Although I was already 30 when TV star Mario Lopez began his five-year run as AC Slater in the โSaved By the Bellโ TV series, I remember that not only was I a fan of the show, but so were my sons, neither of whom had yet reached double digits when the original โSaved By the Bellโ series ended in 1994.
Today, Lopez is starting his tenth year as the co-host of the Emmy Award-winning daily syndicated โExtraโ TV series. So, what was this Hollywood star doing in Wesley Chapel on April 22?
Lopez spent the day with Wesley Chapel Nissan owner Jay Rosario, including a four-hour appearance at the dealership, which was named the first Motor Trend magazine-certified auto dealership in Florida, meaning that the dealershipโs pre-owned side only sells pre-owned vehicles that have been certified (inspected, upgraded and guaranteed) by Motor Trend.
โItโs a big honor,โ Wesley Chapel Nissanย public relations manager and Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber Ambassador Troy Stevenson. โWe wanted to reach as many people as possible with the news about Motor Trend and Mario Lopez sure delivered.โ
In fact, a crowd estimated at 1,100 people by the Pasco County Sheriffโs Office โ which was on-hand in force for the event and of which Rosario, executive GM Joey Falcon and their staff have been major supporters โ came to see Mario, who threw Wesley Chapel Nissan T-shirts, posed for pictures and signed autographs for dozens of excited guests the last couple of hours of the event, which included giving away more than 900 hot dogs. Some of those attendees also got to enjoy gourmet cuisine like filet mignon sliders provided by Vesh Catering in the VIP area inside the dealership.
Rosario, an Orange County Sheriffโs Office reservist who lives in Orlando (where he owns Celebrity Nissan), was one of the first people allowed inside the Pulse Night Club following the mass shooting tragedy there in June of last year. I hope to be able to discuss both the aftermath of that horrible event with him and his support of Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco in a future episode of WCNT-tv and in these pages. โ Gary Nager
When a photo session at Cloud 9 Studios in Wesley Chapel scheduled for 1 p.m. on April 25 was cancelled, owner Jeanine McLeod took her one-year-old son, James, and went out to grab lunch.
The office manager, Mary Gullett, stayed in the studio while assistant Carla Holness photographed her own three children โages almost 1, 4, and 5 โ in the back.
Thatโs when, all of a sudden, a car came crashing through the front doors of Cloud 9โs building in the Summergate Professional Center behind Samโs Club off S.R. 56.
โI heard tires screeching and felt the building rattle,โ Carla says.
According to a report by the Florida Highway Patrol, 80-year-old Theresa Drummond was attempting to park her car when she pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake.
That sent her 2005 while Ford Taurus over the curb, in between two pillars and halfway through the door into the building at 27340 Cashford Circle.
โWhatโs crazy is that Jeanine is always there with James and Iโm not usually there with my kids,โ says Carla. โAbout half an hour before it happened, the kids were all running around playing, so Iโm just so thankful that they were out to lunch and that my kids were in the back.โ
Jeanine echoed Carlaโs grateful attitude.
โAll of us are a little shook up, but Iโm just so thankful everyone is okay,โโ Jeanine said. โ My son loves to play at the windows with the curtains, and heโs always up there looking as the cars go by.โ
Both ladies are amazed that the car fit exactly through the columns on either side of the front door. โThe car had to be lined up perfectly,โ says Jeanine. โAny farther to the left or right and she would have hit steel columns.โ
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Drummond was not transported to a medical facility. The studio was temporarily boarded up until new doors could be installed.
Wade Angelโs five-year hunt to find justice for the tragic loss of his son took another happy turn last month when William Angelโs alleged killer was finally extradited to the U.S.
Christopher Ponce, who is accused of killing 20-year-old William Angel and injuring two others while driving drunk on the wrong side of I-275 in 2002, was finally turned over to American authorities by Spain on April 6.
โIt is now 2 a.m. on April 7th,โโ Wade wrote on his blog, FindChrisPonce.com, which he has been updating since 2014. โMy wife and I had the pleasure of witnessing Christopher Ponce being escorted into the Orient Rd Jail here in Tampa this evening. We waited at the airport for 5 hours hoping to see him as the U S Marshalls escorted him off the plane. They took him by another route so we had to hurry in order to beat them to the jail and just barely did so. We were able to see him being escorted into the booking area of the jail.โ
He excitedly wrote โNO BOND!!!!โ on the blog April 8, a day later, when Ponce made his first court appearance. โSo gratifying to see him doing the inmate shuffle.โ
Wade, who quit working for a time while he pursued every lead he could online โ up to 15 hours a day for three years โ drove himself to the limit in his efforts to find his sonโs alleged killer.
So, Wadeโs post on April 9 was surely one of the most satisfying.
โFor the first time in years I got a good nights sleep,โโ he wrote. โI actually woke up feeling good and refreshed. It was awesome.โ
Ponce was driving the wrong way in the northbound lanes of I-275 near downtown Tampa when he hit Williamโs 2000 Ford Mustang, also seriously injuring passengers Jay Davis and Robert Newberry.
On May 9, 2013, while awaiting trial for DUI manslaughter, Ponce slipped off an electronic monitoring bracelet he had been wearing and had been on the run ever since.
In 2014, CNNโs โThe Hunt,โ hosted by John Walsh of โAmericaโs Most Wantedโ fame, profiled the case.
That manhunt ended Aug. 9, 2016, when Ponce was captured by local police in a bus station in Almeria, Spain.
At the time, Wade said he was not surprised that Ponce was captured in Spain. He said he had received a tip through the blog shortly after starting it in 2013 that Spain is where Ponce was headed. He started tracking Internet Protocol, or IP, addresses, to see if anyone was checking his site from Spain.
Wade said someone definitely checked his website from Spain, once from a McDonaldโs, but mostly on public wifi at bus stations.
โI knew it!,โโ Wade said when he heard Ponce had been found. He said Ponce and his family were too narcissistic to resist the chance to see their names in print and wonder what people were saying about them. It was one of the reasons that he started the website.
Wade told the Neighborhood News in August that FindChrisPonce.com would remain up right through the trial.
โThe day he is sentenced, that will be my last post,โโ he says.
That last post is closer now than it has ever been.
As I reported in a new commentary segment on WCNT-tv that you can watch now on YouTube and Facebook, I was fortunate to be invited by the University Area Community Development Center (CDC) on N. 22nd St. in the University of South Florida area of Tampa to see Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (photo, right), who literally spent the better part of an entire afternoon hanging out with the families who live near the CDC.
About a month before the NFL draft, Jameis was asked by his barber, who owns the Whoโs Nexxt Barber Shop on E. Fletcher Ave., to make an appearance at a family barbecue event at the Center and not only did he attend โ along with his mom โ he spent the better part of a warm, humid April afternoon posing for pictures and signing one autograph for literally every one of the 200-300 people who attended. In fact, he didnโt sit down to eat a burger until everyone in the crowd had 2-3 minutes of his complete attention.
And, Jameis didnโt just sign and pose, he interacted with as many of the kids and their families as possible โ even when more than one attendee asked him to sign a Dallas Cowboys jersey. For example, when the Bucsโ talented young QB signed a pair of cleats, heโd tell the kid wearing the cleats that they, โbetter get results from these. I want touchdowns or pancake blocks with these. I donโt just put my name on anything and not expect results.โ His genuine smile and warmth made everyone who attended the event feel like they were his good friend.
In other words, even though I (and my older son Jared) graduated from Florida and Jameis (and my younger son Jake) graduated from FSU, I am a bigger Jameis Winston fan today than I was when the Bucs took him with the first overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
And, with the addition of former Philadelphia and Washington WR DeSean Jackson before the draft, and top picks O.J. Howard and Justin Evans in the 2017 NFL Draft (which was still ongoing at our press time), it appears that the Bucs are serious about improving the talent around their leader and I donโt blame them.
Jameis is one superstar athlete who shines, even when the camera isnโt on him. I expect bigger things from him and the Bucs this season and even if that somehow doesnโt happen (which I doubt), I know it wonโt be because of a lack of effort on the part of this future superstar QB.
And, Speaking Of WCNT-tv…
The big news is that not only we have modified the format for WCNT-tv โ which now has had a reach of more than 600,000 people and all 21 episodes released to date have been viewed more than 200,000 times on Facebook and 100,000 times on YouTube โ the show is now 100-percent owned by yours truly, which means there is even more we can do to promote your business โ in these pages, on our WCNeighborhoodNews.com website and on our WCNT-tv YouTube and Facebook pages.
Because we found that most of the viewers werenโt watching the full episodes when they were released as much as they were the individual segments from each episode, we decided to no longer air full episodes. Instead, our News, Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) Featured Business, Neighborhood Dining News and Entertainment Calendar segments will each be released individually. For our Episode 21, the News and Entertainment segments were released on April 21, while the Dining (about Little Italyโs Family Restaurant & Catering, see ad on pg. 50) and WCCC Featured Business (about the Palms Pharmacy in Tampa Palms) were released on April 28.
With yours truly now setting the prices for WCNT-tv, itโs more affordable than ever for you to advertise in these pages, on our website and for your business to be a WCCC Featured Business on WCNT-tv!
In other words, email ads@wcnt-tv.com or call 910-2575 today to get more info about our new bundle and to get your WCNT-tv segment scheduled!
Thatโs Just Ducky…
Congratulations to the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Noon, which will host its second annual Duck Derby on Sunday, May 21, beginning at 1 p.m. This yearโs family-friendly Derby will kick off from the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Hall at 4220 Land OโLakes Blvd. (U.S. Hwy. 41) and will again feature food, fun and those cute rubber duckies racing to win prizes for attendees and raise money to benefit Pasco Sheriff Chris Noccoโs K-9 Association.
For more info about the Duck Derby, see the ad on pg. 17, visit the Club any Wed. at noon at Quail Hollow Country Club or visit WCRotary.org/Duck-Derby.
The Neighborhood News recently spoke with Wiregrass Ranch developer and owner JD Porter about his family’s philosophy in developing the land that has been owned by his family for more than seven decades, and some of the things that are comingย to Wiregrass Ranch in the future.Here’s our story on Porter, and below is the map with descriptions of how Wiregrass Ranch might look in a few years.
1. TRANSPORTATION
Pasco County Public Transportation
JD Porter takes great pride in his familyโs foresight. They paid $25 of $30-million to build out six lanes of S.R. 56 in front of the Shops at Wiregrass. โI give my uncles and dad a lot of credit,โ Porter says. โDo it right the first time, itโs usually a lot cheaper and a lot more effective.โ
And, while light rail may never become a reality, Wiregrass Ranch is ready for it. Porter says he doesnโt see it happening until the drive to Tampa takes people 2.5 hours. But, with so much traffic heading the opposite way, north from the University of South Florida area into Wiregrass Ranch, Porter has dedicated 3.5 miles of transportation right of way through the DRI, starting at FHWC, winding past the mall and Raymond James and up Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. towards the future town center.
โIf not light rail, then rapid bus,โโ Porter says. Another touch: although they cost an extra $300-million or so, Porter says roundabouts are being built on Wiregrass Ranch Blvd.
2. ADULT LIVING
There are no over-55 active adult communities in sight โ the nearest one to Wesley Chapel is still Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club on S.R. 52 in San Antonio โ but Porter hopes to change that with Valencia, an 850-unit single-family residential development scheduled to begin construction later this year. In fact, he sounds downright excited to do so.
โWe have a young demographic, and they are going to want their parents close to them,โโ Porter says. โWe want Wiregrass Ranch to be family friendly.โ
Porter also notes that having an A-rated adult community (and he says Wiregrass Ranchโs will be A+) has long been an integral part of his development plans.
3. OTHER RESIDENTIAL
Persimmon Park will be a 340-unit single-family development with villas and townhomes, and will be located within walking distance to the developmentโs town center. It will be located just south of Chancey Rd. and west of Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. and is currently in permitting, but Porter says he has a number of builders already lined up. And, while many developers use many builders, Porter said he likes to rely on a small group, which currently includes Lennar, CalAtlantic and GL Homes.
4. PHASE II OF THE SHOPS AT WIREGRASS MALL
Not much new to report here, as Shops at Wiregrass general manager Greg Lennars says the mall is still looking for those โperfect fits.โ He said that a handful of green grocers have expressed interest in being one of the anchors of the new site, and better offers roll in every week, but no decision has been made.
Securing a movie theater for the project โ which has yet to break ground and continues to wait on permitting โ is ongoing. Altis is being built right behind it. The four-story apartment complex is a $60-million project, and is expected to open sometime in 2018, with 392 units. It is part of the Portersโ effort to begin to grow the residential area around Wiregrass Ranch as new businesses move in.
5. TOWN CENTER
Porter is not fond of the town center concept as it has been developed in most places โ a Publix and a few other stores โ but his team has huge plans for the center he envisions and for which he has set aside 146 acres right in the middle of Wiregrass Ranch.
โBigger than downtown Winter Park, bigger than downtown Tampa, really,โโ says Scott Sheridan. โIt will truly redefine what a downtown is.โ
Porter doesnโt see the town center as Wesley Chapelโs downtown, or even Pasco Countyโs downtown. What he envisions is โNorthern Tampa Bayโs downtown.โ He says he is content to let the area around it develop as Raymond James, Persimmon Park, Estancia and The Arbors mature.
โIf we did it now, it would be great, but it wouldnโt meet our standards,โโ he says. Porter adds that a performing arts center might be a good anchor, but also has seen 2-3 other proposals he likes even better. โI look at it as being what Buckhead is to Atlanta,โโ he says.
6. ATHLETIC COMPLEX
The Porters donated 138 acres to Pasco County for a park, and then watched as the county failed to close any deals to do something with the land. โIt sat there for eight years,โโ Porter says, and he has expressed frustration with the progress of that land in the past, calling it a nightmare. But RADDsports out of Sarasota has won the bid to build an indoor athletic complex with some outdoor fields, and while not exactly what Porter had in mind, he seems more hopeful. โI think we all feel things are moving in the right direction,โ he says.
7. MEDICAL
When Sheridan and Porter look down the road, they definitely see more medical industry coming to Wiregrass Ranch.
Florida Medical Clinic just north of S.R. 56 on Bruce B. Downs opened recently, and next to that construction is ongoing on the $3-million, three-story 16,000-sq.-ft. Lismark Medical Office (photo), which will be located between the Florida Medical Clinic and FHWC. And, NTBH is expanding, too.
Although I was already 30 when TV star Mario Lopez began his five-year run as AC Slater in the โSaved By the Bellโ TV series, I remember that not only was I a fan of the show, but so were my sons, neither of whom had yet reached double digits when the original โSaved By the Bellโ series ended in 1994.
In fact, a crowd estimated at 1,100 people by the Pasco County Sheriffโs Office โ which was on-hand in force for the event and of which Rosario, executive GM Joey Falcon and their staff have been major supporters โ came to see Mario, who threw Wesley Chapel Nissan T-shirts, posed for pictures and signed autographs for dozens of excited guests the last couple of hours of the event, which included giving away more than 900 hot dogs. Some of those attendees also got to enjoy gourmet cuisine like filet mignon sliders provided by Vesh Catering in the VIP area inside the dealership.
