Jeffrey Allen Inc. — Where Golf Cars Are A 50-Year Family Tradition! 

(l.-r.) Ben, Craig & Jeff Sverdlow. (All photos provided by Jeffrey Allen Inc.) 

Established in 1970 by Alan B. Sverdlow, Jeffrey Allen Inc. has evolved into a prominent third-generation, family-owned golf car dealership and service provider. Initially focused on distributing deep-cycle batteries to the golf course industry, the company underwent a transformative phase under second-generation CEO Jeff Sverdlow, who, driven by his love of golf, helped Jeffrey Allen Inc. become one of the largest and most successful factory-authorized commercial dealers of Club Car Inc. in Florida. 

Alan Sverdlow (far left) founded Jeffrey Allen Inc. in 1970. 

In the 1990s, the third-generation brothers, Ben and Craig Sverdlow, assumed key roles in the business. Recognizing untapped opportunities in the commercial marketplace, they strategically expanded the company’s offerings beyond the golf industry. 

With locations in Tampa, Orlando, and Ft. Lauderdale, Jeffrey Allen Inc. also rents HuntVe electric UTVs, Westward utility vehicles, Madjax electric vehicles, and Garia luxury golf cars and owns one of the largest fleets of rental vehicles in Florida, in addition to its golf car sales. The company also just entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with Bolt Energy USA. 

Ben Sverdlow, Owner and President, explains, “Over the last 10 years, the focus shifted once again to selling consumer golf cars (Note — although most people still call them golf carts, Sverdlow and his employees call them golf cars because of the years of dramatic improvements in the performance of the vehicles) used for recreation and aftermarket lithium battery development and sales. Most recently, we’ve launched a new division selling aftermarket lithium batteries. Bolt Battery USA has been launched and is gaining a lot of traction. Bolt products were designed for the harsh workload required to power high-performance golf cars.” 

Jeffrey Allen Inc. allows clients to customize their dream golf cars in person or conveniently online. When a customer “builds” a golf car online, they have to select a dealer. Jeffrey Allen Inc. then works with them on building, customizing, financing and delivering their new vehicle. Customers also have the option to pick up their golf cars with their own trailers. 

Carlos Roque, Jeffrey Allen’s VP of Sales, describes what separates the company from its competitors. 

“As one of the largest dealers in the nation,” Roque says, “our brand and reputation are very important to us. With all the new golf cars entering the market, selling the product is secondary to quality service after the sale.” 

He adds that today’s customers seek top-notch service when shopping for their golf car brands. “Parts availability, serviceability and support from the manufacturer are important features we hone in on when selecting new products to represent,” Roque says. “Our customers have supported us for over 50 years because of our commitment to them. ‘The customer comes first’ is not just a catch phrase at Jeffrey Allen Inc.; it is part of our core values and our decision-making process. Simply, if it’s not good for our customers, it is not good for our company.” 

Jeffrey Allen Inc.’s West Coast showroom on U.S. Hwy. 301 in Tampa. 

Sverdlow and his team work hard to keep up to date with the latest trends and technological advancements in the industry. 

“Fortunately, our primary brands of vehicles we represent are all ‘tip of the spear’ when it comes to innovation,” Sverdlow says. “We also participate in best practice groups, read every trade publication available and are quick to test and vet new products as they become available. We are very cautious about what brands we sell. All products we represent must be of the highest quality for our clients.” 

As an industry expert, Sverdlow offers new golf car customers some advice. 

“Golf cars are equipment, and all equipment eventually breaks,” he says. “We highly recommend you purchase an American-made vehicle where parts availability is good and there are many servicing dealers who can support you down the road.” 

Promising fair and transparent pricing, the company services most makes and models and offers mobile repair field technicians in Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Hardee, Hernando, Polk, Manatee and Sarasota counties. If the repair can’t be completed at your location, the golf car will be transported to the shop at no additional cost. 

Satisfied customer Christian de Paulsen left one of the hundreds of five-star Google reviews you’ll find of his experience with Jeffrey Allen Inc. 

“I just took delivery of my brand new 2024 Club Car Onward golf car, and I have to say it was well worth the wait!!! The team at Jeffrey Allen Inc. Tampa went above and beyond, ensuring an outstanding buying experience…Of course, I can’t forget the team that built our car to exactly our customizations. The entire team did an amazing job! I would highly recommend to anyone looking to buy a golf car to go by and check out Jeffrey Allen Inc. You won’t be disappointed.” 

Not only does the company sell golf cars and batteries, it also offers rental golf cars for commercial and special event purposes. 

Commercial golf cars are built to withstand heavy-duty usage for most commercial applications. They are used in many industries, such as resorts, hotels, building and lawn maintenance, municipalities and educational institutions. 

“Golf cars have become very important tools at commercial facilities,” Sverdlow says. “These operations simply don’t function without their utility vehicles. Our commercial golf and utility rental team provides services for many types of events. Our golf cars are used for things like event set-up, material handling, transporting personnel, security, refuse removal, engineering and administrative purposes.” 

For special events, 2-, 4- and 6-passenger rental golf cars have become popular for weddings, church events, corporate and nonprofit events, parades, fairs, festivals, concerts, sporting events and golf tournaments. 

“Especially in Florida, golf cars have become part of the lifestyle,” Sverdlow says. “Many communities have embraced them as excellent modes of transportation and have reduced the need for parking. We believe that more communities and municipalities will continue this trend, drafting rules and laws that are favorable to this small wheel-powered vehicle market.” 

He adds, “Consumers have embraced the golf car to ‘have fun’; it’s become part of our culture here in Florida. Our consumer golf cars are custom-outfitted by the customer. Whether it’s a paint job, reupholstered seats, or speed modifications, the options are endless.” 

The company also takes accessibility into consideration with each car. 

“We work closely with our manufacturer to design ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance and other specialty vehicles, such as accessibility for wheelchairs and emergency vehicles used by first responders,” explains Roque. 

Jeffrey Allen Inc.’s success is measured in business milestones and the stories of families creating enduring memories through shared experiences with their golf cars. The company actively engages in philanthropic initiatives, supporting local activities for veterans, children and food drives, underscoring a commitment to community impact. 

Sverdlow says the favorite stories the company hears are how often their golf cars have brought families together, allowing them to enjoy outdoor activities. 

“The simple trip to the grocery store becomes an adventure for young kids and teens when they ride in the golf car with their parents,” he explains. “An evening ride around the neighborhood, a ride to the community pool and social events are just a few ways our customers enjoy their golf cars. (They spend) quality time talking, laughing and making memories on our products.” 

The West Coast division of Jeffrey Allen Inc. is located at 4401 U.S. Hwy. 301, Tampa, and is open Mon.- Fri., 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and on Sat. by appointment. For more info, call (800) 282-6256, visit JeffreyAllenInc.com/west-coast-greater-tampa.

New Apartments To Bring Traffic Changes To Bruce B. Downs 

Research by Joel Provenzano 

The still unnamed new apartment community under construction on BBD Blvd. 

An unnamed, under-construction 248-unit apartment complex on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (south of the northern terminus of Eagleston Blvd. and the Wells Fargo Bank) in Seven Oaks also includes some future traffic pattern changes on BBD. 

The complex, which is owned and being developed by Mast Capital — which also is redeveloping the nearby Saddlebrook Resort and its surrounding community — is being required to make some significant changes in anticipation of the additional BBD traffic the complex will generate. 

As the apartment community nears completion, construction of these roadway improvements has begun and motorists on BBD will soon notice even more significant mainline roadway work over the coming weeks. 

The map of the new apartments and the changes planned for BBD in the area. 

All of the roadwork on and near BBD is being paid for and completed by the developer of the apartments (currently known only as “5101 Bruce B. Downs Apts.”) — other than a new traffic signal to be located south of the community’s entrance (and the existing Frontier Communications building). That signal, which had no timeline as we went to press, will be paid for by the developers of Wiregrass Ranch, which is located across BBD from the new apartment community. 

Here’s a breakdown of the coming traffic changes on BBD: 

1) The primary entrance (see photo below) to the 16.24-acre complex will be a gated right-in/right-out only. This means traffic intending to enter the development coming from the south on BBD will be required to use a long northbound U-turn lane that the developer will be constructing, which will feed into a new, long southbound right turn entrance to the apartments. The right turn lane is being made extra long so a bus stop pad can be placed north of the area for U-turning traffic to enter the turn lane. The pad will be connected by a sidewalk that will enter directly into the apartments for ease of access. 

2) In order to accommodate this nonstandard median opening for the U-turn, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is requiring that the existing adjacent median opening on BBD serving Wells Fargo (entrance is in gray on map) will be closed. 

3) In addition, the existing northbound left turn lane serving that opening will just be connected to the existing one for the traffic signal, making for an extra long turn lane going southbound. 

Moreover, because of the size of the apartments, an emergency access driveway is required by the county at the north end of the property, just south of the bank, that won’t be open to other traffic. 

With all of these changes in the works, vehicles both exiting Wells Fargo and the new apartments that intend to go north will have to go down to another new southbound U-turn lane that will be attached to the existing median opening in front of the Frontier Communications Hub building located south of the apartments. 

The U-turn lane is being made long and wide enough for it to be converted in the future to southbound dual lefts, as this median opening will serve as the future location for a traffic signal at BBD and the “Wiregrass Bypass Rd.” that will connect BBD to Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. (south of Walmart) and eventually swing up to connect with SR 54 near Saddlebrook. 

At our press time, we had no word from Wiregrass Ranch developer JD Porter regarding the anticipated date as to when construction of the new Bypass Rd. or the traffic signal at BBD and the Bypass Rd. will begin. 

But, as always, we will keep you posted as more info becomes available. 


Shown here is the only entrance to the 5101 BBD Apts. The entrance will be gated and vehicles exiting the complex will have to make a right turn out and U-turn at a future median opening on BBD a little to the south of the entrance.

IV Harmony Clinic & Medical Wellness — More Than Just Another Med Spa! 

(L.-r.) RN Sara Wallace, Esthetician Alexys Goff, Certified Family Nurse Practitioner Jessica Rosado & CEO Gabriel Vargas of IV Harmony Clinic, located in the new Publix shopping center at Livingston Ave. & County Line Rd. in Lutz. (Photos on these pages by Charmaine George)

Led by the husband-and-wife team of Gabriel Vargas and Certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-C) Jessica Rosado, IV Harmony Clinic & Medical Wellness offers preventive and primary care, diagnostics, wellness programs and holistic therapies — all conveniently located under one roof on County Line Rd. (in the new Publix plaza at Livingston Ave.) in Lutz. This inclusive approach to wellness distinguishes IV Harmony Clinic from traditional medical offices that focus primarily on treating illnesses. 

Twenty-three years ago, Vargas, the company’s president and CEO, transitioned from what he admits was an unhealthy lifestyle to advocating for a proactive focus on wellness. “I’m living proof prevention is the best way to go.” 

Prevention is what became the catalyst for creating a medical clinic dedicated to helping others choose the same type of path. 

IV Harmony Clinic’s Medical Director Dr. Victor Feliz. 

Rosado, IV Harmony’s chief operating officer, completed her nursing degree at Antillean University in Puerto Rico and earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree and FNP-C certification from AGM University in Florida. She also has Gerontology Nursing (Gero-BC) and FMCSA (DOT) certifications. Rosado draws from 16 years of experience in cardiac emergencies and seven years at the Moffitt Cancer Center working with cancer patients. Motivated by the stories of her patients, Rosado pursued her MSN to help her patients shift their focus from trying to cure illnesses to promoting overall health. Registered Nurses José Del Valle and Sara Wallace and Licensed Esthetician Alexys Goff also assist Rosado. 

“As a Family Nurse Practitioner, I can care for children to seniors,” Rosado says. “We have treated children from 7 years old — with the consent of their parents — up to 100 years old. We give you the tools your body needs to feel better.” 

She adds, “I have spent the last 24 years in a healthcare setting — and the last three years in the role of FNP-C. We started IV Harmony in 2022 as a mobile service and opened our doors to the public in our first (brick & mortar) clinic in May 2023.” 

In 2022, IV Harmony’s Medical Director Dr. Victor Feliz, a cardiologist who is a Fellow of both the American College of Cardiology (FACC) and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (FSCAI) with 22 years of experience, joined the team. Dr. Feliz finished his Internal Medicine residency at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan, NY. He later had a Cardiology fellowship at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, following a Geriatric Medicine fellowship. 

Weight-Loss Programs 

IV Harmony Clinic employs a comprehensive approach to help you achieve your weight-loss goals. The Clinic’s physician-supervised programs include semaglutide (like the brand names Ozempic or Wegovy), tirzepatide (like the brand Mounjaro), peptides for weight loss, as well as a protocol that combines a low dose of Naltrexone, plus Sermorelin, Lipo-Trim SL, and low-calorie intake to achieve optimum weight-loss results. 

IV Harmony Clinic weight-loss patients weigh in each week on the clinic’s InBody 570 Body Composition Analyzer. 

Rosado says that lately, “Semaglutide is the most requested weight-loss medication” at IV Harmony Clinic. “And we only use high-quality semaglutide from the best labs. This treatment isn’t for everyone, so we also offer several other medical weight-loss options. But, our patients who qualify for semaglutide treatment do very well with it.” 

Rosado will identify your underlying health issues impacting weight loss through a detailed medical evaluation, including history, an examination and potential tests. IV Harmony Clinic weight-loss patients also weigh in each week on the clinic’s high-tech InBody 570 Body Composition Analyzer, which measures not just your weight, but also your body fat, muscle and water levels. 

“Our weight-loss programs are personalized plans tailored to each patient’s age, gender, medical conditions, activity level and objectives,” Rosado says, adding that some patients are referred to Registered Dietitians and nutritionists. “The patients who get the best results combine calorie control with increased physical activity, and behavior modification. We provide ongoing monitoring, medication, supplements and, if needed, referrals for psychological support.” 

She also explains that, “When I know the patient’s background, I can give them options and guide them. Then, we work together to get each patient to their goal.” 

Esthetic Services, Too! 

Rosado and Vargas did their due diligence when looking for the right esthetic services for their clients. They chose SkinPen microneedling from Crown Aesthetic for IV Harmony because they knew the safety and research behind the product. SkinPen employs sterile needles to stimulate collagen and elastin production, promoting skin rejuvenation. Patients also can experience revitalization with Botox® and Dysport treatments. The Clinic also offers peptide hormone therapy, which targets muscle restoration and stimulates human growth hormone (HGH) production. 

“When you look in the mirror, and you look younger and better, it helps you feel better,” says Vargas. 

Rosado adds, “At this time of year, we definitely see a lot more patients looking for Botox® and filler treatments. Everyone wants to look better for the new year.” 

PEMF, PRP & More 

IV Harmony patients also can explore the benefits of Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF), a non-invasive approach that utilizes electromagnetic fields to enhance cellular health and promote healing processes. 

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy involves drawing a small amount of the patient’s blood, processing it to concentrate the blood’s platelets and injecting this platelet-rich plasma into the body. Rosado says PRP therapies can help patients with everything from injuries and musculoskeletal pain to cosmetic procedures. It also can be used in conjunction with microneedling. 

Hydrodermabrasion combines water and exfoliation to effortlessly exfoliate and reveal healthier, more radiant skin texture. 

HRT & Low Testosterone 

Tailored to each individual’s needs and addressing hormonal imbalances in women, IV Harmony Clinic’s Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) tackles symptoms like fatigue, hot flashes, low libido, memory and sleep issues and mood swings. 

And, for men with low testosterone, the clinic’s Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) provides effective solutions. Vargas explains that IV Harmony has many success stories, especially referencing a patient with “Low-T” complaining of all-over body pain. 

“For a man, a good number is around 600, and insurance doesn’t want to cover you if you are at 200, which is extremely low. We started treating this patient with testosterone, which increased his levels, and the pain in his body disappeared.” 

Available IV Nutritional Therapies 

IV Harmony Clinic also offers a wide variety of intravenous (IV) nutritional therapies, which rapidly and efficiently deliver essential vitamins and nutrients to the body through the patient’s veins. These therapies — which provide your choice of a variety of B vitamins, Vitamin C, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and Zinc, are designed to contribute to the patient’s overall health and wellness. 

Rosado says IV therapy delivers essential nutrients directly to the system, making it beneficial for deficiencies, immune support and for providing energy boosts. Bypassing the digestive system enhances absorption of these nutrients, aiding individuals with digestive issues. The therapy supports detoxification, boosts immune function, improves athletic performance, aids hangover relief and promotes skin health through nutrient and antioxidant support for collagen production. 

Monthly Memberships 

IV Harmony Clinic & Medical Wellness offers a convenient membership program for monthly infusions. Members receive discounts on any service at the Clinic and also are allowed to share their IV treatment services with their family members. While IV Harmony does not accept health insurance, it does accept HSA and FSA and patients also can use their Care Credits. IV Harmony also offers a rewards program for referrals. 

When not at their clinic, Vargas and Rosado are cycling fans who assemble at church on the weekend. They have a 12-year-old daughter and a pet guinea pig. 

IV Harmony Clinic & Medical Wellness is located at 2749 E. County Line Rd. in Lutz. The office is open Mon.- Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and 1 p.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday,. For more information, visit IVHarmonyClinic.com, call (813) 325- 3870. 

Excel Music Adds Two Exciting New Programs To Better Serve You! 

Excel Music piano & guitar teacher Regnarene Brown (left) will teach the Royal Conservatory of Music program at Excel, which is located in the Cory Lake Professional Center on Cross Creek Blvd. (Photos by Charmaine George) 

Located in the Cory Lake Professional Center on Cross Creek Blvd., Excel Music has been teaching children and adults private lessons in voice, piano, guitar, drums, strings, clarinet, recorder, flute, saxophone, and other musical instruments for 17 years. 

Serving the communities of Wesley Chapel, New Tampa, Excel Music co-founders John and Sheri Thrasher cannot contain their delight when they talk about two exciting new programs — one that is available immediately and the other beginning next month (January 2024). 

Royal Conservatory-trained and certified teacher Regnarene Brown has joined the faculty of 14 music teachers to instruct Royal Conservatory Piano. 

“This is a method intended for more serious students,” Regnarene says. “There’s an adjudication process. They prepare and perform pieces for judges before they can move on to the next level. It’s for a student who might be interested in a career or pursuing music at a more serious level.” 

John adds, “Typically, we start kids in piano at 5, but an adult can start Royal Conservatory if they want to.” 

As excited as he is about the Royal Conservatory, John is equally thrilled about Excel’s other new program. 

“We are officially starting a Keyboard Band Piano Jam class in January,” he says. “This class is for 7-10 year olds, typically beginners, but intermediate students would also enjoy it. From Day One, they’re learning pop songs, and each child gets their own part to play. There are four levels. It’s like gamified learning, like a karate class where once they master a level, they move up to the next level.” 

The Keyboard Band students will learn the same skills taught in private lessons, but instead, will work with 4-5 other students in a small group setting. They will work on music reading, as well as chords, melodies and improvisation. 

“Playing with other people, you feel inspired to try a little harder,” John says. “Even if your part is simple, it’s important. It matters. Quite often, kids worry that playing the piano will be too hard, and that at-home practice will feel more like homework, not something they’ll enjoy. This program is designed to eliminate that concern by establishing some quick wins for the students, so much so that after just a few lessons, each student will have the basic skills needed to play their favorite song. Every three to four months, they will perform at a concert — not a recital, but a concert— and/or they’ll do a professional YouTube music video. I have never been as excited for a class.” 

John hopes to schedule the first Keyboard Band concert and video in Apr. 2024. 

Post-Pandemic Changes 

During the pandemic, Excel Music brought lessons online only, but since reopening to in-person lessons, has continued to offer students the convenience of virtual classes. 

“We still have a fairly large number of students participating virtually,” he says. “It’s been a great fit. We’ve had students who have moved out of the state or even the country continue their private lessons with us. Many families return to their native countries during the summertime, and the students can continue their music lessons while away. That’s been a real benefit to kids during the three-month ‘summer slump,’ when many kids tend to slip backward (at school). Learning music is no different, so this has really helped.” 

He adds, “Our focus is on education first. Many places that give lessons, particularly on multiple instruments and voice, are often retail facilities that also offer lessons. We’ve turned that model around. We do have some retail, but only in support of the individual lessons. These are accessories that students need to succeed and do well in their music lessons.” 

Dreva Pauley (left) will work with kids in Excel Music’s new Keyboard Band Piano Jam program, which begins next month. 

With each class or curriculum designed for that particular student, regardless of the student’s skill level or style of music they like, everything can be accommodated in a private lesson, whether in person or online. 

At Excel Music, all teachers are either university-trained (many with Master of Music degrees) or have a decade of study and performing experience. The Thrashers take pride in hiring not only the most qualified teachers but also some of the nicest. 

“I want people who are there because they love to teach and have a real passion,” ays John. “People who get a thrill when they see the student’s eyes light up with understanding when they cross that threshold, and the look on their face says, ‘Oh, I got it. It’s an incredibly exciting moment — the thrill of sharing a student’s ‘a-ha’ moment.” 

Student Sam Z says, “I like that my teacher encourages me to learn more and more music, and he gets me music that I want to learn.” 

Upcoming to Excel Music is the ability to text the music school, do online enrollment, and have 24/7 access to information about lessons and answers to questions parents raise. 

“Over the years, we’ve improved at providing not only a quality music education but also a fantastic experience for our students,” John says. “We’ve developed many systems that have streamlined and made the way we teach music more effective, as well as how we’ve used technology to improve our service and continue to use newer technologies.” 

When not running their music school, John and Sheri, who live in Wesley Chapel, are lovers of the performing arts, traveling and pampering their two pet cats. 

Excel Music is located at 10353 Cross Creek Blvd., Suite I. It is open Mon.- Thur., 2 p.m.-9 p.m., 2 p.m.-7 p.m. on Fri., and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sat. It is closed on Sunday. For more info, call (813) 991-1177, or visit newtampamusicschool.com. 

Looking Back At The Five Top Wesley Chapel News Stories Of 2023! 

(Above) BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel held its official ribbon-cutting on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Feb. 2023, while (below) Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital broke ground on Wesley Chapel’s largest hospital earlier this year. 
1. Hospitals In The News — 

Although its actual ten-year anniversary was in 2022, a number of things caused AdventHealth Wesley Chapel to postpone its 10-year celebration until Feb. 2023, which would, on its own, be pretty big news for Wesley Chapel. 

However, Feb. 2023 also saw the opening of Wesley Chapel’s second hospital — the 86-bed BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel, less than two miles north of AdventHealth, which also brought the community out in force to check out the new hospital’s advanced technology. 

But wait, that’s not all! Later in 2023, Orlando Health broke ground on its own Wesley Chapel location on S.R. 56 at Wiregrass Ranch Bvd. With its 300 beds, the multi-story Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital will be Wesley Chapel’s largest. 

At our press time, the site work for the new hospital was well under way, although vertical construction had not yet begun. We also did not yet have an estimated opening date, but it’s unlikely the new hospital will be completed and opened before 2025. 

And finally, John’s Hopkins All Children’s Hospital announced its plans to build a 356,000-sq.-ft. pediatric hospital at the Wildcat-Bailes site on Overpass Rd. (at McKendree Rd.) near I-75 in the “Connected City” project, although an exact number of beds had not yet been announced, nor was the deal finalized at our press time. 

2. Overpass Rd. Exit Off I-75 Opens —

In the entire 30+ years the Neighborhood News has been in business, Wesley Chapel originally only had one exit off of I-75 — Exit #279 at S.R. 54 — and received its second exit, Exit #275, at the new S.R. 56 about a decade ago. 

The new Exit 282 off of I-75 at Overpass Rd. opened in Jan 2023. 

Since then, there has been no exit off I-75 between S.R. 54’s Exit 279 and Exit 285 at S.R. 54 in the San Antonio/Dade City area. 

That remained true until Jan. of this year, when the new Exit 282 off I-75 opened at the new Overpass Rd. extension (see photo right), which finally connected Overpass from Old Pasco Rd. all the way to Epperson, Curley Rd. and even beyond, through the Watergrass community. Overpass Rd. will one day connect to Handcart Rd. in Zephyrhills. 

The new exit has done a pretty good job of helping to reduce rush-hour traffic at the S.R. 54 exit and is definitely stimulating new growth in and around the area — growth that not all local residents are thrilled about. 

Among the new development swirling around the new exit is the previously mentioned Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, as well as a possible multi-family or mixed-use development at the corner of Overpass, I-75 and Old Pasco Rd.

We’ll keep you posted. 

3. Saddlebrook Redevelopment Plan Approved —

Saddlebrook Resort and the community that sprouted up around it became the first large-scale development in Wesley Chapel when owner and former Pendant Publishing founder Tom Dempsey developed it in the early 1980s. 

More than 40 years later, Dempsey’s resort and the surrounding community had lost a lot of their lustre and the resort, in particular, had fallen into disarray. 

A rendering of Mast Capital’s redevelopment plan for Saddlebrook Resort, which was approved by Pasco County in July of this year. 

After multiple previous attempts to purchase and improve the 480-acre resort and surrounding community fell through, Mast Capital finally succeeded in not only purchasing the resort, but getting its $15-million redevelopment/rezoning plans approved by the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners, after making a number of concessions in order to come to an agreement with many existing Saddlebrook residents. 

One of the big sticking points was that Mast planned to convert the two 18-hole, Arnold Palmer-designed championship golf courses into 27 holes of golf. 

Another important aspect of Mast’s plan was a significant amount of new development, including multi-family units, along S.R. 54 both east and west of the community’s main entrance on Saddlebrook Way at 54. 

The redevelopment of Saddlebrook should begin in earnest in 2024. 

4. Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. Opens —

Normally, interior roadways primarily serving only one community would probably not qualify as one of the biggest news stories of the year, especially in an area still growing as quickly as is Wesley Chapel. 

Wiregrass Ranch. Blvd. has been open from S.R. 56 all the way to S.R. 54 since August of 2023. 

However, in the case of Wiregrass Ranch. Blvd., because the roadway itself had been paved for what seemed like more than a year and had people who were living in the Estancia and other Wiregrass Ranch subdivisions using the roadway illegally to go from S.R. 56 and Chancey Rd. to the Walmart on S.R. 54. for many months — moving and then replacing the barricades located next to Walmart — the official opening of the entire nearly four-mile length of Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. in Aug. 2023 certainly was big news. 

Next up in Wiregrass Ranch is the eastward extension of Chancey Rd. (which runs east-west through the center of Wiregrass Ranch) all the way to Meadow Pointe Blvd. 

5a. Downtown Avalon Park Begins Leasing —
The site plan for the new Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel.

More than just another commercial or multi-family development, the long-awaited Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel is the first in our area to combine both. Only a few of the retail tenants on the ground floor of the first “neotraditional” building in the downtown area have been announced since the Aug. 17 Open House that unveiled the construction of that new building — including Prime Barbershop, Rita’s Italian Ice, Rudraksh Indian Cuisine and ISI Elite Training. All of these businesses are expected to begin opening sometime in the first quarter of 2024. 

5b. Wesley Chapel’s Contract Postal Unit Closes & Opens In New Location —

A lot of locals (us included) were sad when long-time Wesley Chapel Contract Postal Unit (CPU) contractor Kelly Rossi retired and closed her location on Boyette Rd. at the end of Jan. 


The NTBC ribbon cutting for the relocated Wesley Chapel Contract Postal Unit.

Then, we were even sadder to see how long it took new contractors Jevon and Cindy Williams to reopen the Wesley Chapel CPU in its new location in the Freedom Plaza on S.R. 54 in September. 

Hopefully, Jevon and Cindy are now recuperating from the CPU’s holiday rush. 

We also considered for the top-5…The opening of Cooper’s Hawk, the takeover by Pasco County of the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus from RADDSports and the one-year anniversary of the KRATE Container Park. — GN