Eight of New Tampa’s eleven Hillsborough County public schools have earned “A” grades from the Florida Department of Education (DoE) this year, including Tampa Palms Elementary, which improved from the “B” it received in 2025.
Only three schools in New Tampa received either a “B” or a “C” grade, including Turner-Bartels K-8 School, which dropped from an “A” in 2025 to a “B” this year. Wharton High also received a “B,” after earning a “C” in both 2024 and 2025, and Freedom High received a “C” again this year.
Overall, the Hillsborough School District received its first-ever “A” grade from the Florida DoE, after earning a “B” each of the last two years.
The Neighborhood News applauds the excellence of our New Tampa schools.
Congratulations to all 21 public and charter schools located in Wesley Chapel, none of which earned lower than a “B” grade from the Florida Department of Education (DoE) for 2026, and a record 18 of those schools earned “A” grades!
Perhaps the biggest news was that New River Elementary improved its grade from a “D” last year to an “A” this year, although seven other schools — Double Branch, Veterans & Wiregrass elementary schools, Cypress Creek and Weightman middle schools, Innovation Preparatory Academy and Wesley Chapel High all improved from a “B” to an “A,” and Watergrass Elementary improved from a “C” to a “B.”
Also, not one school located in Wesley Chapel received a lower grade this year than last, and overall, the Pasco School District received its first-ever “A” grade from the Florida DoE.
“This achievement reflects the incredible dedication of our teachers, support staff, administrators, students and families,” said Pasco Superintendent of Schools D. John Legg in a statement released by the District.
The Neighborhood News applauds the entire Pasco School District’s improvement and the amazing achievements of all 21 public and charter schools located in Wesley Chapel.
On June 13-14, former Tampa Bay Bucs head football coach Jon Gruden and former Tampa Bay Lightning player (and current TV commentator) Ryan Malone were among the celebrities on hand at AdventHealth Center Ice’s annual “Hockey Heals 22” event. Hockey Heals 22 raises critical awareness locally of the 22 military veterans who lose their lives each day to suicide, and provides some financial support for suicide prevention programs, with 22 consecutive hours of hockey at AdventHealth Center Ice. The event’s opening ceremonies were hosted by Fox 13 anchor/reporter Alyse Zwick and local sports media personality J.P. Peterson, the host of “Tampa Bay Lightning Hockey Night Live.”
Coach Gruden was on one of the benches for the first game following the very moving opening ceremonies, which included honoring a dozen families who have lost loved ones to veteran suicide. Many of the family members of the fallen vets and other former NHL players (including former Lightning goalie Mathieu Garon) also played for the teams that rotated on and off the ice for the 22-hour marathon.
Event coordinator Lara Lopez says, “Portions of the proceeds from the Hockey Heals 22 event will benefit the Black Dagger Military Hunt Club, Operation Healing Forces and the Lightning Warriors Hockey Program. Money was raised through a silent auction, raffles, merchandise sales and sponsorships. We don’t yet have all the totals of the funds raised from this year’s event, but our treasurer is working hard to compile them.” The Black Dagger Club and Operating Healing Forces each received $5,000 checks from the Lightning Warriors program during the opening ceremonies.
The Neighborhood News applauds everyone involved in Hockey Heals 22, which is such an important event that takes place in our community. For more information about “Hockey Heals 22,” visit LightningWarriorsHockey.org.
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The Google Map above has been modified by Neighborhood News to show where the repaving of New Tampa Blvd. is planned to go.
Drivers can expect a smoother ride on New Tampa Blvd. in West Meadows in just a few months, as Tampa is finally set to begin work on improving the primary east-west thoroughfare connecting all of the subdivisions in the community. Stretching 1.8 miles from Meadow Pine Dr. (just east of the Gateway Bridge connecting Tampa Palms and West Meadows; see map) to Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., the project will address concerns that locals have raised about the condition of the roadway.
Once construction has been completed, West Meadows residents can expect a number of upgrades along New Tampa Blvd. Planned improvements include fresh pavement, upgraded crosswalks, enhanced roadway signage and new ADA-compliant curb ramps designed to improve accessibility for pedestrians. The contracted cost of the project is about $2.5 million.
For many residents, the improvements cannot come soon enough, as drivers have complained about deteriorating pavement, potholes and general wear and tear that have made travel less comfortable and, at times, more hazardous.
The project represents a significant investment in one of the area’s most heavily traveled local roadways, shepherded by outgoing District 7 Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera (who is running in Nov. to replace term-limited Florida House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell in District 67). Viera says that New Tampa Blvd. was one of the last few items he wanted to cross off his priorities list before leaving City Council.
“I only have a few things I still want to get done and this repaving project was one of them,” Viera says. “I have been hearing about this road for years from my constituents and this is a basic quality of life issue for New Tampa. Mobility is a huge issue for zip code 33647. We live with it every day.”
The saga of improving New Tampa Blvd. is a long one, as what seemed like a straightforward road project became a years-long advocacy effort paved with funding issues and administrative delays. There was once a belief that the road would have been repaved with funds raised following the passage of the 2018 All for Transportation ballot referendum for Hillsborough County. The measure, approved by voters, was intended to provide billions of dollars over several decades for transportation improvements throughout the county, including road resurfacing, transit projects and safety enhancements.
That opportunity disappeared when the courts, following legal challenges led by former Hillsborough County Commissioner Stacy White, scrapped the tax and deemed it unconstitutional. The county already had collected $570 million in escrow while the referendum played out in the courts. Following the ruling, the fate of that money was left up to the Florida Legislature, which ultimately only allocated about half of those funds for local projects to be selected by county officials. Unfortunately, the New Tampa Blvd. project was not among those selected. The remainder of the money went to a refund program for residents, a countywide sales tax holiday and attorneys’ fees.
While the city was able to later fully fund the project, Neighborhood News informed our readers in our Apr. 21 issue that the start of the project had been delayed until June or July of this year. At issue was a processing delay of the approved contract by the City Council, according to a memo sent by the city’s engineering department to Councilman Viera’s office. When the city announced in early June that the project would move forward, Viera said he was relieved it finally got across the finish line.
“When you represent ‘the Alaska of Tampa’ on City Council, you have to bang the desk a little harder to get projects done. I did that with this and I am glad it got done.”
New Tampa Blvd. is now another win for Viera to promoter as he heads out on the campaign trail, while West Meadows commuters can now spend more time listening to their favorite podcasts instead of avoiding potholes.
The Google Map above has been modified by the Neighborhood News to show the approximate locations of the four speed cameras that the City of Tampa now plans to place near (top-bottom) Turner/Bartels K-8 School, Benito Middle School, Freedom High/Liberty Middle School & Chiles Elementary.
Speed cameras could be coming soon to some New Tampa school zones.
During the June 4 Tampa City Council meeting, the seven Council members voted 6-1 to amend an ordinance allowing automated speed cameras to be placed within school zones around Tampa. The change would be an expansion of the current program in place.
Right now, there are cameras placed in 12 school zones, primarily in east Tampa. The expansion would include 18 additional school zones. Four of those are in New Tampa, affecting the following five schools — Benito Middle School, Lawton Chiles Elementary School, Liberty Middle School, Freedom High School and Turner-Bartels K-8 School.
District 7 Councilman Luis Viera, who voted for the amendment, confirmed that he has been spearheading the speed camera initiative. “I was the original maker of the motion that sought to implement the speed cameras for school zones, only in the city of Tampa, when the state statute was passed that allowed us to do this. I was very disappointed when New Tampa schools weren’t included,” Viera says, “so I worked very hard to make sure that these New Tampa schools were included. I made my message known that I wanted New Tampa schools in there as I have been hearing from constituents a lot. This is a really big deal for New Tampa, I believe, because speeding in our school zones is a big issue.”
During the June 4 meeting, Viera highlighted three New Tampa schools specifically that have a history of speeding problems. “Benito near Hunter’s Green and Arbor Greene — that’s a wonderful choice, I hear about a lot of speeding over there on Cross Creek Blvd.,” Viera said. “We also see Chiles Elementary, where my son went, when he was a kid, and I experienced a lot there, years ago, when I used to drop him off and pick him up. And then Liberty, which is right next to Freedom, and so again, I hear a lot from my constituents, especially on those three zones.”
He also added clarification about his position on the issue concerning fees and fines. “I’m not going to not enforce the law or not implement provisions that put penalties on people who go 15 miles in excess of the speed limit in a school zone,” Viera said.
While the vote to add cameras in those school zones passed, it was only a first reading.
The next step in the process, before the revised ordinance can be officially adopted, is to have a public hearing and a second reading. That is set to happen at the City Council meeting on Thursday, July 16. Council members also have the option to change their vote after the public hearing and second reading. They would just be required to state a reason for the change.
That may be unlikely to happen, as the Council members agreed that they want to prioritize school safety. However, some concerns were shared at the meeting about the possibility of camera files being subpoenaed by the federal government’s Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE).
However, Mike Schmid, the senior assistant city attorney for the city of Tampa, told the Council members that the camera files are not designed for that purpose and while they would have to comply with a federal subpoena, it would be a breach of contract between the city and RedSpeed, the vendor handling the cameras across the state, to use the camera files for anything other than speed monitoring.
The Council agreed that details of the ordinance will need to be reevaluated after the contract with RedSpeed expires in March 2027.
In the meantime, here is what you can expect if the amendment change passes after the July 16 second reading. The city will first hold a 30-day education period. This is when officials will distribute information online, and within the communities impacted by the speed cameras, notifying people about the implementation, and where the cameras will be placed. During this 30-day period, violators caught on camera will be issued a warning that will be mailed to their residences. Signage (graphic, right) also will be placed in the school zones, clearly alerting drivers about the presence of cameras.
After the 30-day education period ends, fines will be issued to any violators driving more than 10 miles per hour over the posted school zone speed limit. However, if a police officer is at a school zone, monitoring speed with radar, that officer can issue fines at their discretion, at any speed over the posted school zone speed limit. The cameras will be active only during school hours, and the “civil penalty” fines will be $100. According to the ordinance, any violations caught by automatic cameras will not add any points to the violators’ driving records — even, according to Schmid, if the fines go unpaid. But of course, unpaid fines can lead to additional monetary penalties.
The proposal to add more cameras are coming after RedSpeed completed a school zone speed study for the City of Tampa at 29 schools, each lasting two days, back in April. That study produced an average of from more than 200 violations per day to more than 3,000 violations per day, with Turner-Bartels having among the most violations.
