Category: Featured

Pasco Schools Facing Major School Bus Driver Shortage

Parents Frustrated With Delays While The District Is ‘Desperate For Warm Bodies’ To Fill Bus Driver Vacancies

*This school bus arrived late to Wiregrass Ranch High on Oct. 16, which is part of a Pasco School District-wide problem with late buses. (Photo by Joel Provenzano)*

If your child rides a school bus to and from school, they may be arriving to school well after the late bell, and you may not even know. Or, you may be like many other parents who are aware of the issues with late buses — picking up late in the morning, dropping off late at school, or being dropped off late in the afternoon when coming home — and feel like there isn’t much that can be done about it.

We have spoken with Pasco County School District officials, concerned parents and current and former students, and reviewed online community posts — including some posts directly from the bus drivers themselves — and even observed the buses ourselves. All of this has opened our eyes to some significant issues with Pasco County Schools’ Transportation Services for the schools located in Wesley Chapel.

But, we also have found that all of this is a symptom of a much bigger problem — one the District is aware of and actually acknowledges.

Pasco Schools public information officer Jessica Meek says, “Our district continues to feel the impact of the ongoing bus driver shortage, and we are constantly taking steps to address this nationwide challenge….we have a strong and ongoing focus on reducing transportation delays and ensuring our routes run as efficiently as possible.”

So, just how short of drivers is the District? How many additional drivers are needed District-wide? School District officials say that shortfall number is 59. That’s a pretty significant shortage — almost exactly 20% — considering the total number of operational (running) buses in the fleet is 297, with the District stating that, “[There’s] no shortage of vehicles, just drivers.”

But, just how bad is it exactly? One local driver of nearly 25 years (whose employment we verified but decided not to name them for this article) put a comment out on social media last month stating that there was, “..desperation for warm bodies…” regarding the District’s ongoing efforts to recruit and retain drivers. The driver also implied that not all drivers they currently have may be best suited for the job, or compatible with the kids they’re driving around.

One local Wesley Chapel parent, Dr. Lorraine Tracey, says she has been feeling the effects of driver shortages on a nearly daily basis. In regards to the late buses, she believes, “It really is a problem, with no solutions in the works, except trying the same thing over and over, and making no progress.”

Lorraine works a full-time career in clinical development, for the treatment of life-threatening diseases, and has a son and a daughter who attend two different local schools — one who is at John Long Middle School and the other who attends Wiregrass Ranch High. Both ride the bus.

She forwarded to us all of the emails between her and the School District. Like many local parents, Lorraine is frustrated with the situation. “It feels like no matter what I do, or what I say, I’m just banging my head against a wall.”

How The 2025-26 School Year Started

Transportation problems are typically worse at the beginning of the school year for everyone, and that’s because the District’s Transportation Services Department faces the Herculean task of coordinating the logistics to get 33,000 students (the latest total number of student bus riders, according to the School District) across Pasco’s 868 square miles, with buses originating from six different bus compounds.

And, just like the rest of us, buses have to deal with traffic, especially the traffic getting into and out of the schools themselves.

Lorraine believes that many of the school bus drivers were being set up to fail early on by being given impossible routes. She looked at the number of stops, how far apart they were, and where they had to come from, in order to be on time to her son’s stop — and told us that, “unless the bus driver figured out how to fly the bus, they were never going to be on time.”

She said that it’s ironic, because at the beginning of the school year, a message was sent out to all parents from Pasco’s Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Legg that stated, in part, “Every minute of instructional time matters.” Lorraine feels that due to the busing issues, the School District and School Board members are not living up to their promises to the students, and she sent detailed emails to all of them explaining that.

Those emails from the beginning of this school year stated that her son’s bus (Route Z520A) was consistently late showing up to his stop, often running as much as an hour (or possibly more) behind. She even compiled a chart (right) to document the delays.

And, Lorraine wasn’t alone either. Numerous local community Facebook groups were ripe with posts about parents having to take their kids to school because buses were getting to stops extremely late — 30 minutes, 40 minutes, an hour even…which has been going on for many years, from what we could find.

Michael Santus, the manager of Transportation Services for Pasco Schools, replied to Lorraine’s email with this boilerplate response:

“As ridership patterns stabilize, route timing naturally adjusts. For example, during the first two weeks of school, buses stop at every designated location. After this initial period, stops without riders are removed to streamline the route. This is one of the many ways our routing team works to enhance overall efficiency.”

A later email he sent specifically about Lorraine’s son’s bus stated, “It appears that ridership is beginning to stabilize. The bus arrived at the stop at 8:09 am this morning and arrived at school at 8:17 a.m. While it was still late, it is 7 minutes late vs. 25 minutes yesterday and 39 minutes the day prior. I will continue to monitor its progress for you.”

Lorraine told us, “What made it worse was that I had to frequently call the school and fill out an ‘absent’ form each day for two weeks, until the school figured out some solution, because his tardiness was causing him to not show up at attendance.”

While she acknowledges that there has been some improvement since the beginning of the year, in regards to the recurring late pick-ups (she says her son’s bus does show up to the morning stop on time now), but that there are still issues with the frequent late drop-offs at Wiregrass Ranch High, and that those haven’t improved, even at this point, two full months into the 2025- 26 school year.

She worries that this is having a negative impact on education. “His first period is Spanish 3 Honors,” she says. “It’s an important class, and he can’t really make up that time.”

Dealing with all of the issues with her son’s bus, Lorraine was surprised, on the morning of Sept. 19, when she got a text from her daughter stating that her bus for John Long hadn’t shown up, and she didn’t know what to do. Lorraine wasn’t available, and neither was a close family friend who lived nearby. An older sibling of a fellow John Long student that Lorraine didn’t know offered to drive the students to the school, and she accepted, since there wasn’t much other choice.

According to the District’s response, when we independently confirmed the record of this incident, they explained that the bus did get there that morning, but it was well over an hour after it was supposed to arrive. Officials further explained that, “There should be no circumstances where a bus does not show up, just delayed.” No explanation was offered as to why the bus was that late.

When hearing of the District’s official response, Lorraine responded to us, “Yep, let’s leave middle schoolers on the side of the road for [more than] an hour.”

The Students’ Perspective

Our initial research quickly uncovered that this was likely a much bigger, District-wide, systemic problem, where if it affected one family this much, there were likely many more families affected in exactly the same way.

We wanted to understand what this looked like inside the school — get an idea of how many buses and kids were coming in late — so we separately interviewed a current and a former student of Wiregrass Ranch High, both of whom asked not to be named.

The current student (a freshman) said that in their first period class, “4 to 5 students per day are late, getting to class at least 5 minutes, and up to 15 minutes [after the bell].” They explained that the majority are “tardies” caused by the buses.

Meanwhile, the former student said that last year, during their first period class (when they were a freshman), there were “8 to 9 per day, mostly due to the bus, who came in 10 to 20 minutes [after the bell].”

They further explained that, “They would hand you [the late students] a tardy slip as you got off the bus to give to the teacher. This had become a normal thing, so much so that the school needed to start doing them in different colors each day, …green, pink, orange, purple, so as not to be reused by the students.”

Our response to all of this info? “Wow.”

Even though neither of these students is riding the bus this year — which would have given them an even more accurate idea of the tardies — because these two students were always in class before the late bell rang, they said it was such a common problem, almost every student knows how bad it is, whether they are bus riders or not.

We followed up and asked the Transportation Services officials specifically: “How many tardies (roughly) of your students are a direct result of busing issues? This could be a number, a general range or even an estimated percentage.”

They apologized and stated that it would take too long to pull and compile that data before our story deadline, but that it is publicly available data for anyone who wants it by filling out a “Public Records Request Form” on the School District’s website.

However, the officials did also verify the need to have staff manage bulk late student arrivals, responding: “There have been some small revisions to accommodate for student supervision (in other words, modifying duty schedules)” when we asked if the individual schools had to make direct adjustments to their operations to compensate for busing issues.

What We Discovered First-Hand

With the students explaining to us how many of their peers were late daily to first period, we decided that we had to see first-hand for ourselves what that translated to, in terms of the buses.

We found that most buses do get to the schools with plenty of time to spare, arriving anywhere between 10 to 20 minutes before the late bell. But, the number of late buses was surprising, at least at the two schools we chose to look into — John Long Middle and Wiregrass Ranch High.

We picked a random Thursday this month — Oct. 16 — to go out and directly observe the buses entering the school properties (from the adjacent public right-of-way). We saw multiple buses arriving to the school properties after the late bell had already rang.

For each one we observed, we wrote down the bus number and the time they crossed onto the property. We then sent those bus numbers to the District, to ask them what time their records showed that those buses arrived. They confirmed down to within 1 minute of accuracy that our observations were consistent with their records.

We found that two buses arrived late to John Long and at least three buses full of students (there was one discrepancy with a fourth) arrived late to Wiregrass Ranch.

When we asked if there are any proactive steps the schools are taking to make the bus drop-off and pick-ups smoother or less time-consuming, the District officials told us that, “All administrators look at the systems they have in place each year to ensure it is the most efficient procedure for their campuses.”

Knowing the Wiregrass Ranch campus is especially overcapacity (with 2,183 students enrolled this year, it is at 140% of its capacity), we asked if this would cause any efficiency issues with busing.

The District replied that, “The routes get reevaluated each year, to accommodate for student growth. The issues with busing are a direct result of bus driver shortages, not capacity issues.”

We did observe one clever trick that the buses going to the middle school were doing to avoid traffic and save time — one that was perfectly safe and legal (for the buses), but that we aren’t going to explain, so other drivers don’t try to replicate it — but it was a very unique “route” that shows they are trying to be ingenious in at least one way to save time.

There have been some other improvements, too. At least one Pasco parent that we reached out to, who also had significant complaints about busing last year, stating that her son was often arriving back home more than two hours after school ended. That parent told us that, “It’s a lot better this year,” when asked for a comment.

The ‘Wheres The Bus?’ App

A relatively new GPS-enabled bus tracking system, a phone app fittingly called (and misspelled) “Wheres the Bus?” (left) at least allows parents to see exactly where the school bus is on a map, and actively track it. This app was launched in 2023 for Pasco and is available for parents to download from Google Play or the Apple App Store — but there may be an issue with it.

We asked the District, when a bus is arriving late to a school, and drops off students past the late bell time, does the “Wheres the Bus?” app notify parents of the late drop off, or are parents notified any other way of the late drop off?

They responded, “If a parent is using the parent app, and their child signs in and out [when getting on and off the bus] they can track this specific information, but there is not a separate notification. However, parents should be getting notifications through MyStudent if a bus is going to be late picking up or dropping off their child.”

Lorraine stated that while she does get notifications on her phone about late morning pickups, it’s not always that accurate, saying that the times shown might be a little off, but she explained that as far as tracking the times when her son gets on and off the bus (to verify his late arrival to the school), when she goes into the app, it only shows the times for that day, which resets the following day, and she hasn’t been able to find the historic data anywhere in the app.

This means that some parents may not even know that their children are arriving late to school, unless their child tells them, or they actively go into the app to view the live map showing the location of the bus, or review the pick-up and drop-off times for that day themselves, on that specific day.

The Desperate Need For Drivers

Lorraine told us that she felt slightly insulted when she was emailing the District about her serious concerns, because in a response she received from Nichole Schreiber, a field service specialist with the District’s Transportation Services Dept., Schreiber said, “If you know anyone who would like to join the transportation staff, we would greatly appreciate it!”

In other words, Lorraine says, instead of the District coming up with solutions, “It shifts the burden to parents by suggesting that we need to help recruit staff, which is neither our responsibility nor a practical solution to ensuring timely and reliable transportation in the immediate term.”

She also joked with us that they must be really desperate if they want her to drive a bus.

But, District officials admit that the ARE desperately trying to recruit help, almost any way they can, and they’re definitely not shy about it. But, are these efforts to the potential detriment OR enhancement of public safety and service?

Back in 2021, Pasco’s former Superintendent of Schools Kurt Browning’s staff suggested using the National Guard to help with the bus driver shortage. It was ultimately turned down because there was no formally declared state of emergency.

The District has organized multiple hiring events, some upcoming, to try to recruit drivers. The next one will be on Thursday, November 6, 4 p.m.-6 p.m., at the District Office (7227 Land O’Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes, FL 34638).

Pasco Schools Transportation Services advertises the benefits they offer to drivers as:

• Free health insurance

• Paid time off

• Paid holidays

• Retirement plans

• Paid CDL (commercial drivers license)

prep course

• $18.15/hour starting pay

The website says that the District guarantees at least 6 hours of work per day in a split shift, but that most routes are longer than 6 hours.

The Pasco Schools Transportation Services Dept. can be reached during business hours Monday-Friday at (813) 320-2562 to take your questions, comments and/or complaints.

Try The Fresh Flavors At Kini’s Home Style Icecream On E. Fowler Ave.!

If you’re looking for fresh ice cream with everything from exotic fruit flavors, — like mango, custard apple and jackfruit — to traditional favorites like Oreo Delight and even vegan options, you should definitely take a ride down to E. Fowler Ave., a few blocks west of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., to try Kini’s Home Style Icecream.

Owners and Wesley Chapel residents Srinivas and Gauri Kini make all of their tasty ice cream flavors (there’s always about a dozen available at any time) right in their small store. Srinivas, who prefers to be called Kini, says that Gauri’s family back in India (they are both from Mumbai) was in the ice cream business and when she started making ice cream at home, many of their friends and neighbors told them they had to open a store.

They started bringing their uniquely creamy creations to local farmer’s markets, including the twice-a-month Fresh Markets at the Shops at Wiregrass.

“But, even though we make our ice cream in small batches, we realized we needed a commercial kitchen,” Gauri says, adding that they first started renting time at a commercial kitchen before looking for a small space where they could put an ice cream machine — and, about six months ago, Kini’s Home Style Icecream was born.

Even though I’ve never really been a fan of most fruit-flavored ice cream other than banana and maybe peach, Kini and Gauri had photographer Charmaine George and I sample every flavor in the shop, including rose petal pistachio and Kesar Pista (saffron pistachio), Kaju Draksha (cashew raisin) and Shahi Anjeer (“royal fig”), all of which Charmaine loved, plus Sapota/ Chikoo, an evergreen fruit in India which tasted a little like caramel.

I was surprised at how much I liked the custard apple, which wasn’t custard made from apple, as I expected, but an actual type of apple the “meat” of which has a consistency a little like custard. Neither Charmaine nor I could really tell a difference between the regular and vegan mango flavors. There’s also a tasty vegan Nutty Delight, with almonds, cashews, pistachio and fig.

My favorites were the Oreo Delight, the bold espresso-flavored Coffee Walnut and the Chocobite, a creamy chocolate ice cream with chunky bits of chocolate.

Other rotating flavors include Matcha Green Tea, Pink Guava, Blueberry, Honey Lavender, Chai Biscuit, Tender Coconut, Mango Passion Fruit, Vegan Pina Colada and Vegan Strawberry. All of the flavors are available in cups, cones and sundaes and four to-go sizes. There’s also a To-Go case (right) with a variety of pre-packed pints.

Gauri says you also can always call the store to find out what flavors are available when you plan to come in and you can even request flavors you want if they aren’t available when you do visit.

“We make fresh ice cream every day using only top-quality, real ingredients, with no artificial flavors or colors,” Gauri says. “Our customers tell us they can really taste the difference.”

All I can add to that is that you definitely should sample flavors you wouldn’t normally order. You just might end up being surprised!

Kini’s Home Style Icecream (2017 E. Fowler Ave.) is open Mon.-Fri., 4 p.m.-9 p.m., and noon-9 p.m. on Sat. & Sun. For info, call (813) 728-8430 or visit KinisIceCream.store.

dessert Gauri Kini ice cream Kini Kini’s Home Style Icecream New Tampa Srinivas Kini

Upcoming Events — ‘Oklahoma!,’ ‘Cinderella,’ Fall Festivals, Classical Piano & More!

Saturday, October 25, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. – Community Shred Fest & Secure Electronics Disposal. At Downtown Avalon Park (33613 SR 54). This event is open to the public and provides a safe way to dispose of sensitive documents and approved electronics. A suggested donation is $5 per box, with proceeds supporting local non-profit organizations. For more info and a list of approved electronics, visit AvalonParkWesleyChapel.com/news-events/calendar/#

Saturday, October 25, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. – “2025 Oktoberfest!” At Christ our Redeemer Lutheran Church (304 Druid Hills Rd., Temple Terrace). Celebrate the 26th annual Oktoberfest – a beloved tradition filled with fun, food, live music and festivities for the entire family. Free to attend, there will be food for purchase. For more info, call (813) 988-4025 or email church@CORLutheran.org.

Saturday & Sunday, October 25 & 26, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. – 2nd Annual Wesley Chapel Craft Festival. At The Shops at Wiregrass (along Paseo Dr.). Discover unique handmade treasures as you stroll through the Shops at Wiregrass and explore a wide variety of jewelry, pottery, art, photography, plants, specialty foods, and more — all crafted by talented artisans. Free to attend. For more info, visit TheShopsAtWiregrass.com/event/30968-2nd-annual-wesley-chapel-craft-festival.

Saturday & Sunday, October 25 & 26, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. – North Tampa Bay Chamber’s Wesley Chapel Fall Festival & Carnival. At The Grove (5854 Wesley Grove Blvd.). The 21st annual Fall Festival returns to The Grove. There will be a full carnival, food trucks, kids play zone & activities, pumpkin photo stops, “Trunk or Treat” on Sunday, costume contests (photo), local bands, community performances and more. For more info, call (727) 674-1464, email Drew@FloridaPenguinProductions.com or visit northtampabaychamber.com/2025-fall-festival.

Monday, October 27, 7 p.m. – New Tampa Democratic Club Monthly Meeting. At New Tampa Regional Library (10001 Cross Creek Blvd.). Guest speaker Jack Forsth with Equality Florida. Free to attend. For info, visit NewTampaDemocrats.com or Facebook.com/NewTampaDemocrats.

Wednesday, October 29, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. – Community Health Talk – What to Expect Before, During & After Surgery. At Blue Heron Senior Living (5085 Eagleston Blvd.). Hugar McNamee, DO, General Surgeon from AdventHealth Wesley Chapel will share helpful information about surgery. A light lunch will be provided while supplies last. Tours of Blue Heron available after the presentation. Free to attend, but you need to RSVP. For more info or to RSVP, visit AHWesleyChapel.com/Events or call (813) 929-5432.

Wednesday, October 29, 8 p.m.-10 p.m. – Steinway Signature Series: Nikolov-West Duo: Under Four Hands. At New Tampa Performing Arts Center (8550 Hunters Village Rd.). This special concert by the Nikolov-West Duo, featuring Viktor Nikolov and Jane West, brings a fresh perspective on the piano duo experience. This dynamic piano four-hands program will weave together beloved traditional masterpieces with bold, rarely heard gems. Whether or not you’re already a classical piano lover, this is one performance you should not miss. Tickets $17.50-$25 depending upon seat selection. For info, call (813) 829-2760. Or, to purchase tickets visit NewTampaArtsCenter.org/events/under-four-hands.

Friday, October 31, 4 p.m.-6 p.m. – North Tampa Bay Chamber’s “Final Friday.” At the Marriott Residence Inn at Wiregrass Ranch (2867 Lajuana Blvd, at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus). Join Chamber members as they engage and network in a relaxed environment. Free to attend. For more info, call (813) 994-8534 or visit Business.NorthTampaBayChamber.com.events.

Friday, October 31, 5 p.m.-11 p.m. – Halloween Party on the Rooftop. At Skybox Rooftop Bar at the Marriott Residence Inn at Wiregrass Ranch (2867 Lajuana Blvd, at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus). There will be live music, games, costume contests and more. Register for the Grand Prize, a free 2-night hotel stay. Free to attend. For more info, call (813) 591-2915.

Saturday, November 1, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. – 36th Annual India Festival. At Florida State Fair Grounds (4800 US 301, Tampa). Come experience dances that dazzle, food that delights and shopping that excites. For more info, visit IndiaFestivalTampaBay.com.

Saturday, November 1, 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. – Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Libraries Author Event: Mary Roach. At New Tampa Performing Arts Center (8550 Hunters Village Rd.). Join the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Libraries for a very special event as they welcome New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach to discuss her latest book, Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law. The first 150 people in attendance will receive a free copy of her book. An opportunity to meet the author and have your book signed will follow the talk. Free to attend but seating is limited so please reserve your tickets in advance. For info, call (813) 829- 2760. Or, to reserve your seat, visit NewTampaArtsCenter.org/events/mary-roach.

Sunday November 2, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Pavlo Presents: Angelo Tsarouchas – The Funny Greek Live. At New Tampa Performing Arts Center (8550 Hunters Village Rd.). Angelo Tsarouchas is a standup comedian, podcaster and actor. You’ve seen him in cult classics like Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle and Fred and Vinnie. His extremely funny and adaptive show has kept him in high demand worldwide. Tickets $50. For info, call (813) 829-2760. Or, to purchase tickets, visit NewTampaArtsCenter.org/events/funny-greek-live.

Tuesday, November 4, 9 a.m.-10 a.m. – North Tampa Bay Chamber Coffee & Conversations with AdventHealth Wesley Chapel. At Fairfield by Marriott Tampa Wesley Chapel (2650 Lajuana Blvd). Get an inside look at the exciting new addition to the hospital and what it means for our growing community. Free to attend. For more info, call (813) 994-8534 or visit Business.NorthTampaBayChamber.com.events.

Thursday, November 6, 4 p.m.-6 p.m. – North Tampa Bay Ribbon Cutting for Fierce Flamingo. At North Tampa Bay Chamber Office (28329 Paseo Dr., Ste 195). Celebrate the ribbon cutting for Fierce Flamingo Boudoir Photography Studio. There will be light refreshments, product displays and a session raffle. Free to attend. For info, call (813) 994-8534 or visit Business.NorthTampaBayChamber.com.events.

Friday, November 7, 8 p.m.-11 p.m. – Tampa Bay Symphony: Fife and Drum: A Veteran’s Salute. At New Tampa Performing Arts Center (8550 Hunters Village Rd.). The Tampa Bay Symphony consists of more than 80 musicians and has been described as “one of Tampa Bay’s hidden jewels.” Come and experience the excitement of live classical music! Tickets $25. For more info, call (813) 829-2760. Or, to purchase tickets, visit NewTampaArtsCenter.org/events/tbs-fife-and-drum.

Saturday & Sunday, November 8-9, 2 p.m. – Wesley Chapel Theater Group Presents: War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast. At Starkey Ranch Theater Library Cultural Center (12118 Lake Blanche Dr. Odessa). Step back in time to 1938, when a radio drama shook the nation. “War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast” reimagines the legendary Orson Welles broadcast that famously convinced Americans that a full-scale alien invasion was underway. With live sound effects, vintage microphones and lots of drama, this production captures the excitement and the chaos of that fateful night. Tickets $22.13-$31.59. For more info or to purchase tickets, visit WesleyChapelTheaterGroup.org.

Tuesday, November 11, 5 p.m. – Wounded Warrior Project Carry Forward 5K. At Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club (TPGCC) Fitness Center (5811 Tampa Palms Blvd.). Help raise funds to provide vital life-changing programming for America’s wounded warriors. The official 5K race will begin and end at the TPGCC Fitness Center. For more info or to register, email Kimberly.Howey@InvitedClubs.com.

Friday & Saturday, November 14 & 15, 7 p.m.-8:45 p.m. & Sunday, November 16, 4 p.m.-5:45 p.m. – Tampa City Ballet Presents: “Cinderella.” At New Tampa Performing Arts Center (8550 Hunters Village Rd.). Tampa City Ballet reimagines the classic fairytale of “Cinderella” in a dazzling spectacle that will captivate your entire family. This isn’t just a ballet; it’s a magical blend of theatrical wonder and contemporary dance, bringing Cinderella’s timeless story to life with breathtaking artistry and innovative choreography. Tickets cost $45-$90. For tickets to “Cinderella,” or for more info about TCB (15367 Amberly Dr., Tampa Palms), visit TampaCityBallet.org or call (813) 558-0800.

Events New Tampa new tampa players Tampa City Ballet Upcoming Events Wesley Chapel Wesley Chapel Fall Fest

Spotlight On The Middle Place Accounting & Clean-it!

*Donna Ray of The Middle Place (photo provided by Donna Ray)*

The Middle Place Accounting

Donna Ray, the owner of The Middle Place Accounting & Consulting Services, and I have a friend in common — Paula Nuñez, the owner of the Tampa City Dance Center and the founder of the Tampa City Ballet.

“I used to be the executive director of Tampa City Ballet,” Donna says, “and they are currently still one of my clients. I still handle their bookkeeping and accounting.”

Donna says she first launched The Middle Place during the pandemic, “while I was still the executive director of the ballet, because I have two children and their school was closed, so I needed to home school them and work from home. I also was taking care of my father, who has since passed away, so it just made sense to be as independent as I could be based on the needs of my family.”

She adds, “I sent out a big email blast at that time to people I’ve known around the Tampa Bay area for a very long time that my services were available and that seemed to be all that it took.”

The idea for her company didn’t just come out of nowhere, however. Donna has a total of 30 years of experience working in accounting.

After a decade of working in the Cayman Islands as an IT director with Cox Lumber Co. and Senior Accounting and later as project manager with Fidelity Group of Companies, she returned to the U.S., which was still recovering from the financial crash of 2008. She enrolled at the University of South Florida and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Women’s and Gender Studies.

After that, Donna says, “I found myself working for nonprofits for the first time. I accepted a job at the Helen Gordon Davis Center for Women as director of the Women’s Business Center in Hyde Park, where I worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs at all levels of experience and with a variety of needs — from writing business plans and building financial projections to accessing capital. That’s where the Tampa City Ballet found me.” Both nonprofits also extended Donna’s skills with grant writing, reporting and building relationships with community stakeholders and corporate partners, as well as with city, county, state and federal funding authorities.

She adds that since then, she has served, “a lot of female entrepreneurs, helping them either launch or with their business. But, my focus was on finance and accounting, and that was sort of my specialty, helping people build business plans, financial statements and projections.”

A Diverse Range Of Experience

She brings all of that experience with her to The Middle Place, “and I’ve been really lucky because I have a wide variety of clients. Some are in for-profit industries, some are nonprofit. I also work with a law firm and some retail companies.”

Donna says she provides a professional level of service that goes beyond just bookkeeping.

“I focus a lot on software implementation,” she says. “One nonprofit contract [I have] right now was implementing seven different unique technology stacks for them, and implementing Quickbooks Online and payroll and basically automating their entire organization.”

Originally from Chicago, Donna moved to the Tampa Bay area in the 1980s. She grew up as an aspiring young dancer, “but I had a very practical father who said, ‘If you break your leg, you need to have a backup.’ So as a teenager, she started out in business administration and, at age 19, as a legal secretary at a law firm in Clearwater.

While her extensive professional career was focused on accounting, IT, project and nonprofit management, Donna continued to study and dance with a local Tampa dance company and also performed with the Cayman Islands National Dance Company, where she also taught ballet and Gyrokinesis, a movement therapy specifically designed for dancers. After returning to Florida, she taught at the Patel Conservatory for Next Generation Ballet summer program.

Donna was thrilled when Paula Nuñez approached her needing help for the Tampa City Ballet. “I thought, ‘This is a perfect opportunity to work in an industry I love and provide my business expertise to help TCB grow and to help professional dancers in Tampa,’” she says.

She also works with Diaz Shafer, P.A. an immigration law firm in Tampa that was on Quickbooks Desktop but wanted to switch to Quickbooks Online, “so I did that for them.”

Donna also has done contract work for Davis College in Rwanda, Africa, as well as for Drong Ngur Jangchubling, a Tibetan Buddhist Center in Wesley Chapel, and Skate Park of Tampa: She’s also the Board treasurer of Dance Tampa Bay, led by Shana Corrada, E.D.

Donna provides full-service monthly accounting services for businesses of all sizes and industries, including payroll, sales tax filing and software integrations. “A lot of clients first come to me to handle their bookkeeping,” Donna says, “But I also do software implementation, financial projections and can help you grow your business by offering financial advice from a unique perspective. For more info, call (813) 391-6890 or visit TheMiddlePlace.com.—GN

Celly De Freitas Of Clean-It!

Clean-it owner Celly de Freitas has been cleaning homes and businesses in the New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and surrounding areas for the last 26 years.

But, she says, that wasn’t always the plan. She was a teacher in her native country of Brazil and planned to continue that career when Celly and her husband, Rogério Buchner de Freitas, moved to the Tampa Bay area, “but it was very hard for me to go to college (USF) here, because I didn’t speak English as well then as I do now,” she says. “I ended up leaving USF to go to school for the skin care business.”

In order to help pay for that schooling, she started cleaning houses and, even though she did end up opening a skincare spa, “I was making a lot more money cleaning houses, so I let the spa go after about two years,” Celly (above left) says.

Today, not only does this Wesley Chapel resident speak and understand English (as well as Spanish, Italian and her native Portuguese) fluently — despite still having a fairly thick accent — she has a team of twelve Brazilian women working with her, all of whom also speak and understand English, Spanish and Portuguese.

“I tell everyone who works for me that they have to be able to communicate with clients in English,” Celly says. “You have to be able to understand what the clients want and do whatever they ask when it comes to cleaning their homes.”

She says she usually uses a “team” approach, sending at least two and sometimes three members of her team to each job. “It’s much more efficient this way,” she says. “We can clean a lot more places when we work together.”

Celly, who has been an American citizen for about 20 years, isn’t usually actually working with the teams — she’s the one coordinating the schedules and checking up on all of her employees to make sure they are getting to each location on time (and calling or texting the clients when one of “my girls” is running late). “But, when I have someone out sick or they’re stuck someplace, I will still go and help out,” she says. “And, I try to be as flexible as possible when a client needs to change their schedule, too.”

The Covid-19 pandemic definitely took a toll on Celly’s business, but says she was able to survive because she received a PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loan from the government, “and continued to pay all of my employees who didn’t go back to Brazil, even though they weren’t able to work for several months. Without that money, I might have lost all of my clients.”

Clean-it offers (and is licensed to provide) residential and commercial (“We are licensed to do medical and dental clinics, but not hospitals,” Celly says) cleaning services, including monthly, bi-weekly and weekly services, one-time cleans and move-in and move-out cleans. “We have amazing references, too.,” she says.

Most of Clean-it’s clients are in Wesley Chapel, New Tampa, Lutz and Land O’Lakes, she says, “but we do travel a little further for some clients, especially those one-time cleaning clients.”

She adds, “We really specialize in those move-in cleans. We usually end up getting the [new homeowners] as clients because we do such a great job.”

For more information about Clean-it and/or a free job quote, call (813) 505-0431. — GN

Accounting Celly De Freitas Clean-it Cleaning Donna Ray Maids New Tampa The Middle Place Accounting & Consulting Services Wesley Chapel

What A Life! Che Vita Italian Restaurant Opens At The Downtown Tampa Hilton!

“I began this journey, to create a new brand for Hilton, a year-and-a-half ago,” says James King, the Executive Chef at Che Vita, the new Italian restaurant in the Hilton Tampa Downtown. “Che (pronounced “Kay”) Vita means ‘What a Life!’ in Italian and we want everyone who eats here to say ‘Che Vita!’ when they finish their meal!”

King, who spent the last four years at the Hilton by Logan Airport in Boston, running Connolly’s Publik House, an Irish pub, also earned certifications in French cuisine, at Le Cordon Bleu, and multiple Master certifications in Italian cooking — including pizzas and pastas — during his training in Naples, Florence and Rome.

“But I’m a New York kid,” he says. “I grew up in Brooklyn on New York-style pizza and Italian cooking, but I went to a wedding in Puerto Rico and got bit by the palm tree ‘bug,’ because I was tired of snow. So, when this opportunity came up in Tampa, I said, ‘I never heard of Tampa, I’ve only heard of Miami.’ But, I came down here and this restaurant was an American fusion place with a big buffet. But, after the pandemic, buffets weren’t as popular anymore. So, I came up with a small, seasonal menu that we will change maybe six times per year.”

That menu, designed by Chef King (at left in top photo) and his equally amazing sous chef Fabio Zaniboni (at right in same picture) has a mix of Italian favorites and local seafood, with Antipasti (appetizers) like arancini (risotto balls with a cacio e pepe sauce fried inside and served with a lemon pesto aioli; photo right), zucchini & artichoke fritti, calamari and polpette (beef, pork & veal meatballs), as well as my favorite starter of the evening, the ahi tuna crudo (below photo), which is thick slices of raw sushi-grade tuna with a chili aioli, saba (or sweet grape must) and soy glaze, caperberries, bottarga (a Mediterranean roe) and microgarden herbs. It was slightly spicy and amazing.

“I love combining all of my influences and the crudo will give you an experience like a great Japanese restaurant,” Chef King says.

The polpettes (left) and arancini were no slouches, either, especially the meatballs, which were tender, delicately spiced and had just the right amount of tomato sugo (similar to marinara) on creamy burrata.

“I needed a sous chef like Fabio, who is from Italy, but came here from St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands after one of the hurricanes last year closed the yacht club where he was working,” Chef King says. “He told me, ‘I’m your Italian chef, but I don’t want to cook Italian. I love sushi, I love fish. I love Latin.’ I said, ‘You’re hired,’ without even tasting his food, because we shared the same vision for Che Vita. He’s like my brother from another mother when it comes to Italian cuisine.”

Jannah and I didn’t sample any of the “Zuppe & Insalata,” but they include a baby kale Caesar, a tomato & mozzarella salad and a cannellini bean and Tuscan kale soup with garlic fennel sausage, ditalini pasta, sofrito and herb brodo (broth), as well as a chilled tomato freddo soup.

It was super-hard to decide on our “Primi” or pasta dish, but we wanted something different, so we tried the agnolotti blue crab (right), which is a delicious stuffed pasta (different from ravioli) from the Piedmont region of Italy. It was fully stuffed with blue crab, lemon-basil artisan ricotta and served with crispy parmesan in a Tampa citrus gremolata (a green sauce made with chopped parsley, lemon zest and garlic). The pasta was al dente and the crab and ricotta combined with the lemon and garlic perfectly.

Other pastas on the menu include rigatoni salsiccia (with spicy sausage and broccoli rabe), which I will definitely try on my next visit, shrimp scampi, a tagliatelle tre pomodori, which is served with three different kinds of tomato sauce, a primavera and, of course, spaghetti & meatballs.

Chef King insisted that we try one of his Neapolitan-style pizzas, because he says he uses the same Italian wheat that you can’t get at most places serving Neapolitan (wood-fired) pizzas here. “If you love a Margherita pizza (left), we use that beautiful dough, San Marzano tomatoes, authentic mozzarella di Buffala and basil…Italians don’t eat pizza by folding it. They eat it with a knife and fork. The crust blisters and is crisp on the outside, but is fluffy soft on the inside.”

The Margherita pizza was excellent and there are plenty of other pizza options to try, including the Rossa Moderna, with San Marzano tomatoes, Calabrian chili oil, oregano and beekeeper’s honey that Chef King says he produces in his own bee hives. There’s also Romana style (with ricotta, mozzarella, cracked peppercorns, lemon and arugula); Capricciosa (with pomodoro, artichoke hearts, olives, exotic mushrooms and Parma ham); and Diavola (house-made spicy Italian sausage, Calabrese salami, crushed tomato sauce, Fior di Latte cheese, chili oil and oregano) pizzas on the menu.

Despite already being full, Chef King said we also had to try at least one of the “Secondi” (or main course) dishes on the menu. We had steak the night before, so we stayed away from both the Steak Tagliata (grilled & shaved Ocala Ranch tenderloin with crispy rosemary potato spears, arugula, parmigiana, lemon and aged balsamic) and the NYC-Style Strip Steak. If we weren’t so stuffed, we probably would have ordered the chicken parmesan, but instead, we opted for the one fish entrée — the Acqua Pazza, although Chef King modified it for use because it is supposed to be a spicy “fumetto di pesce” served with gulf shrimp, mussels and clams, as well as the local catch of the day, with Calabrian chili oil, crisp fingerling potatoes, blistered tomatoes, Tuscan kale and house-made biga focaccia bread. But, because (as you readers know) I’m allergic to the to the shrimp and mussels, Chef King had Fabio prepare the dish with just the fresh catch — a huge filet of grouper — sitting atop just those yummy side dishes in that delectable broth (above right). The Acqua Pazza was a perfectly grilled piece of fish and a spectacular dish. The biga focaccia was crispy, with an authentically airy interior, and was perfect for mopping up the broth. Now, we thought for sure we were done.

“But of course, you must also have dessert,” Fabio said as he poured Jannah an Aperol spritz, and it’s really hard to say no to him or Chef King, so we each ordered a dessert — just to sample, of course. Yeah, right.

Jannah got a scoop of raspberry sorbet (one of her favorites) and I got the house-made tiramisu semifreddo (below). It fills a huge cup with espresso martini-soaked ladyfingers with rich marscarpone cream and is topped with powdered chocolate and chocolate-covered coffee beans. I love a good tiramisu and this was a great one.

Of course, it was hard to not also sample the triple (dark, white & milk) chocolate mousse layered over Genoise sponge cake with chocolate fudge and biscotti crostini, or the cannolo with Nutella & ricotta mousse, luxardo cherries, pistachio crumbs and Chantilly cream. There’s also an olive oil cake, lemon thyme sorbetto (house-crafted lemon-thyme sorbet served in a frosted lemon cup with a shot of Limoncello liqueur), multiple other sorbets and four different gelato flavors (chocolate, vanilla bean, pistachio and salted caramel). Decadence.

Che Vita also features a full premium liquor cocktail list, with two Negroni cocktails, a Limoncello martini and three kinds of spritzes, including the Naples spritz Jannah started her meal with (which is Riondo prosecco, with Limoncello and St. Germain liqueurs, plus club soda).

There also is a nice selection of red, white, rosé and sparkling wines by the glass and bottle, including the Maggiolo Lamole di Lamole Chianti Classico Sangiovese I started my meal with a glass of, as well as Italian and other imported, domestic and craft beers, hard seltzers and more.

And, although Che Vita is open for breakfast (there’s even a breakfast buffet), Chef King says the breakfast crew is separate from his dinner line cooks, because, “Che Vita isn’t a hotel restaurant,” he says, “it’s its own thing. It’s Che Vita!”

The lunch menu has many of the same Antipasti, Zuppe & Insalata and Pizzas as the dinner menu, but also offers a nice variety of panini sandwiches, including a grilled chicken pesto, a parma panino (with prosciutto, sopressata, mozzarella, provolone, arugula, sundried tomato pesto and a pepperoncini remoulade), “The Local” (fried or blackened grouper), a caprese panini and two different burgers — all served with parmesan herb fries (or enhance with truffle fries for $6 additional or a side salad for $2 more).

“For me, it’s about the three Fs — family, food & futbol (soccer),” Chef King says.

All I can say is: What a meal! What a chef! What a place! What a life!

Che Vita is located inside the downtown Tampa Hilton (211 N. Tampa St.) and is open every day for breakfast, lunch & dinner. For reservations and more info, call (813) 222-4975 or visit CheVitaTampa.com — and please tell them I sent you!

Che Vita Downtown Tampa Hilton Fabio Zaniboni hilton Italian Restaurant James King Tampa