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In Loving Memory Of Dick Strom

Somehow, even though he passed away on May 29 and friends and family were invited to be received by his family at a memorial service on June 5, I didn’t find out until June 9 that my friend and Cross Creek resident Dick Strom, 61, had lost his battle with cancer. A friend asked me if I had heard Dick had passed at an event that day and, even though I knew he wasn’t doing well following multiple rounds of chemotherapy, I felt my knees buckle when I heard the news.

Kathy, his wonderful wife of 38 years, and Dick didn’t have much time to mourn the passing of their son Patrick, who died in a single-car accident in Hunter’s Green in 2012 before Dick was first diagnosed with cancer.

The Stroms and their friends started a nonprofit organization in Patrick’s honor in 2014, called “Trick’s Kicks,” which has held two golf tournaments and other fund raisers, all with the purpose of donating “Kicks” (athletic shoes, which Patrick, who liked to be called “Trick,” loved) to children in need.

I reported about the second “Trick’s Kicks” golf event in October of last year and Dick was already battling cancer, where I first met the Stroms’ older son Michael and Michael’s future wife Dee.

“Cancer sucks,” Dick told me, “and chemo is really hard on your body. But, I’m not giving up. I have so much to live for.”

His only “complaint” or “question?”

“If you’re going to take me anyway, God, why did you have to take Patrick first?”

One of the events Dick was on hand for was Michael and Dee’s wedding, but since then, he started posting on Facebook about the toll not only the cancer but also the treatments themselves were taking on him.

Even so, it feels like yesterday that Dick and I were coaching youth basketball against each other at Benito Middle School, when both of our younger sons were playing in a Saturday youth league.

I, of course, was among the most…let’s say vocal…of all of the coaches and Dick was one of the quietest (although some of his on-court expressions while biting his tongue were priceless), but somehow, we developed a mutual respect for each other.

I didn’t really get to know him, however, until he and Kathy lost Patrick, but the love he had for his entire family (including his new daughter-in-law) was just so obvious every time we spoke.

Dick was a Project Manager for KFORCE who managed installation of EMC Hardware for federal customers for many years. He also was a faithful and devoted member of St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church and the consummate family man.

It’s never easy for me to say goodbye to someone, especially a true fighter and amazing man like Dick Strom, but it’s even harder to not express my feelings about it here.

Rest in peace, Dick. I know your only consolation is being reunited with Patrick.

Cory Lake Isles CDD Fighting To Preserve Monument Sign

The Cory Lake Isles CDD Board of Supervisors is negotiating with M/I Homes, which plans to take down the monument sign on Cory Lake Dr. just off Cross Creek Blvd. to build one of three new homes.

When you enter Cory Lake Isles (CLI) off of Cross Creek Blvd., and weave your way down Cory Lake Dr. until you can only turn left or right, you can’t help but notice the perfectly manicured orange brick marker with resplendent palm trees rising towards the clouds from behind it.

For many residents, the sign symbolizes what Cory Lake Isles is all about, with a nod to its brick roads and driveways and gorgeous landscaping that reflects a nature-centric view. “It gives you the first impression of the community,’’ said Cyril Spiro, the chair of the CLI Community Development District (CDD).

That is why the CDD is trying to save the marker, as builder M/I Homes is poised to build a home over it.

The three lots M/I is building on — with the marker situated on the middle one — were bought from the original developer and founder of Cory Lake Isles, Gene Thomason, who named the community for his son Cory (who is now a local Realtor).

Whereas the view of the property when approaching the “T” at Cory Lake Dr. used to be the marker in front of a swatch of green grass, trees and a glimpse of Cory Lake, one home already has been built and two more would completely obscure the lake’s view.

Roughly eight months ago, M/I Homes went to the CLI Property Owners Association (POA) for approval to build on the lots.

At first, residents assumed that Thomason had an easement around the marker, essentially making it public property and meaning that any home construction would have to be built around it, thus preserving it.

But, when subsequent CDD meetings with engineers revealed that there was no easement for the sign, Spiro says he and other CDD supervisors were shocked.

“My immediate reaction was, ‘How can that be?,’’” he says. “I had assumed that was public property … and that’s when the confusion set in.”

The CLI CDD then asked M/I Homes to consider the marker when building a home on the lot where the sign sits, suggesting a wraparound driveway that comes in from the left side. The house, then, would be behind the marker, which Spiro thought was reasonable because it would also keep nighttime headlights from shining through the front of a new home.

M/I was initially unwilling to consider that, Spiro says, but in a meeting last week the POA presented a design variance that the home builder has agreed to look at.

Another possible solution: M/I officials have told the CDD to make them an offer for the property.

Now, after some additional meetings and study, the CDD is preparing to do just that. The land has been privately appraised, “and we are ready to make M/I an offer,’’ Spiro says.

Spiro, who also is running for the Tampa City Council (see story on page 4), is pitching the idea of buying the property as less of an expense and more of a community asset. Doing so would put Cory Lake Isles in control of the land. Any homebuilder the CDD chooses to use to put a home on the lot would have to do so while preserving the marker.

To pay for the cost of the land, which could approach six figures, the CDD could tap into its reserve funds, where the District would essentially be borrowing the money from itself and paying itself back, or it could take out a standard loan.

He estimates the cost could be as little as $12 a year to each of the roughly 1,000 homeowners in the community to save the marker.

Spiro, who is campaigning for the City Council on a platform that includes using technology to connect communities and their representatives, hopes to get Board approval to poll CLI residents about how they feel about the marker. However, he says in many conversations with residents, has never heard from anyone who thinks the marker isn’t worth preserving.

And, while the CDD isn’t in the business of buying and selling real estate, there’s a good chance the land could one day turn a profit, paying back the loan and then some.

Spiro and the CDD are continuing to negotiate and fight for ways to save a marker they feel is important to the community.

“I know that the attraction of Cory Lake Isles to owners is the lush green of it all,” Spiro says. “The red brick roads, the trees at every home, the lake…Take out (the marker) and you’ll have a home and a big front door (that greets visitors), and it just sends a completely different message. We are a community of big homes, but that’s not all that we are, and I think (this would) give the impression that this is a community that was developed and put together to make a profit as opposed to appealing to the people and the lifestyle they want to live.”

Café Olé On CC Blvd. Is Still My Favorite Restaurant In New Tampa

Paella There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Café Olé, the continental and authentic Spanish restaurant located in the Cross Creek Center plaza on Cross Creek Blvd. (at Kinnan St.; behind the Shell gas station) is still the best restaurant in New Tampa, hands down.

I know, some of you still haven’t tried it because you think it’s too pricy or because you think you don’t like “Latin” food.

At owner Frank Aliaga’s Café Olé, however, you can get so much more than just delicious authentic Spanish dishes — like real seafood paella, seafood colossal or shrimp in garlic sauce tapas — none of which I can eat because of my shellfish allergy.

In fact, even though I can’t enjoy those three dishes (all of which are pictured on these pages), everything I can safely enjoy at Café Olé is much better than anything you can get anywhere else in New Tampa.

Such As, For Starters?…

Although most of my favorite tapas dishes at Café Olé are usually included on the daily tapas specials list created by the restaurant’s “Sauce Man” Chef Wilson, I love the chicken raviolis on the next page (Café Olé sometimes offers lobster and even veal raviolis, too) in a creamy tomato sauce that is a perfect dipping complement to the amazingly crispy Italian-style bread served upon request with your meal (which already is served with pre-softened butte, which is so much better than any dipping oil, in one man’s opinion).

SeaBass I’m also partial to Café Olé’s Little Neck clams tapas in garlic, white wine and onions and Galician-style grilled octopus (pulpo a la Gallega), both of which are still among the non-fish seafood I can safely eat). If you’re craving lobster, shrimp, mussels and scallops, There’s even unique bruschetta, fried calamari and traditional Spanish chorizo sausage Salteado (in herbs and a light red wine sauce) on the tapas menu.

But, there’s little doubt in my mind that Café Olé’s incredible fresh fish, steak and lamb and veal entrées are what keep me coming back for more. Whether you dine in or take out for lunch or dinner — and the only-slightly-smaller lunch portions are priced so well, it’s a perfect way to try Café Olé without breaking the bank. The lunch specials usually come with the classic Salade Olé, which comes with the best balsamic house dressing in town. The full-sized salad is more than worth splitting for dinner, too.

Whether you prefer the Chilean sea bass shown on this page without the shrimp and creamy white wine and lemon sauce, grouper, mahi, snapper, salmon or corvina, you really can’t go wrong with Café Olé’s fresh fish, which is always served with a starch (usually potatoes or rice) and sautéed, fresh julienned veggies. As for the fish on the actual menu, the pescado de la casa (fresh flounder sautéed with onions, garlic, olives, capers and finished in a fresh tomato sauce) also is outstanding.

Shrimp I’ve also never had a sub-par steak, lamb or veal shank or lamb chops and although the prices aren’t cheap, neither is the quality of the food. Although I’ve had very good lamb chops at other local restaurants, the grilled lamb chops (in some sort of red wine reduction sauce) were the best I’ve had in New Tampa this year. And, I’ve had everything from New York strip to filet mignon to bone-in cowboy ribeyes from the specials list and all were tender and tasty, with sauce or without.

Aliaga and his top-notch staff have worked hard to keep up the quality at Café Olé, even though the place has gone through so many additions and changes the last couple of years. When Aliaga opened the restaurant six years ago, it was only about 30 seats and 1,500 square feet. Today, after annexing two other adjacent spaces in the plaza, it is more than 4,500 sq. ft., with seating for nearly 200 people (book a party there and I know the food will be a major hit), with a kitchen that is at least three times the size of the original.

SeafoodColossal8ozlobtail Café Olé also hosts the New Tampa Noon Rotary Club meetings every Wed. at noon. Attend one time as a guest and you’ll love the food so much you’ll probably join.

The recently revamped bar areas is now much more spacious, and still features premium liquors, Spanish and other imported, micro-brewed and domestic beers and the best wine list in New Tampa. I recommend any of the Spanish reds (ribero del duero, tempranillo, rioja, etc.) or other equally upscale (but not overpriced) red or white wines.

And, Speaking Of Specials…

If you check out the Café Olé ad on page 40 of our current issue, you’ll see that Aliaga & Co. are making it less expensive for you to enjoy your favorite beverages Mon.-Thur. And, you can even enjoy $3 Estrella or Mahou draft or bottled beers during any of the COPA America and Euro Cup soccer games. You just have to root for Spain at the Euro.

And, coming soon is DJ entertainment on Fri. & Sat. nights and weekend brunch!

For reservations (not required, but suggested on weekends) & more info about Café Olé (10020 Cross Creek Blvd.), call 907-5242, or visit CafeOleRestaurant.com

Four Candidates Vying For Montelione’s Vacant Dist. 7 City Council Seat

Luis Viera is the latest candidate to officially enter the race for Tampa City Council.

After two months of lining up support and organizing a campaign, Tampa lawyer and Hunter’s Green resident Luis Viera has officially entered the race for the Tampa City Council District 7 seat being vacated by Lisa Montelione.

Montelione turned in her resignation June 10 with intentions of challenging Republican incumbent Shawn Harrison for the Florida House District 63 seat in November. Montelione, who earns $42,078 as a City Council member, will continue to serve on the Council through Nov. 8.

Viera joins three others in the upcoming special election —Dr. Cyril Spiro of Cory Lake Isles, newspaper editor Gene Siudut of Tampa Palms and former police officer Orlando Gudes of the Copeland Park area near Busch Blvd.

City Council elections are usually held in March in odd-numbered years. An official date for the special election had not been announced at our press time, but the winner of it will serve until the District 7 seat is up again in 2019.

Viera, a single father whose son attends Lawton Chiles Elementary in Tampa Palms, is an attorney with Ogden & Sullivan, P.A., a civil trial practice firm in Tampa, and a former Temple Terrace resident. This is his first time running for public office.

“I took a long look at the process and took a look at life’s responsibilities, and made that personal assessment that I felt this was something I could do,’’ Viera says of his approach. “I wanted to make sure there was good support for me in this race. I wanted to make sure I’m doing well in that regard.”

Which he is, if endorsements are any indication.

While all municipal elections in Tampa are non-partisan, Viera already has a number of top Democrats lined up behind him. Since entering the race on June 1, he already has big-name endorsements, such as from U.S. Rep. (14th Congressional District of Florida) Kathy Castor.

“As an active member of our Tampa community, including work in the City of Tampa Civil Service Board, with the Tampa Hispanic Bar Association and with his autism foundation, Lawyers Autism Awareness Foundation, he (Viera) has proven to be a strong advocate for our community and a fighter for those who need a clearer voice in the community, something that I strive to do everyday in the halls of Congress,’’ Rep. Castor said in a statement.

Viera also claims the endorsements of current Tampa City Council chair Mike Suarez, former state Rep., U.S. congressman and Florida gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis and former state Rep. Mary Figg, who represented the Lutz area in the Florida Legislature in the 1980s.

“We’ll have more endorsements forthcoming and more community leaders supporting our efforts,’’ Viera says.

Will endorsements translate to votes in New Tampa and throughout the diverse District 7? Perhaps. Viera says the support he has already received will help when it comes to building on the work already done in the district, which runs north from Waters Ave. to County Line Rd. and includes Forest Hills, Terrace Park, the University of South Florida and New Tampa. “I plan on fighting for respect for this part of the city,’’ he says.

Viera, who held a fund-raising event in June, has another scheduled for Friday, June 29, hosted by Columbia Restaurant Group president Richard Gonzmart.

Spiro Leads District 7 Candidates in Funds Raised

Cyril Spiro hasn’t held any fund raisers yet, but still leads the field after raising more than $10,000 in May. — Cyril Spiro’s campaign kickoff fundraiser is June 23 at Peabody’s Palm Lounge in Tampa Palms 7:30-9:30 p.m., but he already leads the field after raising more than $10,000 in May.

Speaking of raising funds, Spiro, who works in health care data analytics and has been on the Cory Lake Isles Community Development District (CDD) Board of Supervisors the past five years, had a good first month and led the District 7 pack with $10,989.83 raised in May, including $1,989.83 of his own money, plus six $1,000 donations.

Spiro was pleased with his first month’s total, considering he has yet to hold an official fund raiser.

Meanwhile, Siudut, who recently held a fund raiser at the University Club in downtown Tampa, raised $9,425 in May, according to financial reports.

“We wanted to get to $10,000 our first month, and including in-kind (non-cash, which totaled $1,280.22) donations, we did, so we’re very pleased,’’ said Siudut.

Viera, who wasn’t in the race at the time, and Gudes, who said he has yet to begin fund raising, did not file financial reports for May.

Gudes said he has been spending his time setting up a campaign headquarters, meeting with the local community to identify their needs, and was waiting for Montelione to officially resign, “before we put things in full gear.”

Local 7th Grader Scores 800 On Math SAT

New Tampa resident Aarush Prasad has always been good at math, but when he got his SAT results back in February, even he was a little stunned at the results:

A perfect 800 on the math portion of the important college entrance exam.

Even more amazing is the fact that Aarush is only a seventh-grader.

“I was a little surprised,’’ says Aarush, who attends Williams Middle Magnet School on E. Hillsborough Ave. “I was pretty excited when I found out.”

Aarush was honored for his accomplishment by the Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP) on May 16 at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Duke’s beautiful campus in Durham, NC.

The Grand Recognition Ceremony honored seventh graders across the country who earned exceptional scores on either the ACT or SAT.

The last four years, Duke TIP has named 35-60 students a year as William and Dorothy C. Bevan Scholars for getting perfect SAT math scores, which means they scored equal to or better than 99 percent of all college-bound high school students who took the test, not that they answered every question correctly.

Aarush’s mother, Veenu Gupta, is an instructor at Aloha Mind Math on Cross Creek Blvd. She said she told her son before the test to focus on the math section, since that was his strongest subject. He says he took some mock tests and read study guides to prepare.

“I told him to focus on getting a better score in the math,’’ Veenu said. “But a perfect score is really amazing.”

Aarush, who was on the Math League team at Williams that won top Hillsborough County School District honors last year, also plays the viola for the school orchestra, competed in the U.S. Chess Nationals this past fall and can complete a Rubik’s Cube in less than a minute.