High school students looking for an innovative alternative to their neighborhood campus will have a new option this fall.
Pasco County Schools will open its Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation (KRAI) on Curley Rd., north of the WaterGrass community, for the 2022-23 school year.
The magnet school will initially start with just freshmen and sophomores, but will add a grade each year to serve ninth through twelfth grade.
No students are zoned for attendance at KRAI. Instead, students who are interested in its specialized programs will apply for a lottery. The school plans to prepare students for in-demand, high-salary, high-skill careers.
DeeDee Johnson (photo) was named the principal of the school last September. The former principal of Wesley Chapel High was serving at Pasco Middle School and transitioned to oversee the opening of the Kirkland Ranch Academy this January.
“I am most excited about the opportunities that it’s going to bring students in the District,” she says, “whether it’s college, career, or preparing them for life.”
She emphasizes that while the school can provide a pathway to an in-demand, high-paying job right after high school, it’s also a great choice for college-focused students.
“There are industry certifications, but also Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment courses,” says Johnson. “It’s going to give students a leg up by having connections with business and community partners.”
She says that one feature students will be excited about is that the school will have a 1:1 ratio of students to electronic devices. She anticipates that all students will be assigned a personal laptop for their own use, with some laptops being specialized to fit their chosen program of study.
The building and its construction are innovative, as well. The school overlooks the property’s large wetland, and was designed with energy efficiency as a priority, and its orientation creates a natural breezeway.
The first lottery for students to apply to attend the school closed in January, after we went to press. However, Johnson says she expects that a second window will open for students to apply later in the spring. To get more information about how to apply for Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, visit the school’s website at KRAI.pasco.k12.fl.us.
“I’m excited about having the opportunity to build from scratch,” says Johnson, “including our school culture – what we’re going to believe and how we’re going to get there.”
Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation is located at 9100 Curley Rd. in Wesley Chapel. For more information, visit KRAI.pasco.k12.fl.us.
One of the complaints by residents about Elevated Youth Services’ plan to build a residential treatment facility on Lawrence Ave. is overcrowding on what is barely a two-land road.
Residents in a Quail Hollow neighborhood are hoping to stop a residential treatment facility for young boys ages 13-17 from taking root — or at least wait until it has gone through a thorough zoning verification that examines exactly what its plans are and will mean to the community.
The issue, however, is that Pasco County may have already erroneously granted permission to Elevated Youth Services (EYS) to proceed with opening a facility at 26318 Lawrence Ave.
According to chief assistant county attorney David Goldstein, back in August, EYS owner Nicholas Browning sought approval for a residential treatment facility for 12 minors with handicaps and disabilities. Frederick Humberstone, a planning and zoning tech II for the county, wrote back to Browning informing him that the proposed use as a residential group (single family of unrelated people) was a permitted use (as opposed to a conditional use, which residential treatment and care facilities are supposed to be considered).
Browning then closed on the property, paying $495,000 for the five bedroom, 3,500-sq.ft. home.
However, Humberstone was incorrect, because the correct permitted use is only supposed to be for six or fewer residents.
“Was the letter probably erroneous under our code? Yes,” Goldstein said at the Jan. 6 Pasco Planning Commission meeting . “However, it’s clear that the applicant relied on it, and then bought the property after they got the letter.”
Goldstein says that makes this a “fairly unique” case, although he still recommended approval but with conditions, which would include a 1-to-4 ratio of supervisors to children, limits on street parking, and not accepting any residents who have been adjudicated as sexual offenders.
However, that wasn’t sufficient for other members of the planning commission — nor for a dozen or so Quail Hollow residents who showed up at the Dade City Courthouse — and the case was continued to the March 3 Planning Commission meeting while Goldstein and EYS continue to negotiate the conditions.
EYS is essentially seeking approval for a residential and treatment facility but want relief from going through the conditional use process (CUP) because it claims it would violate the Fair Housing Act (FHA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and unfairly burden EYS’s use of the property.
“We would have no problem going through the CUP process if it was required of all groups of unrelated persons,” said EYS attorney Dan McDonald, “but it’s only required of handicapped persons needing treatment and care at a treatment and care facility. The case law is very, very clear on this. This is discriminatory.”
Some members of the planning commission and the Quail Hollow residents argued that not enough is known about EYS to grant any approval, and would like to see them go through either the state screening process, or by a third party.
“They (EYS) haven’t agreed, and specifically refused to agree, to state screening,” claimed Dan Lincoln, the attorney representing Quail Hollow.
Some Planning Commission members and residents also raised concerns that the EYS website makes references to problem sexual behavior. Worried that the home’s residents may include juvenile sexual offenders, one resident said that while she understood the need to rehabilitate, “our quiet residential area is not the place.”
McDonald denied that EYS accepts any sexual offenders. He said EYS does not accept youths who pose a direct threat of harming others, and it uses individualized risk assessment and psycho-sexual evaluations to make those determinations.
Residents who spoke also raised other concerns, wondering where so many teenage boys would find room to play outside in a small yard, whether the property’s septic tank could handle so many people and parking on the street causing safety issues.
Goldstein suggested a continuance as both sides try to come to an agreement and the county can avoid getting sued.
Resident Lauren Taylor had little sympathy for the county’s predicament.
“It’s not our fault you sent that letter out,” Taylor said. “And, if there’s repercussions because of that, that’s not our fault either. Pasco is going to have to deal with it.”
The late, great Betty White always sort of reminded me of my grandmother — my beloved Nana Betty. Not only did they have the same first name, Nan lived until about a month before her 92nd birthday (and Nan’s older sister, my great aunt Molly, lived to three weeks before her 100th, just like Betty) and, like the esteemed actress and comedian, Nan was the queen of the one-liners and her relatively long life simply wasn’t long enough for her.
“I have to get better,” Nan told me as she lay dying from COPD. “I have a formal party to go to next month and I already have my dress picked out.”
And, also like the amazing Ms. White (photo), because she had such a zest for life and was always in good health until a couple of mild heart attacks in her 80s, we thought Nan was a shoo-in to make it to 100 years old.
Sadly, neither one made it that far. Even Aunt Molly, who was the oldest of the six siblings and who ended up outliving all of them, fell almost exactly as short of the century mark as did the former “Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Golden Girls” and “Hot in Cleveland” star.
While today’s social media age mainly honors heavily filtered beauty, it’s been a nice change of pace seeing a geriatric woman who started out as beautiful on the outside inspire so many people — including yours truly — because of her inner beauty that made people smile, laugh and want to support the causes that were near and dear to her heart.
To that end, Jannah and I made a donation to a local animal shelter on what would have been Betty’s 100th birthday — Jan. 17.
Is it just a coincidence that Nan was born on June 17? Maybe, but I think not.
On Losing My Favorite NFL Coach
Most people who are my sons’ ages only know the late, great John Madden (who died a few days before White, at age 85) because he leant his name to the first hugely popular football (or any major sport) video game.
But for me, as a sports-crazy kid growing up in Lawn Guyland, New Yawk, who never forgave my original favorite NFL team — the Giants — for trading away my favorite player (a little-known wide receiver named Homer Jones) after the 1969 season, I was on the lookout for another NFL team to root for and Madden had just completed his first season as the Oakland Raiders head coach.
But, the reason I chose the Raiders as my team wasn’t just because they went 12-1-1 in 1969 under Madden, it was because they had my second-favorite player — and the wide receiver who gave me the most hope that I could someday play in the NFL — the great Fred Biletnikoff, who was my NFL role model, with his relatively small size, great hands and lack of breakaway speed.
Whether intentionally or not, the Raiders became the bad boys of the newly merged NFL under Madden, known as much for cheap-shot defensive backs who tackled with elbows and forearm shivers as they were for being a consistently great team on both sides of the football.
Unfortunately, Madden’s last season as a coach — 1978 — was the same year that New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley was paralyzed on a clean hit delivered by one of the dirtiest of the Raiders, safety Jack Tatum.
That also was the last year I rooted for Oakland. I still loved the NFL, I just was a fan of the entire league, rather than of any particular team, until I moved to the Tampa Bay area in ‘93.
But, Big John finished his 10-year coaching career (all with Oakland) having never had a losing season and his .750 career regular-season winning percentage is still a record for coaches with at least 100 NFL games coached.
Yes, I loved John’s “Boom” Hall of Fame TV sportscasting career and his Miller Lite commercials, but for me, he’s the coach who taught me that you don’t always have to root for your home team to be a fan.
I miss you, big guy.
Bob Saget, Too
Although I wasn’t much of a fan of his TV shows “Full House” or “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” I was a fan of the late Bob Saget’s super-raunchy standup comedy, including his appearances on many celebrity roasts.
But, the fact Saget was only a couple of years older than me and died so close to my birthday (in an Orlando hotel room, no less), plus the amazing tributes about him from not only his former castmates but so many other celebs made me realize yet again that it’s not only about what you accomplish in your career or your life, but the legacy you leave behind.
Wharton basketball coach Tommy Tonelli celebrates win No. 500 with his team on Dec. 7 (photo courtesy of Karl Greeson)
On Dec. 7, Wharton High’s Tommy Tonelli joined rarified air when his Wildcats beat Chamberlain 75-46 to give him his 500th career win. He’s now at 514 wins, and the Wildcats are off to one of the best starts in program historyat 19-1. Among current public school coaches in Hillsborough County, Tonelli has no peers.
We caught up with Tonelli before Christmas to talk about milestones, both current and past.
NN: What does 500 wins mean to you?
TT: No doubt it’s an accomplishment, but I’m very in tune with the fact that I’ve been very very fortunate to have had some great players from Day 1 when the school opened.
NN: Did you ever imagine something like 500 wins when you got into coaching?
TT: No matter what age, what level, I’ve always been very competitive. I want to win no matter what I’m doing. I didn’t get into coaching to win 500 games, I just wanted to win every game. That’s the approach I took.
NN: So you’re 10-1 (now 19-1) this season, looks like you’re on your way to the next 500?
TT: (Laughs) I doubt it. This is my 23rd year. I can’t imagine coaching 23 more years, no chance…. I’m just proud I’ve done it at one school. At a public school, you’re at the mercy of who shows up and I’ve been really lucky over the years to have some outstanding players.
NN: Do you remember any of the other milestone wins?
TT: I do remember No. 400. The only reason I didn’t talk about it is because it was a District semifinal game and we were playing at Sickles against Wiregrass. The winner of that advanced to the District final and State playoffs, and I didn’t want to put any additional pressure on so I didn’t mention it to anybody.
NN: What about the first win ever?
TT: Of course. It was the school’s first-ever game, a home game vs Leto. They had Mike Jenkins (Ohio State football, Atlanta Falcons WR) and Ricky McConnell (6-foot-8 All-County forward). We didn’t even have padding on the walls at the end of the court yet. We beat them 70-63. The guys played great. We had a good team from Day 1, with no seniors, but great players like Terrell Farris, Joe Colangelo, Cliff Russ, Chris Christie.
NN: Was that the most memorable win?
TT: The first game was special, but I really think when we beat University High 41-39 to get to the State final four in 2013, that was the most memorable. It was a great game, and we had a special team with CJ McGill, Chase Litton, Sir Patrick Reynolds, Jaken Grier…my son Thomas was on that team, too.
CJ made a free throw with 4.5 seconds left and their point guard drove the length of court and got all the way to the basket, but Chase Litton came over and had the kid shot it, I’m sure Chase would have blocked it. The kid had the presence of mind to know he wasn’t going to get the shot off, and he double clutched and whipped this bullet pass to the corner…and (his teammate) wasn’t expecting it. It hit him in the stomach and caused him to bobble it, and by time he gathered it and shot, the buzzer had gone off. He made the shot, it was close. The refs gathered to talk about it. If it was a three-pointer, we lose.
It seemed like forever. They broke from the huddle and waved off the basket. I’ll never forget that game.
NN: Is there a loss you’ll never forget?
TT: Yes. The two Regional playoff games back-to-back at Windermere Prep (2019 and 2020). I don’t think I’ve ever had two more devastating, sickening, crushing losses than those. And both (59-57 loss in 2019, 54-53 loss in 2020) were games I could have done more to help the team and help determine the outcome of the game. I don’t feel like I made good decisions down the stretch to help us, and I think I’ve prided myself on that over the years.
NN: What’s your best-ever Wharton team?
TT: I know for sure the all-time Wharton team is 2007. That team had Shawn Vanzant, Adam Noble, Anthony Gomez, Leonard Simmons. Our only losses were to (national prep powerhouse) Mount Verde and Lake Howell in the Regional championship. That Lake Howell team was incredible. We lost by 11, the closest anyone came to beating them. They won the 5A State championship game by 43. Any other classification, with no Lake Howell, our team wins the state title.
NN: If you had to put together an all-star team of all the guys you’ve coached, who’s on the All-Time All-Wharton team?
TT: That’s a tough question. I think you start with Shawn Vanzant and Darin Green. Xavier Owens, A.J. Astroth, Damian Dixon, Anthony Gomez. Oh man. Who am I missing? Danny Green, Terrell Farris, Joe Colangelo. Man oh man, this one caught me off guard. Sir Patrick Reynolds, CJ McGill, Chase Litton. There’s others, but those guys are all in that top group.
NN: Are you going to be around for win No. 600?
TT: I’m just looking forward to this afternoon (which turned out to be a 63-49 win over Hillsborough High). I’m not in my 30 and 40s any more. The demands have gotten harder.
We’re just finishing four games in 5 days, 7 games in 12 games. Plus my responsibilities as guidance counselor are greater. I take a lot of pride in that as well.
NN: Other than a State title, there’s probably not much left to accomplish. You have to be proud of what you’ve done at Wharton though.
TT: We haven’t won a State championship, but those are so hard to come by. There’s so many variables, so many things you can’t control. I think Sickles is the last Hillsborough County public school to win one, and that hadn’t been done prior to them doing it since 1982. It’s just really hard. But I feel like, sure, we haven’t won a State championship, but in many regards we have a State championship program. We’ve never had a losing season, that’s one thing I’m really proud of. I’d venture to say there’s not many schools that have been around the last 25 years that can say they haven’t had a losing season. Would I rather have some losing seasons mixed in there and be able to say we won a State championship, sure. But, we’ve sustained excellence. The winning tradition is a credit to all the kids. We’ve built a program (with the kids from Benito, Turner-Bartels and around the area) and I think we built something the community can be proud of.
Patrick Paterson and Brianna Miranda are proud to serve you a hard-to-find beer in a traditional beer stein (above) at Mr. Dunderbak’s. (Photo: Charmaine George)
1. Mr. Dunderbak’s 14929 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. (813) 977-4104 Dunderbaks.com
When J.B. Ellis bought Mr. Dunderbak’s 25 years ago, it had just six beers on draught and he says the first thing he did was get rid of the Natural Ice and Bud Light. Don’t be shocked.
He replaced those popular favorites at other bars, and expanded the bar, with the kinds of beers you would expect in a European pub: a variety of English, Belgian and German lagers, just for starters. You could argue, by the cases and cases of beers throughout, that the joint looks like a beer hoarder had moved in to live there.
When Ellis moved the bar/restaurant from its original space in University Square Mall to its current location on BBD, he cut a hole in the wall of what used to be a hair salon next door and added an in-house brewery, “so I could brew things I want to brew.”
The wide and traditional selection of beers, along with a quirky and comforting setting and a menu featuring German goodies like sandwiches, sausages and schnitzels that draw in big crowds, make it New Tampa’s best bar this year (at least, according to our readers), despite the fact it only offers beer and wine and no hard liquor.
A charming curmudgeon, Ellis is definitely old school. He was at ground zero of the craft and home beer explosion in Tampa Bay, and offers more beers (500+) that you can’t find anywhere else than anyone else in the New Tampa, including favorites like Hacker Pschorr and many others.
“Your chances of finding a candy corn-flavored, lactose-infused cookie dough bull—- beer is just not going to happen here,” he says.
Which is why he proudly sells T-shirts that say “Beer Flavored Beer” on them at his popular location.
Of all the winning restaurants and bars in this year’s survey, no one has a better Google rating than Mr. Dunederbak’s — an impressive 4.8 out of 5 stars average, with more than 2,000 reviews.
Our readers are definitely among those who agree. — JCC
Although it hasn’t always finished as high with our readers for Favorite Bar as it has for Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa (including this year), one of the highest compliments you can pay the local location of this mini-chain is that there may be no more New Tampa crowd at any bar in our area year after year than at Stonewood Grill & Tavern.
The drinks aren’t cheap, but neither are they overpriced, and many locals (including Jannah and yours truly) prefer to dine at the bar instead of the more private tables and booths in the main dining area.
Part of the reason for that is the crowd itself — which is usually made up of Stonewood’s well-dressed regulars — but it’s also because of the outstanding service provided by the always-attentive bartenders. In other words, Stonewood is your place for great food, drinks and conversation. — GN
3. Fat Rabbit Pub 16029 Tampa Palms Blvd. W. (813) 252-3004 FatRabbitPub.com
There aren’t too many things that The Fat Rabbit Pub does wrong, hitting the triple crown of bar services — great food, great bar and a relaxing and clean atmosphere. It caters to both drinkers and eaters, and a plethora of TVs makes it a perfect place to catch a game after work.
The Fat Rabbit has a wide variety of beers, the lineup being regularly tweaked with craft and local beers, as well as a full offering of premium liquor and wine. It may also be the sharpest-looking bar in town.
When it comes to food, Fat Rabbit, which was the No. 4 overall favorite restaurant last year (#11 this year), can make the case for having both the best (and widest variety of) wings, as well as the best burgers in New Tampa. Oh, and the tater tots (try the New Tampa Truffle) are a treat, too.
The Fat Rabbit isn’t an entertainment venue, but its food, drinks (try a bourbon flight) and service are outstanding. — JCC
The rest of your Favorite Bar in NT top 10: (4) Glory Days (5) Acropolis (6) Via Italia (7) Peabody’s (8) Chili’s (9) Bayscape (T10) Red Lobster and Olive Garden.
