Viera Files For Third Term & New Facilities Near Openings

Tampa City Councilman and long-time Hunter’s Green resident Luis Viera officially files to run for a third term.

Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera, who represents the New Tampa area as part of District 7, likes to joke that he only won his first election by a mere 65 votes in a runoff.

In his second election, however, he trounced opponent Quinton Robinson 76.2 percent to 23.8 percent.

After building a strong list of accomplishments and being attentive to New Tampa, where he has lived for 16 years, Viera thinks a third term is in order. He officially filed for reelection earlier this month.

The Tampa City Council election isn’t until March 7, 2023; Viera does not have an opponent yet.

“I feel like I have a lot more work to do for the district, and the City of Tampa,” Viera said. “There’s a lot more things to be done.”

Viera played a significant role in rallying New Tampa residents to be more active politically and impacted a city budget that led to funding for the New Tampa Recreation Center expansion and the building of the New Tampa Sensory & Autism Friendly Park, the first of its kind in the city. The Sensory Park is under construction and will hold a ribbon cutting later this year.

Viera, who fancies himself as a throwback politician focused more on bridge-building and working with opponents to get things done, says there still are a number of transportation and fire rescue needs, like a fire station in K-Bar Ranch, that he says he will tackle if reelected.

One thing he has tackled is finally open — the closed-and-opened-and-closed and now open again Meadow Pointe Blvd. connector road to K-Bar Ranch, officially voted on by the City Council on August 27.

The connection between Meadow Pointe Blvd. (in Wesley Chapel/Pasco County) and K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. was opened around May 30 for utility workers to finish their work, but eager K-Bar Ranch residents immediately began driving on the new extension, forcing the barricades to be put back in place. The long-awaited connector has been back to being closed since early June. 

New Tampa residents in the Cross Creek/Live Oak/K-Bar Ranch areas are now be able to bypass Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. by driving north on Meadow Pointe Blvd., which leads all the way to busy S.R. 56.

Ready For Branchton Park

A massive upgrade to the current Branchton Park will break ground on Wednesday, September 14.

A splash pad, pickleball and basketball courts, two dog parks and hiking trails are just some of the amenities planned for Phase 1 of the new park, which will be just south of the current Branchton Park, which sits on the southwest corner of Morris Bridge Rd. and Cross Creek Blvd.

The second phase could include a Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office mini-substation at the park, according to Hagan.

Hagan also has said a second phase could include a possible public-private partnership (PPP) with a zip line or “challenge” course for the park. 

PAC Opening Set

The New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC) ribbon cutting is officially set for Friday, October 7, says Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan, who represents New Tampa in District 2.

The 20,000-sq.-ft. NTPAC, which can be expanded later to 30,000 sq. ft., will have a 343-seat theater with retractable seating among its other features. The NTPAC is located behind the Village at Hunter’s Lake shopping plaza, across BBD from the entrance to the Hunter’s Green community.

Long Lines But For One Hour, Cheap Gas For New Tampa 

There haven’t been too many times this year that you would see Andrea Ramos smiling as she pumped gas into her 2020 Jeep Sahara.

On August 1, however, the West Meadows resident and about 100 other people were grinning from ear to ear as they filled their vehicles with gas priced at just $2.38 a gallon.

The cheaper gas at the Flatwoods Marathon on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. was offered for one hour only by the Americans For Prosperity (AFP) as part of its “The True Cost of Washington” campaign.

Ramos (pictured above) said that it usually costs about $90 to fill up her Sahara. She had about a quarter of a tank when she got in line for an hour wait, and then spent $42.10 for 17.6 gallons to top off her tank.

“That’s cheap. I’ll take it any time I can get it, especially with this,” Ramos said, pointing at her Jeep, which she says gets just 14 miles to the gallon.

Jeeps, vans and pickup trucks were the most common vehicles filling their tanks. Brandon Azzolini saw the event advertised on Instagram in the morning and drove all the way from Riverview to fill his 2022 Jeep Gladiator Mojave. He used some of his $50 savings to buy a pizza at the Sbarro inside the gas station before heading back to work.

Michelle Saffor said she drove up from South Tampa in her 2017 Dodge Caravan to put $30 in her tank, getting 12.5 gallons worth.

“I ain’t seen 12 gallons in a loooong time,” Saffor said. “You can’t beat that these days.”

Brandon’s Taylor Solomon had one of the biggest trucks to show up, a big-wheeled 2015 Chevy Silverado. She filled it up, with 24 gallons for $58. “It usually costs me $120-$130 to fill up,” she said. “That’s a big hit, so it was worth the trip.”

Making a shorter trip was Wesley Chapel’s Michael Rogers, who  found out about the cheaper gas that same morning. He decided to take his chances anyway.

Although the line at one point extended to the I-75 interchange, turned right at the 7-Eleven and wrapped past the Home Depot and Steak ‘n Shake, Rogers got in before it backed too far up.

“It was a great deal, so I didn’t want to miss it,” Rogers said. “When I got here (about an hour before the event), I realized I had a chance.

Rogers filled the tank of his Ford F-150 truck, which was 75 percent empty, for about $40. He said it usually costs him $110 to fill it.

Another Wesley Chapel resident, Amanda Harrison, put 19.9 gallons of gas in her 2021 Dodge Caravan for $47.71, saving about $63 from her usual $120 fillup.

“I was practically on ‘E,’” Harrison said. “So, I was committed once I was in line.”

Afterwards, the workers from AFP paid their bill inside. They managed to serve 101 vehicles in an hour, while turning away dozens of cars. Those lucky enough to get the discount paid a total of $3,241.56 to fill their tanks with 1,362 gallons of gas. 

The Marathon station was charging $4.07 at the time of the fillup event, leaving AFP to pick up the $2,301.78 difference — the cost of spreading their message (along with a few free hats) about government waste.

Habla Español? There’s Cancer Support For You

Deacon José Moronta and Mariela Labrador have organized a cancer support group that helps break down the language barrier for Spanish-speaking people. They group meets at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church the third Thursday of each month. (Photo: Charmaine George)

When Mariela Labrador, a long-time parishioner of St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church on Cross Creek Blvd., found herself a caregiver for a loved one with cancer, she looked around for resources and support from her community.

As a native Spanish-language speaker, she found it helpful to connect with others who understood what she was going through, and where she could communicate without any language barrier.

She found Latinos Unidos Por Un Nuveo Amanecer (Latinos United for a New Dawn, or LUNA) online at LunaCancerFL.org. LUNA’s mission is to reach out to the Spanish-speaking community to help cancer patients, survivors and their families.

Over time, Mariela began volunteering for the organization, which has been part of the Tampa Bay community for more than 20 years, and eventually, she became a member of the organization’s Board of Directors.

Earlier this year, Mariela says, she decided to connect her work with LUNA to her church and organized a support group to meet at St. Mark’s for Spanish speakers who are facing cancer.

She says she hopes to grow the group to be large enough to support bringing in guest speakers on relevant topics, such as nutrition, relaxation, or pain management. But, at this time, she is focusing on building relationships and growing the group so people can share experiences and lean on each other.

“At this point, I’m concentrating on reaching out to the community and identifying the needs,” Mariela says.

The local LUNA group meets at St. Mark’s on the third Thursday of each month, from 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m.

While the group took a break over the summer, its next meeting will be held on Thursday, September 15. All are welcome to attend. You do not have to attend St. Mark’s or be of any particular faith tradition to participate in the support group, and there is no need to RSVP in advance.

Anyone who has questions or needs more information, can call the church at (813) 907-7746.

Another Hospital (Or Two?) Headed To Wiregrass Ranch Area

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute is also ready to begin construction in Wiregrass Ranch.

Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital is coming to town, which will give Wesley Chapel three hospitals.

If that seems like a lot, it’s not, says Wiregrass Ranch developer JD Porter.

“Quite honestly, I doubt it’s the last announcement of something of that nature that you will see before end of the year,” Porter says. “A lot of people want to be here.”

For now, Orlando Health has made it official — it will be Wesley Chapel’s hospital No. 3, joining AdventHealth Wesley Chapel (AHWC) and the soon-to-be-finished BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel, which is scheduled to open in 2023. AHWC and Baycare are both located on Bruce B. Downs Blvd., a few miles from each other.

On July 12, Orlando Health announced it would be building a multi-level hospital in the Wiregrass Ranch master-planned community. Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch will be a 300-room facility at the northeast corner of the S.R. 56 and Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. 

The property purchase is expected to close later this fall. The hospital has filed plans with Pasco County and had a pre-app meeting with county planners on July 25.

The new hospital is expecting to break ground by the end of the year.

“At Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital, we will provide a broad range of health care services, all in one convenient location,” said John Moore, senior vice president of Orlando Health’s West Region. “Patients will receive exceptional emergency and inpatient care from clinical experts in multiple specialties, the highest quality diagnostic services, and seamless access to all of Orlando Health’s trusted primary and specialty care providers.”

Porter is thrilled to be bringing Orlando Health to Wiregrass Ranch. He said landing AHWC in 2012 was one of his proudest accomplishments, and Orlando Health is another.

As plans for the long-awaited Wiregrass Ranch Town Center progress, Porter was hoping to make a big splash for something to anchor the town center that will both be a job provider, produce daily foot traffic and provide a higher quality of life needed to make the town center a one-of-a-kind success.

“For us to make it successful, we needed something good as an anchor,” Porter says. “Not apartments, not retail, and we need daytime traffic. Having Orlando Health on that corner within walking distance of the town center is an absolute game changer, and it’s what we’ve needed for the past 5-6 years.”

Orlando Health, founded more than 100 years ago, is headquartered in Orlando, and is a not-for-profit healthcare organization with $8 billion in assets. The 3,200-bed system includes 10 award-winning hospitals, 9 hospital-based emergency rooms and 7 free-standing ERs.

“Their phasing plan and aggressive style and size of the facility they are going to put in makes a big statement, from our perspective,” Porter says.

The five-story Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch will be the largest hospital in Wesley Chapel. Its 300 planned rooms are more than AHWC (148) and the upcoming BayCare Hospital (60) combined. AHWC has room to expand to 300 rooms, which could eventually give the Wesley Chapel area 660 total hospital rooms.

A fourth hospital, or specialized medical facility, in Wesley Chapel could be announced by the end of the year. Porter says he can’t say which brand it is, or where it will be located. It appears that it will likely be in the north end of Wiregrass Ranch, and Porter would only say “the Bruce B. Downs corridor will have a strong medical presence.”

According to Porter, the accelerated growth in Wesley Chapel warrants the additional hospital. Before tabbing Orlando Health to build Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital, he says several healthcare analysts told him the Wesley Chapel area, which has 10s of thousands of new homes already being built or in planning, was ripe for more hospital beds.

“We didn’t want to oversaturate, but after going through and working with a couple of medical office folks that survey every market throughout the country, they said they have never seen a place that has the potential for growth on the medical, office and hospital side like Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch,” Porter says.

Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch will also have a new neighbor. Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) has filed plans with Pasco County planners for a two-story, 56,559-sq.-ft. medical facility about a quarter mile east of where new hospital will be located.

FCS will be located at the southwest corner of Hueland Pond Blvd. and S.R. 56. and will be the second major cancer center facility in Wiregrass Ranch. The 28,000-sq.-ft. Moffitt Cancer Center at Wesley Chapel opened on the AHWC campus in May 2021.

FCS was founded in 1984 and has nearly 100 locations in Florida. According to its website, FCS utilizes a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to cancer treatment and specializes in innovative clinical research and cutting-edge technologies. FCS claims to offer patients access to more clinical trials than any other private oncology practice in Florida. In the past five years, most new cancer drugs approved for use in the U.S. were studied in clinical trials with FCS participation prior to approval.

Porter says that along with the nearby North Tampa Behavioral Health hospital, residents of Wiregrass Ranch will have access to a variety of top medical options.

“It’s really creating an entirely different sector than what you have at Advent and what you have at BayCare,” he says. “We’re going to continue to grow that as long as the market remains solid.”

How The Millage Referendum Could Help Our Community

Opinion by Jessica Vaughn,
Hillsborough County School Board, District 3

Since being elected to represent District 3 on the Hillsborough School Board in 2020, myself, my fellow School Board members and the superintendent have all worked diligently to overcome the financial challenges that have plagued this District for close to a decade. 

We are proud to state that by the end of this fiscal year, Hillsborough County Public Schools is slated to overcome a $150-million deficit, realizing a more stable financial stature that will translate into a brighter future for our organization and, most importantly, for our students.

As a District, we emerged from this financial shortfall partly by having to make extremely difficult staffing decisions at all levels, which undoubtedly had a negative impact on our students and families. Florida currently is ranked 43rd in per-pupil funding, leaving many school districts like ours without adequate funds to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers as we all contend with rising inflation that is leaving educational systems with severe staffing shortages. Twenty-one other districts in Florida have had to pass a millage referendum in order to properly fund their school districts.  

On August 23, 2022, the Hillsborough County School Board voted to place a millage referendum on the ballot that would provide an estimated $126 million per year over four years to our District if approved by voters. 

If this measure passes, 75% of this money would go toward providing salary increases for teachers and support staff. We realize the crucial role our educators play in the lives of our children and families, and we must continue to examine proactive solutions to illustrate their importance to our community and its collective success.

If approved, the additional funds would also be utilized to expand Art, Music and P.E. for our youngest learners, offering equitable access across all grade bands. These funds also would provide us a unique chance to elevate our Workforce Development Programs to develop a talent pipeline for students in medical, construction and logistics- related fields.

You may be wondering how this would impact you if approved. Using a $300,000 property value as an example, the millage increase would translate to an additional $22.92 per month, or $275 per year for a homeowner.

Hillsborough is the only large school district in the state that has not passed a millage increase. 

While we understand the referendum may be a heavy lift for some families in a time of such uncertainty, it has the potential to make an enormous difference in the lives of our teachers, staff, students and families. If you see the value that strong and thriving public schools bring to our community, I strongly encourage you to vote “yes” for the millage referendum during the Primary Election to be held on Tuesday, August 23. All voters, regardless of party affiliation, can vote for this Millage Referendum. The funding from this referendum increase will allow us to work together to adequately support our schools, teachers and staff while creating a brighter future for our students and our community as a whole.