In 2016, District 2 Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore championed a drive to regulate the county’s donation bins, many of which were becoming unsightly junkyards. The idea was to keep a closer eye on the dumping.
If that crusade was the eyes, then the county’s latest project is the teeth. Moore has helped push through a plan to rid the county of all illegal dumping, as part of a new #PascoProud campaign.
“It’s time to fight back on this,” Moore says, adding that since October, there have been 144 code complaints filed by county residents over illegal dumping. But, the county’s trash ordinance, “didn’t have a lot of teeth to it,” Moore says, so the county took a look at adopting the state’s more stringent rules, which carry stiffer penalties.
Those penalties include heftier fines, and even arrest, for those illegally dumping on county property. Moore says that those who get arrested can be charged with a misdemeanor or, depending on the violation, a third-degree felony.
Anyone caught dumping illegally in Pasco County can be fined a maximum of $500 per day, per item, as well as possible cleanup costs.
Commercial companies that get caught dumping automatically get charged a third-degree felony, even if it’s something like discarding empty paint buckets on the side of the road.
“Dumping costs taxpayers thousands and thousands of dollars a year to clean up the mess,” Moore says. “And, it’s not good for the environment.”
The county’s secret weapon in this latest crusade is the local community.
The county’s popular MyPasco app now has a link to report illegal dumping. Users of the app can take a picture of the dump sites, or someone dumping materials, or even a license plate, and send the picture right to the county via the app.
The county also has created a website — bit.ly/2Bj6CUz — so residents can report illegal dumping, as well as an email address (RIDPasco@pascocountyfl.net) and phone number (727-847-2411) that can be used to make reports.
Moore said the app and website received 87 tips the first week of the program.
“We triage all that info, and if it looks legit, it goes right to the (Pasco County) Sheriff’s Office,” Moore says. “We want this to be a team effort between the community and the county.”
Moore says that illegal dumping takes place in Wesley Chapel, as public land and dead-end roads are targeted. He said the problem is widespread, however.
“There’s a road in the Lutz area, an access road that so much dumping has taken place on that you literally have to weave in and out of trash to drive the road,” he says.
Moore wouldn’t mention specific trouble spots, including one in Wesley Chapel because some are under video camera surveillance. But, he thinks the county’s current approach will yield positive results. The MyPasco app already has received a number of tips since the initiative has gone into effect.
“It is happening in Wesley Chapel,” Moore says. “You typically don’t see it when driving on normal roads and main thoroughfares, but you do see it on some dead-end roads and some public lands. If people see it, we encourage them to report it. Don’t engage the person doing it. Use the tools we are providing.”
The New Tampa Christian Academy is set to open on County Line Rd. in New Tampa on Aug. 20. This is a rendering of the private K-12 Christian-based school.
While the backbone of any good school has always been its curriculum, today’s modern students and parents also desire innovation outside of the classroom.
With that in mind, Sandra Doran, Ed.D., has been overseeing the construction of North Tampa Christian Academy (NTCA), located just west of the Grand Hampton community on County Line Rd., just south of Wesley Chapel.
Doran, the founding headmaster of the area’s first Christian K-12 school, promises a top-notch curriculum, to be taught on a state-of-the-art campus.
“Innovative buildings, innovative furniture, innovative teaching practices,” Doran told an audience of local business leaders gathered Feb. 22 for a North Tampa Chamber of Commerce Economic Development briefing at Hunter’s Green Country Club.
The new school is set to open on Aug. 20, with a full complement of grades, including an early childhood center that will take students as young as 2 years old. It is such a lofty goal that even Doran had to take a deep breath and smile when revealing the plans.
“Everything opens,” she said. “Early childhood, lower school, middle school. We’re not doing it gradually. Everything opens.”
The NTCA, with annual tuition prices ranging from $12,000-$16,000, is the culmination of plans that were hatched in 2012, when the Florida Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists (in concert with Adventist Health System and Florida Hospital West Florida Region) began to work with Tampa Bay-area churches and schools to establish a new campus in our area.
On August 17, 2015, the Florida Conference purchased the 43-acre parcel in New Tampa, right on the Hillsborough/Pasco County line, just south and west of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC).
While school officials felt confident the emphasis on project-based learning, academic excellence via innovative teaching and Christian ideals offered by the school would prove attractive for prospective families, they also wanted to be sure it was offered in an attractive, forward-thinking package.
The question was, according to Doran, “What kind of school architecture would promote good learning practices?”
The answer was Prakash Nair, of Fielding Nair International, whose company has designed innovative schools all over the world, including Academy of Holy Names in Tampa and Shorecrest Prep in St. Petersburg.
Project manager Michael Gilkey reached out to Nair via email, assuming he was in India and getting a timely reply would be difficult.
“Lo and behold, Prakash Nair had not only moved to the United States, and had not only moved to Florida but moved to Tampa and was at Michael Gilkey’s door the next day,” Doran says. Then, with a chuckle, added, “As people of faith, we found that very interesting.”
Nair discarded the original plans, which he dubbed the “Walmart Model” – a big building with a parking lot in front.
Instead, Nair devised a collection of four smaller buildings, each one housing about 150 students, or “separate learning communities,” as Doran referred to them. The separated structures will house an early childhood center, plus buildings for grades K-2, 3-6 and 7-12.
A hoped-for second phase will include an additional building to break up the older grades into 6-8 and 9-12.
The design places less emphasis on walls, doors and standard classrooms, and instead focuses on open spaces that free flow from room to room, with buildings connected by a sun-shielding shade.
Doran, who was associate superintendent at the Florida Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists (the second-largest parochial school system in the world, she says), agreed to take on the task of leading the NTCA. At that time, however, she had no idea, before visiting for the first time last July, that she was inheriting a dusty field with a discarded mattress laying on it.
As for the curriculum, Doran said that she is excited about what she describes as a project-based learning environment.
“The bottom line is this: we want our students, when doing their projects, to have an outcome that matters,” she says. “Are you creating beauty or solving a problem? If it’s none of the above, it’s pointless. Think about the science fair, when those are over, what do you do? You throw them (the projects) away, right? And yet, we wonder why our children don’t like doing them.”
There will be a focus on reading skills (her area of expertise, and a personal connection as well, as her son has struggled with dyslexia), Bible study, challenging math courses and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), designed to improve science education. The NGSS have been adopted by 19 states, although Florida is not one of them.
The school also will have a gymnasium and a soccer field and has already hired a volleyball coach, although Doran says NTCA isn’t looking to develop a high-level athletic program like the ones that define so many private and religion-based schools throughout Florida.
With 43 acres, NTCA will have plenty of room left over for students and staff to explore the woods and trails behind the classrooms. Doran says the school has available capacity for 750 students and is projecting 240 enrollees for the 2018-19 school year, plus another 100 children in the early childhood programs.
“It’s a scary and exhilarating adventure,” she says. “Am I a risk taker? Yes.”
The North Tampa Christian Academy is now accepting applications for the 2018-19 school year. For more information, visit SeeThisSchool.com or NorthTampaChristian.org, or call (813) 591-0309.
Wesley Chapel’s version of the Golden Girls — the gold-medal-winning U.S. Women’s Olympic Hockey team, returned to the place they have called home since September for an impromptu visit on Feb. 28, greeting a small crowd of well wishers at Florida Hospital Center Ice (FHCI) and thanking them for months of support, before heading to Amalie Arena in downtown Tampa, where they were honored before the Tampa Bay Lightning game against the Buffalo Sabres.
The fans at FHCI thanked the U.S. team for memories that will last a lifetime. A few dozen hockey loyalists, many who watched Team USA practices and exhibitions at the rink over the past six months, applauded the U.S. women as they walked through the doors, roughly a week after beating Canada in a memorable shootout in PyeongChang, South Korea, to capture the team’s first Olympic gold since 1998.
“This was a major priority for us,” said team captain and forward Meghan Duggan, a Massachusetts native and former University of Wisconsin All-American. “We talked a lot about wanting to give back to everyone that has supported us along the way, from family to fans, and Wesley Chapel played a huge role in our development, in getting us ready. We’ve been back in the U.S. for 36 hours, and were already here, so this was certainly was a priority for us.”
Team USA hockey forward Kendall Coyne celebrated the Olympic gold medal at FHCI on Feb. 28. (Photos: John C. Cotey)
The team’s performance in South Korea has been universally hailed as one of the greatest in U.S. Olympic hockey history, as Monique Lamoureux-Morando tied the game at 2-2 with less than seven minutes remaining to force a scoreless overtime period that led to a nail-biting shootout. Still tied after five shots each in the shootout, Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, Monique’s twin, used three dekes before memorably slipping the puck past the Canadian goaltender Shannon Szabados.
Szabados’ American counterpart, Maddie Rooney, saved Canada’s next shot attempt (by Meghan Acosta, who had scored during the first five shootout rounds, but was stopped by Rooney in Round 6) to clinch the gold for the U.S..
“It was amazing,’’ said Wesley Chapel’s Kristin Folch. “It was so cool that they were in Wesley Chapel, where we got to see them, and then on TV. It felt like we were connected in some way.”
Folch took her two young children, Annabella — who is already playing hockey at age 5 — and Anthony to get a picture with the team.
Annabella is one of many young girls to be inspired by the U.S. Olympians, according to FHCI general manager Gordie Zimmerman. While the Olympic gold medal winners have put FHCI on the map — a plethora of stories begin with the mention of their journey starting in Wesley Chapel at the rink — he says the impact stretches far wider. The girls hockey program at FHCI already has more than 60 players, with Under-14 and Under-16 travel teams, and a rec program that caters to younger players. Many of the young skaters were able to interact with the gold medalists at camps and practices since September, and Zimmerman says a girls youth league is not too far down the road.
“They always seemed to make themselves available,” Zimmerman said. “They inspired a lot of girls in the area and across the nation to play hockey, and they are wonderful people and great ambassadors for the game. It’s good to see we still have that in America.”
While the team will now scatter back north to their frostier hometowns in places like Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and Massachusetts, Duggan says the won’t forget the hospitality and great weather —and even enduring Hurricane Irma — of Wesley Chapel.
“I think what we’ll miss about it is the community,” Duggan said. “We’ve been welcomed with open arms since we’ve been here, from the people at the rink, Gordie, his whole staff, Saddlebrook Resort (where the team stayed while training at FHCI) was awesome, everyone was really great. That’ll be the biggest thing we’ll miss. Hopefully, we’ll be able to come back down here at some point and say hey to everyone. They were a huge reason why we were able to be successful.”
Pasco County deputies arrested a 23-year-old man Sunday evening suspected in a string of February robberies in Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills.
Robert Dumas, of Wesley Chapel, was stopped for speeding on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. and Eagleston Blvd. As deputies searched the vehicle, they found a gun and a used marijuana joint.
Deputies also found a firearm and mask, along with shoes and clothing that matched the description from a string of recent armed robberies.
Dumas and the vehicle also matched those descriptions, and the Major Crimes division was notified as deputies continued to talk with Dumas until he confessed to the robberies over the course of six days, which started on Feb. 8 with the Citgo Gas Station gas station on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel.
About an hour later, Dumas also was accused of robbing the Best Western Hotel on Oakley Blvd. in Wesley Chapel, where he fired a gun shot. He also fired a shot during a robbery of the Metro PCS store in Zephyrhills. He also has been accused of robbing B Creative Painting Studio in Wesley Chapel, and a Subway sub shop in Lutz.
Because we shook up our annual Reader Dining Survey & Contest and it had so many new categories, and it took a little longer for us to tabulate those results, the release of my 2017 Dining Favorites in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel was delayed by an issue.
Dempsey’s porterhouse steak and cheese grits
The only thing that hasn’t changed is just how much I disagree with our readers when it comes to dining in our two distribution areas. Yours truly agrees that many of the new restaurants (yes, gulp…including some of the new chains) that joined our dining scene in 2017 deserve to be at or near the top of my list, but that’s where the similarities end.
I will say that I did change my own format for this year — these are my top-50 favorites in our distribution areas, regardless of whether they’re located in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel.
After the top 30, however, the final 20 include some favorite dessert places and even individual items I found myself addicted to at some of the places that couldn’t crack my top 30 (of more than 100 eateries I considered)!
One thing I can tell you is that I love the feedback — even some of the negative comments we’ve gotten from readers who didn’t participate in this year’s Dining Survey & Contest, but have still taken the time to post some unflattering comments about the choices of the readers who did vote on our Facebook page.
But, while I agree with some of those reader rants, the fact is that while we still don’t have enough top-level mom-&-pop places in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel, we do have a lot more variety from which to choose today than we have in years past. — GN
1. Dempsey’s Steak House at Saddlebrook
I also decided that this year, I would rank my favorite restaurants in order, regardless of price, which meant that only the place with both the best Cowboy ribeye steak (above) and best fresh fish in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel could be voted #1— and that place is Dempsey’s. No, I don’t often feel a compulsive need to plunk down more than $50+ for an outstanding steak (and there are plenty of overpriced steak houses in Tampa for that), but whenever I do, Dempsey’s never disappoints me.
2. Noble Crust
I should really call Noble Crust “1B,” because if you have to take price into account, there’s no better value for the money than this two-location chain — especially considering it’s in an upscale mall. Noble Crust’s constantly changing fish and steak specials (and ambiance) keep me coming back, despite the fact the menu isn’t extensive, but from the fried chicken parm (photo) to the meatballs to the kale Caesar salad to the unique pizzas, this was my favorite newcomer for 2017.
Cafe Ole’s veal shank
3. Café Olé
Although Café Olé was sold towards the end of the year, the two times I’ve been there since the sale, the menu was still pretty much the same and the quality of the fresh fish, special entrées like the beautiful veal chop (right) shown here and unique tapas dishes were still outstanding. I also have to say that I like the way the new owners from Venezuela have transformed one small section of the restaurant into a Venezuelan coffee and dessert place. Muy bueno!
4. Little Italy’s Family Restaurant & Catering
My friends Jessica and Carl Meyers continue to add new items based on customer requests and their addition of the best veal parmigiana in our area (and beer and wine; try Grandma’s sangria) in 2017 was enough to keep them in my top-five in our distribution areas, even though the restaurant is technically in Lutz.
Stonewood.
5. Stonewood Grill & Tavern (Tampa Palms)
Another restaurant that benefited from me picking favorites when price is no issue, Stonewood’s addition of a great lunch menu in 2016, including excellent bowls like bruschetta chicken and tuna poke, moved it up for me last year. Steaks, pastas and fresh fish are a little more pricy for dinner, but Stonewood’s bar service is always top-notch.
6. Ciccio Cali
Get a taste of the California lifestyle at Ciccio Cali, where rice and lettuce bowl cuisine has been elevated to an art form. I love all three of the tuna bowls on the menu, as well as the chicken and baby broccoli str-fry and the thin-crust pizzas. I also enjoy the homemade cookies and desserts (some gluten-free) and nice wine selection.
7. Ford’s Garage
I wasn’t overly excited that we were getting a Ford’s Garage in Wesley Chapel, because I can only eat burgers so often, and the rest of the menu is a little limited. Even so, Jannah and I do crave the ahi tuna appetizer, chop-chop salad, chicken Henry and petite filet.
Acropolis brunch.
8. Acropolis
Acropolis on BBD south of Tampa Palms continues to expand its menu with more and more authentic Greek and Middle Eastern dishes, but my favorites are still the lamb chops (photo), the Athenian fish and the Greek salad with a uniquely creamy Greek dressing.
9. Sukhothai
Although we have added some new (and also delicious) Thai options in our area, Sukhothai’s fresh sushi and combination fried rice are my favorites and I also love the crispy duck with ginger sauce and the shoes-off, below-floor seating.
10. Longhorn Steak House
Another new chain that opened in our area for the first time in 2017, Longhorn’s outlaw ribeye isn’t in Dempsey’s category, but it’s also half the price and delish. We love the bar, the bread, the salad, the sides and the Flo’s filets at Longhorn, too.
11. Thai Ruby
The ambiance is second to none and the food doesn’t disappoint. I love Thai Ruby’s fresh fish specials and the crispy duck with ginger sauce is still the best in our area. This is a great place to start an intimate date night.
12. Grillsmith
Some recent menu additions, including reasonable lunch entrées, have helped keep me coming back to Grillsmith, which now offers a larger variety of tender steaks, a daily fresh catch (we were stunned at how good the wahoo was) and a zesty margherita pasta.
13. Capital Tacos
It’s a fast-casual restaurant with a limited menu, but Jannah and I can’t get enough of the chicken and steak fajita salads at Capital Tacos (which is now opening more locations), and the quality of the food seems to exceed what you pay for it.
Fushia Asian bistro
14. Fushia Asian Bistro
It still makes me crazy when people tell me they’ve never tried or even heard of Fushia, which is located in the same Shoppes at Amberly plaza as Peabody’s and Thai Ruby. But, for authentic dishes like Yan Jian pork, beef with Chinese broccoli and the best combination fried rice in town, you have to try Fushia!
15. Yamato Japanese Restaurant
Although it’s not my favorite sushi place, I do enjoy the fair pricing on quality Japanese teppanyaki (hibachi) fare at Yamato, where the NY strip and filet and even the veggies are my favorites among our local Japanese steakhouses.
16. Liang’s China Bistro
Although my favorite Chinese entrées in our area might be at Fushia, Liang’s has my favorite egg rolls, true New York-style BBQ spare ribs and sautéed string beans in our area and has a great variety of fresh seafood and sizzling steak dishes.
17. Bonefish Grill
Bonefish used to rank higher on my list, but it still has my favorite seared ahi tuna appetizer in our area and is usually reliable for its fresh fish (although I don’t love most of the sauces on the menu) and bar service.
18. 900 Woodfired Pizza (Shops at Wiregrass)
Although owner Steve Falabella’s NY-style pizza is only third on my list (behind La Prima and NY NY), his lasagne, his delicious salads and the best pesto Genovese sauce for his create-you-own pastas helped rank him higher as a restaurant.
19. The Hungry Greek
Still among the most crowded restaurants in our area, especially for lunch, The Hungry Greek has our area’s best gyro and chicken gyro platters, delicious Greek salads and recently added unique bowls to its popularly priced menu.
20. Oakley’s Grille
Featuring our area’s best open char-grilled black Angus burgers and perfect French fries, plus an outstanding Philly ribeye cheesesteak and pastrami sandwiches, Oakley’s would finish even higher on this list if it added some dinner entrées.
21. Kobe Japanese Steakhouse
Not far behind Yamato among our Japanese steakhouses, Kobe also scores points for its great $5 happy hour food specials at the bar and for adding a pepper-crusted, seared rare tuna tataki teppanyaki dish.
22. Outback Steakhouse
Although it’s never been my favorite steak place in our area, Outback continues to keep itself in the mix by reducing the price points on its quality steaks and recently added a bone-in, natural-cut ribeye.
23. Ginza Endless Hibachi
Although the quality of the sushi and not-tableside hibachi fare isn’t on a par with Yamato or Kobe, the endless appetizers, Mongolian beef and other entrées for just $12.95 per person for lunch, $21.95 per person for dinner, make it a great value.
Fat Rabbit
24. Fat Rabbit (Tampa Palms)
Amazing wings (try ‘em blackened), delicious appetizers and even an excellent mahi-mahi sandwich, plus a fun atmosphere, make Fat Rabbit the best new restaurant in New Tampa for 2017. Check them out on St. Patty’s Day!
25. Wok Chi
A great newcomer to the dining scene in Wiregrass, try the BBQ Chi-licious ribs, pot stickers and chicken spring rolls. I also really enjoy the create-you-own entrées with chicken, pork or beef and the freshest snow peas and other veggies in a spicy Sichuan sauce.
26. Las Palmas Spanish Café
For outstanding merluza topped with Russian-style tartar sauce, palomilla steak, pork chops and roasted pork (lechon asado), plus other authentic Cuban favorites, tell my friends Ramses and Ana that Gary sent you.
27. El Pescador Mexican Seafood
Another tasty newcomer in New Tampa, El Pescador has really good fajitas, but the fresh seafood is the main attraction, including the whole fileted snapper and the fresh ceviche, to go with the usual enchiladas and other Mexican staples.
28. La Prima Pizza
In one man’s opinion, the crust and sauce are still the closest thing to true NY-style ‘za in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel, and it’s all for sale! Owner Willie Lopez has a turnkey pizza operation and a great location (right next to Target), so please call him at (813) 907-2878 if you want to find out more…and please tell him that Gary sent you!
29. Sushi Café
Quite a few sushi places have come and gone from our area over the past several years, but Sushi Café’s quality and presentation make it the best in our area for my money and it is located in the heart of New Tampa (next to Panera on BBD).
30. Texas Roadhouse
Obviously, I love a great steak and although Texas Roadhouse loses points with me for its line-dancing wait staff, it does offer great values on tasty NY strips, filets and yes, its hefty, 20+-oz. bone-in ribeyes.
The Rest of My Top 50 (in alphabetical order)
Bonsai Sushi: Popular for sushi & Japanese fare
Bosco’s: Try the unbreaded chicken parm!
Bruster’s Ice Cream: My favorite (peanut butter!)
Cake Shop:Amazing cakes, cookies & cupcakes
Cantina Laredo: Pricy, satisfying Mexican fare
Culver’s: Good burgers, amazing frozen custard
Fong’s Sushi: Creative, top-level sushi
Hibachi Express: Best prices for tasty hibachi!
Irish 31: Great salads & upscale pub grub
Jersey Mike’s Subs: Best roast beef & tuna subs
Koizi Endless Hibachi: Just below Ginza
Kwan Ming Bistro: Tasty, upscale Chinese
Lanna Thai: Really good food, great atmosphere
Mr. Dunderbak’s: Good schnitzel, great beer!
NY NY Pizza: Try the Grandma’s Pizza!
O’Brien’s Irish Pub: Burgers, tater tots & karaoke
In 2016, District 2 Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore championed a drive to regulate the county’s donation bins, many of which were becoming unsightly junkyards. The idea was to keep a closer eye on the dumping.
