According to Pasco County permitting records, a HomeSense discount home furnishings store is coming to the Publix (and Ross)-anchored Shoppes at New Tampa shopping center on the southeast corner of S.R. 56 and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.
Permits filed with the county indicate a 26,277-sq.-ft. store will be built next to the Ross Dress for Less store in the same plaza.
If you haven’t previously heard of HomeSense, don’t be surprised — according to its website, this will be the first location in Florida, although there are more than 40 locations in a 10 other states, mostly in the Northeast.
HomeSense is a Canadian chain owned by TJX Companies, which also owns HomeGoods, TJ Maxx and Marshalls.
Dr. J’s personable, caring demeanor with his patients and their families is one major reason why Radiance Orthodontics has been so successful. (Photo by Charmaine George)
Braces used to be a somewhat embarrassing, somewhat uncomfortable rite of passage for pre-teens, but it doesn’t have to be that way anymore.
The field of orthodontics continues to evolve and grow, with simpler ways to solve complex problems that relate to the straightening of the teeth and jaw — and not just for those in middle school.
While technology now offers many improvements, Dr. Sam Jureyda says he won’t allow it to replace his favorite thing about practicing orthodontics — developing relationships with people and working closely with them to achieve their perfect smile.
“Dr. J,” as his patients call him, opened his Radiance Orthodontics more than six years ago in the Tampa Palms Professional Center off of Commerce Park Blvd., near the New Tampa Rec Center.
His patients say they appreciate his warm, friendly demeanor, paired with his expertise and attention to detail.
Radiance Orthodontics is not a corporate practice where patients are shuffled through as quickly as possible. Instead, all aspects of the practice are marked with Dr. J’s generous style, where he personally ensures that each patient gets the treatment they need, along with the respect and kindness he feels everyone deserves.
“The staff is friendly, the prices are reasonable, and I love that they all pay close attention to details,” says Rawan, a Wesley Chapel mom whose 16-year-old twins just got their braces off.
In fact, the girls were beyond thrilled with the results. They love how straight their teeth are, but Dr. J told Rawan he wasn’t quite satisfied.
“He’s a perfectionist,” Rawan says. “He’s amazing. He likes to make sure everything is perfect to their liking — and to his — so he decided to use Invisalign® for little finishing touches.”
Rawan says that once her girls started their treatment with Dr. Jureyda, she decided to get Invisalign for herself, as well.
“I never had a problem with my teeth, but over time, I started to get overcrowding,” Rawan explains. “My teeth weren’t terrible, but it was starting to bother me.”
Rawan says that when compared with other orthodontists in the area, the prices at Radiance were the most reasonable, which made it affordable for her to start treatment, too.
Affordability is one reason Karyn Kraf, a West Meadows mom, chose Radiance Orthodontics for her teenage daughters, Karis and Lydia, too.
“He’s got great payment plans and options, which is a big concern with two kids,” Karyn says. “Having flexibility in setting up payments was very helpful.”
She says she also chose the practice because, as treasurer of the Freedom High PTSA, she sees how invested Dr. Jureyda is in the community.
“He supports the local schools,” she says. “It means a lot to the community that he gives back in that way, and I want to make sure he knows he’s appreciated.”
Not only is the practice a business partner at all of New Tampa’s public schools, but for the past four years, Radiance Orthodontics has awarded a scholarship each spring to a Wharton High senior who has demonstrated a commitment to serve the community through volunteering. This year, he also will offer a scholarship to a senior at Freedom.
More Options Than Ever Before
“Orthodontics is a rapidly-changing, dynamic specialty that offers more options than ever before,” Dr. Jureyda explains. “But, that also makes it confusing for patients.”
He offers a unique, personalized treatment plan to every patient, taking into consideration medical needs, budget, and lifestyle. The office staff works with patients to determine orthodontic benefits through dental insurance and provide affordable payment options.
Dr. Jureyda has practiced orthodontics for more than 25 years. Before moving into private practice in 2006 — and subsequently opening Radiance in 2016 — he taught graduate-level students at the University of Buffalo, NY.
He offers a completely free, no-obligation consultation, whether or not you’ve been referred to him by your dentist. Dr. J provides a thorough examination and makes recommendations as to whether or not treatment would be beneficial. Radiance Orthodontics offers both traditional braces and Invisalign®, and Dr. J will help you understand the pros and cons of each type of treatment.
Even traditional braces continue to evolve and use better technologies, and are typically available in either metal or clear ceramic.
Dr. J says that Invisalign®, which uses a series of invisible, removable, comfortable aligners to straighten teeth, is a constantly improving method that is now so effective, it often works more quickly than traditional braces.
Fancy television commercials may say that “do-it-yourself” options can work just as well, but Dr. J emphasizes that having treatment in person with an orthodontist allows you access to an expert who will check your progress every step of the way to keep you on track and watch to ensure no problems develop or worsen.
When it’s time to start treatment, Radiance Orthodontics uses a compact, hand-held wand and optical digital technology to create 3D images of a patient’s mouth. This technology is much easier and more comfortable than taking impressions by hand with a goopy material. It also streamlines the process of moving from diagnosis to treatment. Patients can view their “before” images immediately on the screen during the appointment, and a proposed “after” image comes via email shortly thereafter.
In between, Dr. J takes time to carefully review exactly how the technology recommends the teeth be moved in to position, using his decades of experience to be sure that each of his patients receives a treatment plan that is perfect for them. While the technology adds some degree of automation, he says it doesn’t replace his careful eye and expertise throughout the process.
“We’ve had such a great experience,” she says. “He’s so attentive and personable and very professional.”
And, while she says she never feels rushed, her time is respected and she’s able to get in and out much faster than when her son was in braces in another office, and she was often kept waiting for more than an hour before appointments.
“When we first met Dr. J, we immediately felt comfortable with him and his staff,” Karyn says. “He spends so much time with the girls, he pays attention to details, and makes every patient feel special.”
To schedule a free consultation, text or call Radiance Orthodontics at (813) 972-1100. For more information about the practice, located at 17427 Bridge Hill Ct., Suite A, in the Tampa Palms Professional Center, search for Radiance Orthodontics on Facebook or visit MyRadianceBraces.com.
Amy Strawser had one goal for her daughter Haley and her Wiregrass Ranch High volleyball teammates this season — stability.
That’s why, when the team was potentially facing having to adapt to their third coach in three seasons, Amy, an assistant the previous two years, stepped up.
“These are great girls,” Amy says. “They deserved some continuity.
Led by Haley, a junior who leads the team in virtually every statistical category, the Bulls are 10-8 heading into tonight’s match-up against Sunlake.
How important was the continuity to Amy, who has been coaching for roughly 20 years? Even after suffering a stroke last month, she sent practice plans to her players from the ICU of the Tallahassee hospital where she spent nine days.
“I have an amazing manager, Hailey Portieles,” Amy says. “And this group of girls is really mature. They were really supportive and stepped up to run the practices on their own.”
When Amy returned to the sidelines on Sept. 15, her players greeted her with flowers and signs proclaiming their joy at having their coach back.
Amy can’t help but cry when she recalls the moment. It’s a clear sign the relationship between her and her players is a strong one, and that is paying dividends on the court.
While it was the exceptional work of Portieles keeping things together off the court while Amy was in the hospital, it is Haley who is the glue on the court.
Amy (whose last name was Funkhouser back then) was an All-Hillsborough County outside hitter at Bloomingdale High. She played Division I volleyball at Samford (AL) University and then went into coaching. She put a volleyball in Haley’s hand at the age of three, and the current Bulls standout never looked back.
“I was always around volleyball, and I really liked it,” Haley says. “I like that it’s a mental game, and a smart volleyball player is a good volleyball player. It’s not just a physical game.”
While Amy helped drill home the mental aspect, she also versed her daughter on the variety of skills required to play the game well.
Amy was a 5’-9” outside hitter in college back when you didn’t need to be 6’-3” to stand out; Haley, who is 5’-8” has learned some of those same skills, and then some, leading the Bulls last year with 191 kills.
“It helped a lot (that) she taught me the fundamentals and always made sure I was with good coaches to treat me the correct way,” Haley says. “She made me a better player.”
At the next level, Haley will probably be a setter. She leads the Bulls in assists with 245.
However, as a testament to that all-around game her mother helped her refine, Haley also leads the team in kills (135), aces (54) and digs (245). It is rare to see one volleyball player lead in each of those specific categories.
“I like to focus on being the best that I can be at every skill,” Haley says. “I’m usually a setter, but I like to focus on doing my best on defense and when I’m hitting, I want to make sure I put the ball away.”
Amy says her daughter isn’t the only standout on the team.
Seniors Gianna Ginesin (28 aces, 96 digs) and Victoria Vizcaino (51 kills, 25 blocks) also are key contributors, and Ayanna Klaiber-Norris heads up a junior class that has the potential to do big things next season.Â
“I think our junior class is going to make some waves,” Amy says.
Klaiber-Norris, a 6-ft.-tall middle hitter, is second on the team in kills (95) and first in blocks (45), and Marisabel Monserate is a defensive standout with 97 digs. Along with the development of freshmen Ava Sperling, who has 61 kills and is described as fearless by Amy, and Karen Hill (68 blocks), the Bulls are on an upward trend.
Even in two of their losses this year, the Bulls managed to take two sets off Mitchell and a set off Wesley Chapel, two teams expected to make deep playoff runs this season, and have been competitive against the likes of playoff-probables Bloomingdale’s and Palm Harbor University.
“We’re definitely hopeful,” says Haley. “We have to potential to do well, and I think we will.”
Amy doesn’t want to have to send in game plans from a hospital bed again, but one thing is clear — she will do whatever she needs to do to draw out the potential of her budding Bulls.
“I have high hopes for this team,” Amy says, and then, with a laugh, added that when she was watching the team play via streaming in the hospital, her nurses were asking her what she was doing. “I think I was setting my heart monitor off.”
Fresh off winning the Pasco Economic Developmental Council (EDC)’s SmartStart Entrepreneur of the Year award at the EDC’s annual awards banquet on Sept. 8, Life Essentials (Re) Fillery owner Sheila Haque (at right in the top left photo) hosted a hugely successful Toddler Storytime event, where dozens of toddlers and their parents got a special visit from some furry friends on Sept. 22.
Toddler Storytime, held Thursdays from 10 a.m.-11 a.m., in front of Life Essentials at the KRATE container park at The Grove, featured a visit from Mercy Full Project, a local animal rescue, at its Sept. 22 event.
Heydi Acuna, founder of Mercy Full Project, read Tails Are Not for Pulling with an 8-week-old rescue puppy in her lap, the puppy’s sibling in a nearby crate, and two 8-week old kittens in a carrier.
The kids (and parents) who attended got to pet the animals, sing songs, and do a special puppy craft.
Toddler Storytime is free and sponsored each week by Life Essentials (Re)Fillery, located at 5804 Grand Oro Dr. (Suite 104).
“I’m grateful that we are able to give back to our community by providing fun, engaging, no-cost activities to our local families,” Haque said.
For more info about the snacks, household products and more at Life Essentials, call (813) 642-6402 or visit LifeEssentialsRefillery.com. — JCC
Sonny’s BBQ owner Jim Hoff has seen his fair share of accidents on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in front of his restaurant, mostly from cars trying to cut across the busy road to get through an opening in the BBD median (see map) so they can head south.
That opening, however, is in the process of being closed, and Hoff says he is happy to see it.
“It’s going to be better,” Hoff says. “Without that traffic trying to go back and forth across that median, it’s got to be better.”
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has finally started work near arguably Wesley Chapel’s most dangerous intersection at S.R. 54 and BBD.
The project centers around the northbound and southbound median just south of the actual BBD/54 intersection. Work on the project, which will cost just over $2 million, was scheduled to begin prep work on Sept. 22.
The median currently has an opening allowing motorists to cross from exits between the Sonny’s BBQ and Truist Bank (on what is called Paradise Tree Dr.) adjacent to the Publix-anchored Hollybrook Plaza to southbound BBD or straight across to the west, to Advance Auto Parts, Twistee Treat and the Wesley Chapel Village Market shopping center.
Drivers also frequently drive through the median leaving the Village Market to northbound BBD or straight across both directions on BBD to the Hollybrook Plaza.
The median should be blocked soon (if it’s not already as you’re reading this).
“The median will be closed…with traffic control devices — such as drums and closure signs — to allow the permanent traffic separator to be constructed,” said FDOT spokesperson John McShaffrey in an email to the Neighborhood News.
According to FDOT, the median project was initiated by an intersection study that showed 233 “crashes” had been reported in that area from 2011-15.
In a 2015-19 District 7 crash summary report, there were 90 total crashes reported at the intersection of BBD and S.R. 54, eight with serious injuries and one fatality. At the Village Market and BBD intersection, 15 crashes were reported, three of them with serious injuries.
It is not an uncommon sight to see an accident at the northbound side in front of the Sonny’s BBQ or Taco Bell, where traffic is much heavier than on the Village Market side.
A Neighborhood News Reader Survey in 2017 voted the BBD/54 intersection as the second-worst in Wesley Chapel, behind the I-75 and S.R. 56 intersection (which now has a much safer and smoothly running Diverging Diamond Interchange).
The plan to make the location safer centers around closing the split median and constructing one long median from Eagleston Blvd. to the south all the way north to S.R. 54.
Under the current set up, the northbound far left turn lane, when filled during busy traffic hours, extends beyond the median opening and blocks those trying to cross BBD.That makes getting across from the Hollybrook Plaza exit to southbound BBD akin to a game of Frogger for area commuters.
The median closure will mean that drivers leaving the Sonny’s/Truist exit will only be able to turn right, and drivers leaving the Village Market will only be able to head south.
There will be a number of ways those who need to go south after leaving Sonny’s can do so, but it will take planning by drivers, Hoff says.
“You’re going to have to reeducate your guests on how to access (and leave) the complex (Hollybrook Plaza),” Hoff says.
The single, longer median also will create an extended left turn lane onto S.R. 54, which will accommodate more vehicles, which also is expected toreduce congestion.
There also will be a new traffic signal installed at Eagleston Blvd., and new roadway lighting added to the northbound lanes, as well as some resurfacing.
At the southbound end of the new median, where a new traffic signal will be installed at Eagleston Blvd., a dedicated U-turn lane will be built for motorists wanting to go north out of Village Market.
Hoff still has questions about northbound drivers doing U-turns at S.R. 54 and BBD. No additional work, like adding a “No U-Turn” sign, is scheduled for BBD and S.R. 54.
“The project plans do not include any changes to the existing signs or signals at the intersection of Bruce B. Downs Blvd. and SR 54,” said McShaffrey in his email to the Neighborhood News. “Northbound U-Turns at the S.R. 54 signal will still be permitted. There is no intent to restrict that movement, as U-Turns at traffic signals are generally part of the access management plans.”
Hoff is hoping most drivers will just take the longer way, turning right onto 54 and then U-turning at Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. and turning left at BBD.
“People who drive are going to have to figure this out,” Hoff says. “Talk to me once they get that median blocked. You’ll be able to tell how this is going to work then.”
