Kickoff Event For Homes For Our Troops This Saturday!

Homes For Our Troops (HFOT)  is hosting a kickoff event for the building of a specially adapted home in Wesley Chapel for Marine Sgt. Christopher L.M. Lawrence this Saturday, April 5, at 10 a.m. (with check-in at 9:30 a.m.). The event is being held at Pinecrest Academy (33347 State Rd 54, Wesley Chapel, FL 33543) and the public is welcome to attend. 

Sgt Lawrence was injured while serving in Iraq and this Community Kickoff event signifies the start of the build process and will introduce Sgt Lawrence to the community. On August 17, 2007, Sergeant Lawrence was serving as a fire team leader with the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, in Al Anbar, Iraq, when he was injured on a foot patrol by an improvised explosive device (IED) blast, resulting in severe damage to his legs and left arm, internal injuries, tinnitus, and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

The home being built for Sgt Lawrence will feature more than 40 major special adaptations such as widened doorways for wheelchair access, a roll-in shower, and kitchen amenities that include pull-down shelving and lowered countertops. The home will also alleviate the mobility and safety issues associated with a traditional home, including navigating a wheelchair through narrow hallways or over thresholds, or reaching for cabinets that are too high. 

HFOT has built more than 400 homes since the organization’s inception in 2004. Homes For Our Troops relies on contributions from donors, supporters, and corporate partners for the building of each Veteran’s home. Community members may hold fundraisers or make donations. To find out more on how to get involved or make a donation visit www.hfotusa.org. Learn more about Marine Sgt Christopher L.M. Lawrence at https://www.hfotusa.org/lawrence

New Phase Of Persimmon Park At Wiregrass Ranch Taking Shape! 

Anyone driving on Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. recently has likely noticed the huge amount of new construction occurring right next to the Wiregrass Ranch community in Wesley Chapel’s northernmost roundabout. This long, 50-acre parcel, that stretches north to south along the west side of Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. (from the first roundabout down to the third roundabout) will serve two future Wiregrass Ranch developments. 

The southernmost seven acres (bottom of map, right) is currently slated for future professional medical offices — a 46,000-sq.-ft., two-story building, followed by a 72,000-sq.- ft., three-story building at a later date. Plans were submitted to the county in February and construction may begin later this year. 

The northernmost twelve acres (at the top of the map) will be for Persimmon Park Phase 3, which will consist of 37 two-story, single family homes and 75 two-story townhomes (or 112 total units). Construction of the land and infrastructure already has been under way for a few months. 

This will leave roughly 31 acres of the 50-acre parcel for drainage ponds and undisturbed conservation wetlands. 

The first two phases of Persimmon Park have had a few home builders, but Phase 3 will be exclusively David Weekley Homes, which also is currently finishing the part of Phase 2 closest to Phase 3 by the roundabout, along Orange Berry Dr. (again see the map). 

The 37 single-family homes will be similar to that part of Phase 2, with the garages in the front of the house, or what the builder calls its “Garden Series.” The lots will be 40’ x 105’ and the salespeople have told us that they expect that the new homes will be at a slightly lower price point when compared with Phase 2, by not offering as many upgrades. Current prices for the Garden Series range from $595,000-$695,000, so Phase 3 buyers should expect slightly lower prices than that. 

However, the townhomes (photo below), which will be located across from the single-family units, will have their garages at the rear of the house, which will open onto an alleyway, similar to how more than half the homes in Phases 1 and 2 of Persimmon Park are laid out, and part of what gives the community its unique look and feel. 

In Persimmon Park, most of these existing “Cottage” series homes’ front doors face a street with parallel parking (which makes sense), and for only one row (14 units) of the new proposed townhomes, the front doors also will face a similar road. 

For all of the other proposed townhomes (61 units), the front doors will face common grass areas or the perimeter of the community, which is something of an odd design choice, because those residents may likely never enter their homes through their front doors, which will be located where one might expect a rear patio to be, only offering a tiny (almost unusable) front porch instead. 

One benefit of this layout, however, is that it allows for an oversized two-car garage, on a townhome lot that might otherwise only be able to accommodate a single-car garage, as these townhomes don’t need room next to the garage for an entry. 

It’s also a good thing that all of these townhomes will have two-car garages, because none of them will have usable driveways! The driveways will only be a couple of feet from the garage doors to the edge of the rear alleyway, which means future owners will either have to park in their garages, or in one of the 32 parallel parking spaces being shared by all 112 units. 

While it’s not 100% confirmed yet, we were told by David Weekley Homes’ sales staff that one of (or perhaps even the) only townhome floor plan that will be offered will be the 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom, 1,751-sq.-ft. “Seawater” floor plan. 

This plan features something unique, where the first floor half-bath is partially (literally two steps) up the stairs, off to the side of the stairwell directional landing (yes you heard that correctly) — not under the stairs like most are used to seeing in newer townhomes. The bathroom actually protrudes into the oversized garage to achieve this set-up, while the space under the stairs is reserved for storage. Pricing for these townhomes has not yet been determined. 

There was some unexpected good news, however, for the future residents of this upcoming new phase. According to a permit submitted last month, Persimmon Park Phase 3 will now be getting its own swimming pool, so residents of the new phase won’t have to share the existing pool serving the first two phases of Persimmon Park. 

For more info about David Weekley Homes in Persimmon Park at Wiregrass Ranch, visit DavidWeekleyHomes.com. 

What Is Being Done About Morris Bridge Rd.? 

Will The ‘Rural’ Road’s Flooding Following Hurricane Milton & Clear Need For Widening Ever Be Addressed? 

This is Morris Bridge Rd. looking south from the entrance to Cory Lake Isles on a usual weekday morning. For those who live along this formerly rural roadway, the daily commute to Tampa can be an absolute nightmare. So, what, if anything, is being done about it? (Photo by Joel Provenzano) 

 What are some of the things New Tampa and Wesley Chapel have in common? 

In addition to car washes, nail salons and self-storage facilities, both rely heavily on two “major” north-south roadways — the eight- (in New Tampa) or six-lane (in Wesley Chapel) Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and the mostly two-lane Morris Bridge (MB) Rd — as important daily travel routes. 

Due to the explosive growth in both K-Bar Ranch/Easton Park in New Tampa and, especially, in the plethora of new developments in and near Wesley Chapel, dependence upon MB Rd. has continued to grow year after year. 

However, traveling on the winding, two-lane MB Rd. from the Fletcher Ave. exit off I-75 in Hillsborough up into Pasco County can be a white-knuckle experience for any motorist, bicyclist or pedestrian — and for more than just one reason. 

Development has caused this formerly rural roadway to be plagued by flooding (resulting in closures), as well as by heavy traffic, safety concerns, poor road conditions and some other silly stuff that commuters in both New Tampa and Wesley Chapel have to deal with every day. 

With three mattresses tied to a roof, even a single Nissan Altima going 25 mph at rush hour can create havoc on MB Rd., generating a quarter-mile-long backup of angry drivers, all inching over the centerline to see if they can pass. Yes, we observed this while standing outside our vehicle and taking photos from the entrance to Cory Lake Isles! 

We reached out to both Hillsborough County and City of Tampa governmental officials to find out their thoughts, and if there are any “real” projects actually moving forward to improve MB Rd. We provided them with a list of questions that did generate some responses. 

We specifically asked if there were any planned capacity or safety improvement projects in the works, especially any widening plans to handle future volumes, or how the county (since MB Rd. is a county road that serves both city and county residents, as does BBD) plans to handle those traffic volumes that are expected to significantly increase over next few years, due to development on the north end — primarily the continuing expansion of K-Bar Ranch and the massive Two Rivers development, which is really just getting started building near MB Rd. both north and south of the Hillsborough-Pasco county line. 

In short, much-needed flooding countermeasures have been installed (following the multi-week shutdown of MB Rd. north of Cross Creek [CC] Blvd. following Hurricane Milton last October) and both a safety project and resurfacing project are coming, but any real vehicle capacity/ modernization projects are still up in the air. District 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera, in his final term in his seat, at least has an idea about how to address the everyday traffic on MB Rd. 

Councilman Viera’s Perspective 

Although MB Rd. is entirely a county roadway, roughly 1/3 of the people living along the roadway live within Tampa’s city limits, with all of those residents (at least until the Hillsborough portion of Two Rivers begins building) living in the city-based New Tampa developments of Cory Lake Isles, Easton Park and K-Bar Ranch. 

As such, we were grateful to interview Viera to get his opinion about some of the county’s responses, and what he’d like to see done as a proven champion of innovative intergovernmental (meaning city and county) collaboration. 

He specifically notes that there’s a, “Need to modernize Morris Bridge. The City has to work with the county on long- term solutions,” indicating that county officials can’t, and shouldn’t have to, try to fix MB Rd. all by themselves. 

Viera believes that one of the biggest issues in the past (in regards to capacity improvements) has been the obvious environmental concerns, since MB Rd. winds past thousands of acres of multiple county parks (Flatwoods, Morris Bridge Park, etc.). He explains that, “We need to be respectful of the environment, but the environmental issues have been the biggest roadblock (to improving MB Rd.).” 

Viera clearly believes that NOW is the time for a change. “You know what?,” he says. “Next week [the week of March 24, or after we went to press with this issue], I’m going to make a motion to City Council,” in regards to creating a shared vision for MB Rd. by having the city reach out to the county. 

Since the road actually winds through two counties, Viera says he also plans to reach out to District 2 Pasco County Commissioner Seth Weightman (who represents the portion of Wesley Chapel directly to the west and north of the county line at MB Rd.) to also try to get Pasco’s buy-in and help with that shared vision. 

Since several places of worship, and multiple new businesses and communities are quickly popping up along the route, he feels the “rural nature” of the road isn’t keeping up with the times or its now more modern suburban context. 

A Little History 

While the original Morris “Bridge” is long gone, a bridge that was originally located just north of the Pasco County line (near where an underwhelming box culvert now sits), MB Rd. still exists as an “old” rural road abutted by suburban communities. 

How old? Apparently, more than 100 years old! In fact, MB Rd. may be one of the oldest surviving (and continually used) county arterial roads in Tampa, coming from a time when maps of the county and state were more likely to show railroads than roads, because that was the primary form of transportation for those traveling long distances. 

Without these primitive roads being shown on maps, their existence, location, and purpose had to be shared by word of mouth and/or in newspaper articles, especially for newer routes. What was written over a hundred years ago about Morris Bridge as a fledgling route was absolutely fascinating. 

In its June 1, 1923, edition, The Dade City Banner (photo, left) had the following article: 

GOOD ROUTE OPEN TO TAMPA 

BY WAY OF MORRIS BRIDGE 

“The recent heavy rains having made the route [where S.R. 39 sits today] to Tampa by way of Crystal Springs and Plant City impassable, there has been considerable inquiry as to another route that could be used by parties who found it necessary to visit the South Florida metropolis and did not care to avail themselves of the convenient train schedules. A number of people have been making the trip lately by way of the Morris Bridge and pronounce that route not only perfectly passable but a surprisingly good one. It is about 12 miles shorter than by way of Plant City. 

To follow this route one turns west at the railroad crossing at Zephyrhills, goes to Will Ryals farm, about a mile from town, from there to Jim Hills’ place. Here take a plain road running southwest and at all forks take the one running in that direction. This road is said to be graded the entire distance and, from the Morris Bridge at the county line to Harney has been clayen [sand-clay]. From Harney a brick road leads to Tampa.” 

This is funny, because to this day, Morris Bridge Rd. still becomes Harney Rd. at its very southern terminus in Temple Terrace. 

Flooding Concerns 

Speaking of flooding and impassable roads, our field review showed where repairs had been done when the road was flooded (and closed) multiple times last year. We asked Hillsborough County staffers if these repairs were permanent fixes that will reduce flooding and road closures in the future, or just temporary fixes to repair the damage? 

Todd Pratt, who is with the Hillsborough County Media Relations Department, says that, “The repairs done after Milton were permanent fixes that consisted of replacing culverts that convey water under and across Morris Bridge Rd. These culverts had collapsed/washed out during the hurricane.” 

Time, and the next major rainy season, will tell if these repairs will hold, or if new ones will be needed. 

Safety Improvement Project 

Regarding MB Rd. safety projects, Hillsborough senior media relations strategist Chris Wilkerson says that, “Morris Bridge Road has a planned safety improvement project (see below) slated to begin later this year. The contract for the project is planned to go before the BOCC (Board of County Commissioners) in April. If approved, the project would address safety concerns on the roadway, including documented consistent high rates of speed and distracted drivers. The project is designed to address speeding and motorist lane departure crashes.” 

Proposed Safety Improvements – $2.1 million: 

‱ No Passing Zones w/Vertical Delineators 

‱ Reflective & Profiled Lane Line Markings 

‱ Speed Feedback Signs, Flashing Beacons for Intersection Ahead & Curve Warning & Signal Head Back Plates 

‱ Bike Lane & Safety Enhancements at Bridge over Hillsborough River 

‱ Bicycle Signs and Lane Markings & Wildlife Signs 

Meanwhile, Viera says that, “$2.1 million is wonderful, but we need to push that envelope!,” although he says he is really happy to see that “speed feedback signs” and “no passing” enhancements, are part of the safety project, as these would address issues his constituents have discussed with him. 

Prior 1% Surtax to Fund Resurfacing 

The last time MB Rd. (at least north of CC Blvd.) was resurfaced was way back in 2002. The portion south of CC Blvd. is in somewhat better shape, as it was last resurfaced in 2017. 

A physical review we conducted of the corridor noted aging/deteriorating pavement with potholes, multiple patches, narrow, worn or no shoulders, no sidewalks (except self-funded ones in front of a few businesses) and very narrow lane widths at a few points (mostly north of Cory Lake Isles approaching and into Pasco County). 

So, is MB Rd. on the county’s list of roadways to be resurfaced? We hadn’t previously seen or heard of MB Rd. as being on any 3R (Resurfacing, Restoration, Rehabilitation) project list. 

But, Pratt told us, “The Florida Legislature has identified repaving projects to be completed in Hillsborough County using a portion of the previously collected Transportation Surtax funds (see below). One of the roads to be repaved is Morris Bridge Road. The County will need to coordinate this paving to be done in conjunction with the safety improvement project.” 

Confused? You may recall that back in 2018, Hillsborough County voters had passed a one-cent sales tax to fund needed transportation projects. This tax ended up being legally challenged, and was found to be unconstitutional by the Florida Supreme Court in March 2021. But, by then, the county had already collected about $589 million from local taxpayers. 

After the tax was eliminated, state lawmakers went ahead and made a plan to split that collected money up between county road improvement projects, a Hillsborough tax holiday, reimbursement of the county’s legal fees, and a settlement fund that would allow Hillsborough taxpayers and residents to receive refunds (up to $100 without showing any receipts). 

That plan began about a year ago, when county commissioners met to start dividing up the funds. It was decided that about $256 million would go towards road projects (including road resurfacing). At the beginning of March of this year, the first $17 million of that money started being distributed, with all of the funds expected to reach the long list of target projects by 2030. 

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is slated to make sure the county completes these projects by the deadline. That overall plan will be up for approval at one of the upcoming BOCC meetings in April. 

Capacity Concerns 

At our press time, county officials had not yet responded to our most pressing question — How does the county plan to handle MB Rd. volumes that surely will significantly increase over next few years due to development on the north end of the road (from K-Bar Ranch, Two Rivers and other Pasco developments), and what those forecasted volumes (if they’ve been forecasted through traffic studies or other models) might be, compared with recent historic volumes (meaning, how much growth in percentage or number of vehicles is expected?). 

Current state data shows an annual average daily traffic (or AADT) of 15,000 vehicles per day for MB Rd.. (Note-AADT is the total number, in both directions, of vehicular trips taken on that road each day, divided by 365 days in a year.) 

Based on our preliminary calculations, it would not be unreasonable to see an increase of 20% in the traffic volumes over the next few years, given the size of the future developments that will be connected to the road. 

As we had written in a previous article from April of 2024, the final phase of K-Bar Ranch in Hillsborough will add hundreds more homes, and open up ALL of K-Bar to MB Rd. via an extension of K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. to the east, past Easton Park. Once that extension has been completed, this also will subsequently open all of the Union Park and Meadow Pointe developments in Wesley Chapel to MB Rd. as well, via the planned Wyndfields Blvd. extension to the south, and the existing Meadow Pointe Blvd. extension. 

The 6,000-acre Two Rivers development on the edge of Wesley Chapel and New Tampa (although it actually is located in Zephyrhills in Pasco and Thonotosassa in Hillsborough) will be adding an estimated 7,500 more residences, plus commercial developments, the Peak Surf Park and schools, with its north-south traffic to be split between U.S. Hwy. 301 and MB Rd. But, as anyone living in the area might imagine, it will still have a significant impact on MB Rd. 

Bridge Scouring 

The current bridge over the Hillsborough River on MB Rd. was built in 1963. Since then, its piers have experienced significant base erosion, which is referred to as “scouring,” a critical problem that can affect the bridge’s structural sturdiness if not properly addressed. 

Based on a fact sheet put out in January 2025,Hillsborough plans to spend roughly $864,000 to, “install an articulating concrete block revetment system as a scour countermeasure.” Revetment is just a fancy way of saying a sloping structure that is usually made of stone or concrete, used to protect the riverbed around piers from erosion caused by river currents or other forces. Otherwise, the piers can become unstable if too much of the bed is eroded, which is why this is a critical repair. 

Construction of the revetment system is expected to be completed by early 2027. 

So, How Can I Get Involved? 

Believe it or not, your elected officials actually want — or even, make that need — to hear your traffic and safety concerns about MB Rd. 

So, how can you get involved? In addition to contacting your local county representative — District 2 Commissioner Ken Hagan — Councilman Viera wants everyone to know that he has an upcoming New Tampa Community public meeting, on Tuesday, April 15, 5:45 p.m., at the Easton Park Community Pool Clubhouse (10776 Pictorial Park Dr., Tampa). 

Viera says he will be on hand at that meeting to receive input, answer questions, and talk about MB Rd., as well as about crime, education, housing, the progress on the planned park in K-Bar Ranch and pretty much anything else New Tampa or even Tampa-related. 

Viera will be joined by a representative of the Tampa Police Department at that Town Hall-style event, as well as by District 6 (countywide) Hillsborough School Board member Karen Perez. 

For more information about that meeting, email luis.viera@tampagov.net. 

‘Chamber Chatter’ — Our Editor Is Hope’s First Guest; Plus, Tri-Health Cuts A Ribbon 

If you haven’t yet been to the new North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) office — located at 28329 Paseo Dr., Suite 195, in the same space next to Dillard’s in the Shops at Wiregrass that previously was home to a Pasco Sheriff’s Office substation (and then, the off-site office for the Amberlin at Wiregrass Ranch apartments), you really should go check it out. 

As NTBC president & CEO Hope Kennedy mentioned when I was her first guest at her new in-office studio for her “Chamber Chatter” podcast last week, “This is the office I always wanted here at the mall. I’m so glad we finally were able to get it!” 

Hope said that it was only fitting that I would be her first guest in the new studio, because of the long-standing symbiotic relationship between the Chamber and the Neighborhood News, especially since Hope first took over the reins at the former Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber 13 or so years ago. 

Not only did I get to tell that story, but also a lot of the history of the only news publication directly mailed to all of New Tampa and Wesley Chapel for the last 30 years under the same owner and editor. 

My 30-minute chat with Hope also touched on my obsession with helping local mom-and-pop restaurants succeed in our communities, on my not understanding why we have to have so many chicken places and my decision to host a contest to find our readers’ favorite chicken restaurant. 

Hope also brought up my dismay over the fact that two sisters who live in Wesley Chapel — Scarlett Spongberg and Fallon Fields (above left photo) — didn’t get to win one of 20 drawn-at-random free Raising Cane’s-for-a-year prizes, despite being first in line at the Raising Cane’s Grand Opening. Hope mentioned “the nice story” that local Realtors Chad and April Emory of Emorys Rock Realty split the cost with me of providing that prize for the two young women. 

Check out “Chamber Chatter” at NorthTampaBayChamber.com. To try to be a guest on the show, call the Chamber office at (813) 994-8534. 

Congrats, Tri-Health! 

One of the other things Hope mentioned during the podcast was how much she appreciates us shining the spotlight in print on so many Chamber members who host NTBC ribbon-cutting events at their locations. 

One such event we never published was the ribbon cutting (right) for Tri-Health Primary Care & Women’s Health Services, located at 2253 Green Hedges Way, #101, in the Summergate Prof. Center, which cut a Chamber ribbon on Jan. 30. 

For more info, call (813) 771-6851. — GN 

Wesley Chapel’s Walmart To Be Home To Conviva Senior Primary Care 

Speaking of convenience, Walmart is expanding a partnership to provide convenient healthcare options inside their stores, and the Wesley Chapel is next on the list. Last month, the Walmart at 28500 S.R. 54 took out permits and then quickly installed the new sign for “Conviva Senior Primary Care,” located in the clinical office space formerly occupied by Walmart Health. 

The clinics are part of Humana’s Primary Care Organization (PCO), which includes Conviva and CenterWell Senior Primary Care. 

Last year, in a press release from Humana, Walmart’s executive vice president of health & wellness Brian Setzer said, “We are looking forward to welcoming CenterWell [and Conviva] into these purpose-built health care spaces to offer quality care to communities in four states.” 

He added, “Leasing these spaces to a well-known and successful healthcare delivery organization is a win for [our] customers and patients, as we continue to focus on our core health & wellness business of Pharmacy and Optical.” 

Conviva’s website states that the company has locations in Texas and Florida, and we found that there are already more than a dozen existing care centers dotted around the greater Tampa area, a couple of which are located inside Walmarts, like the ones at 1575 Land O’Lakes Blvd. in Lutz and at 7631 Gall Blvd. in Zephyrhills. 

According to ConvivaCareCenters.com, “At Conviva Senior Primary Care, you’ll get 50% more one-on-one time with our primary care physicians who respect your schedule. Take the time to ask all of your questions and feel confident about your care.” 

Conviva will have its own exterior entrance, located east of the doors for Wesley Chapel Walmart’s ‘Home & Pharmacy’ section. There will be dedicated and marked parking spaces for patients, as well as another interior entrance to the clinic next to the vision center. 

Meghan Kile, an insurance broker/agent with a desk set up just inside the front of the Walmart in the mornings (under a bright blue banner with the Walmart logo and the names of multiple insurance providers), stated that she thinks Conviva is hoping to be open by April or May, but she had heard no exact date as of yet. Meghan believes this Conviva location is still in the process of hiring its staff. 

The sign out front of Conviva’s exterior entrance says “Accepting New Patients” and the phone number listed — (813) 815-8391 — goes straight to a voicemail for an “Immacula Nezier, APRN.” Unfortunately, we were not able to get in touch with Nezier for more exact details.