Community Gives Blood In Memory Of Gabriel Hassan 

 Dozens Of Units Of Blood Were Donated To Honor The Wharton Grad Who Died From Leukemia 

Sophia, Mahmoud & Lily Carolyn Hassan, with Gabriel’s Boy Scout uniform at the OneBlood drive on May 10. 
(Photos by Charmaine George) 

 A little more than three months after he passed away from leukemia caused by a rare ailment he had from birth called Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome (or SDS), the family of Wharton High graduate Gabriel “Gabe” Hassan held a community blood drive on what would have been Gabe’s 18th birthday — May 10 — at the Islamic Society of New Tampa’s Masjid Daarusalam on Morris Bridge Rd., just north of Cross Creek Blvd. 


Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera (above) & Florida House Minority leader Fentrice Driskell (right) at the blood drive. (Photos from Luis Viera’s Facebook page) 

There were three OneBlood Bloodmobiles on hand (photo) at the blood drive, which began a few hours before the regular services at the New Tampa Mosque. 

Dozens of Muslim worshipers, plus members of Gabe’s Boy Scout Troop 148 and fellow Wharton students, as well as District 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera and District 67 State Rep. (and House Minority Leader) Fentrice Driskell donated blood in Gabe’s honor and memory on his birthday. 

Gabe’s mom Lily Carolyn (below left photo) and dad, Mahmoud (right photo), were among the 65 people who donated blood on their son’s birthday. Lily Carolyn, who shared her private writings about Gabe and his favorite things with us (see below), said it was the first time she had ever donated blood. 

Lily Carolyn was appreciative of all of the support the blood drive received. “It’s been really difficult with the loss of Gabe,” she told me. “He was the little guy that knew how to light up the room.” 

She noted that the Wharton High PTSA also previously held its own OneBlood drive, where 40 units were donated. 

“My wish for his birthday was to equal or best it,” Lily Carolyn said. “God is great. We beat it by 25 units.” She also noted that the 65 units of blood collected could help save 195 adults or 390 babies. 

“I also ordered 18 mini red velvet bundt cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes for those who came early to the blood drive to celebrate Gabe’s birthday. It was his favorite.” 

Speaking Of Favorites… 
The first page of the journal Lily Carolyn has been keeping in memory of her son and his favorite things. 

Since the day he passed, Lily Carolyn has been making entries in a journal to keep the memory of Gabe alive. “This journal has all your loves and dislikes,” she wrote. “You were supposed to bury me. You were becoming the young man your daddy and I were starting to see. You wanted to go to USF and go into the field of biomedical engineering and help daddy with billing on the side.” 

The next several pages are filled with Gabe’s loves and dislikes, including: 

Favorite Foods — Pad Thai noodles, sweet sticky rice, sushi and poké bowls (especially from Bonefish), Ford’s Garage mushroom burger w/onion rings, calzones from Anthony’s NY Pizza, Panera tomato soup, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Chick-fil-A spicy chicken sandwich, cinnamon bun w/ vanilla glaze, Mom’s pancet w/mushrooms, Star Wars edge of the galaxy green shakes from Luke’s aunt…and many more. 

Favorite Movie He Can Watch Over & Over Again — “Mario Bros. 2023” 

Something He Has Done With The Hassan Family That He Will Never Do Again — Scuba diving 

Other Favorites — Hanging with family & friends, eating at restaurants, hanging with his birds (Georgio, or “Gremlin,” Sim Sim & Flappy), going to Best Buy and going to movies with Popa Greg. He loved the Boy Scouts and hanging with his fellow Scouts, helping with service projects, food pantry/distribution… Gabe loved learning and was curious of the world. He loved life & his family. 

Least Liked Merit Badge He Completed — Fishing, “Which is funny, as he loves eating fish. He just didn’t like the process of gutting & cleaning it out.” 

Lily Carolyn also shared that SDS, which ultimately caused Gabe’s leukemia, afflicts only one person in 80,000. It also stunts normal growth as its victims age, “Even before he died, Gabe was only 4’-10” tall, shorter than his sister Sophia (Gabe called her ‘Soph Soph’), who is 5’-4” at only 12 years old.” 

She also noted that in the photo above she sent me, Gabe and Sophia volunteered at Ronald McDonald House, “Not knowing we were going to be on the other side…the recipients. We taught them young the important value of giving back to the community.” 

Thank you for this info, Lily Carolyn. 

GEICO Wesley Chapel’s Local Office Wants To Help You Get Covered! 


Instead of calling a 1-800 number, if you need almost any kind of insurance, walk into the GEICO local office owned by Jaime Bryant (in blue in front) in the Super Target-anchored Northwoods Plaza on BBD Blvd. at County Line Rd. to meet with a live agent. (Photos by Charmaine George) 

It seems that these days, whenever you go on social media, you find someone saying, “My insurance rates have gone up!” But, in our all-electronic, virtual world, being able to go to a physical location to speak with an insurance expert can make a big difference. 

In case you still didn’t know it, sitting in the Super Target-anchored Northwoods Plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., at County Line Rd., is a team of insurance experts. Just walk into the Wesley Chapel local office of GEICO Insurance, where actual live people can help you with a wide variety of insurance needs. 

Owner and long-time Wesley Chapel resident Jaime Bryant opened the office in December of 2020, but he began working for GEICO in 2004, after earning his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of South Florida. He also received his Florida 2-20 Resident General Lines License (which allows him to provide property, casualty, surety, marine, health and miscellaneous insurance lines, including auto, motorcycle, boats/watercraft, homes, condos, RVs, renters and even pet insurance) to ensure that his local GEICO office can provide you with virtually any type of insurance you may need. 

Jaime says his GEICO local office can write policies for your “home, auto, commercial auto, motorcycle, condo, rental apartment, boat/watercraft, jewelry, flood mobile homes/RVs and umbrella policies.” 

An umbrella policy provides added protection beyond your existing limits and coverages of other policies. Jaime says, “Umbrella policies are good for someone who has a lot of assets.” 

When you call or walk into Jaime’s local GEICO office, an agent can take your information, which is then used to customize whatever policies you may want to your specific needs. 

As for GEICO’s rates, although there’s been a lot of discussion these days about rising insurance rates, especially here in Florida, Jaime says, “While everyone has seen some increases in their premiums, the market now appears to be stabilizing, with most (but not all) insurance premiums staying about the same.” 

Help For Home & Condo Owners 

If you need home or condominium insurance, dates may come into play. In most cases, a condo or townhome can be any age. But, for homes, mobile homes and RVs, GEICO can issue you a policy, as long as your home was built in 1995 or later. 

Jaime, Elliot and Shannon Bryant hope you will visit their GEICO local office for your insurance needs! 

Homeowner policies will cover not just the home itself, but also attached structures such as garages, lanais and even fences, as well as any personal property inside the home. These policies, in most cases, also will include liability coverage, which will protect you in the event someone gets injured in your home, although additional liability insurance is sometimes required. Jaime says your GEICO agent can assist you with finding all of the requirements for your perfect policy. 

“For example,” he says, “Your homeowners insurance will usually have hurricane coverage. In the state of Florida, GEICO requires policies to have hurricane coverage, which will include damage caused by tropical storms. In order for this coverage to kick in, the storm causing the damage has to be a named storm. For non-named storms, the claim would be under ‘wind damage.’” 

With hurricane season now just a few days away from starting, Jaime says this is a good time to visit the GEICO local office to see what he and his staff can do for you. 

In addition, while Wesley Chapel is not in a major flood zone, Jaime and his crew can still provide you with flood insurance. 

He says, “Just because flood insurance isn’t required here, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have it. Flood insurance will cover water that is coming into your home from your property — for example, from rain that is not from a hurricane, a sewer, or an overflowing pond.” 

He adds, “People don’t think they will find themselves in these situations, but when they do, they wish they would have had the insurance. Plus, flood insurance is not very expensive to add to your homeowners policy.” 

The Buying Power Of ‘Bundling’ 

Jaime says that GEICO’s rates are very competitive and your live agent will always check for all possible discounts. As one of the largest insurance companies in the U.S., GEICO also offers discounts for “bundling” different policies together. 

For example, Jaime says that bundling your home and auto policies together will qualify you for discounts on both policies. “It doesn’t always end up costing you less than buying them separately,” he says, “but it usually does.” 

He adds, “But, when you bundle multiple GEICO policies together though, because GEICO (which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway) is such a large company, at least you don’t have to worry about us leaving the state (as so many other insurance companies have over the past few years).” He also notes that auto and renters insurance also are often bundled, “because the renters insurance will then either be free or cost pennies on the dollar, which is probably the biggest savings you get by bundling.” 

When you own a boat, Jaime says that whether you bundle it with your homeowners policy or not, “Boat/watercraft insurance is one of our most competitively priced products on the market.” Other GEICO policies with competitive rates include for recreation vehicles (RVs), travel trailers and mobile/manufactured homes. 

For the best possible information, Jaime says it’s always a good idea to, “Stop by and speak to one of our agents, rather than calling the GEICO 1-800 number. Our people can help you find the policy (or policies) you need at the best possible rates.” 

In addition, Jaime says that if you or your family members or friends who need insurance would prefer to speak to someone in Spanish, he has bilingual agents who can assist them with that, too. 

Giving Back… 

Jaime gives back to our community and to some organizations that he says are near and dear to his heart. The office will be sponsoring a golf tournament for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. This nonprofit organization has made a promise to the children of fallen U.S. Special Operations personnel and the children of all service members awarded the Medal of Honor by providing full education and additional opportunities for them. 

Jaime, who lives with his wife Shannon and their two-year-old son Elliot in Wesley Chapel, says he also will sponsor the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) at Wharton High next year. He also sponsors the sports tickets for Wiregrass Ranch High and has provided folders for Double Branch, New River and Watergrass elementaries in Wesley Chapel. 

The GEICO Wesley Chapel local office is located at 1227 BBD Blvd. The office is open Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.- 6:30 p.m., and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sat. For more information, call (813) 953- 4200 or feel free to stop by the office in person. You also can visit GEICO.com/insurance-agents/florida/tampa/ jaime-bryant/

Upcoming Events — Graduation Ceremonies, ‘Final Friday’ & More!

The end of the 2023-24 school year brings not only separate graduation events for each of Wesley Chapel’s three local public high schools, but also the start of the Summer of 2024 for all local students. 

You’d think that the calendar of events for our area would slow down as the summer kicks off, but there is still plenty to do in and around Wesley Chapel.

Saturday, May 25, 7 p.m.-11 p.m. — Jazz Night at The KRATE at The Grove Container Park.  

Friday, May 31, 4 p.m.-6 p.m.. — The North Tampa Bay Chamber presents “Final Friday.” This free networking event will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa- Wesley Chapel (26640 Silver Maple Pkwy.). 

For more information, visit NorthTampaBayChamber.com 

Friday, May 31, 4 p.m. — Cypress Creek High Graduation Ceremony. At the USF Yuengling Center. 

Friday, May 31, 7 p.m.-11 p.m. — R&B Night at The KRATE at The Grove Container Park. See story on next page. 

Saturday, June 1, 5 p.m. — Wesley Chapel High Graduation Ceremony. At the USF Yuengling Center. 

Monday, June 3, 5 p.m. — Wiregrass Ranch High Graduation Ceremony. At the USF Yuengling Center. 

Friday, June 7, 5:30-9:30 p.m. — The Market Elaine. At the Village at The Grove, with 150+ vendors, free admission & free parking. For info, visit TheMarketElaine.com. 

North Tampa Law Group For Estate Planning & Real Estate Law 

Attorney Brian Arrighi of North Tampa Law Group can help you with real estate transactions, estate planning, probate and more at his North Tampa Law Group office off S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel. (Photos by Charmaine George)

Attorney Brian Arrighi helps people with estate planning, probate and real estate transactions at his North Tampa Law Group office, located in the Cypress Glen Professional Park off S.R. 56 (east of I-75) in Wesley Chapel. 

The Tampa Palms resident has served his neighbors in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel for 19 years, helping those who find themselves in need of an attorney for real estate transactions, estate planning and probate issues. 

Brian, the owner of North Tampa Law Group, relocated his firm to its Wesley Chapel location nearly 10 years ago, after originally opening it in the Tampa Palms Professional Center in 2014. 

Brian earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the Stetson University College of Law in St. Petersburg, where he graduated cum laude, and his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Mass Communications from the University of Florida in Gainesville. He’s a member of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law section of the Florida Bar. 

“Our practice involves three areas,” Brian explains, “real estate, estate planning and probate (law).” 

Real estate law includes title closings, title insurance and organizing and overseeing real estate transactions. This includes handling “For Sale by Owner” home sales from contract to closing. 

As an experienced probate attorney, dealing with distribution of property after someone’s death, Brian also understands the complicated issues that might arise related to real estate titles. 

That’s why he says many of his clients are referred to him by local real estate agents, who suggest they hire North Tampa Law Group instead of a title agency for their closings. He says those agents tell him they recommend his firm because it is quick and efficient in dealing with issues found during title searches. 

Brian says, “If something pops up on the title search, we’re able to get on the legal side of it right away, whereas a title agency will send you to hire a lawyer to figure it out. We can usually get the legal work done and still close on time, because we get such a good head start on it.” 

He adds that hiring North Tampa Law Group to handle a real estate closing doesn’t necessarily increase the cost of a transaction without an attorney. 

“Our fees are very competitive compared to a standard title agent,” Brian says. 

In most transactions, the seller is the party who chooses the title agency, and sellers often use whoever their Realtor recommends. But, people are free to choose, so they can let their Realtor know they would like North Tampa Law Group to handle their closing and title insurance. 

“For someone selling their home by owner,” Brian says, “once they obtain the buyer, we provide the contract and forms and take it from there. We handle everything and oversee it all the way to closing.” 

James is a local resident who had a great experience using North Tampa Law Group for a real estate closing — selling a townhouse in Zephyrhills. 

“The process couldn’t have been made simpler for us and we are thrilled with their service,” James says, explaining that the communication with North Tampa Law Group throughout the process also was outstanding. 

“Based on our experience,” he adds, “I would definitely use them again and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to others.” 

Estate Planning & Probate 

In addition to handling real estate closings, North Tampa Law Group also helps clients with estate planning, such as wills, trusts and the transfer of wealth and assets to loved ones after a death. Brian says he has something of a specialty helping people set up their estates so they can protect their minor children from outside influences and adults from making poor decisions. He works with individuals to set up trusts for health care, living expenses and smaller disbursements, rather than lump-sum payouts, if that’s what the client wants. 

One thing Brian emphasizes is that each client’s individual circumstances are unique, so he helps to arrange documents in whatever way is best for each person’s particular situation. 

Even for those who don’t know where to start with an estate plan, North Tampa Law Group can help. 

“If people aren’t sure what they want,” Brian says, “we can sit down, do a consultation and listen to their objectives — how they want their estate distributed, and what it will consist of. Then, we go over their options and give recommendations for what type of trust or plan will be specific to that individual’s needs.” 

He says that many clients are relieved to find out the estate planning process was not as expensive or as difficult as they thought it would be. 

Most services are offered at a flat rate. At the initial consultation, Brian will go over your options and fee structures. Then, you will have the choice of whether or not to move forward with the services. 

And, while proper estate planning prepares for the management of your assets and determines how to efficiently distribute those assets to your loved ones when you pass away, a lack of estate planning could cause confusion that leads to a potentially lengthy and expensive court process known as “probate.” 

When probate is necessary — for example, for those who have recently lost someone and find themselves needing the court to sort through any issues — Brian is experienced in that process. 

Consultations for real estate, estate planning and probate can all be done in person at North Tampa Law Group’s office, although Brian also offers phone consultations for those who prefer them. 

“Some things are easier to understand in person,” he says, “and it’s really important for people to know all the differences between everything I’m explaining. But, if a client prefers a phone call, I’m still happy to do that.” 

North Tampa Law Group is located at 26852 Tanic Dr., Suite 102. For more information, visit NorthTampaLawGroup.com, or make an appointment for a free initial consultation by calling (813) 518-7411. 

News Briefs — Whole Foods Resubmitted, Skilled Nursing Facility Proposed 

Whole Foods Resubmitted 

Updating the story we reported in our Mar. 19 issue, the developer who previously withdrew plans to build a Whole Foods Market on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. at Aronwood Blvd. in Meadow Pointe resubmitted those plans to Pasco County officials on Apr. 23. 

After reviewing the revised site plan (above), it appears that the main differences between the new plan and the old plan is that the developer, SJC Ventures, is proposing to add a trucks-only driveway from BBD behind Whole Foods (see map) to make it easier for delivery trucks to get to the loading bay. 

Also, the new site plan removes the small standalone building near the Lifestyle Family Fitness building and just made the other two standalone buildings a little bigger. SJC also built the recently opened Whole Foods in St. Petersburg. 

Although we don’t know when the plan will come up for approval by the Pasco Board of County Commissioners. We’ll keep you posted. — JP 

Skilled Nursing Facility Proposed Near The Grove 
The location of the proposed skilled nursing facility referred to on its site plan as “Oakley Place” is proposed to be constructed in front of the Avasa Grove West apartments on Oakley Blvd. (Map: NN) 

As first reported on Apr. 22 by Kelly Gilroy on the Pasco County Development & Growth Updates Facebook page, plans for a 202-bed, nearly 112,000-sq.-ft. skilled nursing facility (SNF) were submitted to the county. 

Planned on a 7.83-acre site at the corner of Oakley Blvd. and Grove Isle Dr., in front of the Avasa Grove West apartments (across Oakley Blvd. from Cost Plus World Market), this would be the second SNF in Wesley Chapel, as the only other such facility is part of the Blue Heron Senior Living residence on Eagleston Blvd. off BBD. 

Emorys Rock Realty 

Congratulations to Licensed Real Estate Broker Chad Emory and his wife (and fellow Realtor) April on the establishment of Emorys Rock Realty, which has an office in the Signature Workspace at the Shops at Wiregrass. 

It’s hard “Keeping Up With The Emorys,” as they attend virtually every North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) ribbon cutting (Chad also is an NTBC Board member) and other local events, but what they want is to help you the next time you buy or sell a home! 

For more information, call (813) 404- 2286 or visit EmorysRock.com. — GN