New Tech Should Speed Up Emergency Response Times

Tampa Fire Rescue Station No. 21 on Cross Creek Blvd. is one of four TFR stations in New Tampa that should have updated technology in their trucks by the end of the year to help shorten response times in our area. (Photo: Charmaine George)  

The days of outdated equipment and using an iPad or cell phone to locate a fire or other emergency are coming to an end, interim Tampa Fire Chief Barbara Tripp told the Tampa City Council at its Jan. 14 meeting.

Tripp outlined a plan to address many of the concerns raised by the Council members in November about fire fighters at many stations, especially Station 13 in North Tampa, being overwhelmed by the combination of calls and lack of proper technology and personnel to deal with them. The plan also includes more fire stations, including one in New Tampa’s K-Bar Ranch area, which will have nearly 2,000 homes when it is built out.

That is more long range, however, as Tripp focused on easing the pressure at Station 13. Located at 2713 E. Annie St. near Busch Gardens, Station 13 handled more than 11,000 calls last year, which accounted for 1/7th of all calls made to Tampa’s 23 fire rescue stations. 

Council member Luis Viera, who represents New Tampa as part of his District 7 duties, called the situation “an abomination.”

Viera said he was glad to see Tripp tackling the problems as part one of a two-part solution to help make Tampa Fire Rescue (TFR) more efficient. He said part two will come in March, when the issue of slow response times and how to shorten them will be addressed at a workshop.

A report by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) caused a number of red flags to be raised, and one of the ones that caught Viera’s attention was how fire service in New Tampa was faring.

According to the report, four of the six TFR stations with the slowest response times are located in the 33647 zip code, despite having four stations located within a few miles of each other — Station No. 20 (located on Bruce D. Downs Blvd. in Tampa Palms); Nos. 21 and 22 located off Cross Creek Blvd.; and No. 23, which opened in 2019 on Trout Creek Ln. south of County Line Rd.

“In March, we have to start looking at long-term solutions,” Viera says. “You talk to stations 20, 21, 22 and 23, and they tell me sometimes you have wait times of 15 minutes out there.”

Much of the problem seems to center around outdated technology, according to Joe Greco, Tampa Firefighters Local 754 president. In fact, Greco says, the response times are probably not as bad as the IAFF report stated, “but there’s no way to be accurate, to give you that information, because our system is antiquated and inaccurate.”

Tripp said TFR has been using the same Computer Aided Dispatch system since 1998, and its Automated Vehicle Locator (AVL) has been out of service the past five years. Old GPS equipment was being used that depended upon antennas going back 5-10 years ago.

New systems, at a cost of $1.2 million over five years, have been purchased and should be implemented by October, provided there are no setbacks due to Covid-19. The new equipment definitely should help shorten response times in New Tampa.

“Although we all regret that the equipment funding didn’t come when we wanted it to, it is in process,” said Russell Haupert, the city’s director and chief information officer for technology and innovation. “It is on the way and we are doing everything we can to accelerate that process so we don’t have any problems out in the field from this point forward.”

While Orlando Gudes, the City Council member for District 5 and a police officer for 36 years, favors a fire rescue overhaul, he was aghast, as were other Council members, that the situation had reached this point.

“How has TFR not had computers (in its trucks)?,” Gudes asked. “That makes no sense to me.”

Making less sense, though, was the fact that all 23 stations currently still have to compete for radio time with dispatch on just one channel, Gudes added. But, the hope is that the new AVL will help rectify that. 

“Five years of not having any computer-aided dispatch other than your initial tear off from the station is absolutely ridiculous in a city the size of Tampa,” Greco said. 

Viera hopes TFR can be improved as part of a larger plan to tackle public safety in Tampa. The issue is where the money needs to come from to pay for the improvements. “This requires our attention,” Viera said. “We’ll need to look at the budget. Are we going to have the political leadership in the city to pay for it? I say hell yes we are. I know we are.”

Miss New Tampa Is Aiming Higher

Udeme Ikaiddi (Photos courtesy of Udeme Ikaiddi)

New Tampa’s Udeme Ikaiddi (pronounced Oo-DEM-ee A-Ky-dee) didn’t grow up in the world of beauty pageants. She grew up playing violin, reading books and hanging out with friends.

It wasn’t until she was in college that she ever considered entering one herself, and that was only after producing different pageants at the University of South Florida, like the Miss Africa USF event, and others.

At the age of 25, with some prodding from a friend, Udeme entered and won her first beauty pageant. A year later, she was named Miss New Tampa. In July, at the age of 26, she will vie for the title of Miss Florida in Coral Springs, although a date has not been set.

“It’s been a fun adventure,” she says.

Udeme, a Cross Creek resident and 2012 Wharton High graduate, didn’t win an actual pageant to earn the title of Miss New Tampa. While she has modeled and taken part in Tampa Bay and Orlando Fashion Week events and various bridal and wedding expos, she only had to apply to become a hometown delegate by sending in pictures and a resumĂ© to the Miss Florida USA organization. She was one of many chosen to represent their area — there also is a Miss Brandon, Miss Riverview, Miss Hillsborough, and so on. “When we all come together in July, there will be roughly 100 girls (vying to be Miss Florida),” Udeme says. 

The winner will be determined by the highest scores from three competitions: fitness (athletic wear/swimsuit), evening gown and interview. The winner will represent Florida at the Miss USA competition, and the winner there will represent the U.S. at the Miss Universe pageant.

It’s still all so new for Udeme. 

“I literally just jumped into it when I was 25,” she says. “To me, it’s a really huge deal because my No. 1 goal is to go to Miss Universe and represent the United State of America, and this is like the first step. So, instead of just being super excited, there’s a lot of nerves, but also a lot of determination.”

Although she’s no shrinking violet herself, Udeme basically honed her pageant skills while producing them. She trained and conditioned participants by making them feel good about themselves, giving them confidence, and assuring them that public speaking was not so scary. 

“I helped them find that confidence and that fire to step on the stage,” she says.

And now, she has ended up lighting her own fire.

Her first pageant was the Miss Akwibo USA pageant, which she won in 2019. Although she was born in Tallahassee, FL, Udeme is of African descent, with her parents coming to America in the 1980s from their birthplace in Akwa Ibom State, located in southern Nigeria. There is an annual convention in the U.S. for Akwa Ibom natives, which draws nearly 2,000 people. Udeme compares it to a convention of Florida natives being held in Germany.

The pageant is held during the convention. Her platform was “Live. Love. Learn.” It focused on preventing malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS and promoting healthy life choices (“Live”), documenting Akwa Ibom traditions and culture online (“Love”) and educating Akwa Ibom youth (“Learn”).

In September 2019, Udeme traveled to Akwa Ibom State as Miss Akwa Ibom USA to complete one of her pet projects — giving school supplies to children in the primary school of the villages where her mother and father are from in Nigeria.

As part of her duties as Miss Akwibo USA, Udeme visited Nigeria in 2019, met the Akwa Ibom governor and worked on projects related to her platform.

“It was such a humbling experience, I cannot stress that enough,” Udeme says. “It really made me see the good things I could do, and made me think about other ways to do even more with this platform.”

Udeme started to look into other opportunities, to see if pageants and the platform they afford might be something she’d like to spend more time pursuing. She says she was moved when she watched the 2019 Miss Universe pageant on YouTube, which was won by Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa, as well as the Miss USA 2020 event, where Asya Branch, the first ever black contestant from Mississippi, earned the crown.

“I said, ‘Yep, this is what I want to do,’” Udeme says. “I was like, ‘These beautiful black women are so smart, so intelligent, so humble and so loving, I want to try and do this.’”

While she waits for her opportunity at the Miss Florida pageant, Udeme is pursuing her passion for hospitality and tourism. She got her Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management from USF and may apply for the Master’s program. She also is a sales coordinator at the Hilton Tampa Downtown and owns her own event-planning business, Gifted Engagements, which she says is currently on hiatus, due to Covid-19.

In her role as Miss New Tampa, Udeme already has forged a collaboration with the Hillsborough branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She hopes that relationship is just the beginning.

“I’m really excited about July,” Udeme says. “Sure, the goal at the end of the day to is to win, 100 percent, but even now, if I didn’t try, I wouldn’t have been connected with NAMI (as Miss New Tampa). Even before Miss USA, I’ve accomplished something that warms my heart, and I just want to do more.”

Samantha Taylor Fitness Continues To Help Women Look & Feel Their Best

Samantha Taylor (left) has helped thousands of women like 80-year-old Lynn Smith get into the best shape of their lives.

When the Covid-19 pandemic forced gyms to close in March, it took Samantha Taylor Fitness just 48 hours to completely pivot its method of delivery so that clients of the private training studios could continue their workouts virtually.

“We were doing 13 virtual workouts a week within two days,” says Samantha, the CEO who began her career in the fitness industry 28 years ago and launched her own business more than 20 years ago. Today, there are four Bay-area Samantha Taylor Fitness studios, including Wesley Chapel, Land O’Lakes, Carrollwood and Palm Harbor.

But now, the fitness studios have reopened and clients are given many options to work out safely, whether it’s in person or online. “During this difficult time, one thing you don’t want to do is put your health and fitness on the back burner,” says Samantha. “That’s not going to help you reduce your risk.”

She says that the CDC website lists obesity as one of the highest risk factors for not only contracting Covid-19, but also for having increased complications.

“Everyone’s body responds differently, but you have a better chance of it not affecting you as much if you’re healthier and have balanced blood sugar,” Samantha explains. “Statistically, if you’re healthy, even if you do get Covid-19, you’re more likely to get over it easier.”

Samantha says she understands that some people still may be fearful of going to a gym in person and if so, Samantha Taylor Fitness continues to offer virtual options, including recorded workouts that can be followed at home or virtual workouts with a private trainer via Zoom.

But, she’s quick to point out that a recent study of 2,873 gyms by the IHRSA (International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association) analyzed millions of gym check-ins to determine that only 0.002% of the active gym members studied had contracted Covid-19.

“Some people might think gyms are a place Covid-19 is spreading, but it’s not,” says Samantha, likely in part because people coming to the gym are not as high-risk (because high-risk people are choosing to stay home) and have stronger immune systems as a result of being generally healthy.

She encourages anyone concerned about coronavirus transmission to visit her website at SamanthaTaylorFitness.com to see a comprehensive list of how the studios are responding to Covid-19, including protocols such as limited class size, social distancing within classes, and sanitizing equipment between each class.

“Samantha Taylor Fitness centers are private studios,” she explains, “not overcrowded gyms. We have plenty of space to spread out in all four of our studios.”

The Wesley Chapel location has its own standalone building off of S.R. 56, near I-75, in the Cypress Ridge Professional Center. Samantha moved the studio there in 2018 from its former location on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. The new studio is bigger, with a larger personal training room, specialty rubber floors, and a private, first-floor entrance.

For Women Only!

All of the Samantha Taylor Fitness studios offer a women-only environment where clients can choose personal training in the form of 1-on-1 private training, group training, semi-private personal training or “fitness boot camp” classes. All workouts last just 30 minutes.

A recent “Cooking with Emi” segment had Samantha Taylor Fitness private chef Emi Covone teaching members of Samantha’s online community how to make cauliflower waffles, or “chafes.”

Before choosing  between the programs at Samantha Taylor Fitness, a potential client is invited to participate in a body transformation analysis, where you meet with a membership specialist in person, on the phone or via Zoom, to go over the many options available at the fitness studio. But, it’s not just about working out.

“The only way to make lifelong, lasting changes is to learn how to eat,” explains Samantha. “It’s not about being on a diet or starving yourself, but figuring out how to eat in a way that you really enjoy that is simple and maintainable (for you).”

She says people can diet temporarily, but if they don’t learn to eat in a way that’s realistic and sustainable for them, they won’t stick to it.

She adds that the pandemic has led to many people complaining about weight gain, and it hasn’t slowed.

“The ‘Quarantine 15’ has now turned in to the ‘Quarantine 20 or 25,’” says Samantha. “If you don’t start making changes in the new year, that could possibly continue to increase, and you’ve increased your risk factors for Covid-19 even more.”

To help with teaching you how to eat, Samantha Taylor Fitness offers online cooking classes with in-house chef Emi Covone every week on its private, members-only webpage. Every week, a new, healthy recipe that has been approved by Samantha Taylor Fitness’ licensed dietitian Shannon Barker is shared with members.

In the new year, cooking classes will continue, along with other events and programs, and even free webinars. 

To see what new programs are coming up, visit SamanthaTaylorFitness.com.

A Supportive Community

At Samantha Taylor Fitness, women also find a supportive community, which Samantha says makes it fun and helps women stay on track. And, while her 2020 six-week weight-loss challenge and awards banquets highlighting the studios’ success stories were virtual, Samantha says to check the website for updates for 2021.

Lynn Smith is still pumping iron at age 80.

At 80 years old, Lynn Smith is a Realtor who doesn’t yet have an eye towards retirement. She has been working out with Samantha for nearly a dozen years. When she first started, she had never exercised in her entire life. “I want to live to be 100,” Lynn says, “so I figured I’d better do something about my health.”

Lynn adds that those early days were extremely hard. “I had no muscle strength,” she says. And, while she wasn’t obese and didn’t have a lot of weight she needed to lose, she says she lost about 10-12 pounds and kept the weight off. “Samantha taught me the importance of muscle strength.”

She says now it’s easy, and even fun. 

“I go three times a week, and the trainers challenge us every day,” Lynn says. “I look forward to it. The sessions are nonstop for 30 minutes, which is doable for just about anybody.”

Lynn likes that she works out in a very small group and that it’s for women only. “The trainers are very experienced and compassionate,” she says. “They want everyone to be successful.”

When she faced personal tragedy when her husband of 48 years suddenly passed away in August, Lynn says, “It was a big loss in my life. I’m so grateful that I have Samantha Taylor Fitness and that family to count on. I never really stopped going from the time my husband passed away. Everyone was very encouraging. Of course, you can’t wrap your arms around somebody like you could in the past but they’re there for me.” 

Lynn adds, “I’m very proud to be where I am at my age. It’s never too late to start. I encourage anyone reading this to get started at whatever age they are.”

The Wesley Chapel Samantha Taylor Fitness Studio is located is at 26908 Ridgebrook Dr. For more information, visit SamanthaTaylorFitness.com, call (813) 377-3739, or see the ad on page 25.

Touch Nail Spa Opens New Location In New Tampa

Touch Nail Spa co-owner Timmy Pham invites New Tampa to check out the second location of Touch Nail Spa, which opened earlier this month in the Village at Hunter’s Lake plaza on Bruce B. Downs Blvd., (next to Sprouts), where all of the nail and pedicure techs wear masks and gloves and all customers have to wear masks and wash their hands to enter the spa.

Long before Covid-19 changed how everyone does business, Touch Nail Spa in Wesley Chapel, which is owned by the husband-and-wife team of Timmy Pham and Tiffany Ha, specialized in cleanliness, excellent customer service and relaxing spaciousness. What started as a 3,200-sq.-ft. nail and beauty salon in 2017 expanded to nearly 5,000 square feet as the largest nail salon in Wesley Chapel.

Now, Timmy and Tiffany have their sights set on doing the same in New Tampa, where a second Touch Nail Spa officially opened Dec. 12 in The Village at Hunter’s Lake, in between The Coder School and Sprouts Farmer’s Market off Bruce B. Downs Blvd.

To celebrate, Timmy and Tiffany are offering all customers 10 percent off any service through Jan. 12.

The new salon has all of Touch Nail Spa’s signature, well, touches — it is 3,500 square feet, boasts high ceilings for better ventilation, has rows of comfortable leather pedicure chairs lining the walls, and there are tables offering 32 manicure stations in between.

Like the popular Wesley Chapel location, Touch Nail Spa in New Tampa offers a relaxing and luxuriously-designed environment to enjoy a pedicure and manicure — appointments are encouraged for safety reasons — as well as some of the salon’s other offerings, including eyelash extensions, waxing, facials and even licensed massages.

“We try to make this an experience,” says Timmy. “We want people to come in and go, ‘Wow, that is beautiful.’ And then, our customer service completes the package.”

As for Touch Nail’s Covid-19 safety precautions, Timmy and Tiffany have continued what they already were doing in the first salon — Timmy called it “flawlessly clean, with all tools and surfaces constantly being sanitized” last year, before coronavirus — and takes it to another level. 

When you walk in, you are greeted by a sign asking you to walk to the back on the salon, where two sinks are set up for hand washing, which all customers are required to do. Masks are available for those who may have forgotten theirs, and hand sanitizer also is readily available.

Once you are ready to go, Touch Nail Spa offers a complimentary beverage with every service, such as water, soda or even wine, which is served in a chilled glass (limit one per adult customer with proper I.D.). Timmy also is proud of the extra touch of keeping the drinking glasses for customers in a glass cooler, keeping them free of dust and germs.

Although there are 32 stations for manicures, only every other one or two is in use, to create proper social distancing. And, plexiglass partitions separate the technicians from their customers, with enough room on the bottom to comfortably slide your hands through.

The pedicure chairs look as expensive as they are — which Timmy says is $4,500 a pop. And, he is quick to show you that he can walk in between each one.

“We don’t pile customers on top of each other,” he says. “Lots of room here.”

There are 22 pedicure chairs in all, which can accommodate big groups or parties in non-pandemic times (or socially-distanced groups currently).

The chairs are a soft brown leather, and the foot baths are colored gold and have adjustable leg rests. As an extra layer of protection, the foot baths are covered by a disposable plastic liner held in place by elastic, preventing the spread of foot fungus and bacteria.

“Between each customer, we sanitize and clean the chair and the liner goes in the trash,” Timmy says. “It’s very clean.”

While the pandemic has been particularly hard on salons, Timmy says he still has roughly 45 employees in Wesley Chapel and, as business ramps up, New Tampa will probably have the same. For now, he has brought some of his best technicians, all of whom are State-licensed in cosmetology, over for the launch of the New Tampa Touch Nail Spa. “Our customer service is what sets us apart,” Timmy says. “They love what they do. They know how to make the customers happy. We listen to them, and they leave happy.”

A variety of spa manicures and pedicures are offered, and even the “Simple Touch” pedicure (just $27) includes a callus treatment, pineapple sugar scrub, hot towel wrap and lotion massage, along with nail trimming and shaping, buffing and cuticle grooming.

For an even more spa-like experience, a variety of “Hot Touch” and “Organic Touch” pedicures are offered ($47-$62). These include a hot stone massage for your legs and feet, plus additional treatments — such as specialized exfoliation for the bottom of the feet and a mask for legs and heels. Timmy says the Orange Burst and Milk & Honey pedicures are among his most popular. 

Touch Nail Spa also offers discounted prices for children under the age of 11.

You can add additional services like French and gel polish, or dipping power, acrylic nails and nail design.

The new Touch Nail Spa has “every color” of nail polish, as well as state-of-the-art pedicure chairs. Your safety is always at the forefront at Touch Nail Spa, where all surfaces are sanitized regularly and nail techs wear masks and gloves and are separated from their manicure clients by plexiglass shields.(Photos by Charmaine George)

 And, just like at the Wesley Chapel location, the color choices are seemingly limitless. Touch Nail Spa carries roughly 1,700 colors, available in both regular polish and gel, giving you access to 3,400 bottles of colors. For those who prefer dipping powders, which add a layer to your nails that is as strong as acrylic but healthier for your nails, there are 2,000 choices.

“We have every color,” Timmy says.

Touch Nail also offers deals for its customers. Timmy says if you come in on your birthday and purchase two services, you’ll receive 50-percent off the more expensive service. You must show ID that it is your actual birthdate, as the offer is not valid any other day.

The salon also offers a new customer reward program. Upon arrival, sign in on one of Touch Nail’s iPads, and register for your free membership. Rewards members receive 1 point for every dollar spent, and when you reach 500 points, you receive $25 off a pedicure service.

You also can now purchase e-gift cards for both locations online at the spa’s website, TouchNailAndSpa.com.

There are more than 50,000 nail salons in the country, and many are barely surviving due to the dangers presented by Covid-19.

Timmy says his two locations aren’t immune to the pandemic’s reach, but unlike other salons, Touch Nail’s many layers of safety protocols allow the spas to offer the level of social distancing that your typical strip center salon can’t.

The New Tampa Touch Nail Spa (8630 Hunter’s Village Rd.) is open Mon.-Sat., 9:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m., and 11 a.m.–5 p.m. on Sun. Walk-ins and appointments are welcome. The Wesley Chapel Touch Nail (27233 S.R. 56) has the same hours as New Tampa.

To make an appointment at either location or for more info or call (813) 973-4111 or see the ad on pg. 18.

Helping Pasco Sports Tourism Rebound in 2021

Club volleyball has been keeping the January calendar full at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County.

If tourism is going to bounce back from the Covid-19-ravaged 2020, a series of spikes, dunks, cheers and racquet sports will have a lot to do with it.

At least that’s how it looks to Pasco County tourism director Adam Thomas, who says that after a tough year for tourism around the world, events are returning to Pasco’s “sports tourism” sites, including the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus, Advent Health Center Ice and the Sarah Vande Berg (SVB) Tennis Center — all part of the county’s “Florida’s Sports Coast” branding.

Thomas says the three facilities have 14 events scheduled for the first two months of the year, with many more to come, as national governing bodies like USA Volleyball, USA Wrestling, USA Powerlifting and others look to take advantage of Florida’s open-for-business status and have eyed the Wesley Chapel-area to hold events.

“We are just now getting back to normalcy,” Thomas says, despite rising Covid numbers in Pasco, in Florida and around the nation. “We are looking at sports tourism in 2021 to really get us back to where we need to be.”

One event that won’t provide as much help as originally expected is Super Bowl LV, which is being played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on February 7. Generally, a huge event like the Super Bowl would have a major economic impact on nearby Wesley Chapel, with visitors staying in local hotels and eating and shopping at local restaurants and stores.

But, Covid-19 protocols will limit the crowd at Raymond James Stadium, which can hold 65,890 fans, to roughly 20,000 for the Big Game.

Thomas thinks Wesley Chapel will still enjoy some benefit from the Super Bowl, but in October, Pasco backed out of plans to spend $250,000 on a Super Bowl sponsorship and instead use that money for something more likely to bring a bigger return to the county.

So, while the Big Game won’t make as much of an impact, hundreds of little ones will — and that’s fine with Richard Blalock, the CEO of RADDSports, which runs the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus, thanks to a public-private partnership between Pasco and RADD Sports.

The 98,000-sq.ft. AdventHealth Sports Arena will host a variety of club sporting events in 2021, bringing hundreds of teams and players and their parents’ wallets to Wesley Chapel.

The January calendar was filled with volleyball tournaments and gymnastics meets. Volleyball and gymnastics club seasons will roll into a basketball club season in the spring, and then the camp season over the summer. The Sports Campus is already proving to be responsible for a lot of hotel room nights and money spent at Wesley Chapel restaurants, malls and shopping centers, as nearly every weekend is booked through August and even Covid-plagued 2020 proved to be a success.

“We are not one-sport-specific, and that helps us,” Blalock says. “We made that decision by design. We can run a multitude of events here. As one season ends, another is starting.”

Blalock says in August and September of 2020, the first six weeks the Sports Campus was open, its events were responsible for 1,800 hotel room nights and just over $150,000 in sales, resulting in a $1.2-million indirect impact on the local economy. 

He doesn’t have numbers yet for the rest of 2020, but Blalock says he expects to exceed those numbers in 2021. He says this while staring out his office window at construction workers laying masonry blocks on the fourth floor of the Residence Inn by Marriott hotel, which is being built adjacent to the arena on the Spots Campus site and is expected to open around the first week in August.

But, 2021 also is planned to include  an NFL-style combine for pro football hopefuls, organized by former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Yo Murphy, as well as the possibility of European soccer teams camping here prior to their fall 2021 seasons.

Hockey Tourism, Too

Thomas says the Sports Campus isn’t the only local venue to have a slew of events booked to meet pent up demand. AHCI currently is hosting a six-week United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) camp — a college and pro showcase with hundreds of players staying at Saddlebrook Resort and playing games at AHCI — as well as in Ellenton and Brandon. 

The USPHL’s Hub City concept is designed in part to make up for the loss of games and exposure events for players last year, especially from hockey areas hit particularly hard by Covid-19, like the northeastern U.S.

Because so many events were cancelled last year and so many seasons went unfinished,  Thomas anticipates eager event organizers to be heading our way.

“Our event calendar looks pretty promising,” he says.

The SVB Tennis Center in Zephyrhills is attracting sports tourism with growing sports like padel (photo) and pickleball. 

The county won’t recover in one year, Thomas adds. He believes the Covid-19 vaccine will help make people more comfortable when it comes to travel and attending larger events, but that change will take a while. While 2021 is expected to put the Florida Sports Coast back on track, Thomas says the tourism industry is looking at 2023 before a full recovery can probably be expected.

“It’s going to take some time,” he says. “We’re still licking our wounds.”

When the pandemic hit last year, the county was coming off a record-setting February. March began the nosedive, and when the state was shut down for much of April, the county saw its tourist tax revenue drop to below $100,000 for the month, down from $430,000 in tourist tax collected in April 2019.

There is some good news, even if it is anecdotal — Thomas says the last weekend of 2020 saw 6.2 -percent growth, with almost 40 percent hotel occupancy. “We had a really good week,” he says. “Hopefully we’ll continue to see that.” 

In fact, Lisa Moore, the market director of sales for the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel on S.R. 56 says, “We’ve been at or near 100% occupancy every weekend since the Sports Campus opened. It (2020) was a tough year, but things are looking better now.”