There’s no doubt that the Florida Medical Clinic Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital will be the single largest addition to Wiregrass Ranch this year, but there are multiple other projects that also are expected to be completed and open before the end of 2026 in the 5,000-acre property owned by the Porter Family Trust. We told you about the 46,000-sq.-ft. Wiregrass Medical Plaza (left photo) being developed by Flagship Healthcare Properties (in conjunction with the Porters’ Locust Branch Development) last issue, which will have Florida E.N.T. as its anchor tenant.
What we didn’t know about at that time, is the two-story, 50-bed in-patient injury rehabilitation facility that will be called Encompass Health Rehab Hospital being constructed by Brasfield & Gorrie (top photo), across from the Wiregrass Medical Plaza, closer to S.R. 56. Both of these buildings are separate from the Orlando Health hospital’s medical buildings.
We also told you back in October about the Arcadia at Wiregrass Ranch apartments, the 320- unit luxury rental community now under construction behind the planned Publix near the intersection of S.R. 54 and Wiregrass Ranch Blvd., across from Walmart. As you can see in the photo right, those apartments have now gone vertical.
Much closer to completion, however, is the 50,000-sq.-ft. Post Acute Medical (PAM) Rehabilitation Hospital (below) directly to the north of the Amberlin apartments on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. We first told you about PAM Rehab back in March of 2024 and although the building is looking pretty close to being completed, we were not yet able to find out a planned opening date for it, but we’ll keep you posted.
Also not too far from being completed is the Ace Medical Plaza (bottom photo), a 15,000-sq.-ft. medical office building located between the entrance to Amberlin and BBD, across from Eagleston Blvd.
What we sadly don’t have yet is the information everyone wants — the name of the upscale restaurant(s) that will be built next to Cooper’s Hawk and when the selection of the contractor and the construction of Legacy at Wiregrass Ranch, the community’s “downtown hub” will begin. Hopefully, we’ll have that information by sometime later this year, but we’re pretty sure that those highly-anticipated developments will not be completed by the end of 2026. — GN
Hospital That Will One Day Be The Largest In Wesley Chapel Gets Ready To Open Apr. 21 With A Hiring Event
Florida Medical Clinic Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital — Opening April 21!
With everything that’s coming to Wesley Chapel this year, perhaps the biggest addition is the Florida Medical Clinic Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital, which has tabbed Tuesday, April 21, as its scheduled opening date.
The new hospital — the third in Wesley Chapel (AdventHealth WC and BayCare WC are the others) will open with 102 beds, with room to expand to 300 beds in the future, which would make it Wesley Chapel’s largest.
In anticipation of the hospital’s opening, Pasco Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, located less than a half-mile away from the facility, hosted a hiring event which attracted hundreds of potential employees — everyone from nurses and nursing support professionals to allied health and support staffers.
We also got to meet many of the hospital’s team leaders, including (l.-r. in the right photo) talent acquisition manager Richard Pelaia, chief nursing officer and assistant vice president Susan Dolezal, chief financial officer and assistant VP Tanya Knepp, director of human resources Jennifer Alexander and Richard Matte, the assistant VP of business development & non-clinical operations.
Charmaine also got drone photos of the cleared land for the two large medical office buildings to be built on the hospital’s campus (above left), which should begin going vertical soon.
Saturday, January 17, 8 p.m.-11 p.m. – New Tampa Jazz Nights: Chuck Redd with La Lucha. At New Tampa Performing Arts Center (8550 Hunters Village Rd.). Catch world-renowned vibraphonist and drummer Chuck Redd, joined by “Best of the Bay” jazz trio La Lucha. Redd emerged on the jazz scene at 21 as the drummer for guitarist and bossa nova pioneer Charlie Byrd, and recorded and toured with notable artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Mel Torme, and more. Tickets cost $10-$35 depending upon seat selection. For more info or to purchase tickets, visit TampaJazzClub.com.
Sunday, January 18, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. – “New Tampa Unplugged: Alexis Carra.” At New Tampa Performing Arts Center (8550 Hunters Village Rd.). Tampa native and musical theatre maven Alexis Carra returns to the “New Tampa Unplugged” stage after earning glowing praise for her heartfelt hometown performance last season. Her entertainment career has spanned from the Broadway stage (“Wicked,” “Sweet Charity” & more) to Hollywood (“Mixology,” “Two & A Half Men”). Tickets $17.50-$25 depending on seat selection. Select tickets are available for $10 through NTPAC’s Affordable Art commitment. For more info, call (813) 829-2760. Or, to purchase tickets visit NewTampaArtsCenter.org/events/new-tampa-unplugged-alexis-carra.
Only lasting about a year was Mo Cookies, the cookie store that replaced my beloved Urban Sweets at 5903 Goldview Pkwy., Unit #103, in the KRATE at The Grove container park in Nov. 2024.
Already claiming that spot as its own is Twisted Rolls Chimney Cake (photo, above), which has an original location on 56th St. in Temple Terrace and a newer location at 19406 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in New Tampa. As we told you in Apr. 2025, “the “Twisted Rolls” at the dessert location are an Eastern European treat made of dough and sugar that is rolled around a stick and then baked in an oven until hot and semi-crispy…then dipped in a variety of glazes and rolled in one of nine different toppings. Like the other locations, the Twisted Rolls at the KRATEs also will serve ice cream, crepes, cheesecake, waffles, pancakes, coffee and smoothies. For more info, visit TwistedRollsChimneyCake.com.
What else can you say about the restaurant that has been our readers; favorite for ten years in a row and close to 20 times in its 20+ year history?
Stonewood is an elegant, upscale restaurant with a happening bar crowd and some of the best steaks and fresh seafood in our area.
The top photo is of the new grouper Giovanni, which is a limited time special that is served with a tomato cream sauce and butternut squash ravioli. Yum!
To the right is the delicious new baked brie with a raspberry glaze, fresh fruit and nuts served with crispy toasted bread. And of course, Stonewood serves some of the best prime rib (above, right) among its #1-rated steaks..
And, although Stonewood is a mini-chain, now with seven locations, we are fortunate that the chain’s executive chef Danny Manzur, who creates many of Stonewood’s seasonal dishes, is based at the Tampa Palms location. Congrats!
2. Via Italia
8644 Hunters Village Rd., The Village at Hunter’s Lake
Our readers have placed Via Italia in their top-3 in New Tampa every year since it opened, so clearly the restaurant being sold by original owner Roberto Maganuco to Sanjay Patel in early 2024 hasn’t affected what our readers think of New Tampa’s largest selection of fresh pasta dishes, like the spaghetti con zucchine e gamberetti (shrimp) shown above.
Via Italia also serves outstanding woodfired pizzas, salami and cheese platters, appetizers like four different kinds of bruschetta, two different capreses, polpetta della nonna (grandma’s meatballs), chicken wings and the suppli’ al telefono (Arborio rice croquettes with premium shredded mozzarella, hand-milled pomodoro sauce and cut basil) shown here.
Our readers were happy to see Kobe reopen in its new New Tampa location in Sept. 2023, as it was ranked #10 in our 2024 Reader Survey and shot up seven places to #3 for 2025. Serving some of the highest quality Japanese hibachi fare in our area, Kobe finished ahead of Liang’s Bistro (see below) overall with our readers for the first time, but somehow only finished 4th for “Favorite Asian Restaurant.” Go figure.
4. Fat Rabbit Pub
16029 Tampa Palms Blvd. W., City Plaza at Tampa Palms
After coming in at #5 Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa each of the last two years, Fat Rabbit moved up to #4 this year and also finished second for both Favorite Burger and Favorite Chicken in NT & WC and as the #1 Favorite Bar in NT & WC.
Our readers definitely seem to love Fat Rabbit’s food — like the Buffalo chicken sandwich shown here — and craft cocktails. Many readers rave about its wings, sliders and loaded fries and tater tots, too.
There also is now a popular second location on Main St. in downtown Sarasota.
Moving up three spots with our readers this year, Cali continues to be a consistent performer in our annual Reader Survey, thanks to its high-quality fare, like the Hot & Crunchy bowl shown here (with seared ahi tuna). Cali also features hand-tossed pizzas, small plates like garlic & lime edamame and turmeric hummus, plus “chill” salads and more.
Moving down a couple of spots with our readers this year, (perhaps due to a brief closure shortly before our voting began for health department violations), Liang’s is still the go-to Chinese and Asian fusion restaurant in New Tampa, for its outstanding appetizers like egg rolls, NY-style BBQ spareribs and the Thai coconut shrimp shown here, as well as wok-fired classics in a variety of styles — from Korean BBQ to Mongolian to Sichuan & Thai. Although we didn’t have a “Chinese” category this year, Liang’s ran away with the 2025 “Favorite Asian Restaurant” title.
Mr. Dunderbak’s has only missed being in our readers’ Top-10 Favorite Restaurants in New Tampa only a couple of times since moving from University Mall to the Oak Ramble Plaza more than 20 years ago. Its limited menu of deli sandwiches and a few German favorites, like the Jägerschnitzel shown here, continues to attract plenty of votes and its unquestionably huge beer selection and cool vibe keeps Mr. D’s high on the “Favorite Bar” list, too, despite not having full liquor.
I find it hard to believe that The Grill, which peaked at #2 Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa three years ago, has fallen as far as #8 this year. Owner Frank Gouveia and chef Mike Touranjoe continue to offer some of our area’s best steaks, fresh fish and other unique American & Italian specialties — like the pork Milanese shown here — and our readers from New England also always mention their love for its authentic “South Shore bar pizza.” The Grill also has New Tampa’s largest wine list, a happening bar scene and great craft cocktails.
It came as no surprise to yours truly that Box of Cubans was this year’s highest-rated newcomer in New Tampa. So many people have told me how much they love the authentic Cuban sandwiches and dishes like the tasty red bean chicken bowl shown here. It’s also a great place for huge Cuban breakfast sandwiches and specialties, plus some of the best café con leché in our area. If you’re one of the few locals who haven’t yet tried it, definitely go check it out & please tell them I sent you!
After barely making the Top-25 Favorites in New Tampa list in last year’s Reader Survey (it was 23rd), Acropolis jumped 13 spots to return to its usual spot among the Top-10 Favorites in New Tampa with our readers for 2025. I guess it took a year or so for the new ownership — which has beautifully redesigned and opened up the restaurant’s interior and improved on many of the traditional Acropolis favorites (like the always-yummy Athenian fish shown here) — to recapture some of the restaurant’s former customers and attract new ones.
