New CEO Rob Higgins Fumbles First Major USF Decision

Photo below by Gary Nager. Above photo source: Facebook/USF Athletics

When former USF football coach Jim Leavitt was arrested for assaulting his former girlfriend, stealing her belongings and putting his hands on another man back in August, USF alumni Kathy and her daughter Jamie Miller were hopeful that their alma mater’s Athletic Hall of Fame committee would change its collective mind about inducting Leavitt into the USF Hall. 

After all, Leavitt had previously assaulted Kathy’s son, Jamie’s brother and former USF football player Joel Miller at halftime of a game the Bulls were winning back in 2009, lied about it, convinced Joel to go along with his lie because he was, “the most powerful man in the building,” but got fired for it anyway, had the remainder of his contract bought out by the school to the tune of $2.75 million, was told to never come back but went on to receive multiple subsequent coaching jobs despite this less-than-impressive resume. 

But, things didn’t go nearly as well for Joel or his family after that. Joel was blamed for being the “kid” who got Leavitt fired, couldn’t show his face on campus, got hit in the head with a thrown brick and saw his once promising future go down the drain before passing away at age 29 in 2017. 

How Leavitt’s name was even on USF’s Hall of Fame ballot this year is beyond the imagining of this editor. Yes, he started the school’s football program but it never won anything of consequence under his leadership. Yet, there he was — one of five inductees in the Class of 2025. Just using Leavitt’s name and “Class” in the same sentence makes me throw up in my mouth a little. 

On Sept. 10, the eighth anniversary of Joel’s passing, it was announced that the new charges against Leavitt had been dropped — interesting timing considering the fact he had only recently been announced as a USF Hall inductee. 

Then, on Sept. 17, I brought Kathy and Jamie into the Emorys Rock Realty Podcast Studio at the North Tampa Bay Chamber office in The Shops at Wiregrass to try to help sway USF into changing its collective mind about inducting this lowlife. Kathy and Jamie started a Change.org petition that has now been signed by 641 people and they did everything they could —made phone calls, sent emails and even stopped in at the USF Athletics office to try to get someone to talk to them and update them about this sad situation. Instead, they were told that if they didn’t leave the premises, they would be escorted out by the campus police. That podcast episode was viewed more than 2,300 times on Facebook. 

“We remained calm, didn’t raise our voices, didn’t threaten anyone,” Kathy said, “we just wanted someone to talk to us.” “Sad,” Jamie added. 

Into this unenviable situation stepped Rob Higgins, another USF grad who has spent the last two decades as the super-successful Tampa Bay Sports Commission executive director. Higgins was officially named the first-ever chief executive officer of a major college athletic department on Sept. 18 (although he didn’t officially assume the job until Oct. 1) and, on Sept. 19, committed his first fumble in his new position. 

Higgins announced on X (formerly Twitter) that, “Jim Leavitt and I have had candid and productive conversations…We have mutually agreed that he will not attend and/or be recognized at [the Oct. 2] USF Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony.” 

Did that mean Leavitt was no longer being inducted? No, it did not. On Oct. 2, Higgins (right) oversaw the Class of 2025 induction, which didn’t mention Leavitt, nor was his photo shown with those of the other inductees — former USF men’s basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, who passed away on Oct. 24, 2024, baseball legend Scott Hemond, women’s basketball star Kitija Laksa and football great Kawika Mitchell. There were several comments on Facebook that Leavitt should have been included, which begs the question: If a “Hall of Fame” is an honor bestowed only on the best of the best, why would someone elected to a Hall not be invited to or included in their induction ceremony? 

Higgins said in his post on X that, “Coach Leavitt understands the importance of USF Athletics being able to honor this year’s inductees without distraction.” Really? 

Will Leavitt’s mug shot be added to the Hall anyway? Shouldn’t the school be so proud of every inductee to not care what some people think? 

I attended the news conference on Sept. 22 when Higgins was introduced to the public and I was impressed with everything he had to say. I believe he will be a great leader of USF Athletics. 

But, I also say this was one he muffed and that he should have at least talked to the Miller family before finalizing this truly bad decision.

Presenting: The ‘Neighborhood Newsmakers’ Podcast!

My B.S. degree in Broadcast News from the University of Florida never did much for me in terms of jobs in the broadcast field. 

Oh, I had my own radio and TV advertising agency before I purchased this publication, and I had my own “The Leisure Man” radio show on two stations in Westchester County, NY, right before I moved to Florida. I even attempted to sell a “Ring Magazine TV Show” with myself and my former editor at Ring Randy Gordon as co-hosts to NBC-TV in the mid-1980s. My ultimate goal after college was always to provide programming for radio and TV, but when those opportunities didn’t come for me, I did the next best thing I could to support my family — I bought the Neighborhood News — and the rest, as they say, is history. 

But, that itch to do something in the realm of broadcasting never waned for me. Back in 2018, we were one of only 23 U.S. and 86 worldwide news media outlets to receive an investment of capital from Google to expand our online news and we did just that — churning out two videos per week for most of 2019. But, when Google didn’t renew that grant, I never reached my goal at that time of having an ongoing news “channel” on Google-owned YouTube. 

So since then, my itch to provide broadcast programming, in addition to what we do every two weeks in print and provide every day online, has continued to go mostly unscratched. 

Until now, that is. When North Tampa Bay Chamber president Hope Kennedy invited me to be the first-ever guest on her new “Chamber Chatter” podcast (as we reported a few months ago), I got so broadcast-itchy that I felt like I needed “an ocean of Calamine lotion.” I asked Hope if the amazing Emorys Rock Realty podcast studio at the NTBC’s new office in The Shops at Wiregrass was available for others to produce their own podcasts and when she said it was, the idea for my new “Neighborhood Newsmakers” podcast was born. 

My intent with the podcast is to supplement what we do in these pages and online with longer-form interview opportunities with the people making news in and around New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. I hope to feature elected officials, governmental staffers, developers and anyone else making news in our community. And yes, we may also include some dining segments on the podcast. So, you can expect more than just one-on-one interviews on many episodes. And, you can see all of the released episodes on our “Neighborhood News” Facebook page. 

Episode 1 featured Live Oak Preserve residents Jason and his son Karson Centeno, who were two of the nine locals I selected from around 50 applicants to judge our “Neighborhood News Chicken Tenders Contest,” where PDQ won for Favorite Mild and Chick-fil-A won for Favorite Spicy Tenders. 

Jason, Karson and I had a few laughs about the format of the tenders contest and about what future tasting contests the Neighborhood News could sponsor — from tacos to pizza, Cuban sandwiches and more. The episode has had over 1,200 views. I’ll keep you posted about future podcast episodes. 

Jim Leavitt Hall Of Fame Episode 

The second episode we recorded is with Michael Pultorak (left photo), the local RealtorÂź and organizer of the Pasco Connected City Residents Group on Facebook and who has become a strong voice on behalf of those residents at Pasco government meetings.

But, I held off on releasing Episode 2 until after Episode 3, because it was an interview with New Tampa residents Kathy and Jamie Miller, the mom and sister of the late former USF football player Joel Miller, the young man assaulted by coach Jim Leavitt who passed away after becoming known for getting Leavitt fired. 

Leavitt is somehow still scheduled to be inducted into the USF Athletic Hall of Fame on Oct. 2, so I released Episode 3 out of order (top photo), in an effort to get USF to change its decision about inducting the fired former coach. I hope you’ll watch the episode, too, and sign Kathy and Jamie’s petition on Change.org. 

Congratulations, Hope! Chamber President Earns Prestigious Title! 

Congrats, Hope! (Photo by Matt Warticki)

As I’ve written multiple times previously, North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) president & CEO Hope Kennedy and I didn’t know each other at all when she moved here from Pensacola nearly 14 years ago to take over the reins at what was then called the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber (which later became the NTBC under her leadership). 

But since then, Jannah and I have both been proud to say that we have considered Hope to be among our closest friends. As the publisher and editor of this publication the entire time she’s had her job, I couldn’t help but interact with Hope on a regular basis and what I have always found her to be is a consummate professional who took over a floundering organization and transformed it into a true regional powerhouse. In addition to her Chamber duties, Hope has served on the Boards of Directors of local hospitals and business organizations and has been asked to speak on behalf of her Chamber and the North Tampa Bay community at the openings of too many development projects to mention them all here. 

But, as a few short weeks ago, Hope now has national credentials to go along with the ever-growing influence she has earned locally. 

At the 2025 Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) conference in Philadelphia from July 22-25, Hope was proud to be given the title of CCE — or Certified Chamber Executive — which fewer than 3% of the leaders of the 7,500+ Chambers of Commerce in the U.S. have earned. 

“CCE isn’t an honorary title or an award,” Hope says. “To earn the CCE credentials, you have to go through an extensive application process and everything about your Chamber is put under a microscope — from financials to accomplishments. You have to have held your position for at least seven years and you have to be sponsored by another CCE in order to even be considered (Hope was mentored by Tampa Bay Chamber president & CEO Bob Rohrlack). It’s a pretty big deal for both me and our Chamber.” 

Hope also had to submit multiple essays, including one about a major project she’s proud of and she wrote about helping what is now called the Greater Pasco Chamber (GPCC) — which previously had been a competitor of the NTBC — recover from nearly going out of business. Hope’s NTBC Board allowed her to also take over the GPCC leadership on an interim basis, in order to right what otherwise likely would have been a sinking ship — even though there were some GPCC Board members at the time who didn’t want Hope to be the one helping them. 

Today, the NTBC and GPCC work hand-in-hand and Hope deserves much of the credit for keeping that one-time rival afloat. 

She was one of 26 new CCEs named at the 2025 National ACCE Conference — the largest-ever group to receive those credentials at the same time — but that doesn’t diminish in any way her accomplishment. “Earning the CCE designation means that I’ve reached the absolute top of my profession,” Hope says. “It was a lot of hard work, to get here, but it was definitely well worth it!” 

So, What About WC Incorporation? 

If you remember, back in March, we reported that Hope and her NTBC Board had decided to lead a group of local business owners who wanted to look into the possibility of Wesley Chapel incorporating as its own city, with the goal of ensuring that the residents and businesses located in the area had their own local government overseeing future development and other decisions and to find out if the idea was even economically or logistically feasible. 

Through its nonprofit Foundation, the Chamber began asking for donations from individuals and businesses to fund two $75,000 studies — the first to determine the economic impact of the area known as Wesley Chapel and the other, if the results of the first study warranted moving forward, an incorporation feasibility study. 

However, the possible start of the first study was put on hold when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed ending property taxes, which would have made incorporation a lot more difficult to achieve. But, the State Legislature rejected the governor’s idea when its session ended in June. 

“That at least revived the idea of exploring Wesley Chapel incorporation,” Hope says. “We have restarted our fund-raising efforts, so anyone who wants to make a tax-deductible donation for the study (or if you have questions about it) should call the Chamber office at (813) 994-8534.” 

“We hadn’t actually started collecting any money before,” Hope says. “But, we did have commitments for about a third of the amount needed for the first study.” 

Our Return To St. Pete Beach — Still Recovering As The 2025 Hurricane Season Begins 

St. Pete Beach has been an important part of mine and Jannah’s relationship since we first started dating ten years ago. It’s where we were married six years ago and where have spent some of the most magical times of our lives — with the most beautiful sunsets, the greatest live music and some of the most delicious meals we’ve ever enjoyed together. 

But, as pretty much everyone knows, all of the Gulf beaches from Clearwater south to St. Pete were devastated by last year’s trio of major hurricanes, especially Hurricane Helene, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in the Big Bend region of Florida on Sept. 26 of last year. That was only six weeks after Hurricane Debby brought record flooding, also to the Big Bend area, despite “only” hitting as a Cat 1, because the storm stalled along the Gulf coast of our state. Helene was followed less than two weeks later by Cat 3 Hurricane Milton, which did as much damage to inland areas as it did to the coast. 

But, Helene — which hit roughly 35 weeks before the 2025 Memorial Day weekend, when Jannah and I finally returned to St. Pete Beach — did the most damage of the three storms to Pinellas County’s beloved beaches. 

That means its been eight eight+ long, difficult months for the hotels, restaurants and merchants in those Gulf Coast communities, so even though we’d seen and read news reports about how difficult it’s been for those areas to fully recover, we (wrongfully) assumed things had to have gotten back almost to normal by now. Um, no. A thousand times no. 

During our visit, we drove from Pass-A-Grille Beach, at the southern tip of the strip, almost to the Sand Key Bridge just south of Clearwater and, even though the weather was beautiful and there were still plenty of great places open for business, what we found saddened us to our cores. 

Don Cesar construction
A favorite breakfast place, The Frog Pond, closed.

Pass-A-Grille seemed mostly intact, but the fabled Don Cesar Hotel had only recently reopened and still was not fully restored to its former glory. 

Still closed were many of our local favorite St. Pete Beach haunts like the Bellwether Beach (formerly the Plaza Grand) Hotel, home to the popular rotating Level 11 rooftop bar and Spinners restaurant. Even the Beachcomber Resort, home to our favorite live music spot Jimmy B’s, was still shuttered. Popular restaurants like The Frog Pond and further south to Caddys on the Beach (photos) also were still shut down, although the owners of Caddys at least had a tented bar, food trucks and picnic tables on-site so those enjoying the live music at Ka’Tiki across the street could come out to take in the still-breathtaking sunsets. 

Sunset at Caddy’s
The Spazmatics were great at Ka’Tiki, across from Caddy’s.

We continued north through Treasure Island, where the fabled Thunderbird Beach Resort, which opened in 1957 and had survived many hurricanes and tropical storms, had never reopened since Helene and was getting ready to be demolished. 

We then headed to John’s Pass, which was mostly reopened, although our bartender at the Pirates Pub & Grub told us that all of the first-floor businesses on the boardwalk had 5-7 ft. of water inside them and had to be completely renovated for weeks and even months, while the second floor restaurants and shops were pretty much still OK. 

California Roll from the 82 Degrees restaurant at Tge Saint hotel
Pasta with Grilled Chicken from the 82 Degrees restaurant at Tge Saint hotel
This grouper bites appetizer at Chill Restaurant & Bar on Corey Ave. was the highlight of our stay.

Continuing north of John’s Pass, through Madeira Beach, the Redingtons, Indian Shores, Indian Rocks and Bellaire, where it has always been less crowded, also was chilling. Those areas seemed even emptier than usual. And yes, I realize that Sand Key, Clearwater Beach and Dunedin, forming the more northern, but equally touristy, part of the Pinellas strip, are all also still suffering, even though we didn’t drive that far during this visit. 

And again, our stay was the better part of a year after all of this devastation, so it was hard not to have a queasy feeling about what might be in store for our favorite beach communities this year, as the 2025 Hurricane Season began the day (June 1) that I wrote this story. 

All I can say is that until we get word that our amazing beaches are again in the projected track of a storm, Jannah and I plan to return to — and pray for — St. Pete Beach as often as we can. 

News About Restaurant Openings & Closings Continue To Increase Our Readership 

Anyone who actually knows me will tell you that even though I don’t love the term, I am a genuine “foodie.” 

Whenever I’m out and about, whether in New Tampa, Wesley Chapel or elsewhere, I’m always on the lookout for signs that new restaurants — whether chains or mom-&-pops — are opening, as well as, of course, those that are closing or have already gone out of business. 

And, I’m obviously not alone in my quest to keep up with openings and closings of places to eat. Jannah and I get recognized a lot when we go anyplace local to eat and people often ask me things like, “What new restaurants are opening?,” “Did you hear about this new place?” and “Whatever happened to such and such place?” 

In this issue ‘s dining section alone, there are stories about the new management and direction of CafĂ© Zorba at the KRATEs, the opening of the new Rudraksh Indian Cuisine in Downtown Avalon Park, the new chef at The Grill at Morris Bridge, the coming-soon Remington’s Steak & Seafood just south of Tampa Palms, the reopening of the super-popular Bagels Plus just west of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. on E. Fletcher Ave., the addition of Breakfast Kitchen & More to the Kabob CafĂ© in Highwoods Preserve and the soon-to-open latest entry into our local fried chicken wars — Kay’s Kitchen Authentic Chicago-Style Fried Chicken (which, I’ll admit, I didn’t know was a thing). 

And yet, there is so much more dining news to tell you about, I couldn’t fit it all at the ever-popular back section of this issue. Hold on tight! 

Kraziness At The KRATEs 

The container park continues to be tough to keep up with as, in addition to the new management (and Bosnian cuisine?) at CafĂ© Zorba, the nearly adjacent Tutti Frutti CafĂ©, owned by the same owner (Eddie Nasr), has closed, as has the Indian Street Kitchen, which is owned by the same owners as Persis Indian Grill. This comes on the heels of the two changes we told you about last issue — PeppaJak replacing the Bacon Boss HQ and Grilltopia opening in the former Yummy Tablas spot. 

365 Woodfired Pizza? 

As far back as October of 2024, 365 CafĂ© Italiano owner (at both the KRATEs and the Shops at Wiregrass) Tarek Yordi had announced that 365 Woodfired Pizza was going to “open soon” in the plaza anchored by Abdoney Orthodontics behind the Jammin’ Car Wash on Windcrest Dr., off BBD Blvd. There’s no word yet on when 365 Pizza will open, but someone at the location said “maybe next month” a few weeks ago. 

Even further back, an adjacent spot in that same building also was supposed to be home to a new location of Provisions Coffee &Wine Bar, but not only hasn’t Provisions opened, the space still has a dirt floor and the door is always propped open, with no progress. We were told that Provisions is no longer going in the space. 

Little Caesars In, MOD Pizza Out 

Speaking of pizza, just as the location of MOD Pizza closed in front of the Tampa Premium Outlets, the second Wesley Chapel location (the other is in front of the Super Target on BBD at County Line Rd.) of Little Caesar’s Pizza was just about ready to open (at 5450 Post Oak Blvd., next to Jimmy John’s), and could be open by the time (or soon after) this issue reaches your mailbox. 

Rodizio Grill To Open May 28! 

Just around the interior road from the former MOD Pizza location is the long-awaited first-ever Brazilian steakhouse in our area — Rodizio Grill, which franchise owner Charlie Haney has announced is expected to open on Wednesday, May 28. Until then, visit Rodizio Grill-Wesley Chapel on Facebook by May 20 to win free Rodizio for you and a guest once a month for a year (photo). 

Nice Move, Einstein (Bros.)? 

I was alerted by readers Marisa and Theo Panopoulos to the sign on BBD (in the same plaza as Nutrition Smart) that Einstein Bros. Bagels is getting ready to open. So, I had a nice chat with Kurt, a Wesley Chapel resident who is the general manager of the closest currently open Einstein Bros. location, on E. Fowler Ave., near USF. 

Kurt told me that although the Einstein Bros. corporate entity (both of these locations are corporate-owned, not franchises) was hoping to have the Wesley Chapel location open by the end of May, “It looks like sometime in late July or early August is more likely.” Kurt also said he believes he will end up moving to become the GM at the new store. 

Los Chapos Tacos To Open Soon? 

We have not yet heard of the opening date for the Los Chapos Tacos Wesley Chapel on S.R. 54 in Lutz (in the same plaza as Fazoli’s) but the last announcement we saw had it opening sometime last month, so it should be soon. 

Check our Facebook page every day for updates on these stories and more! Bon appetit!