Category: Featured

U.S. Women’s Hockey Kicks Off Four Nations Cup Tonight

U.S. women’s national ice hockey team defender Monique Lamoureux-Morando looks for a teammate during an exhibition win over the University of Tampa’s men’s team last month.

The U.S. women’s hockey team has a busy winter schedule planned as it trains in Wesley Chapel, and much of the activity will take place right off I-75 at Florida Hospital Center Ice, including the Four Nations Cup, which drops the puck tonight.

Canada plays Sweden this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. at FHCI to get the action started, and the U.S. takes on Finland at 7 p.m.

Formerly known as the Three Nations Cup before Sweden joined the United States, Canada and Finland in 2000, the tournament has featured the top national teams in women’s hockey since 1996. Although Canada won 11 of the first 15 Three/Four Nations cups, the U.S. has won four of the last six, including the last two.

Also at FHCI this week, the U.S. plays Canada on Wednesday, November 8 (the game is sold out) and Sweden on Friday, November 10.

On Sunday, November 12, the first- and third-place games will be held at Amalie Arena in downtown Tampa at noon and 3:30 p.m.

The match against Canada, winner of the women’s hockey gold medals at the last four Olympics, will pit the two top teams in the world. The U.S. has split games with Canada, winning 5-2 on Oct. 22 in Quebec City, and losing 5-1 in Boston on Oct. 25.

Although all eyes are on the Four Nations Cup, what is really driving the U.S. women is erasing the memory of the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where they lost a 2-0 lead in the final four minutes to Canada in the gold medal game before falling 3-2.

The U.S. women have reasserted themselves as arguably the best team in the world, winning every world title since then, and seven of the last eight.

“The way we see it, pressure is a privilege,’’ says forward Meghan Duggan, a former University of Wisconsin Badger who won the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, given to college hockey’s best female player, in 2011. “We are coming off three world championships, so we’re feeling pretty confident. I’m proud of this team, and we’re looking forward to showing the world what we have in this next tournament.”

That talent will be on display all winter long at FHCI, as the team continues to train at the not-even-one-year-old facility in preparation for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

So far, the members of the team are happy to have landed in Wesley Chapel.

“Honestly, it’s been fantastic,’’ said Duggan. “I think Wesley Chapel and a lot of the different pieces of the puzzle coming together for us is a big reason why we’re down here.”

Those puzzle pieces include an area that is ripe with off-the-ice activities that have included lots of golf, shopping and hanging out at the pool (and outstanding accommodations) at Saddlebrook Resort, plus a new hockey facility that Duggan says is state of the art.

The experiences in Wesley Chapel haven’t been limited to hockey and hanging out, either. The U.S. team, like the rest of us in the area, got to experience its first hurricane when Irma swept through town last month. Bad weather is nothing new for players from the snowy and cold north, but a hurricane was altogether different, as Irma’s approach made for some nervous hockey players.

“I’ve never been through anything like that, where trying to get water and stuff was difficult,’’ said Jocelyne Lamoureux. “That raised the anxiety a little.”

The team spent less than 24 hours in a shelter at Saddlebrook, which was only subjected to windy conditions that reminded Lamoureux of the straight-line wind storms she’s experienced in her home state of North Dakota.

Hurricanes aside, Duggan says Wesley Chapel has been an ideal spot for the team.

“We scoped (the area) out in April and May with wide eyes and excitement,’’ she said. “It’s going to be hard to leave after the Olympics to go back to our colder climates.”

For additional information, please visit TeamUSA.USAHockey.com

florida hospital center ice Four Nations Cup

Carats & Cents For One-Of-A-Kind, Custom-Designed Jewelry & More!

Tampa Palms resident Adeel Karim of Carats & Cents in the Westshore area of Tampa wants to create a unique piece of jewelry for your special someone this holiday season. (Photo: Andy Warrener)

When Carats & Cents owner Adeel Karim moved to Tampa Palms in 2010 from Leesburg, FL, his client base was already growing.

The move not only put Karim closer to his clientele, it also put him closer and with easier access to both Tampa (TIA) and Orlando International airports, where he conducts a lot of his international travel. For a guy in search of the very best jewels around the world, it was an important move.

His physical store location on N. Westshore Blvd. is just minutes from TIA and serves as a showroom/design center where Karim hosts clients.

There’s no glittering marquee on the street, no gaudy signage on the building. The store is actually quite simple, subdued and discreet. Karim works on an appointment-only basis. There aren’t any posted store hours or pushy salesmen. There is plenty of inventory to look at, but Carats & Cents specializes in custom-made jewelry.

“Nearly 100 percent of our business is custom design,” Karim says. “We don’t carry (the standard) bridal lines; we want to focus on creating something unique for every one of our clients. You won’t find our designs anywhere else.”

And, that’s not hyperbole. While he does have several handsome pieces of quality jewelry on display at his store — he calls them “statement pieces” — he says that quite a few of those pieces came from the imagination of a client.“I work with designs that our clients come up with, along with my own creations,” Karim says.

If the custom piece doesn’t meet 100 percent of the customer’s satisfaction, it’s either addressed by a local artisan or it’s kept for display. “If a piece has a really cool design and it’s too much of a change to fix here, I’ll keep it for inventory,” Karim says. “If I don’t like it, I’ll melt it down and make something else.”

Minor alterations are sourced locally but Karim says his design facility is actually located in Dubai. It’s there that Karim and his partner and brother-in-law have recruited some of the top craftsmen and artisans from all over the world.

Above is a small sampling of the unique jewelry designs available at Carats & Cents.

Karim learned diamond grading at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Diamond grading is outlined by the four “Cs” — Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat. He travels the world seeking out elegant pieces and sometimes will track down a local artisan whose work appeals to him.

Karim often finds talented craftsmen working in sub-standard conditions for low pay. He says that his artisans are given an offer to re-locate their family to Dubai, where they earn better pay and work in much improved conditions. Over the last five years, Karim says he and his brother-in-law have recruited at least 10 artisans to their workshops in Dubai.

“Some of the talent you see when you go to these places is unbelievable,” Karim says. “Their skills have been passed down over generations. We have a concept that we want to support third-world artisans, educate them and set them and their families up to help showcase their artistic talents.”

He says the result has been the creation of some of the most unique, custom designs that can be found anywhere. Karim revealed a certain piece that contained 323 hand-set diamonds. Pieces are created from wax molds from either 18K (carat) gold or platinum, and can take up to 45 days to create, depending upon the complexity of the design.

“As a jeweler, the most joy I get is to see someone wearing the jewelry and they love it so much, they refer me to their friends,” Karim says. “I want you to have that feeling that everytime you look at the piece, it takes your breath away.”

Unique, Quality Designs

Diamond engagement rings aren’t the only items Karim showcases, either. While he doesn’t custom make them in Dubai, he carries the Lashbrook line of men’s wedding bands. Lashbrook creates unique designs borne from carbon fiber, cobalt chrome and even meteorite.

“Gone are the old days when a guy would just get a band and call it a day,” Karim says.

Custom designs include accents portraying baseball stitches, basketball leather, tire treads, even camouflage. Karim says he has several clients in the Tampa area who are prominent professional athletes.

Carats & Cents also deals in Swiss time pieces, including Rolex, Cartier and Patek Philippe. The store is not an authorized dealer of new watches, but Carats & Cents has a large inventory of used watches and everything they sell has a one-year minimum warranty and a five-year warranty on mechanical movement.

“I purchased a high-end timepiece from Carats & Cents and they are fantastic to do business with,” said client Ronny Kalash. “Adeel is not only extremely knowledgeable about both jewelry and watches, but also extremely professional. He applies his knowledge base to help find the best fit for you, works hard to find you a reasonable price, never applies unreasonable sales pressure and delivers his products quickly and in flawless quality.”

Carats & Cents has both new and used pieces and is an authorized dealer of Everest Horology products. Everest products offer a different look for your Swiss time piece, whether it’s a new band or a new diamond bezel. Everest products, “look like they came from the original from a fit and finish standpoint,” according to Karim.

With such a wide selection of luxury items, Karim could very well have a storefront brimming with customers. But, that’s not the way he likes to do business.

“When a client comes in, it’s confidential and no pressure,” he says. “I’m okay with clients not streaming in and out. Our customers expect an ambiance that is high-end and with an international flavor. They get the feeling they’re seeing pieces that would be found in an auction in Hong Kong or Thailand.”

Asian influences incorporate colored gemstones like peridot, but much of the work circles back to diamonds. Karim sources all of his diamonds according to the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), which was established in 2003 by the United Nations to prevent so-called “conflict” diamonds from reaching the mainstream rough diamond market.

“It’s one of the reasons I was okay with getting into the business,” Karim says. “Part of my business has to do with giving back to communities, whether it’s in Tampa or Dubai.”

Karim’s humanitarian side extends beyond relocating artisans and seeking conflict-free diamonds. He also manages Tampa Bay Cares, a public Facebook group that helps with refugee resettlement, and other charitable causes.

Karim is active in the New Tampa community. He is on the community board of the Windsor at Tampa Palms Neighborhood Association and has been amazed at the rapid growth in the area.

“The growth in New Tampa has been remarkable,” Karim said. “It’s become an affluent area. I remember, years ago, it was cow pastures.”

As the area has expanded, so has Karim’s business.

“When people say, ‘I know a guy,’ I want to be that guy,” he says.

Carats & Cents is located at 1111 N. Westshore Blvd., Suite 105. For more info, call (813) 343-4653, visit Carats andCents.com.

Carats & Cents

Is Brookron Dr. In Cross Creek In Need Of A Makeover?

Areas like these, which have been patched over multiple times, are a common sight on Brookron Dr. in New Tampa, and there are many parts of the road that still need patching. (Photo: John C. Cotey)

Is Brookron Dr. falling apart?

The one-mile circular local road — which is located off Cross Creek Blvd. (across from the entrance to Cory Lake Isles) and winds itself past the Pinehurst, Magnolia Trace, Meadow Creek and Creekwood neighborhoods of Cross Creek to Kinnan St. — looks in certain parts as if it is being held together by patches of black asphalt.

Lots of patches.

In fact, more than 50 patches, and dozens of other cracks and dips in the 18-year-old road, which is used by most of the Cross Creek II community’s 1,236 households, as well as by residents of the Addison Park and Andover Place apartment communities.

With the county willing to put up $250,000 to connect Kinnan St. to Mansfield Blvd., at least one local resident wants to know why repaving what is a heavily-trafficked stretch of road isn’t also on the list of county road projects that need to be done.

“It is appalling that Hillsborough County Commissioners would approve $250,000 to build the Kinnan-Mansfield connector, while Brookron Drive in New Tampa, a connector from Kinnan to Cross Creek, is worse than many a third-world road,’’ wrote Pinehurst resident Sasenarine Persaud to county commissioners last month.

Persaud went on to describe the road as, “a motley (collection) of patches, ridges and depressions, with a new pothole opening every week” in his email.

“It has not been resurfaced in eighteen years — yes, 18 years! There is no justification for the county allocating $250,000 to build a road that would primarily benefit residents in another county, while neglecting roads in its own county.”

District 5 County Commissioner Ken Hagan does not disagree that the road, which he has traveled often as a former resident of Creekwood, is in some disrepair. “We’re aware of it,’’ Hagan says. “It has been patched far too many times. I’ve seen it for myself. It certainly has deficiencies.”

Mike Williams, the county’s director of transportation planning and development, says, simply, “It’s a money issue.”

Williams acknowledges that the county has fallen behind on road maintenance due to lack of funding, but notes that they are slowly catching up on repairs, after the commissioners agreed in 2016 to set aside $600 million over 10 years for projects that focus on safety improvements, road widening and resurfacing and sidewalk maintenance.

Brookron Dr., however, is not on that list. But, Hagan says he is going to look into getting it included. “We’re trying to have that road reclassified from local to collector, to help accelerate the resurfacing of (Brookron),” Hagan says.

The estimated cost of resurfacing Brookron Dr. is $500,000, according to the county’s public works department.

Gary Mosby, who works in the county’s customer resolution unit, confirmed that Persaud’s complaints about the condition of Brookron Dr. are shared by others. He said there have been several complaints about the road, and that an engineer has been dispatched to do a full inspection of it.

He said that since the beginning of the year, the county has received at least eight emails requesting potholes be repaired.

He also says that most of the emails come from Jo-Ann Pilawski, the head of property management for the Cross Creek II community,

“I keep calling them every time we go over a pothole,’’ Pilawski says. “Every time I’m talking to one of residents, they will mention how bad it is and ask if they are doing any kind of repaving. When I email the county, they just keep coming out and filling the potholes. Everybody is definitely not happy about it.”

Brookron Dr. potholes

Unincorporated New Tampa May Get Emergency Services From Pasco

After nearly 20 years of emergency services from nearby Tampa Fire Rescue (TFR) Station No. 21 on Cross Creek Blvd., residents in Pebble Creek, Live Oak Preserve, Cross Creek and the other communities located in unincorporated Hillsborough County may soon be looking across county lines for service.

While representatives from Hillsborough County would prefer that county residents in New Tampa continue receiving City of Tampa services, county officials are unwilling to pay the $1.1-million annual price tag Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn is seeking.

“The Mayor is looking at where he can pull in new revenue, and that’s fine, but he needs to be fair about it,’’ says District 2 Hillsborough County Commissioner Victor Crist. “The deal isn’t fair.”

Comm. Crist says the county is looking into other options, namely cutting a deal with Pasco County Fire Rescue and its Station No. 26 in the nearby Meadow Pointe Community of Wesley Chapel.

“The county is looking at all the options we have available, and what they will cost,” Crist says. “That’s not the only fire station up there that can serve us. We can cut a deal with the Pasco County Fire Department to provide the same services in the same frame of time.”

Pasco County Fire Rescue Station 26 is located close enough to unincorporated New Tampa to provide service, says Crist, adding that the county has already looked into the logistics of being serviced by Station 26, and have found them to be satisfactory.

The station is 1.6 miles from the entrance to Live Oak Preserve, 1.9 miles to the Pebble Creek Golf Club, 2.5 miles to the intersection of Cross Creek Blvd. and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., and roughly 5.5 miles from the Kinnan St. area.

To reach those easternmost areas of unincorporated New Tampa, rescue units would have to cut through Live Oak or travel south on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. before turning east on Cross Creek Blvd., as there are few options to get there faster.

“It’s relatively the same,” Crist says. “The quality of the equipment, the quality of the service, the response time will all be relatively the same. (Residents) will see no difference.”

Hillsborough County has been paying the city $218,000 a year, but since negotiations began in January, the county has paid an additional $300,000 in adjustments related to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

So, instead of Buckhorn’s initial request to raise the price to $1.46 million, the total sought by the city is now $1.1 million.

That’s still more than twice what Crist says a deal Pasco County would cost.

“I’m not really sure how they got (that price),” Crist says. “I think they just pulled numbers out of the air. I have asked them to show me the rationale behind those numbers, but I (haven’t gotten) anything.”

Sonya Little, Tampa’s Chief Financial Officer, says the city’s numbers were derived from a simple Pro Rata share, based on proportion. According to Little, Fire Station No. 21 provided 7,309 hours of service in 2016, and 2,926 of those hours, or 40 percent, were provided to the Pebble Creek, Live Oak and Cross Creek communities.

Since the operating cost of Station No. 21 was $3,652,432, Buckhorn said originally the county should pay 40 percent, or $1,460,973 dollars.

The City of Tampa is facing more than $50-million in debt, due to a pair of bonds stemming from deals made in the mid-1990s that are coming due, with payments of roughly $14 million beginning in 2019.

On Sept. 28, the Tampa City Council reduced the tax increase Buckhorn was asking for, further reducing future revenues.

“The City is facing a lot of debt that’s coming on quickly,” Comm. Crist says. “The City Council did not vote to give him his tax increases. So now, he’s holding the county hostage for it, and it isn’t the right and fair thing to do.”

Crist says a deal with Pasco County could cost the county 25-50 percent of what the City of Tampa is asking for. Whether that gets the county and city back to the negotiating table remains to be seen.

“As of right now, there’s no more conversation,’’ says Ashley Bauman, the director of marketing and communications for the City of Tampa. “But that’s not to say there won’t be.”

Otherwise, Crist says a deal with Pasco County could be forthcoming.

“We’ll put a deal together with Pasco County, and tell the city this is what Pasco is willing to do it for, take it or leave it,’’ he says. “The bottom line is, were not going to significantly overpay for the service.”

Pasco County Fire Rescue Tampa Fire Rescue unincorporated Hillsborough County

County Making Moves On New Tampa Cultural Center & Local Parks

Hillsborough County completed a land purchase that could lead to new development in New Tampa. (Map: Blake Beatty)

The long-proposed New Tampa Cultural Center (NTCC), which will be built across the street from Hunter’s Green on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., could receive a financial boost from the state under a new idea that could see it transition into being built to serve not only as a home for the arts, but as a hurricane shelter for special needs evacuees, too.

“We made the decision, we’re going to a hardened hurricane shelter for special needs evacuees,’’ said District 2 Hillsborough County Commissioner Victor Crist, who has spearheaded the project for years. “There is a regional need for that kind of facility.”

According to Comm. Crist, the shelter would serve as an evacuation spot for Tampa General Hospital and other hospitals in Pasco and Manatee counties as well. He cited hospital evacuation issues in Manatee County when Hurricane Irma came through in September

“It’s on high ground, it’s close to a medical hub and it’s on a major roadway,’’ Crist says. “It will be built at a very high wind standard.”

Crist says the county is contributing $5.8 million to the building of what is expected to be a 30,000-sq.-ft. NTCC, and the developers of the adjacent public-private (P3) Hunter’s Lake project are contributing $2.5 million.

The county will ask the state for matching funds of $7.5 million, getting the NTCC to the $15-million figure Crist has said would be required to build a state-of-the-art facility that can serve the entire Tampa Bay arts community from the beginning.

“The state has made it clear they will be focusing on hurricane and natural disaster preparedness,” Comm. Crist says.

Developers of the site are proceeding with permitting, so the pad on which everything will be built can be finished, although it has recently asked for a 90-day extension as it waits for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approval.

“They still plan to deliver the pad by October of 2018,” says Josh Bellotti, the county’s real estate & facilities services director. Ground would be broken on the NTCC project shortly after that.

Branchton Park Project Another P3 Possibility?

Hillsborough County also cleared the way for another possible P3 project down the road, completing the acquisition of 10 acres of land in the Branchton Park area off Morris Bridge Rd. and Cross Creek Blvd.

The county paid Jimmy Gardner $1,175,000 to acquire the four parcels, totalling 10 acres. The land was appraised at $800,000, and Gardner was asking for $2 million. The closing on the purchase helps the county complete a long-sought-after deal to complete its holdings in the Branchton Park area.

The county had purchased three parcels of land totaling 13.18 acres for roughly $3.1 million in 2005 to expand Branchton Park. Attempts then to acquire the 10 acres owned by Gardner were unsuccessful. The property, which fronts Morris Bridge Rd. and is surrounded on three sides by the park, became available again and the county re-engaged and was able to close the deal.

“It completes the assemblage with the adjacent property and looking ahead, we are now able to do some kind of P3 (public-private partnership),” Bellotti said.

Bellotti said the county has no specific plans for the property, but will play a role in how it is developed. Hillsborough will send out a request for proposal (RFP) to see if there are any interested developers.

Bellotti said the project could be something similar to Hunter’s Lake which, in addition to the NTCC, is also adding apartments, a green grocer, a restaurant, a shopping plaza and a dog park.

District 5 County Commissioner Ken Hagan said that in addition to Branchton Park, the county also is working on a park project in K-Bar Ranch.

“We’re excited about both,’’ he said. “We’ve made significant strides in bringing both in for a landing.”

The 55-or-so acre K-Bar park project has been in the system for years, but a deal is getting closer for what would be the first-ever co-located county-city park, Hagan says.

The specific amenities haven’t been determined, but Hagan says he is confident the partnership between the city and the county will finally yield positive results, soon.

“There’s a little more work we need to do there,” Comm. Hagan says.

Hagan and Dist. 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera will host a New Tampa Town Hall on Thursday, November 16, 7 p.m.-8 p.m. at The Venetian on the grounds of St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church at 9724 Cross Creek Blvd.

Branchton Park new tampa cultural center