No Named Storms Since Debby, But Aug. 2024 Was Still One Of The Wettest Ever! 

While I was working on the stories for this issue, I needed to make multiple trips to The Grill at Morris Bridge and Johnny C’s Italian Eatery on Cross Creek Blvd. at Morris Bridge Rd., and I discovered what appeared to be a new feature on my iPhone’s “Maps” app. For the first time that I can remember, the Maps app gave me alternative routes to take from our Silversaw Apartments to these restaurants in order to “Avoid Flood Warning.” 

Wait, what? I know we’ve had a super-rainy last several weeks (more on this below), but I don’t even remember being cautioned to “Avoid a Flood Warning” even after some of our hurricanes hit — and the only major named storm to hit Florida, which wasn’t even that bad here, was Hurricane Debby, which came ashore as a Category 1 hurricane near Steinhatchee, FL — more than 150 miles north of here — and hit our area with really only mild tropical storm-force winds on Aug. 5. 

Since then, yes there have been many days with heavy rains and I saw lots of reports of major flooding in South Tampa, but very few major roads here that got flooded — and I have done a lot of local driving over the past several weeks and haven’t seen any such flooding. 

Of course, I also haven’t driven the roads through New Tampa’s communities, staying mostly on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., Cross Creek Blvd., Morris Bridge Rd. (which I would think would be the most likely to flood) and County Line Rd., but those were the precise streets my iPhone Maps app was telling me to avoid. 

I was most stunned when the app’s “Suggested Route” to The Grill a couple of days before our press time told me to take I-75 north from the S.R. 56 exit (where I live) and take S.R. 54 east to Morris Bridge Rd. before turning south towards Cross Creek Blvd. That trip, however, would have taken me 35 minutes to drive, rather than the 21 minutes the fastest route offered to me (I-75 south to the BBD exit, north on BBD to Cross Creek Blvd. and east towards Morris Bridge) would take. 

And, these types of go-way-out-of-my-way routes have been offered to me pretty much every day for the past two weeks or so. Of course, I always took the fastest routes instead — and never saw a single flooded road! 

So, what’s going on? Has my Maps app suddenly taken up drinking? 

I honestly have no idea, but I thought I would at least attempt to look into it and ask you, our faithful readers, whether or not you’ve been dealing with flooding in or around your New Tampa communities. Here’s what I found: 

Near-Record Rainfall 

Spectrum Bay News 9 posted a chart on its website that said that Tampa had experienced its second or third highest rainfall total ever in August 2024, with 17.78 inches of rain, or less than an inch less than the city’s all-time record August rainfall of 18.59” set back in 1949. The article that accompanied the chart said that “Average rainfall in a typical August is around 8 to 9 inches. There were some unofficial observations with up to 29 inches during August!” 

Of course, the official rainfall numbers are taken at Tampa International Airport, more than 20 miles from the southern tip of New Tampa in Tampa Palms, but still, how much different could the rainfall here really have been and how does it explain my Maps app trying to get me to drive miles out of my way in order to “Avoid Flood Warnings” every single day? 

As someone who hasn’t had to drive young kids to school for a couple of decades, I can only imagine how difficult it’s been driving to and from school with your kids in this kind of weather, especially with all of the distracted drivers there are on the roads these days. 

In other words, please take extra care out there, whether you have kids or not, and no matter where you are heading. And please, don’t try to zip your way through if you do believe there’s a lot of standing water. It’s never happened to me, but I have known plenty of people who have flooded their engines and stranded their vehicles doing that. 

But, based on what I’ve seen to date, please take these “Avoids Flood Warnings” messages on whatever app you’re using with a grain of salt. 

It just kind of feels like the boy who cried “wolf” to me. If I keep never having to deal with flooding when I’m being warned every day, what will happen the one time I don’t heed the warning when I should have? 

And, just because we haven’t really had to deal with a major storm during this year’s hurricane season yet, please don’t assume that our area is out of the woods when it comes to major storms. The next few weeks represent the peak of the season, so keep those flashlights and portable generators at the ready, keep stocked up on potable water and non-perishable food and do everything else you can to keep your family safe. 

I am genuinely interested to hear from any of you who have already dealt with flooding in your New Tampa neighborhood the past few weeks. If you have, you can either email me at ads@ntneighborhoodnews.com or send me a message on our “Neighborhood News” Facebook page! I will run any messages I get — whether you’ve experienced flooding or not, in our next issue.

Viva, Las Vegas! The Nagers Travel To ‘Sin City’ To See The Killers & More! 

Jannah and I had both been to Las Vegas before, but never together, so when it was announced that one of our favorite live bands — The Killers — was having a residency at Caesar’s Palace in “Sin City,” we knew we had to go see them again, despite the 105º heat. 

Frontman Brandon Flowers and his crew (top photo) did not disappoint. From the Grammy-winning “Mr. Brightside” to more recent hits like “Caution” and “Boy,” it was a great night for us that started with dinner at Peter Luger’s Steakhouse (bottom left photo), the Brooklyn institution best renowned for its bone-in porterhouse steaks. The reviews say that the Caesar’s Palace version is even better than the original. Maybe…but the meal was amazing. 

We also got to see comedian Taylor Tomlinson during her two-night stop on her “Have It All” tour. Taylor, the host of the current TV show “After Midnight,” is known for her views on growing up in a church family and she recently came out as queer. Opening act Zach Noe Towers was super-funny, too. 

Our first night in Vegas, we saw Kyle Martin (left), who starred in the Billy Joel musical “Movin’ Out” on Broadway, and his show “Piano Man,” a multimedia tribute performance to both Joel and Elton John. Martin said he recently broke Elvis’ record for the most Vegas shows with more than 650. I can see why — he does an awesome job. 

We also made a visit to the Mob Museum downtown (bottom right), where the history of the mob’s influence in both Vegas and the U.S. (including the JFK assassination), features the recreation of the actual wall where Chicago’s “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” took place. The tour ends with a visit to the museum’s 1920s-style speakeasy. 

As for other food we enjoyed, while at the Wynn (one of the most beautiful casinos on the Strip) for Taylor’s set, we ate at a great Japanese place called Mizumi, where we scarfed down Japanese snapper tempura and a king crab hand roll. We closed out our four-day stay with yummy quiche and French toast for brunch at “Mon Ami Gabi” (below left), an authentic French bistro in the Paris Casino. 

We didn’t get to go to the Sphere (which looks truly amazing from the outside) to see its super-pricy “Postcard from Earth” IMAX movie and I didn’t win at the tables, but we had a blast! — GN

Thanking The Pasco County Development & Growth Updates Facebook Page! 

According to admin Kelly Gilroy’s personal Facebook profile, the Facebook page called “Pasco County Development & Growth Updates” (PCDGU) was first created and started posting in July of 2023, and there’s no doubt that it has quickly become the most trusted online source for new information about new residential and commercial developments — not just in Wesley Chapel but for all of Pasco County — in a very short time. 

And, for good reason. As the editor of the most trusted print source of news and information about Wesley Chapel and New Tampa for the last 30 years, all I can say is that page administrators David Hutsell and Kelly Gilroy have done — and continue to do — an amazing job of releasing information supplied to the county, usually the same day these development applications are filed. 

Rather than express any kind of professional jealousy about how they’ve captured the imagination of local residents, I have found that PCDGU and the Neighborhood News have developed a kind of synergy — they make the announcements and we (myself and editorial researcher/correspondent Joel Provenzano) follow up to try to give additional information about them. A few times, we’ve been the first to note that a previously announced development was scrubbed or its application was withdrawn, but most of the time, the information, site maps and other graphics in PCDGU are truly spot-on. 

Of Facts & ‘Myth’ 

One of the things that makes the volume of information they put out on an ongoing basis so impressive is that Kelly and David both apparently have full-time jobs. We found this out when we exchanged private Facebook messages with Kelly — once — and have tried a few times to get an actual interview with her and/or David (which she said they were amenable to do, but that they’re both super-busy; she also said that it was probably best for us to interview David, since PCDGU is his page), but as of the day I am writing this column, no such interview has yet been set up. 

A few local news reporters, including yours truly, have tried to find out from our county commissioners and county staff if perhaps either David or Kelly or both currently or previously worked for the county, but several months ago, one Pasco commissioner told me, “No one in Pasco County government even knows who they are or how they keep such close tabs on everything that comes before us. Some of our staffers have even said they think their profiles are fake or that the administrators don’t use their real names on their page.” 

Whoa. This mythology about them has grown in part because Kelly has only one photo on her personal profile page and, according to many people I’ve spoken with about it — and it seems that everyone I talk to about it wants to know — “it looks more like an illustration or AI-generated than a photo.” Her profile also says her work is “AVP – Risk Analytics at Banking Industry” and that she is married and lives in Lutz. Whenever she is asked in the comments of a post what her actual job is, she says “I work in commercial banking” (the same thing she told me on the phone). 

Meanwhile, David’s personal profile says that he works at St. George Capital Partners, LLC, which is based in Palm Beach Gardens. 

Considering the amount of valuable information Kelly and David put out, and the fact that (it seems) everyone wants more information about them, it’s probably a good idea that they have remained mostly anonymous doing what I assure you is not easy to do. 

Back in the “good old days,” before everything submitted to a county or city government was available online, in order to get information about new developments, I’d have to go to the New Port Richey Government Center (for Wesley Chapel) or to downtown Tampa (for New Tampa), pull the files and take film pictures of the maps, charts and development info. Easy, right? 

Nowadays, however, all of that info, once it’s been filed, is available online — if you know where to look. We have usually waited until a development review has been put on an agenda of the county’s Planning Commission or Board of County Commissioners (BOC) before putting that information in front of our readers. But, even though some of what PCDGU puts out is preliminary and subject to change — and Kelly and David always mention when it is — there’s no doubt that they continue to do an amazing job of providing that information. 

And, this is true despite the fact that whenever someone asks on their page, “What’s coming to…,” too many people are still making the same tired jokes about car washes and self-storage facilities, while others try to turn every post into a political argument (usually) condemning the BOC and county staff. It’s a lot for them to put up with, considering that this isn’t either of their full-time jobs. Kelly, in particular, continues to try to shut down such unnecessary nonsense, but I’m sure it isn’t easy. 

We also appreciate it whenever Kelly or David post Neighborhood News stories in response to comments on their page. Keep up the great work, you two! Let’s make that interview happen! 

Above is a list of new developments from PCDGU since Aug. 1 that we plan to update. 

Recapping The Highs & Lows Of This Summer’s Paris 2024 Olympics Coverage 

U.S. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles took home 3 gold medals from Paris. 

Although the United States again dominated the overall medal count, the deep American squad ended tied with China for the most gold medals (40) won at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games held in Paris, France. 

But, for someone who has passionately watched every Olympiad since 1968, the obvious highs of this year’s games also were matched by some lows. 

In the swimming pool the first week, Katie Ledecky won her record-tying 8th gold when she broke her own world record in the 1,500m freestyle, but finished a disappointing 2nd in the 800m. Clearwater’s Bobby Finke defended his 2021 Olympic title in Tokyo with a new world record in the men’s 1,500m. The U.S. women’s 4x100m Medley Relay team also set a new world record in winning the gold. And, Caeleb Dressel won his eighth career Olympic gold with the men’s 4x100m free relay, but finished a disappointing sixth in the 50m free and failed to qualify for the 100m butterfly final, as hometown French hero Leon Marchand grabbed the headlines in men’s swimming with four golds and five medals overall, even the U.S. haul of eight golds and 28 total medals led the world. 

On the women’s side, American Torri Huske won gold in the women’s 400m fly, in the mixed 4x100m medley relay and the women’s 4x100m medley relay and led the U.S. squad by winning five medals overall at age 21. 

In gymnastics, the great Simone Biles took home the gold in the women’s vault and both the team and individual all-around competition, but lost the gold in the floor exercise to Rebeca Andrade of Brazil and didn’t make it to the podium in the balance beam or uneven parallel bars. Even so, her eleven Olympic medals are the most won by any U.S. gymnast in history. There were other great performances by the U.S. men (who won the bronze as a team in the all-around) and women in gymnastics, but no other golds. 

On the track, the U.S. men’s and women’s teams dominated both the total and gold medal count, with seven golds each and 34 total medals between them, but there were still some disappointments. Sprinter Noah Lyles came back to win the 100m in a photo finish but finished third in the 200m after reportedly contracting Covid between the two events. But, favored Sha’Carri Richardson took only silver in the women’s 100m when she was beaten by Julien Alfred of St. Lucia, the first-ever Olympic medal for that country. 

Meanwhile, Harvard grad Gabby Thomas dominated the women’s 200m and also won gold in the women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams, while the men’s 4x400m relay team set a new Olympic record in winning gold. The favored U.S. men’s 4x100m relay team, which ran without Lyles, was disqualified due to a botched baton handoff. The still-dominant Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke her own world record in the women’s 400m hurdles to defend that title and also was part of the 4×400 relay squad that won gold. 

Other U.S. winners included Masai Russell in the women’s 100m hurdles, Rai Benjamin (who led off the winning 4×400 relay team) in the men’s 400m hurdles, Grant Holloway in the men’s 110m hurdles, Quincy Hall in the men’s 400m, Tara Davis-Woodhall in the women’s long jump, Valarie Allman (who defended her Olympic gold) in the women’s discus, the dominant Ryan Crouser, who became the first-ever three-time Olympic gold medal winner in the shot put (with teammate Joseph Kovacs taking the silver) and the incredible surprise, come-from behind win by Cole Hocker in the men’s 1,500m. Also notable was Kenneth Rooks, who came out of nowhere to fall just short of the gold in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase. 

Among the disappointments in athletics was the U.S. mixed 4x400m relay team, which set a new world record in qualifying, but finished 2nd to Norway in the final. Alexis Holmes anchored the gold-winning 4x400m women’s relay team but didn’t reach the podium in the individual 400m, finishing 6th. And, if high jumper Shelby McEwen had agreed to split the gold medal with New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr, instead of losing the jump-off between the two, the U.S. would have broken the tie for overall golds to go with our 126 total medals (to 90 for China). 

Meanwhile, China won all 8 diving golds (the U.S. had just one silver medal) and every table tennis gold to achieve the gold medal tie. 

But, while both the men’s and women’s basketball teams won gold (the women’s was a record-setting 8th straight Olympic win), both in thrilling finals over the host nation, and the women’s soccer team redeemed a disappointing performance in Tokyo to claim the gold 1-0 over Brazil, there were other U.S. athletes who fell short. 

None of our favored indoor and beach volleyball teams finished first, nor did our men’s or women’s water polo squads. We did earn one rowing gold — in the men’s fours — but earned zero boxing golds and only one bronze medal. 

What I didn’t understand was why we didn’t see any of the boxing matches (see below) or rowing finals live. The most controversial thing at these games was the boxing gold won by Imane Khelif of Algeria, who had previously been banned from competing because she had both men’s and women’s chromosomes, a rare condition — even though she had been born and lived her whole life as a female — but we never saw her fight. 

NBC-TV and its Peacock streaming service, in my opinion, did just an OK job overall, and fell short of showing all of the events of these Olympics, despite having multiple channels to show them. 

No Matter Which Party You Prefer, Please Vote In The August 20 Primary Election! 

No matter which party or candidate you support, there can be little doubt that U.S. Vice President’s Kamala Harris suddenly seeming to be the new Democratic candidate for president has made the Presidential Election on Tuesday, November 5, at least more interesting, as well as more controversial. 

To be honest, right now I’m much more interested in what happens with our local and state elections — both on Nov. 5 and on Tuesday, August 20 — also known as Primary Election Day. 

No, the ballots aren’t nearly as full as they will be for the General Election and there’s no State Constitutional or local Amendments on the Aug. 20 ballot (something else to be thankful for), but there are several important local and two national offices being contested on Primary Day. 

For example, incumbent U.S. Senator (and former Florida Governor) Rick Scott faces two Republican challengers — John S. Columbus and Keith Gross — in the primary, with the winner squaring off against the winner of the four-way Democratic primary between Stanley Campbell, Rod Joseph, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and Brian Rush. 

Meanwhile, incumbent District 15 U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee, who has an office in Tampa Palms, is facing two Republican opponents on Aug. 20 — Jennifer Barbosa and James Judge. The winner of the Primary will face outgoing Hillsborough County Commissioner Pat Kemp, who is finishing the second of two four-year terms on the Commission, on Nov. 5. Kemp does not face a Primary opponent. 

Primary day will include races for two Pasco County Commission seats and one seat on the Pasco School Board (where Dist. 4 incumbent Alison Crumbley faces history teacher Jessica Wright). 

Dist. 1 and 2 commissioners Ron Oakley and Seth Weightman — the two districts that include Wesley Chapel — do not face primary challenges and Weightman isn’t on the ballot in November, either. Oakley will face Lisa Moretti, who lists Dade City as her address (as does Oakley), on Nov. 5. Moretti has no party affiliation. 

In District 5, which mainly includes Port Richey and Hudson, incumbent Jack Mariano faces Spring Hill resident Gina Finocchiaro on Aug. 20, and the winner will still face opposition in November from Hudson resident Thomas A. Celotto, who is running with no party affiliation. 

The most interesting local race on Aug. 20 is between former Commissioner Christina “Fitzy” Fitzpatrick, current Commissioner Lisa Yeager (who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the seat vacated after the passing of Comm. Gary Bradford in May of this year) and the county’s former community services director Gabriel “Gabe” Popadopoulos. The most curious thing about this race is that the winner will serve only a two-year term (as there is no Democratic or other candidate), since Bradford would not have faced a challenge for his now-vacant seat until 2026. 

Please also note that all Pasco residents are able to cast ballots in all County Commission and School Board races, regardless of which of the five districts the candidates represent. 

Here Are The Races On The Aug. 20 Ballot 
Republican Primary 

U.S. Senator 

John S. Columbus 

Keith Gross 

Rick Scott (Incumbent, or “I”) 

Representative in Congress – District 15 

Jennifer Barbosa 

James Judge 

Laurel Lee (I) 

Superintendent of Schools 

John Legg 

Michelle Mandarin 

County Commissioner – District 4 

Christina “Fitzy” Fitzpatrick 

Gabriel “Gabe” Popadopoulos 

Lisa Yeager (*) 

* – Appointed to finish term of the 

late incumbent Gary Bradford 

County Commissioner – District 5 

Gina Finocchiaro 

Jack Mariano (I) 

State Committeeman 

Shawn Foster (I) 

Stephan Hassler 

David Wallis 

State Committeewoman 

Julia Aguayo de Hassler 

Stephanie Pontlitz 

Rebecca Yuengling 

Democratic Primary 

U.S. Senator 

Stanley Campbell 

Rod Joseph 

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell 

Brian Rush 

Universal Primary 

Circuit Judge – 6th Circuit, Group 9 

Nicole Pearlman 

Kate Spurlock 

Circuit Judge – 6th Circuit, Group 14 

Cornelius Christopher Demps 

Jenn Dubbeld 

Nick Fiorentino 

School Board Member – District 4 

Alison Crumbley (I) 

Jessica Wright