By Matt Wiley,
If you enjoy riding your bicycle anywhere in New Tampa, the Tampa Police Department (TPD) suggests closing your garage door.
According to TPD, bike thefts are a common crime in these parts, mostly due to how easy it is to just pick one up and ride away.
“We are seeing spurts of this type of crime here and there,” says TPD Det. Katherine Thiel. “The assumption in some gated neighborhoods is that it’s safe to leave your garage doors open.”
By Matt Wiley
One of the tallest points in New Tampa, the United Services Automobile Association (USAA) Insurance Southeast Regional Office facility stands tall above the trees in Tampa Palms and can be seen for miles in either direction from I-75.
San Antonio, TX-based USAA, which provides financial service products to past and present members of the U.S. armed forces and their families, has announced that it will be bringing an additional 1,215 jobs to the Tampa Bay area, as it plans to construct a massive new facility in Brandon, in addition to adding jobs at its existing New Tampa office, which is located just off I-75 on Commerce Park Blvd. in Tampa Palms.
According to a November 5 press release from Florida Governor Rick Scott’s office, in addition to the massive amount of jobs USAA is adding to the local economy, the company also will make an estimated $164.3 million capital investment in Hillsborough County by 2019.
“The expansion of USAA in Hillsborough County will create more than 1,200 new jobs for Florida families, meaning 1,200 families will have the opportunity to live their version of the American Dream right here in the Sunshine State,” Gov. Scott said in the release.
Currently, the Commerce Park Blvd. facility employs more than 1,900 people. The new facility, which will be located at the Crosstown Center, an office park near the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway and U.S. 301 in Brandon, will total more than 420,000 sq.-ft. and is expected to be completed by 2015.
USAA executive director of public relations Jen Becker says that at least some of the new jobs are likely to be coming to the existing Tampa Palms office.
“The jobs will be spread across our facilities in the Tampa area,” Becker explains, adding that company officials have not yet determined how many of the new jobs will be coming to each location
“USAA is growing, as the demand for our financial products and services among the military community increases,” USAA CEO Joe Robles said in the release. “We’ve had a great team of employees in Tampa for 40 years and we are excited to grow that team in this great military community.”
Allen Brinkman, the chairman of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation — who also is chairman, president and CEO of SunTrust Bank Tampa Bay — also was quoted in the press release.
“USAA’s decision to invest and expand in Hillsborough County is a statement of confidence in our community, and a tangible indicator of our economic vitality and momentum,” Brinkman said.
For more information, please visit USAA.com.
By Matt Wiley,
Although we may only have gotten a taste of winter with the recent cold front sweeping through the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel area, there is one place that feels like winter every night, even if happens to be 80 degrees out- side: the Shops at Wiregrass mall’s “Symphony In Lights.” Click through for a slideshow of what to expect!Continue reading
By Matt Wiley
UPDATE: The Pasco County Board of County Commissioners has unanimously approved the funds needed to lease space at the Grove at Wesley Chapel for a future, full-service Pasco tax collector’s office.
By next summer, Wesley Chapel residents may not have to travel tens of miles or into another county (see below) to take care of driver’s license issues and registration renewals, as Pasco’s newest tax collector is looking to open a brand new office in the growing area.Continue reading
By Matt Wiley,
A suspect is in custody, after a quiet New Tampa night was pierced by the sound of gunfire.
According to the Tampa Police Department (TPD), at around 7 p.m. on Nov. 25, a male inside an apartment at the Carriage Place Apartment complex inside the Arbor Greene community (off Cross Creek Blvd.) began firing gunshots, after TPD officers went to check on his welfare at the request of the man’s family.
TPD stresses that the shots were not fired at officers, but a gun was discharged several times inside the apartment. The suspect would not exit his apartment and the TPD Tactical Response Team eventually made entry into the apartment and took the man into custody.
The suspect’s name had not yet been released as we went to press with this issue, as he was still being evaluated. Charges are pending.