Blue Heron Senior Living’s New Wing Is Just Part Of The Community’s Appeal

Chris Tomko of Senior Helpers (left) explains how the Virtual Dementia Tour works to Christopher Dobard at Blue Heron Senior Living in Wesley Chapel. 

Although my mom isn’t suffering from any of the 180 different forms of dementia, I was happy to attend the “Virtual Dementia Tour” put on by Senior Helpers at Blue Heron Senior Living in Wesley Chapel on July 16. 

I honestly believe that whether you know or think someone you love has Alzheimer’s disease or any other type of dementia, the Virtual Dementia Tour will give you a new perspective on the diverse variety of problems most of us will deal with as we age, regardless of our whether or not our mental faculties ever diminish (more on this event below). 

I also know that Blue Heron, owned and managed by TLC Management, is the only assisted living and memory care facility in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel that also offers skilled nursing for rehab or long-term care. Hosting events like the Virtual Dementia Tour just adds to the appeal of this 159,000-sq.-ft. residence where the opportunity to “age in place” has kept it near capacity since it first opened in 2021. 

The new dining area in the newly expanded skilled nursing wing at Blue Heron. 

“Our current occupancy is 100% in both long-term care and memory care and 90% in rehab,” says Blue Heron’s executive director Meagan Kopstad, “but we do have a couple of rooms available right now on the assisted living side.” 

Blue Heron’s skilled nursing area added a new wing last year, “with 37 additional patient beds, bringing us up to 141 total,” says community relations director Lilly Gonzalez. “Those new beds are divided between the first and second floor — 18 on the first floor (for rehab) and 19 on the second floor (for long-term care).” 

She adds, “We couldn’t hold our planned Grand Opening of the new wing last October because of the hurricanes that hit the area. In other words, your readers have never seen the new wing in print before.” 

The new wing also includes a new dining area (photo above), a new patient lounge and a new nurses’ station. 

With the expansion, Blue Heron Wesley Chapel now has a total of 248 residential units — 95 assisted living, 22 private memory care and the 141 skilled nursing units. 

About The Virtual Dementia Tour 
Neighborhood News editor Gary Nager admits that he failed the VDT miserably & got a better understanding of the lives of our elderly.

Blue Heron brought in Senior Helpers, the nation’s leading provider of in-home senior care, with more than 400 locations across the U.S., including a local location serving New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, to host the Virtual Dementia Tour (VDT). Senior Helpers is certified to bring the VDT to Blue Heron and other assisted living facilities and, in just a few minutes, the tour definitely gave me new insight into the lives of the elderly. 

VDT participants put provided inserts in their shoes with plastic pegs that push into your feet to simulate painful neuropathies. 

You also put on glasses that blur your vision, similar to how cataracts affect your eyes. You also have to put on thick, heavy work gloves that significantly reduce your manual dexterity. And finally, you put on headphones that make it a lot more difficult to hear. Anyone you know have any of these issues? 

You are then led into a room and given two tasks to do that would be simple for the average person to complete, but you are only given the instructions once, all while wearing the headphones. Pretty much everyone, including yours truly, fails the VDT miserably. But in doing so, you can clearly see (once you take off the glasses, that is) how difficult the most mundane tasks can become. 

This five-minute test is pretty much guaranteed to help you become more empathetic to your elderly loved ones — I know it’s helped me better understand some of the things my mom is dealing with — and the VDT is just one of many free programs Blue Heron brings in for both its residents and members of the community. 

One of the spacious private bathrooms in the newly expanded skilled nursing wing at Blue Heron. 

The next such free event is being held on Wednesday, August 27, 10:30 a.m.- noon, and is called “Charting Your Course: Protecting Yourself, Your Loved Ones & Your Legacy.” Board-Certified Elder Law attorney Ed Spinks, a partner with Florida Elder Law & Legacy Planning, will lead the discussion so you can learn how to legally protect yourself, your family and your assets. “This is an essential first step in the estate-planning process and will help you take control of your future with confidence.” 

Blue Heron also offers amazing amenities for all of its residents, like beautiful, enclosed courtyards and gardens, lounges, family rooms & dining rooms with delicious meals, a pub, a theater, a salon/spa, computers, internet and cable TV, a private dining room for family gatherings, an art studio and a wonderful life enrichment center with fun programs. 

There’s always something to do for Blue Heron residents, where your loved ones can find compassion, companionship and care. 

For more information about Blue Heron Senior Living (5071 Eagleston Blvd., Wesley Chapel), call (813) 454-0513, or visit SeniorLivingAtBlueHeron.com. 

GEICO Wesley Chapel — Where You Can ‘Shop Local’ For Insurance!

Jaime Bryant (in white shirt) & his friendly staff at the GEICO local office on BBD Blvd. in Wesley Chapel can help you with many types of insurance without having to call a 1-800 number. (Photos by Charmaine George)

If you’re like most people, you probably know GEICO Insurance from the company’s countless television commercials offering low rates with a 1-800 phone number. 

What you might not know is that you can get the same GEICO products — and much more personalized service — by calling the local GEICO office, where real people who live and work in our community answer the phone. You can work with an agent who knows your name, understands local insurance issues and wants to help you navigate the complicated world of insurance to find what’s best for you. 

The Wesley Chapel local office of GEICO is owned by Jaime Bryant and is located in the Northwoods shopping center, which is anchored by Super Target just north of County Line Rd., on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.

While GEICO is mostly known for its auto insurance — insuring close to 30 million vehicles — the company also offers insurance for homes, condos, rental apartments, boats/watercrafts, jewelry, floods, mobile homes/RVs, motorcycles and umbrella policies, which provide extended liability coverage for people with a lot of assets. 

With hurricane season fast approaching, Jaime says it’s important to be prepared. 

“Last year was a busy year, and this season is expected to be slightly above average,” he says. 

Jaime also says that one thing many people are unaware of is that if their home is damaged by a hurricane or tropical storm, the policy has different terms than if the damage is caused by wind unrelated to a named storm. 

“People don’t realize it’s a higher deductible,” he explains. “Ideally before storm season, but definitely before you contact anyone to repair the damage at your home, be sure you know what your out-of-pocket cost will be.” 

After a storm, you may have companies offering to replace your roof. To know whether or not you should move forward with the replacement, you need to know how much of that cost will be your responsibility. 

“For example,” Jaime says, “a roofer will file a claim, the insured will get paid, but insurance only covers half because of the deductible. It’s really important to know what your deductible is and make sure you can pay that deductible before moving forward with those repairs.” 

And, he says, now is the time to shop for new homeowner’s insurance. If you’re thinking of changing policies, or if your policy renews during hurricane season, sometimes a storm comes through and companies pause writing new policies for 30 to 45 days. In that case, you can’t get immediate coverage. “You need to be proactive with homeowner’s insurance during hurricane season,” Jaime says. “Time is not your friend.” 

He adds that right now is a good time to shop for new auto insurance, too. 

“Rates have stabilized and a lot of people are finding lower prices now,” Jaime says. 

Jaime’s office has 10 agents, all of whom are experienced and trained to help you get the right insurance for you and your needs. Each person’s situation is unique, so a local agent can be sure to ask you the right questions to get the right policies in place. 

Jaime has lived in the Tampa Bay area for more than 20 years and is a University of South Florida graduate with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. He worked for GEICO in Lakeland for 16 years, prior to opening the Wesley Chapel office. 

He says calling his office, instead of the 1-800 number, ensures that you’re talking with someone who understands Florida and the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area specifically. 

“We want to make sure you don’t have too much or too little insurance for your situation,” he says. “Nothing’s ever one-size-fits-all.” 

Andrea Shank is a long-time GEICO customer who was comfortable using GEICO’s online tools and never considered working with a local agent. When her brother recently passed away, her mom was dealing with a probate process and needed to insure vehicles that weren’t registered in her name yet. Andrea’s mom had previously worked with someone in the Wesley Chapel office, so they reached out and connected with George, one of Jaime’s local agents. 

Andrea says George spent most of that entire day serving them — answering questions, getting verification on complicated questions, researching answers, calling back, sending forms for them to fill out, etc. – but she says that what stood out was the compassionate way George treated her mom during the difficult loss of her son, which was completely unexpected. 

“He was so patient with her,” Andrea says. “He was funny, and made my mom laugh, which was pretty wonderful in that circumstance.” 

Andrea adds that he also took the time to share a personal recommendation for a company that could help her mom modify the vehicles to adjust the pedals, even emailing her contact information after business hours. 

“He went so far above and beyond, it was amazing to me,” Andrea says. “The level of customer service he provided is a startling contrast from what we’ve come to expect.” 

In fact, she says, she’s already referred her nephew, sister and best friend to the office. 

“No doubt,” she says, “I will not go back to an online situation. We all get used to what we buy and don’t think about making changes, even when our circumstances change. That’s something we should look at. I will definitely continue to call George, because it was such a nice experience.” 

The GEICO-Wesley Chapel local office is located at 1227 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. It is open Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m., and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sat. For more information, visit GEICO.com/Wesley-Chapel-Bryant or call (813) 953-4200.

Introducing New Pride Elementary Principal Kirsten Meyer!

With the 2025-26 school year having started on Aug. 11 for all Hillsborough County students, Pride Elementary has a new principal who has taken the helm after the retirement of former principal Paulette English. 

Kirsten Meyer says it feels like “coming full circle” for her, after starting her career as a second grade teacher at Hunter’s Green Elementary (HGE) in 1998. 

In fact, two teachers who are now part of the staff at Pride — Julia McKernan and Lucy Kovach — were once her students at HGE. 

“It’s nice to see the growth in the community and see the love and passion that teachers have for their kids,” Meyer says. “There’s an energetic feeling and a love for learning at all of the schools in this area.” 

Most recently, Meyer was assistant principal at Mitchell Elementary in South Tampa, where she served for two years. Prior to that, she was the assistant principal at Foster Elementary off of 22nd St. in North Tampa. 

At Pride, she leads one of the largest schools in Hillsborough County — about 1,000 students. 

“To be a first-time principal and have the responsibility to take on a school that is such a high-performing school is an honor,” Meyer says. “I know the expectation walking in. I know that I have to keep this going.” 

In fact, Pride has never received any letter grade other than “A” from the State Dept. of Education in the 23 years it has received one since first opening for the 2001-02 school year. 

Meyer says the staff and parents have been welcoming and supportive, and that she is excited to work with the “amazing” staff, including her experienced assistant principal, Heather Moncrief. 

She says she recently learned that the school’s namesake, Dr. Richard Ford Pride, is the grandfather of Shaylia McRae, whom Meyer worked under when McRae was a regional superintendent for the county. 

“It’s another personal connection,” Meyer says. “I have to live up to her namesake. This school has a tradition of high standards, so I want to make this community proud and make these teachers proud.” 

Speaking a few days before school started, she said she couldn’t want for the students to come back and get the year under way. 

“Pinch me,” she says. “It’s a dream come true. I couldn’t have wished for anything better.” 

The Search For Wesley Chapel’s Favorite Fried Chicken Is Over! Well, Sort Of!

So, which is our readers’ favorite fried chick- lace in the Wesley Chapel area?

The answer I have for you is certainly not definitive, although the nine judges yours truly picked from amongst nearly 50 of our readers in both of our distribution areas definitely were in agreement on their favorites…well, mostly anyway.

Picking those nine judges was not an easy task. Of the 50 people who volunteered, I originally planned to only have five judges. But then, I thought, what would happen if more than one of the people we picked ended up not being able to be there for all three rounds? I decided that having at least a couple more couldn’t hurt — it would even allow us to employ Olympic-style scoring, if necessary (it wasn’t), where we could throw out the high and the low and just use the other seven scores for each restaurant.

At any rate, the nine people selected, from left to right in the top left photo, were: Bill Johnston (aka Colonel Sanders himself!) and his wife Suzanne Reno of Quail Hollow, Aaron “Dion” Rocha of New River Township, Cindy Cooley of Tampa Palms, Dion’s wife Suzanne Rocha, the father-daughter duo of Joshua & Zoe Paine of Heritage Isles and the son-&-father team of Karson (the self-proclaimed & costumed “King Chicken Wing” and Jason Centeno of Live Oak Preserve (and yes, a certain editor is in there, too).

All three rounds of judging were a blast for yours truly, the judges and even for Jannah, whose unenviable job it was to go and pick up the chicken from each of the restaurants, cut each tender into bite-sized pieces and plate them for me to bring to the judges.

I originally thought we were going to split the number of places into one group of 5 for Round 1 and one group of 6 for Round 2, but after Round 1, I realized that one Wesley Chapel chicken place (Wing Stop) had recently added tenders to its menu, so Round 2 ended up having the Mild and Spicy chicken tenders from seven places.

A few other things I have to mention:

  1. Because we bought and had to bring the chicken from multiple places to one central location, the judges knew beforehand that none of the chicken would ever be as hot or as moist as it would be at each of the actual restaurants.
  2. None of the chicken was served with sauces for fear that the judges would figure out whose chicken was whose too easily. But again, it also kept each place’s chicken from tasting its best.
  3. I have to thank president & CEO Hope Kennedy and office administrator Darlene Hill of the North Tampa Bay Chamber for allowing us to use the board room in the Chamber’s beautiful, new office in The Shops at Wiregrass for all three rounds of the contest.
  4. I also have to thank our photographer/ videographer Charmaine George for not only shooting still pictures, but also videotaping all of the proceedings. Although we are announcing the winners in this issue, we also will show video highlights from all three rounds as the premiere episode of our “Neighborhood Newsmakers” podcast. Look for updates about that first podcast on our “Neighborhood News” Facebook page.
  5. Yours truly didn’t sample all of the chicken nor did I try to influence the judges in any way.

Here’s how the judging went for the first two nds of the contest, as each chicken tender was judged based on its Crispness, Moistness, Seasoning (for Mild) and Heat (for Spicy), but only the Overall score given for each restaurant counted:

Round 1 (July 23) —There were five Mild but only four spicy chicken tenders in this round, because Raising Cane’s is the only one of the 12 total restaurants that doesn’t sell spicy tenders.

The Mild tenders were from PDQ, Chicken Guy, Zaxby’s, Raising Cane’s and Dave’s Hot Chicken. The favorite of these five was Chicken Guy, with PDQ second (both of which advanced to the Finals) and Raising Cane’s third, with Zaxby’s fourth and Dave’s fifth.

On the Spicy side this round, Zaxby’s was the clear-cut winner by average score, but Chicken Guy was the #1 choice of more of the judges, so both advanced to the Finals, with PDQ and Dave’s not advancing.

Round 2 (July 30) — Chick-fil-A and Slim Chickens finished solidly as #s 1 and 2 (in that order) to advance to the Mild Finals, and they were followed by Popeye’s,Wing Stop,Chick’n Fun, Hangry Joe’s and Sweet Krunch, in that order.

The same seven restaurants competed for Favorite Spicy, with Chick-fil-A and Slim Chickens again finishing in the top two spots, followed (in order) by Chick’n Fun, Popeye’s,Wing Stop, Hangry Joe’s & Sweet Krunch.

Finals (Aug. 4) — The judges were never told which four Mild and which four Spicy tenders advanced to the Finals, but several recognized PDQ & Chick-fil-A from the first two rounds and one judge identified Chicken Guy from Round 1.

For the Finals, each judge was asked to put the four Finalists in each category from their overall #1 Favorite down to #4.

For Favorite Mild Tenders, PDQand Chick-fil-A finished in a flat-footed tie for first place, with each receiving 3 first-place, 3 second-place and 3 third-place votes. But, since five of the judges had PDQ finishing higher than Chick-fil-A, PDQ won for Favorite Mild Tenders. Chick-fil-A was second and Chicken Guy finished third (with 2 first-place votes), and Slim Chickens was fourth, with only 1 first-place vote.

The judges agreed that the four Mild Finalists were their four favorites from the first two rounds.

For Favorite Spicy Tenders, Chick-fil-A and Slim Chickens each had 3 first-place votes, but Chick-fil-A also had 4 second-place votes to Slim Chickens’ 1, so Chick-fil-A was named the Favorite Spicy Tenders winner, followed by Slim Chickens. Zaxby’s just beat out Chicken Guy to finish third.

Looking Back

The contest was certainly not scientific and I know it really doesn’t “prove” anything. I’m also quite certain that many, if not most, of our readers will disagree with the results.

But, what it did accomplish was to bring together a diverse group of our readers for a fun and interesting cause and there’s no doubt that these nine previous strangers — two couples, two father-&-child combos and one not-partnered judge — all became friends and took their “jobs” very seriously, but not too seriously.

There were comments like, “I can’t taste the chicken,” “Dill pickle undertones,” “Only one I didn’t finish,” “Needs sauce,” “Tastes like Publix” and “Heavy vinegar flavor” — and a lot of laughs.

All nine judges also want to try judging the Best Steaks, Best Fries, Best Burgers and a couple that I might actually try to put together — Best Pizza and Best Tacos, but I probably will have to select a whole new crew of judges next time.

Look for the podcast on our Facebook page!

Review Of Heartbreaker: A Memoir By Mike Campbell with Ari Surdoval

I have been a huge Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers fan since high school, when I first heard “American Girl” on the radio. Even though I was born and raised in New Yawk, I loved Tom’s folksy southern rock style and his amazing voice and songwriting ability.

When the band’s third album (and first monster hit), Damn The Torpedoes, came out in 1979, and the entire world heard singles like “Don’t Do Me Like That,” “Here Comes My Girl” and especially, “Refugee,” I was already at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Tom’s hometown, and the place where Tom first got together with Heartbreakers’ lead guitarist Mike Campbell, a guy I always felt was severely underrated in the business. I felt the same way about Miami Steve Van Zandt, who still plays lead guitar for Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, my other favorite live rock act.

So, when I found out that Mike and his current band, The Dirty Knobs (which he formed in 2020, or about three years after Tom passed away in 2017), were playing Ruth Eckerd Hall on Aug. 13, I bought tickets for myself and Jannah, made arrangements for a photo pass for the show (Ruth Eckerd Hall’s director of public relations Katie Pedretty has always been so fair and accommodating to me) and we stayed over in Clearwater for the night.

Katie also mentioned the possibility of — and I really was hoping to also get — an interview with Mike, especially in light of the fact that he had just had his book, Heartbreaker: A Memoir, released the same week as the Ruth Eckerd show by Grand Central Publishing. I ordered a copy on Amazon, received it two days before the concert, and had read the first 150 or so pages by time we arrived in Clearwater to see Mike & The Dirty Knobs perform. I’ve already reviewed the concert online, but couldn’t yet review the book at that time because I hadn’t yet finished it.

But, Heartbreaker
what an absolutely amazing read! Mike talks about his tough upbringing in a run-down north side neighborhood in Jacksonville, FL, called Sherwood Forest. He says he loved his father, Malcolm Campbell, who loved Johnny Cash and was in the Air Force. But, not long after his father got transferred to Okinawa, Japan, he stopped sending Mike’s mother Helen money. The family had to move multiple times and Mike said all he had were two shirts, one pair of jeans and a pair of old sneakers, “but all I wanted was a guitar.”

Naturally quiet and shy, Mike said he was always the new kid at school as his family kept moving around, but his father eventually sent him a cheap Japanese guitar and he learned how to play from a “Learn to Play” book by Beach Boys guitarist Carl Wilson, even though Mike couldn’t read music. Despite his shyness, he somehow maintained straight As and his high school guidance counselor helped him earn a scholarship to U-F.

He eventually met Tom when he heard the original lineup of Tom’s band Mudcrutch play in a local bar in Gainesville and then saw a “Help Wanted” ad posted in the local music store that “Mudcrutch Needs
” and both Mike and the drummer he had been living with, Randall Marsh, were asked to join the band.

The book then chronicles the years of struggles of Mudcrutch, which became popular as a cover band that played bars that doubled as strip clubs, including a famous one called Dub’s, where each member of the band got paid $100 a week — more money than Mike says he had ever seen in his lifetime up to that point. But of course, Tom Petty wanted to play his original songs, which wasn’t what Dub had hired them to do.

Mike recounts these stories and more about Mudcrutch’s struggles as a talented band that never quite made it. There were personality conflicts, money problems and a first record that didn’t sell. And, the one record company that was interested only wanted Tom Petty. But, Tom insisted that Mike be included in any deal.

Eventually, they let Mudcrutch go, but soon, Tom and Mike reconnected with drummer Stan Lynch, bassist Ron Blair and keyboard player Benmont Tench, all of whom they knew from Gainesville.

But, even the debut, self-titled album of the new Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers struggled to find an audience. Only the song “Breakdown” cracked the top-40, while the anthem that would become even bigger later on, “American Girl,” never did.

The Heartbreakers’ second album, You’re Gonna Get It, also failed to find an audience of significant size, but Petty and his bandmates knew they were getting closer. Personality clashes, especially between Petty and Lynch, nearly derailed the band, but once the songs from Damn The Torpedoes started hitting the airwaves, the Heartbreakers quickly became one of rock’s biggest and most sought-after acts.

Campbell and Surdoval do an amazing job of bringing you deep inside the band’s rise to stardom, including the lawsuit between MCA Records and Petty that could have kept Damn The Torpedoes from ever being released, if not for Petty himself finding the loophole he needed and the courage to stand up to MCA and the group’s original manager Denny Cordell, and getting them to settle the lawsuit.

Heartbreaker also provides insight into the making of every album that came after Torpedoes, including Tom’s first “solo” (in quotes because Campbell and nearly all of the other Heartbreakers also played on it) album Full Moon Fever, which included the monster hits “Free Fallin’” and “I Won’t Back Down.” It was on Full Moon Fever that Tom began working with former Electric Light Orchestra frontman (and fellow future Traveling Wilbury) Jeff Lynne as his producer.

The book also gives amazing insights into Campbell’s now-50-year marriage to his wife Marcie, Petty’s divorce from his first wife Jane and his second marriage to his wife Dana, the band’s use of drugs, especially cocaine, the abuse of heroin by bass player Howie Epstein (who replaced Blair in the band) and, for a while, by Petty himself, Tench’s drinking problem and even Campbell’s one-time overdose on amphetamines, which landed him in the hospital.

The chapters about the Traveling Wilburys — George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Lynne and Tom —as well as Mike’s work with the Eagles’ Don Henley (Campbell wrote the music for Henley’s solo hit “The Heart of the Matter”), and co-writing, with Tom, the huge hit Stevie Nicks (of Fleetwood Mac fame, of course) song “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” are all told from Mike’s unique perspective.

But, through all of these trials and tribulations — and huge successes — Campbell and Petty endured together, not only as lead guitarist and lead vocalist, but as a powerful songwriting duo. Mike explains how his songwriting process was completely different than Petty’s and that he composed at least pieces of dozens of songs that never made it onto a Heartbreakers or Petty solo album. Many of those compositions by Campbell did, however, end up as part of the three Dirty Knobs albums (so far, at least).

The story about the Heartbreakers’ final tour and final performance at the Hollywood Bowl in 2017 — only days before Petty passed away from an accidental overdose of painkillers, after he played the final shows of that tour with a broken hip — is absolutely a gut punch. Campbell says he finally told his long-time friend and partner, “I love you, brother” as he held Petty’s hand shortly before Tom passed away.

The book also talks about Mike touring for two years as the replacement guitarist for Lindsey Buckingham in Fleetwood Mac after Tom’s passing, and how Nicks got Mike together with her vocal coach.

And, there also are chapters about Mike’s time as the primary songwriter and lead singer in his band The Dirty Knobs, which basically brought me right up to date just days after seeing the wonderful concert which featured more songs by the Heartbreakers (11) than by The Dirty Knobs (8).

I’ve tried to touch on as many periods as possible in the amazing life of Mike Campbell without giving away the entire story. Whether or not you’re a fan of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Heartbreaker: A Memoir is a true page-turner.

I picked up my hardcover copy of it on Amazon.com.