HOSA Team Places First In The State!

Congratulations go out to Strawberry Crest High sophomores ā€” and New Tampa residents ā€” Elizabeth Chettipally, Aditi Nair, Anika Prasad and Netra Vijay (photo), who placed first in their category at the Health Occupations Students of America (aka HOSA-Future Health Professionals) State Leadership Conference held at Orlando Apr. 13-16.

The girls of ā€œProject Pinkā€ will next be representing Florida at the HOSA National Leadership Conference in Atlanta in late June.

The quartetā€™s project was an attempt to increase breast cancer awareness in our local community and obviously, their presentation at the Conference was effective, as they placed first in the ā€œCommunity Awareness ā€” Teamworkā€ category.

Strawberry Crest High, located in Dover, has an International Baccalaureate (IB) program attended by many New Tampa residents and is one of 30 Florida high schools with more than 100 HOSA members. Several other Strawberry Crest students also won awards at the State Conference, including a ā€œCreative Problem Solvingā€ team that also took home first place honors. I apologize that I did not have all of the other winnersā€™ full names at our press time, or I would have mentioned them here, too.

Nibbles & Bites: Mpanitas Opens On CC Blvd.!

For those seeking unique local options outside of the KRATEs, we also wanted to let you know that the second Tampa location of Mpanitas has opened in the oft-vacated spot in the Mobil gas station plaza at 10865 Cross Creek Blvd.

With delicious Venezuelan favorites like the excellent empanadas shown here (above), stuffed with your choice of shredded or ground beef, chicken, cheese, ham & cheese, potatoes & cheese and even fish, Mpanitas also serves arepas, mini-empanadas, mandocas, sweet tequeƱos and outstanding cafĆ© con lechĆ©. For more info, follow ā€œmpanitasā€ on Instagram.

A Busy Few Weeks For Grand Opening Events In Wesley Chapel!

By CHARMAINE GEORGE & GARY NAGER

There have been no fewer than half-dozen different ribbon-cutting and grand-opening events in Wesley Chapel since the middle of March and almost all of them included the super-sharp scissors provided by the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce (NTBC). 

The events in questions include: 

ā€¢ PetSmart Veterinary Services at the PetSmart store at The Grove on Mar. 18 (the only one not provided by NTBC); 

ā€¢ Flip Slop Shops at The Shoppes at New Tampa plaza on Apr. 1; 

ā€¢ Dietrich Kelso Orthodontics (in the former location of Abdoney Orthodontics) on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., across from AdventHealth Wesley Chapel on Apr. 13; 

ā€¢ Totally Blu Pools off S.R. 54 near Morris Bridge Rd. on Apr. 20; 

ā€¢ Annā€™s Spa & Nails Lounge off S.R. 56 (next to Chicken Salad Chick), also on Apr. 20; 

ā€¢ The five-year Anniversary Celebration for The Beach House at Wiregrass assisted living & memory care on S.R. 56 on Apr. 21.

Veterinary partners Dr. Alejandra Navarro and Dr. Leslie Block are the private owners of PetSmart at The Groveā€™s Veterinary Services. It is a full-service pet hospital offering anything from vaccines to dental work and even surgeries. It also offers walk-ins and drop-offs for those who have busy schedules, as well as a cat room where there are pheromone diffuser plug-ins and scratching posts to help make visits for your cats as easy and cat-friendly as possible. 

You can meet Dr. Navarro, Dr. Block and their friendly staff at For more information about PetSmart at The Groveā€™s vet services (at 6001 Wesley Grove Blvd.), call (813) 761-1241 or visit PetSmart.com. Or, search PetSmart Vet Services Wesley Chapel. 

Both the Flip Flop Shops in the Shoppes at New Tampa plaza (above) and the PetSmart Veterinary Services location in The Grove (top of page) held recent Grand Opening celebrations in Wesley Chapel. 
(Photos by Charmaine George)

The Wesley Chapel location of the Flip Flop Shops, which has been open since Feb. 4, is owned by Traci and Kevin Taylor, who decided to relocate to Florida from Colorado after visiting their son for his Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) graduation from the U.S. Navy EOD School in Destin in 2018. 

 After they made the move to Florida and Kevin retired, the Taylors searched for a franchise that would allow them to add their own personalities to their location.

The Flip Flop Shop offers a wide variety of flip flops and casual wear, as well as accessories that support conservation and other causes. The Taylors were happy to walk guests around and show them some of their most popular brands, including Oofoos, Crocs, and Hey Dude. They even have a variety of Jibbitz charms for those who love to customize their Crocs. 

For more info about Flip Flop Shops Wesley Chapel  (1752 BBD Blvd.), call (813) 994-8204 or visit FlipFlopShops.com.

With its main office in Lakeland and six total doctors in what is now a five-office practice (and four orthodontists working out of its Wesley Chapel office, which hosted an NTBC ribbon-cutting), the new Dietrich Kelso Orthodontics is one of the largest orthodontic practices in our area. Led by Dr. Andrew Dietrich (in light blue short in the photo at left) and Dr. Andrew Kelso (with scissors), the office promises outstanding doctors and a friendly staff in a state-of-the-art office that offers a variety of treatments ā€” including Invisalign, clear braces, metal braces and laser gum contouring.

For more info about Dietrich Kelso Orthodontics (2653 BBD Blvd.), call (813) 921-9211 or visit DKOSmiles.com.

Totally Blu Full Service Pools owners Sunil Mohammed and Rashmi Maharaj have owned their highly respected mobile pool service and repair company for years, but their storefront in the Publix plaza off S.R. 54 at Eiland Blvd./Morris Bridge Rd. is their first-ever brick-and-mortar location.

The store has everything you need to enjoy your pool ā€” from chemicals and equipment to toys ā€” and they also are happy to send their mobile unit to your home to service, repair or even remodel your pool, and even offer commercial pool services, too.

The same location also doubles as the storefront for the coupleā€™s Totally Green Lawn Services.

 For more info about Totally Blu Pools (32781 Eiland Blvd.), call (813) 788-7665 or visit TotallyBluH2o.com.

Although people in our area often complain about the number of nail spas there are here, people who attended the salonā€™s ribbon-cutting event (left photo) who already were customers of the new Annā€™s Spa & Nails Lounge definitely seem to appreciate the luxury, value and outstanding manicure and pedicure services.

Owner Annie Lam (in light blue) invited attendees to enjoy not only great deals on her spaā€™s outstanding services, but also some homemade Vietnamese egg rolls, fried rice and more.

Annā€™s Spa & Nails Lounge is located at 25032 Wesley Chapel Blvd, Lutz. For more info, call (813) 949-6663 or visit annspanailswesleychapel.com.

And finally, although the event also included an NTBC ribbon-cutting ceremony, it was just part of an outstanding five-year anniversary celebration for the Beach House at Wiregrass Ranch Assisted Living & Memory Care residence.

The first such facility located in Wesley Chapel, executive director Bonnie Berkman (with scissors) invited the Beach Houseā€™s residents and guests to enjoy delicious free food and beverages and DJ music and got to check out the immaculate assisted living residence together.

To arrange a tour of your own or for more info about the Beach House at Wiregrass Ranch (30070 S.R. 56), call (813) 508-6677 or visit BeachHouseWiregrass.com.

Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus Takeover ā€” The Rest Of The Story!

On April 18, Pasco Countyā€™s Board of County Commissioners voted to buy out the contract of RADDSports, LLC, to manage the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus. 

I called the countyā€™s tourism office that same day ā€” and made three additional attempts before I went to press with this issue ā€” in an effort to get official responses to a number of my questions about the takeover plan from tourism director Adam Thomas, who did not respond to my questions. 

Instead, the only response I got, from Tambrey Laine, the manager of media relations for Pasco County Government, was the press release put out jointly by the county and RADDSports, and that, ā€œThe county is declining to comment further.ā€

Please note that almost everything presented below is a matter of public record. The only exception is what the owners of RADDSports told me Thomas said to them prior to the Sports Campus groundbreaking in 2017; however, Anthony Homer of RADDSports assures me that what he says Thomas said at that time is true. ā€” GN   

Ā For those who donā€™t understand why Pasco County has agreed to buy out the contract to take over the management of the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus for what will end up being more than $6 million of taxpayer funds, youā€™re not alone.

It seems that our editor was the only reporter who thought it odd that Pasco Tourism director Adam Thomas (right) chose to pose for this picture with former county commissioner Mike Moore ā€” rather than with the management of RADDSports ā€” when the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County won the Florida Sports Foundationā€™s award as the stateā€™s Best Small Market Venue for 2021.

Adam Thomas, the countyā€™s director of tourism who renamed the tourism department ā€œExperience Floridaā€™s Sports Coast,ā€ got the job basically the same day Pasco and the private firm RADDSports, LLC, broke ground on the Sports Campus together in 2017. 

RADDā€™s Anthony Homer had told me back in 2020 that Thomas had told him and RADDSports president Richard Blalock prior to the groundbreaking ceremony that if it were up to him (meaning Thomas), there would be no private-public partnership between the two entities. And, it seems Thomas has been doing everything he could to end that agreement ever since.

For one thing, despite Thomasā€™ claims to the contrary last year, RADD has provided proof that it never did actually default on its agreement. And yet, Thomas still was able to convince the five county commissioners back in October 2022 to vote in favor of that default.

Thomas had the county hire the attorneys (with county money) who wrote up the default paperwork that the commissioners voted on in October ā€” without the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) ever seeing any proof of the default and without even discussing it before they voted to approve it from the Boardā€™s Consent Agenda. The commissioners at that time accepted Thomas at his word that RADD was focusing on local events, not on increasing sports tourism in the county, which was the primary portion of RADDā€™s mandate in that agreement.

Prior to the unanimous vote at that October BCC meeting, RADD even provided the commissioners with actual statistics from an independent study firm that proved that not only had no default taken place, but that RADD had actually outperformed all of the tourism benchmarks of its agreement.

These facts presented by RADD were confirmed by a separate $35,000 independent report ā€” commissioned by Thomas ā€” also using public funds.

In fact, RADD did such a great job of establishing the Sports Campus as a tourist destination for people outside of Pasco that the study showed that it was the #55 tourist draw in all of Florida last year, outperforming much more established attractions like the Miami Seaquarium (#56) & the Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium (#57). The Sports Campus also won the Florida Sports Foundationā€™s Small Venue of the Year award for 2021 under RADDā€™s management.

Again, despite Thomasā€™ claims, it wasnā€™t only RADDā€™s local programs that were hugely successful ā€” it hosted 112 events (there have been many weekends with more than one event) in 2021-22 and those events helped local hoteliers sell tens of thousands of room nights both years in Pasco ā€” and bring more than 92,000 unique visitors to the county. All of this happened despite RADD first taking over the Sports Campus at the height of Covid.

In addition, Pasco received the agreed-to $150,000 payment from RADD for 2021 and would have received its agreed-to $150,000 payment for 2022 had the BCC not voted to default the company. Pasco also would have received 11% of RADDā€™s revenue this year, and already has received millions more in sales and bed tax funds from all of the visitors the Sports Campus has brought in from all over the country and even beyond.

Instead of continuing this mutually beneficial partnership, Thomas convinced the commissioners to spend the following:

ā€¢ $250,000 in taxpayer money on legal fees to force RADD out;

ā€¢ $3 million over the next five years (including $1 million this year and $500,000 each year for the next four) to buy out the agreement with RADD;

ā€¢ $2.8 million to operate the Sports Campus ā€” at a loss (for at least the first two years, according to the default notice approved by the county in October);

ā€¢ $94,000 to purchase furnishings & other items from RADD; and 

ā€¢ $35,000 for the independent study previously mentioned.

So, is that $6,179,000 an amount of money a small, but growing, county would spend of its taxpayersā€™ funds to take over a supposedly defaulted contract? 

ā€œWe thank the county for recognizing the value that RADDSports has brought to the Sports Campus,ā€ says Homer of the buyout agreement.

I donā€™t know why Thomas has had an issue with RADD from Day One, but I felt compelled to at least provide the actual facts of this situation, as I have not seen most of the information presented here reported by any other local news media. 

Congratulations To Wesley Chapelā€™s Top Of The Class Of 2023!

We wish we could congratulate every student graduating from Wesley Chapelā€™s three high schools, but we simply donā€™t have room to even list every name in these pages. Rather than just do our usual recognition of each schoolā€™s valedictorian and salutatorian, freelance correspondent Celeste McLaughlin aimed a little higher ā€” or lower, in this case ā€” as she actually got the top-10 students (with just a few exceptions) in the 2022-23 graduating classes of Cypress Creek, Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch high schools to provide some pretty terrific information about themselves for this article and photo spread. Congrats on a job well done, Celeste, and to all of those graduating at and near the top of their respective classes! Get ready to don those caps & gowns! ā€” GN

Cypress Creek High

1. Anastasia Bogdatova 

(Co-Valedictorian/not pictured)

GPA: 4.7182

College planning to attend: University of South Florida

1. Sienna Silvest (Co-Valedictorian)

GPA: 4.7054

Clubs/Activities: Varsity weightlifting (captain). Varsity cheer (co-captain & team academic advisor). National Honor Society (NHS; secretary).

College planning to attend: University of Florida

Planned Major or Future Career: Geology & Sustainability Studies

Best thing about High School: Being involved in sports & senior activities like Powderpuff and Grad Bash.

2. Reagan Alapa (Co-Salutatorian)

GPA: 4.602

Clubs/Activities: Varsity & club softball, varsity weightlifting, National History Day Fair researcher, youth softball summer camp coach, NHS.

College planning to attend: University of Florida

Planned major or future career: Political Science

Best thing about high school: The freedom to define who you are as a person, the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them, time to figure out where my values and passions lie and opportunities to pursue those passions through a variety of extracurricular activities.

2. Sarah Nasreen Raza (Co-Salutatorian)

GPA: 4.602

Clubs/Activities: NHS, NEHS, Girl Scouts, volunteer at Moffitt Cancer Center, Radiant Hands, Feeding Tampa Bay

College planning to attend: University of South Florida

Planned major or future career: Biomedical Sciences

Best thing about high school: Dedication from my teachers, always ready to answer my questions and have their doors open for tutoring when Iā€™m dealing with a difficult topic.

4. Brian Roof

GPA: 4.6019

Clubs/Activities: ASL Club, ASL Honor Society, NHS, volunteering at Wesley Chapel Elem.

College planning to attend: University of Florida

Planned Major: Engineering

Best thing about high school: Being able to make connections and friends that will last a lifetime and the unique ability to get involved with various clubs, communities, and activities.Ā 

6. Advika Snigda DuggudurtiĀ (not pictured)

Clubs/Activities: Piano, including musical performance exams and theory exams conducted by Trinity College London. NHS (VP of service)

College planning to attend: University of South Florida 

Planned major or future career: Biomedical sciences/microbiology major, planning to attend med school in the future

Best thing about high school: My best friends who helped make happy memories with me.Ā 

7. Gabriel M. Fernandez

GPA: 4.5686

Clubs/Activities: NHS, Tampa Bay United Recreational Soccer, volunteering, Phi Theta Kappa

College planning to attend: University of Florida

Planned major or future career: Nurse anesthetist

Best thing about high school: How I found myself & became independent.

8. Colin Mendoza

GPA: 4.549

Clubs/Activities: NHS

College planning to attend: University of Florida

Planned major or future career: Computer Science

Best thing about high school: Meeting new friends and talking to old ones.

9. Name: Madeleine Ward (not pictured)

GPA: 4.5313

Best thing about high school: Learned how to create decent study habits and conquer procrastination.

10. Nouri Clarke

GPA: 4.5196

Clubs/Activities: Robotics Club 

College planning to attend: University of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Computer Science 

Best thing about high school: Getting to make friends.

Wesley Chapel High

1. Julia (Faith) Olsen (Valedictorian)

GPA: 4.66

Clubs/Activities: NHS

College planning to attend: University of South Florida

Planned major or future career: Nursing

Best thing about high school: The teachers and staff!

2. Olivia Kawalya (Salutatorian)

GPA:  4.637

Clubs/Activities: Colorguard & Winterguard, African Student Association, NHS, Spanish NHS.

College planning to attend: Georgia Institute of Technology

Planned major or future career: Computer Science

Best thing about high school: All the time I spent and friends I made through Colorguard

3. Hannah Burkhart 

GPA:  4.630

Clubs/Activities: Colorguard/Winterguard

College planning to attend: University of Central Florida 

Planned major or future career: Optical or Photonics Engineering

Best thing about high school: Spending time with friends and laughing until we felt like we couldnā€™t breathe.

4. Alex Leon  

GPA:  4.58

Clubs/activities: NHS, NEHS, Envirothon, SNHS

College planning to attend: University of Central Florida 

Planned major or future career: Major in Communication Sciences & Disorders and Masterā€™s degree in Speech & Language Pathologist

Best thing about high school: The clubsĀ 

5. Alexis Simpson 

GPA: 4.57

Clubs/Activities: Clean Earth Club, National English Honor Society, NHS, Science National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, Varsity Tennis, JV Cheer, Steering Class of 2023

College planning to attend: University of Florida

Planned major: Computer Science

Best thing about high school: Making new friends and exploring interests through clubs.Ā 

6. Isabella Guzman

GPA: 4.57

Clubs/Activities: Founder of the Art & Gaming Club, NHS, NEHS, Best Buddies Club & Gay Straight Alliance. 

College planning to attend: University of Florida

Planned major or future career: I am majoring in Biology, following the pre-med track. Iā€™m aiming for a future career in invasive cardiology. 

Best thing about high school: My friends! The experiences Iā€™ve had alongside them have always brightened my day, providing me with many memories to forever cherish.

7. Wen Yang

GPA: 4.56

Clubs/Activities: Clean Earth Club, president. Science National Honor Society, president. NHS, historian. NEHS, Spanish NHS 

College planning to attend: University of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Biology

Best thing about high school: All of the relationships with classmates and teachers that are formed and being able to enjoy my teenage years with friends and people who helped make it enjoyable.

8. Samantha Tejerero

GPA: 4.55

Clubs/Activities: NHS

College planning to attend: University of South Florida 

Planned major or future career: Nursing

Best thing about high school: Prom and Homecoming dancesĀ 

9. Elizabeth Mays

GPA: 4.53

Clubs/Activities: Student Government, NHS, NEHS, tennis

College planning to attend: Florida Gulf Coast University

Major: Elementary Education, Master in speech pathology

Best thing about high school: The opportunity to do dual enrollment classes!

10. Preston Hammons

GPA: 4.51

Clubs/Activities: GSA, NHS, Science NHS, writing.

College planning to attend: Florida Institute of Technology

Planned major or future career: Biomedical Engineer

Best thing about high school: Progressing and developing through the years. Not only academically, but also socially and emotionally, meeting new friends, development of new passions and even learning itself.

Wiregrass Ranch High

1. Elizabeth ā€œEllieā€ GageĀ (Co-Valedictorian)

GPA: 4.783 

Clubs/Activities: Equestrian, independent animator, animal enthusiast 

College planning to attend: University of Florida

Planned major or future career: Undergrad in Zoology, hopefully followed by a DVM and a career as an exotic animal veterinarian. 

Best thing about high school: The opportunities it grants you. You get to learn so much about yourself and who you want to become.

1. Landyn Williams (Co-Valedictorian)

GPA: 4.7213

Clubs/Activities: Varsity cross country, varsity basketball, varsity track, NHS, Fellowship of Christian Athletes

College planning to attend: University of Central Florida

Planned major or future career: Biomedical Sciences/Doctor

Best thing about high school: Going to the State Championships with my cross country team. Surrounding myself with people who lift me up and inspire me has made the past four years incredible.

3. Marissa Adams

GPA: 4.6967

Clubs/Activities: NHS, Tri-M Music Honor Society, Computer Science Honor Society, Rho Kappa History Honor Society, Best Buddies, Chamber Orchestra/Principalā€™s Quartet, Varsity Tennis

College planning to attend: University of Florida

Planned Major/Future Career: Political Science

Best thing about high school: I have really enjoyed the friendships that Iā€™ve made throughout high school. They have helped to balance out the rigor of my coursework and make high school a good experience.

4. Rebecca Rose Nieves 

GPA: 4.6667

Clubs/Activities: Basketball all four years of high school, Coachā€™s Award. Musician at church. Phi Theta Kappa. NHS, Legacy, National Hispanic recognition program.  

College planning to attend: University of South Florida 

Major/career: Biology. Plan to go to Medical School and become an anesthesiologist. 

Best thing about High School: Learning about myself and about who I want to be as a person. In high school you really are exposed to many different types of people and I was able to learn from them and become a better person because of it.

5. Ella Riddle

GPA: 4.6522

Clubs/Activities: Work at Sand Pine Elem.

College planning to attend: Nova Southeastern University

Planned major or future career: Marine Biology

Best thing about high school: Having the opportunity to succeed in many different ways.

6. Christian Rios

GPA: 4.6475

Clubs/Activities: Soccer, piano, science fair, chess

College planning to attend: University of Florida

Major: Architecture

Best thing about High School: When I got to pet a pony in freshman year.

7. Emaan Ahmed

GPA: 4.6452

Clubs/Activities: HOSA, Key Club, NHS, SADD club, Mu Alpha Theta, volunteering at AdventHealth

College planning to attend: University of Florida

Planned major or future career: Biology/Pre-med

Best thing about high school: Lifelong friends that make the high school experience so much better.

8. Ella Rivera 

GPA: 4.6316

Clubs/Activities: NHS, Mu Alpha Theta, CNA Program, SNHS, job as gymnastics coach 

College planning to attend: University of South Florida 

Major: Biomedical Sciences 

Best thing about high school: Finding my best friends. My best friend Rachel & I have gotten each other through high school. I donā€™t know what I would do without her.

9. Kate Niehoff

GPA: 4.625

Clubs/Activities: NHS (president). Earth Club (secretary). Class of 2023 Senator for 4 years, Key Club, Student Council, State Delegate for Florida Science and Engineering Fair 2023. Science NHS, Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society, Event & Auction Manager for Uncork for a Cause.

College planning to attend: Florida State University

Planned major or future career: Double major in psychology & criminology

Best thing about high school: Iā€™ve taken a lot of great classes that have challenged me and helped me grow into a stronger person.Ā 

10. Megan Kelly

GPA: 4.6140

Clubs/Activities: School newspaper, photo editor. NEHS, secretary. NHS, Key Club, dual enrollment AA degree with 4.0 college GPA from PHSC.

College planning to attend: University of Florida

Planned major or future career: Accounting & Data Analytics 

Best thing about high school: Being so close to my friends and family, and I will definitely miss that when I go college. However, I am looking forward to growing independently in college while I pursue my academic goals, participate in clubs and volunteering, and build new relationships.