legacy at Wiregrass Ranch, which developer JD Porter says will be the true downtown for not just his development, but all of Pasco County. (All maps & renderings provided by Wiregrass Ranch)

 When it was announced back in December that Pasco County had reached an agreement in principle with Wiregrass Ranch developer JD Porter and his Locust Branch LLC development company on Phase 1 of Legacy at Wiregrass Ranch — the 30-acre area set aside by Porter to serve as his uniquely urban downtown — Porter and his chief operating officer Scott Sheridan thought that it would only be a matter of weeks before they would be able to begin moving dirt. 

But now, more than six weeks (at our press time) after that agreement in principle was reached, Porter and Sheridan — in an exclusive sit-down with yours truly — said they are still waiting. 

“We need to get Phase 1 of Legacy at Wiregrass going now,” Porter said. “We’re trying to time the opening of the downtown area — with all of its office and retail — with the opening of the Orlando Health hospital (the largest in Wesley Chapel, which is expected to be done in early 2026). We estimate that if we get started right away, Phase 1 of Legacy could be completed within a few months after the hospital’s opening.” 

Sheridan added, “The good news is that we already have most of the infrastructure needed for Legacy in place. We’re ready.” 

For anyone who hasn’t heard, Pasco’s Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved the “term sheet” for Legacy at Wiregrass Ranch — where the financial plan for what Commission chair (and Dist. 3 commissioner) Kathryn Starkey called “Pasco County’s downtown” on Dec. 10. 


The map above shows the location of Legacy at Wiregrass Ranch between S.R. 56 and Chancey Rd. The two maps below are turned on their sides (north is actually to the left instead of up in both) to show Legacy’s proximity to the under-construction Orlando Health Hospital complex, which is actually located south and to the east of Legacy.

Part of the agreement announced in December are ad valorem tax incentives for the developer of $50 million total, spread over 30 years, to offset the $85 million in Wiregrass Ranch’s investment in public infrastructure for Phase One alone. Sheridan and Porter estimate that the construction costs for the entire Legacy project are between $400-$500 million. 

Sheridan said that Wiregrass Ranch, the 5,100-acre cattle ranch owned by Porter and his family, which is less than 40% developed at present, already provides a tax base of $1.5 billion, with nearly $11 million annually in county operating revenue. At buildout, he says, that tax base is projected to be as much as $6 billion, with about $50 million in annual revenues for the county. 

Among the elements planned for Legacy’s first phase (of 130 acres total set aside for the two phases of Legacy) are 150,000 sq. ft. (in two 75,000-sq.-ft. buildings) of office space, adjacent to the 150,000 sq. ft. of office space (in one 90,000-sq.-ft. and one 60,000-sq.-ft. building) now under construction on Orlando Health’s campus, next to the hospital. “Quite honestly,” Sheridan said. “That 300,000 square feet of office will look like one large master development.” 

Sheridan also noted that Wiregrass Ranch and an unnamed partner also is developing an additional 100,000 sq. ft. of office space in two buildings to the west of Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. 

One of the most important parts of the first phase of Legacy is a $37-million, five-story parking structure with about 1,500 spaces to serve the office buildings, retail and 150,000-sq.-ft. “eatertainment” complex, all within walking distance of each other, as well as of a planned 150-room hotel and 820 multi-family apartments. If you’ve ever been to the new Midtown Tampa, Legacy at Wiregrass is about 30% larger. The hotel and apartment buildings also are expected to be four and five stories tall. 

“This type of density is definitely urban,” Sheridan said. “It’s not suburban sprawl, because we’re doing on 30 acres what Pasco usually puts on 100 acres.” 

The part of the agreement for Legacy announced in December that yours truly is most excited about is the 150,000-sq. ft.. “Eatertainment” complex. Sheridan says that this area will include an Armature Works-style food hall, upscale retail stores, some “jewel box” standalone restaurants, a concert hall with about 1,500 seats immediately adjacent to the parking structure, plus a hotel, conference center and public art. 

And, although neither Sheridan nor Porter were willing to name any of the potential tenants or operators they’ve spoken with to put restaurants in Legacy, both mentioned having conversations with operators of restaurants on Water St. in downtown Tampa, Beach Dr. in downtown St. Pete and other upscale dining areas. 

The above rendering and those below show the urban look and feel of Legacy.

“Legacy has been designed by Torti Gallas + Partners,” Sheridan said, “the same firm that designed GasWorx in Ybor City, the Silversaw apartments (next to the Hyatt Place Tampa-Wesley Chapel hotel) and many of the most beautiful mixed-use projects across the country. And, they told us that Legacy at Wiregrass is unique in its location, planning and design.” 

Porter added, “Most of the time, when projects like these are approved, the developer first has to put in the infrastructure, but most of that is already in place in Legacy. We’re ready to begin building as soon as we get the final word from the county that we can begin.” 

To which Sheridan added, “We don’t need another County Commission vote. All we need is for the Planning & Economic Development department to finalize the agreement.” 

He also noted that until the agreement with the county has been finalized, “We can’t finalize deals with the tenants we’ve been talking with for the retail and restaurant spaces. But, as soon as we’re able to close those deals, we know the community is going to be excited about them.” 

To which Porter added, “These are not going to be the same retail strip centers with the same type of tenants that you see everywhere else in Pasco.” 

Sheridan also says that residents in the multi-family apartments will not be parking in the main garage structure. Instead, they will have their own parking structure. At the Dec. BOC meeting, Dist. 5 commissioner Jack Mariano requested that some of those rental units be converted to townhomes for “workforce housing,” but still voted to approve the Legacy agreement in principle without any such conversion being promised by Sheridan or Porter. 

“And, even though they’d have to cross S.R. 56 to do so, Porter said, “students and staff from the Porter Campus at Pasco Hernando State College can even walk to Legacy.” 

He added, “We’re not just doing the same thing everyone else in Pasco does. We want this to be the kind of place people are drawn to for years to come.” 

The Orlando Health construction is moving along nicely, and the $300-million hospital complex, which sits on 47 acres at the corner of S.R. 56 and Wiregrass Ranch Blvd., just south and east of Legacy, will include 102 beds when it opens and 300 when it is built out. 

Porter and Sheridan also mentioned that although Pasco had yet to finalize its deal with Sports Facilities Companies of Clearwater to take over the management of the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus, “The county picked the best possible operator to take over.,” Porter said. “It would just be nice to hear that the deal is finalized, because, in our agreement for the land we donated for it, the county (which has been managing the Sports Campus since buying out the management contract of RADDSports in 2023) was never supposed to be managing that facility.” 

Porter also said that with the success of Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant on the north side of S.R. 56 (at Lajuana Blvd.), “we’ve been having some pretty serious negotiations with a number of restaurant operators — some successful Tampa Bay-area operators and some top-level chains” — for the restaurant pads adjacent to Cooper’s Hawk. 

For more information about Wiregrass Ranch, visit TheWiregrassRanch.com. 

Viera Interested In County & State Races for 2026!

District 7 Tampa City Council member and New Tampa resident Luis Viera says he hasn’t made a decision yet, but he is looking at either a State House of Representatives or Hillsborough County Commission run in 2026, before his current City Council term expires in March of 2027.

While introducing Viera, who was the guest speaker at North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce’ (NTBC)’s monthly Business Breakfast on Feb. 4, NTBC president & CEO Hope Kennedy mentioned that she had heard Viera might be considering a run for Mayor of Tampa, but Viera said he was more interested in a run for the District 67 State House seat currently occupied by House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, who will reach her term limit with the Nov. 2026 election.

Since that Feb. 4 meeting, Viera says he has been approached by multiple media outlets about his plans going forward. He says he is mulling over the possibility of running not only for Driskell’s Dist. 67 State House seat, but also for one of the County Commission seats up for election in 2026. “I haven’t made a decision yet,” Viera says. “But, once I announce which of those offices I will choose to run for, I will have to give up my City Council seat before my term ends.”

Even though he is a registered Democrat (City of Tampa elections are all nonpartisan), the 47-year-old Viera also discussed his ability to work with other political office holders — including reaching across the political aisle —  in Hillsborough and Pasco counties, as well as with Rep. Driskell, Dist. 20 State Senator Danny Burgess and with Dist. 15 U.S. Congresswoman Laurel Lee.  He also talked about New Tampa’s status as the “Alaska” of the City of Tampa, was well as zip code 33647’s cultural diversity, as well as what he has accomplished in the nine years since first winning election — by 65 votes in the two-candidate Special Election runoff in Nov. 2016 — in his first election over fellow New Tampa resident Dr. Jim Davison.

Look for a full recap of Councilman Viera’s Chamber breakfast chat, and more information about his political plans, in the March 4 New Tampa Neighborhood News Issue #5-25.

Rita’s Italian Ice Grand Opening Begins ‘Food Truck Fridays’ At Avalon Park WC!

Hey, Wesley Chapel! When your Feb 18 Wesley Chapel Issue #4-25 arrives in your mailbox, please note that an old story about Chicken Guy! is under the headline above on pg. 42 of that print edition. Below is the correct story that was supposed to run. I apologize to Rita’s Wesley Chapel franchise owners Antoine & Idalice Stokes and to developer Beat Kahli’s entire team at Avalon Park Wesley Chapel for this unforgivable boo-boo! 

Avalon Park Wesley Chapel (APWC)’s downtown area is continuing the community’s tradition of great open-to-the-community events. Case in point — on Jan. 24, franchise owners Antoine and Idalice Stokes of Rita’s Italian Ice in the first APWC downtown building celebrated the store’s official Grand Opening with a ribbon cutting and a free Italian ice and frozen custard giveaway that attracted hundreds of well-wishers and frozen treat fans, as the line wrapped around a large part of The Flats at Avalon Park Apartments building for most of the afternoon.

That event, which also included a DJ, a fire truck from Pasco County Fire Rescue, District 2 Pasco County Commissioner Seth Weightman and the Cypress Creek Cheerleaders, as well as a Justice League-themed inflatable from Luc’s Inflatables for the kids, was paired with APWC’s first “Fourth Friday Food Truck Rally” event. At least four food trucks were on hand for this first rally, including Pane Piatto Pizza, Taco Holic, Westchase BBQ and Nacho Wagon. APWC, which continues to have individual food trucks in the downtown area on many Mondays and Thursdays, will host its next Food Truck Rally on Friday, February 28, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., which will include (please note that others may still be added) Logan’s Smoke House, Wich Press and Tampa Burger Company.

For more information about Avalon Park Wesley Chapel’s downtown (4424 Friendly Way), visit AvalonParkWesleyChapel.com

Coffee Latitudes — Come For The Coffee, Stay For The Food! 

(Photos by Charmaine George)

James Frank, who owns the new Coffee Latitudes CafĂ© on County Line Rd., west of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (in the same plaza as Five Guys and LA Fitness) with his wife Olga (right), is what I call both a perfectionist and a true “artiste.” 

James, who is from Croton-on-Hudson in the northern part of Westchester County, NY, decided at a young age that he wasn’t going to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a plumber. He was in a culinary program in high school and, after about a year in a technical school, found a vacated restaurant location in his hometown and, at age 19, he opened The Malt Shop. 

“That was in the 1980s,” James says, “but do you know what was popular in the ‘80s? The ‘50s! So, of course, we had a black-and-white checkered floor, a counter with all the stools, a jukebox in the back…so it was very malt shop-ish.” 

By 1990, James sold that restaurant and had an opportunity to sell coffee in Manhattan, which he did for about two years. 

“I realized, with my entrepreneurial spirit, ‘Hey, I can do this on my own,” and, for many years, he supplied coffee for the corporate offices of Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, Perry Ellis and CNN. “When September 11 happened, I wanted to sell my business and by November of that year, I sold that business and went on my first sabbatical. By June of 2002, I relocated to Florida.” 

From 2002-15, his new coffee supply business sold to the likes of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Bucs, Morgan & Morgan and many more. “If your large office had a coffee machine, there was a good chance it was one of mine,” James says. “I had divisions in Tampa, Orlando, Sarasota and Ocala, but a Japanese company that wanted to break into the Florida market bought that business, so I was on sabbatical again. I traveled to Germany, Paris, Switzerland and finally said, I’m not yet 50, I can’t just do nothing. I have to find something else.” 

So, he opened his first Florida cafĂ© — CafĂ© Liberty Bistro — on N. Dale Mabry Hwy. at Van Dyke Rd. “It was definitely a ‘foodie’ kind of place,” James says, “a place where you’d go to get a short rib grilled cheese (left) or waffles loaded with pork belly, sage or chicken…huge waffles.” 

Olga, who is from “Da Bronx” (but you’d never know it from her non-NY, Latina accent) also worked with him in the coffee business in Manhattan and moved to Florida with him to work at his coffee business here, By 2020, when James sold the Dale Mabry cafĂ© just before Covid, he and Olga decided to open a new cafĂ© in Spring Hill they called CafĂ© Connections. 

“The guy who sold me the cafĂ© in Spring Hill was impressed by my Dale Mabry store, so he opened a similar cafĂ© there and ironically, he sought me out and sold it to me,” James says. “We moved to Spring Hill because the cafĂ© was there.” 

But, the other guy who had bought his Dale Mabry cafĂ© ended up closing it about a year-and-a-half later and said to James, “If you want it back, take it. We’re moving back to India.” Instead of buying it or reopening it, the main thing James wanted from that store was its 5-kilo coffee roasting machine. 

But, when Covid happened, instead of keeping the Spring Hill cafĂ© open, James and Olga sold it and began roasting coffee at home. 

“At that time, Olga, who is legally blind, became a cancer survivor,” James says, “so even though we were considered to be an ‘essential business,’ we decided to go ahead and close. It was a blessing in disguise for us, because the coffee business started to take off.” 

At that time, the “coffee business” was primarily online and appearances at the Market Elaine at The Grove and the Fresh Market at the Shops at Wiregrass, which ended up leading to a Coffee Latitudes kiosk at the mall. After almost four years in business there, they sold the kiosk (which is now closed) a few months ago to focus their energies on the Coffee Latitudes CafĂ©, which has now been open for almost a year. 

“We just happened to be visiting this plaza and drove by the place,” Olga says, “and saw that The Juice Factory (the previous tenant) had closed. When we first asked about it, the guy told us that he already had a Letter of Intent to take it over, but ended up calling us back a couple of months later. The first time James saw the brick walls inside, he said, ‘I want to open a cafĂ© here.’” 

So, while the 5-kilo coffee roaster is still in their garage, James bought a 10-kilo roaster to have in the store and has been able to expand his already extensive collection of coffees from every coffee-growing region around the world, from Asia to Africa and from South to Central America. 

When he first opened, James told me to always ask “What coffee are you brewing today?,” but now, the day’s brews are posted on a chalkboard sign (below, right photo) on the counter where you order. Another small chalkboard sign tells you the day’s food specials. 

I love all of the Latin American coffees — from Bolivia, Honduras, Costa Rica and even Mexico, and I have been somewhat surprised to also enjoy his Sumatran and Indonesian blends. 

James says Coffee Latitudes specializes in organic, chemical free, Fair-Trade coffee from small family farmers, including Flhor Zelaya of Honduras (left photo), who has been growing coffee in her native country since she was only five years old. Flhor now supports 200 women to harvest her coffee that is not only organic, but also grown by bio-diversity farming. James is proud to sell his huge variety of beans to his ever-growing roster of appreciative customers. 

“And, we roast all of the coffee ourselves in the cafĂ© for the freshest experience,” James says. 

He also says that organic loose teas have been another great addition to the Coffee Latitudes expanding beverage menu. 

“We serve it in little pots at the table,” he says. “We also get a little geeky with serving coffee pour-overs and French press coffee at your table.” 

James also has told me that I have been storing my coffee all wrong at home. I knew that keeping coffee beans (we grind our own at home) in the refrigerator is a no-no, but I thought keeping it in the freezer was better. Wrong again. 

“The best way to keep your coffee fresh is in an air-tight container in a cabinet or pantry,” he says. “That way, it doesn’t pick up any smells from the refrigerator or freezer.” 

Olga adds, “Our bags of bulk coffee beans all have a valve on the back to only allow air to go out, not in. Our customers love them!” 

And, while Coffee Latitudes does offer lattes, cappuccinos, cafĂ© mochas, affogato cafĂ©s (with Italian gelato and fresh roasted espresso that will have you singing “Amore”) and other hot and iced coffee drinks, don’t expect them to taste like those processed, over-sugared drinks from those “S” or “DD” chains. “Even our regular coffee needs less cream and sweetener than you might be used to at home,” James says. 

Other drinks include cold brew, chai, matcha organic green and loose leaf teas (hot or iced), hot chocolate, smoothies, frappes and a variety of “mocktails.” 

James says Coffee Latitudes specializes in “artisanal comfort food for breakfast and lunch.” 

For breakfast, he imports croissants from France and “legit” bagels from New York City. 

“We bake the croissants and bagels (the latter are ‘par-baked’ in New York and shipped frozen; available in plain, everything, “rainbow” and more) here and offer deluxe egg sandwiches (scrambled, over easy or sunny side up), on your choice of bread (including a ‘New Yorker’ on a Kaiser roll) and choice of meat (bacon or ham). You can even add fresh avocado (like the photo below) or have the bagel toasted with butter or cream cheese. Or, enjoy a fresh Belgian waffle topped with chocolate chips, strawberries or blueberries.” 

Coffee Latitudes’ best-selling “Afternoon Bite” is the yummy shredded short rib grilled cheese at the top of the page. We used this photo to emphasize what James calls “the crown” — that crispy cooked cheddar and smoked gouda cheese blend that runs over the bread and makes not only the taste, but also the visuals, unique. 

“You ‘taste’ food with your eyes first, then the aroma and then the bite,” he says. 

Our other lunch-time favorites include the triple-decker Turkey Club shown above, the Giacomo (Italian for James), a shareable sammi with hot capicola, salami, ham and mortadella with provolone, red onion and Campari tomatoes on Italian bread with Sicilian red pesto. Or, try the Italian-style avocado toast on toasted garlic bread, with avocado, mozzarella, tomato, red onion, a balsamic drizzle and Italian seasoning. There’s also chicken Caesar, tuna, ham or turkey wraps and “You Chef” sandwiches, plus Caesar and other salads. 

The restaurant also displays its bagels and croissants, along with a variety of pastries and desserts, some of which are made or baked in-house, in two display cases. 

With apologies to “Seinfeld,” James does make some of the best fresh soups anywhere. Jannah is pretty much addicted to the creamy tomato bisque, served with shredded cheddar cheese and house-made croutons. I constantly have to call the eatery asking what soups they have and if it’s tomato, I have to buy two of them. 

One time, when he didn’t have the tomato, Jannah tried James’ creamy broccoli cheddar soup, so she now has two favorites! He also makes a mean, cinnamon-y carrot soup that’s great on a cold day…like we had most of January. 

Coffee Latitudes also raises money for local charities with its own “Rise & Shine” program. 

“For example,” Olga says, “for St. Patrick’s Day, customers can make a donation to have their name printed on a gold coin or green shamrock in the café’s front window, with all of the proceeds going to a local charity. If you know of a charity in need, stop in and let us know!” 

Coffee Latitudes (6431 E. County Line Rd. in New Tampa) is open every day for breakfast, lunch & early dinner, as follows: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.; 8 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. 

For more information about Coffee Latitudes (including a great coupon special), see the ad below Or, call (813) 575-8000 or visit CoffeeLatitudes.com. And please, tell James and Olga that I sent you! 

If You Think Your Business Can’t Afford An IT Department, Call My Tampa IT! 

Peggy D’Alessandro and Linwood Wright of My Tampa IT, located in the Windguard Professional Center in Wesley Chapel, are happy to be the information technology department your small business needs. (Photo by Charmaine George)

As a business owner who can only use the technology available to me enough to keep my business running, anytime there’s a glitch — and believe me, there have been many — that affects my ability to complete the work I have to do, there is no way for me to fix that problem myself. 

In other words, when you consider that I need to use a computer to write stories, help my graphic designer create ads, edit stories written by others, lay those stories and ads in on digital pages, transmit those pages to our printer, create invoices and sales receipts for our advertisers, Auto-Pay the credit cards and communicate with dozens of local businesses every day, etc. — well, let’s just say that there are a lot of glitches that can happen during that process that can prevent me from being able to complete an issue every two weeks. 

So, even though I know absolutely nothing about Information Technology (IT), I understand enough to know that I need someone to handle my IT needs so I can focus on my business. 

That’s why I feel fortunate to have met (and become friends with) Linwood Wright, the owner of My Tampa IT, and his marketing/sales director Peggy D’Alessandro. My Tampa IT has a convenient office located in the Windguard Professional Center off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in Wesley Chapel, but even if Linwood was operating out of a home office (like Jannah and I do), I would still recommend him and his team of IT experts that keep me and the Neighborhood News glitch-free. 

When we first decided to utilize My Tampa IT’s services, Linwood had to get our email back up and running when our primary email account was hacked. Not only were we completely shut down, the hackers sent fake messages to all of our email contacts that looked like they came from us. He and his crew got us back up and running — within 24 hours or so — and implemented new security protocols to protect us as best as they could going forward, which was done remotely. 

But next, he and his team came to our home office to check out the computers and programs we were using to figure out where we were most vulnerable to possible future hacking — since everything we do, every program we use, is connected to the internet. They determined that because of the age (close to 10 years old or more) of our computers, they couldn’t provide the type of security we needed unless I would invest in new computers. But, while ours had gotten slower over the years, I worried about how I could afford that significant investment in new computers. 

And, even though he didn’t sell me my new computers (I bought them directly from Apple but My Tampa IT does also sell computers to its clients), I knew Linwood was right (pun intended). 

He and his team again came to our home office to set up and protect all of our new gear, so that if any part of our operation is hacked in the future, his computers receive an immediate notification and they are normally able to immediately get to work to correct the problem, usually within ten minutes of its detection. 

“We have to be able to act quickly,” Linwood says. “If it ever takes us more than twelve minutes to call you after a threat is detected, well, let’s just say that is unacceptable to me.” 

I receive a “Quarantine List” of potential threat emails every day and go through that list so I can determine if each is a legitimate email from either an existing or potential advertiser or from a member of the communities we serve before I even consider opening it. Months after My Tampa IT set me up, our operation has continued to run smoothly, and just knowing I have proper backup helps yours truly sleep soundly every night. 

“There are literally millions of hackers around the world — some of whom are basically unpaid slaves,” he says, “so, if you think your business is too small for anyone to try to hack into your computers, smartphones and bank accounts, we have proof you’re playing a dangerous game.” 

Linwood admits that even at a young age, he was always something of a technology “geek.” 

“I think my first IT job was in 1997,” Linwood says. “I was actually introduced to computing in high school in 1985— at a small town in the middle of Illinois, which was surprisingly advanced for computing at the time — and I excelled at it and really liked it. But, back then, there was really only one thing you could do in IT and that was programming, which didn’t really do it for me, so I went to business school. But, when Microsoft came out with one of their first servers ever — the Windows NT4 — I put myself through Microsoft training because I saw that people really liked the Windows system. and that really kind of set the stage for everything for me going forward.” 

Linwood moved to Florida and got a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology and a Master of Science degree in Information Studies from Florida State University in Tallahassee. 

“I worked for quite a few companies,” he says, “including the Florida Department of Labor, and as a consultant to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Police Department of San Juan, Puerto Rico. I had a one terabyte drive in 2001. It was 20 feet long, 8 feet tall and 3 feet deep. No one had ever even heard of a terabyte back then.” 

He was consulting with FDLE when 9-11 happened. “Things got crazy real quick after that,” he said. “I had to log every single person and photo the computers tagged as a possible threat.” 

From there, Linwood says, he was working as an IT director for a company, when some people he used to work with had started their own engineering firm. “They said, ‘We don’t have any IT support. Can you help us?’ I said, well, I can only help you nights and weekends because I work full time,’ but they said ‘OK.’ That was in 2009 and I still have that customer to this day.” 

And, although it was just Linwood at the time and wasn’t yet called My Tampa IT, “That was how I started this business. Every year, someone else would come to me with a similar problem. By 2014, I had founded My Tampa IT.” 

He adds, “As an IT person, I’m like the opposite of a sales person, so I helped found a BNI (Business Networking International) chapter to get my ‘elevator pitch’ down and, by 2021, Peggy agreed to handle sales and marketing for me.” 

Peggy says she worked for Sears for 30 years. “I went from a part-time sales associate in the tool department for one year, and then in appliances, in Flushing, NY.” 

But then, when she moved to Florida, she says, “I moved into commercial sales and I started reaching out to home builders asking, ‘Who needs appliances?’ Instead of one house at a time, I was now selling 300 sets of appliances at once to multi-family builders, which became my niche. I ended up in the top 1% of sales for the entire company and did that for about 20 years. But, after Sears eventually shut down my division, I ended up asking Linwood if we could team up. He said, ‘Oh my God, yes.’ And that was it.” 

Peggy says she then immersed herself in learning enough about technology to translate Linwood’s “tech speak” into everyday English for business owners, “So it’s really been a great partnership between us.” 

She adds that even people who buy the absolute top-of-the-line computers still have problems, “and when they do, they’re upset. They’re not mad at us, they’re mad because they’re shut down. It’s up to us to have empathy and solve their problem.” 

And for that, Linwood needs capable techs and he says he is proud that, “all of my techs are local — not in a foreign country — and have been with me for at least three years now.” 

So, whether the business you own is a CPA, law, engineering or architectural firm, a manufacturing business, home service company (HVACs, plumbers, roofers, etc.) a health care or any other type of small business, My Tampa IT can help — not only keep your computers up and running, but also make sure you stay in compliance with the laws and rules of the business. 

Still think you can’t afford it? I say you can’t afford to not give My Tampa IT a call! 

For more info about My Tampa IT (2816 Windguard Cir., Ste. 101), call (813) 513-9849 or visit MyTampaIT.com.Â