While it may be a lot to ask for the new Village at Hunter’s Lake project to single-handedly save the sleepy restaurant scene in New Tampa, it sure seems like the developers are trying.
Fresh Kitchen, a south Tampa favorite with locations on S. Howard Ave. and W. Kennedy Blvd., is the latest restaurant to be announced as coming to the new development on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., right across New Tampa’s main thoroughfare from the entrance to Hunter’s Green.
Regency Centers senior leasing agent Marc Elias broke the news to a collection of local business leaders last month at the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce (NTBC)’s Economic Development Briefing at Hunter’s Green Country Club on June.
Fresh Kitchen is owned by the Ciccio Restaurant Group, which also owns such notable restaurants as Taco Dirty, Green Lemon, betterBYRD and Ciccio Cali, which has a popular location in Tampa Palms.
Like Ciccio Cali, Fresh Kitchen focuses on healthy bowls, where patrons choose their base, protein, vegetable and any extras. Elias’ announcement drew a round of positive chatter during the NTBC briefing.
Elias also said that Regency Centers has a BBQ concept coming, as well as a sub-and-wrap concept, although he didn’t name those restaurants.
Regency Centers senior leasing agent Marc Elias.
Along with the previously announced Via Italia Wood Fired Pizza, Poke Island Plus and Grain & Berry, that would mean six new restaurants (plus Starbucks) could be open by April of 2020 in New Tampa.
The Village at Hunter’s Lake also is likely to provide a boost to the social scene in New Tampa.
“We certainly hope so,” said Elias. “We feel like we are responding to the needs of the area, which is really convenience. Hopefully, we’re able to attract the foot traffic over there, and they can hang out with their dogs at the dog parks, go to Starbucks, take a yoga class. That’s the goal, getting them to hang out at the center.”
While Sprouts, the first green grocer to enter the New Tampa market, is the anchor of the retail strip, other occupants previously reported by the Neighborhood News are Banfield Pet Hospital, The Coder School, Hair Cuttery, Heartland Dental, Nationwide Vision Center, Pink & White Nails, Pure Beauty Salon and T-Mobile.
Elias added that a running store and a “yoga concept” also have signed leases.
Elias says the shell buildings should be completed by November, barring a persistent rainy season. Tenants can open whenever they are ready, though Elias suspects that most will open sometime around April 2020, when Sprouts is expected to be completed.
The Village at Hunter’s Lake will have a total of 71,397 sq. ft. of commercial space. The project also will include a 30,000-sq.-ft. New Tampa Cultural Center — which is expected to break ground next year and open sometime in 2021 — two dog parks and a four-story, 241-unit multi-family complex to be called The Haven at Hunter’s Lake
The team at Farina Orthodontic Specialists invites you to check out the practice’s high-tech office and family-centric atmosphere on BBD Blvd. in Wesley Chapel.IiPads and a beverage bar are available in the lounge, and Drs. Farina and Wagner use 3D imaging for a more complete picture of your oral health.
If you were to wear a GoPro camera during your dental appointment at any of the three offices of Farina Orthodontic Specialists, take the footage home and show your friends and family, they might think you’d had an appointment years in the future.
The whole experience at the newest office of Farina Orthodontic Specialists (on Bruce B. Downs {BBD} Blvd. in Wesley Chapel) begins from the time you pull into the parking lot of the new, modern cube-shaped building.
As you walk into the atrium, through the waiting area, 3D imaging center, consultation rooms and treatment rooms, the entire building has the feel of a futuristic utopia.
Popular music is triggered by the front door opening, scented air is pushed through the air-conditioning system and you’ll be greeted by what Mark Farina, D.M.D. (Doctor of Dental Medicine) calls his, “Directors of First Impressions” — his amazing staff.
“It’s a fun, family atmosphere here,” Dr. Farina says. “We’ve got staff that’s been with us for 20 years. This is the place to come if you’re looking for a family-centric practice with state-of-the-art technology and award-winning results.”
Dr. Farina earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Biology from Boston College in Boston, MA. He earned his D.M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in Philadelphia and did his post-graduate orthodontic training at New York University in New York City, NY.
He also has received advanced training in the integrated diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular joint pain, or TMJ, and has served on research teams at both New York University and the University of Pennsylvania to help find new and better ways to solve orthodontic problems.
But, Farina Orthodontic Specialists is indeed a family affair. Dr. Mark Farina and his nephew, Dr. Rudy Wagner, bring nearly a quarter-century of combined 24 experience to the practice, with three locations in the Tampa Bay area — one in South Tampa, one in Tampa Palms (off Amberly Dr. and BBD) and the shiny, new eye-catching facility in Wesley Chapel, between the Shops at Wiregrass and AdventHealth Wesley Chapel.
Dr. Wagner, who was born in the U.S. but raised in Puerto Rico joined his uncle in 2015, after graduating with his D.M.D. degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine in San Juan, where he also earned both his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Biology and his Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Dental Sciences.
Dr. Rudy also did post-graduate work at Lehigh Valley Hospital, in Allentown, PA, where he had a general practice residency, and his post-graduate orthodontic training at the University of Puerto Rico.
Radical Transparency?
The office in Wesley Chapel that Farina Orthodontic Specialists built and moved into in March of 2018 puts Dr. Farina’s mantra of “Radical Transparency” to the ultimate and literal test. Just about every door in the office is glass. Most treatment rooms aren’t even enclosed. Dr. Farina’s idea of transparency allows for an openness that applies to every aspect of the experience, even down to the fee schedules.
“From treatments to fees to procedures, we are transparent in everything we do,” he says.
The transparency overlaps with the theme of treating patients like family.
Melissa’s daughter had her braces done at Farina Orthodontic Specialists and she has been able to be involved every step of the way.
“From the moment we entered the office, everyone was friendly and helpful,” writes parent Melissa C. on FarinaSmiles.com. “Each visit after, we have been greeted with warm smiling faces and our kids are excited to go to the lobby waiting area and dive into the fun things waiting for them.”
“As a parent, I am happy to have a seat near my daughter when her braces and teeth are worked on,” she wrote. “I can ask questions of the technician and orthodontist during the appointment.”
If a patient or patient’s family member has to wait, they can use one of the four iPads available in the tech center. The lounge is complete with a beverage bar, offering an assortment of drinks, both hot and cold. Of course, parents who want to be right next to their child during a procedure can utilize that option as well. It’s all part of that radical transparency. and it’s also why Farina Orthodontic Specialists often treats families across two or even three generations.
Dr. Wagner remembers shadowing Dr. Farina in the summer of 2000 when he was fresh out of high school in Puerto Rico.
“I loved his ability to connect with people,” Dr. Wagner says. “I enjoyed sitting, watching him talk with patients and developing relationships. It gave me the confidence to pursue this field.”
Dr. Wagner splits time between the three offices, while Dr. Farina is the mainstay at the Wesley Chapel location.
Let’s Get Technical
The Farina Orthodontic Specialists experience in Wesley Chapel is unique, as it combines cutting-edge technology and advanced treatment options.
Once a new patient signs in (there are no papers to fill out — everything is digital), the next stop is the 3D Imaging Room, where an i-CAT 3D Machine takes a three-dimensional image of not just the patient’s teeth, but also their bones and airways. The process takes 4.8 seconds.
There’s no probing, no prying, no irritation. The 3D Imaging can help bring clarity to a number of problems. With orthodontics, it’s not always just teeth being out of alignment. The patient could have a temporomandibular disorder (TMD), which is an irregularity with the temporomandibular joint, also known as TMJ. This can cause clicking, popping or just pain and discomfort in the jaw area. The 3D imaging helps the orthodontist diagnose the issue better than a traditional X-ray. The issue might not even be TMD; it could be the patient’s airway.
Farina Orthodontic Specialists also treats sleep apnea and snoring, both of which can be the result of an obstructed airway. The imaging also can detect airway development problems in children.
Sitting in the consultation room, a patient can look over their three-dimensional image of not just bone but of tissue. The process combines digital impressions created with the 3D imaging machine and intra- and extra-oral photographs, offering a more complete picture of the patient’s oral health.
“Going over the results in our casual conference rooms, three questions emerge,” Dr. Farina says. “How do we solve the problem, how long is it going to take and how much is it going to cost?”
And, Coming Soon…
Starting this fall, the Farina Orthodontic Specialists website (FarinaSmiles.com) will offer a Virtual Smile option, where patients will be able to upload a photo of themselves and get a virtual consultation from the comfort of their own home.
To get a real feel for the new and innovative treatment options, however, office visits are tough to beat.
“Parents probably remember the days when we used stainless steel in braces and everything hurt,” Dr. Wagner says. “The new wires are a nickel-titanium alloy, they’re more flexible, the brackets are smaller now and the wires are more flexible and comfortable.”
Farina Orthodontic Specialists uses the Invisalign® brand of clear aligners. Dr. Farina calls Invisalign a “pioneer” in the technology and Invisalign has designated Farina Orthodontic Specialists a “Diamond Plus,” or in the top one percent of North America orthodontic practices with Invisalign patients.
Clear aligners can be 3D-printed right there in the office or can be sent off to Invisalign. Dr. Wagner says he remembers using Invisalign to correct a gap in his own front teeth while he was in college.
“I was very self-conscious about it,” he says. “But, the experience turned out to be fine. It was easy, comfortable and I was still able to enjoy my life and lifestyle and not have any issues.”
Utilizing another piece of cutting-edge technology, Farina Orthodontic Specialists uses an iTero Element that allows a doctor or technician to visualize the treatment’s outcome. Adjustments can be made on the touch screen and sent to the 3D printing lab. From there, a model is rendered, and not just for an aligner — it also can be used to make retainers, sports mouth guards, breathing/sleep apnea appliances and TMJ appliances. Dr. Farina call it his “in-house laboratory.”
Combining a fun atmosphere with advanced technologies and treatment options is what Farina Orthodontics is all about and all three locations continue to reach new levels of both innovation and transparency.
For appointments and more information about the Wesley Chapel office ((2370 BBD Blvd., Suite A), or any of the three locations of Farina Orthodontic Specialists, call (813) 972-2929, visit FarinaSmiles.com or see or see the ad on pg. 11. The office accepts most dental insurance plans.
Jennifer Trudel says her unique service and fair prices are keeping her busy during the summer months, when your trash bins are at their stinkiest. (Photo: John C. Cotey)
When dumping your garbage into your trash bin, are you one of those people who open the lid quickly, flick the bag of trash into the bin, and let the lid slam shut as you turn away, hoping to avoid the waft of stink from years of trash bin neglect?
If so, Wesley Chapel resident Jennifer Trudel can help you. A simple phone call can remove the stink — as well as bugs, dried liquids, sticky substances and other left-over trash residue — out of your bins.
Scrub-A-Dub Bin Cleaning, started 18 months ago by Trudel, will come to your home and have your bins looking and smelling brand new. While a fresh trash bin may seem like an oxymoron to some, it actually makes perfect sense, Trudel says.
“With the summer and the heat and people having to keep their trash bins in their garage, bacteria love the warmth and they love moisture and that’s basically what you have in Florida,” she says. “The heat helps bacteria grow, and a lot of people will get maggots, viruses, mold and bacteria they can’t see even see.”
That may be why business has been booming for Trudel. One day last week, she was trying to figure out how she was going to get to all 40 homes on her schedule taken care of in one day. She is considering buying a second truck. And, she says, advertising in the Neighborhood News also has helped keep her busy.
“It’s been crazy,” she says.
How Does It Work?
Scrub-A-Dub Bin Cleaning comes to your home as often as you desire — from just four times per year to monthly — to make sure the trash and recycling bins you drag back into your garage are immaculately clean and fresh-smelling.
One of Jennifer’s first customers was Joshua Green, who lives in Seven Oaks.
“Our trash cans were always in the garage and smelling,” Green says. “It’s gross and no one wants to deal with it.”
He has been pleased with the results.
“They’re nice and clean and look brand new,” says Green, who has been a customer ever since.
Scrub-A-Dub customers leave their bins out on trash day, after the sanitation truck has picked up their trash and/or recycling. That’s when Jennifer comes by, opens the bin and uses a grabber to pull out any trash left behind, then loads the bins into her truck, and the “magic” begins.
The bins are raised above the truck and centered around a head that spins and blasts 200-degree water.
“Imagine a giant dishwasher for your bin,” she says.
For an initial cleaning, Jennifer will scrub using a biodegradable degreaser to clean the inside of the bin — she says that sometimes she even has to climb inside the bin — and then runs it through the truck’s process again.
She pressure-sprays the outside of the lid, wipes the handles and the inside and outside of the lid — anywhere your hands might touch. Then, she says the bin no longer has an odor, but she wants it to smell good, so she adds a deodorizer. Then, she wipes out any excess water.
“It’s overkill, but I do it because I’m a type-A person,” Jennifer laughs. “I want the bin to look beautiful, and every customer to be wowed.”
Jennifer says that some people might say, “It’s a garbage can. It’s supposed to be dirty,” and she says she can understand that, even though she disagrees.
“No one wants to deal with nasty garbage cans that smell, and maggots are a big problem with bins that aren’t cleaned regularly,” Jennifer says.
Environmentally Friendly, Too!
Jennifer says that all of the cleaning products she uses — including the degreaser, disinfectant and deodorizer — are biodegradable.
“Let’s say you use vinegar; that doesn’t kill bacteria,” she explains. “Bleach kills bacteria but it’s super toxic and bad for the lakes and ponds.”
With Scrub-A-Dub, all of the water for cleaning comes from a 525-gallon tank inside the truck, which is filled with fresh water. And, it’s heated to a temperature much higher than anything you would use to clean your home.
She says the dirty water that is rinsed out of the inside of your bins goes into the truck and is disposed of according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines.
Easy & Affordable
To sign up, visit ScrubADubBins.com. You will pay an annual fee up front, based upon how often you want your bins cleaned, and whether you have one or two bins.
The prices for the year for one bin are $65 (for quarterly cleanings), $85 (for bi-monthly cleanings) and $135 (for monthly cleanings).
For two bins — don’t forget that recycling bin, which probably gets as much stickiness if not more due to nearly-but-not-quite-finished cans and cartons of soda, juice and milk — the prices are $110 (for quarterly cleanings), $135 (for bi-monthly cleanings) and $240 (for monthly cleanings).
And, you’re never locked into a contract with Scrub-a-Dub — cancel at anytime and Jennifer will pro-rate your refund. If you get a single cleaning for $30 and decide to sign up for the year, she will apply the $30 to whatever deal you choose.
Jennifer always sends a reminder text the day before, giving customers the opportunity to confirm their appointment or to let her know if they need to postpone their service due to going out of town, or for any other reason.
“People pay for all kind of things, like mowing the grass or pulling weeds,” Green says. “It’s just stuff we honestly don’t want to do, and I think it’s worth it.”
Not Just A Job
Trudel has lived in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area since 1996. While serving the community as a pharmacist in Tampa, she dreamed of one day owning her own business.
When she says the stress of her previous job pushed her to consider early retirement, she started researching what she could do next.
An acquaintance in another part of Florida raved about Jennifer’s sparkling clean trash bins on social media, and Jennifer recognized the opportunity to create an innovative business that would be totally new to the Wesley Chapel and New Tampa areas — and the perfect fit for her admitted neat-freak personality.
“This is not just a job for me,” says Jennifer proudly. “It’s my life.”
She says that while she always loved serving her community as a pharmacist, being a business owner is different.
“I moved to Cross Creek in 1996 and then to Seven Oaks in 2003. I feel connected to the area and I’ve seen it explode. Now, I feel more a part of the community.” Jennifer also has been a regular exhibitor at the annual Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel since it moved to AdventHealth (formerly Florida Hospital) Center Ice three years ago.
As a pharmacist, she says she used to sit in a room all day and, at the end of the day, she would leave the same four walls and experience the shock of being outside for the first time each day.
But now, she says she loves driving around Wesley Chapel and New Tampa, meeting people at their homes, and she especially loves driving the truck. “It’s so fun!” she says.
Jennifer’s husband Jeff now helps her with the business, while also working for a pharmaceutical company. Their grown children are now 27, 23, 20 and 19.
She says her best customers are those who spread the word about her service. That’s why she offers a free cleaning for every referral.
She says it is a unique business, and often the reaction she gets is “Wow, I didn’t even know this existed.” Considering they can sign up and pay for one cleaning before deciding to do more, she says her customers have nearly nothing to lose.
“It’s a personal service,” she says. “It’s not just some company that cleans your bins; it’s Jennifer from Scrub-A-Dub!”
To sign up for Scrub-A-Dub Bin Cleaning or for more information, visit ScrubADubBins.com. You can also call Scrub-A-Dub at its toll-free number, (844) 727-8229 (844-SCRUBBY).
Florida Medical Clinic will be the first of what is likely to be many businesses coming to the Promenade Business Centre.
Florida Medical Clinic (FMC) is set to be the first occupant of the long-planned Promenade Business Centre located at the Curley Rd. entrance to the WaterGrass community. But, it won’t be the last.
On June 19, Pasco’s Board of County Commissioners approved a large-scale comprehensive plan amendment, amending the Future Land Use designation for the property from TC (Town Center) to PD (Planned Development) on 77 acres at the northeast and southeast corners of the Curley Rd. intersection with Overpass Rd.
The Promenade Business Centre PD will consist of an employment center within the WaterGrass Master Planned Unit Development (MPUD). The business park concept, according to the background summary, “proposes mixed-use development that incorporates office, retail and multi-family/townhomes with a focus on Business Park uses that encourages target industry job creation.”
The Promenade Business Centre would add roughly 1.2 million square feet of corporate business park uses, including for such things as medical clinics, corporate headquarters, research and development facilities and business accessory retail (like food service within an office complex) uses.
The development may also feature multi-story buildings that would incorporate uses such as cafeterias, restaurants, banks, health or fitness facilities, meeting rooms, co-working spaces, off-street parking and on-site day care facilities, according to the summary.
The parcels proposed for the business center also would include two parks and Pasco Fire Rescue Station 38, a 10,843-sq.ft. facility which broke ground last year and is expected to open this fall.
A new charter school, next to Station 38, also is in the concept plans.
FMC’s Latest Foray Into WC
The Florida Medical Clinic WaterGrass Medical Building is set to begin construction later this year and will open in late 2020, says Barbara Kininmonth, VP of sales and marketing for Crown Community Development (also the primary developer of Seven Oaks).
The two-story, 30,000-sq.-ft. facility is needed in the quickly growing area, Kininmonth says. “There is going to be a variety of things at the front of WaterGrass,” she says. “Florida Medical Clinic really wanted to be at that location with all the new housing coming to the area. We thought there would be good support for that.”
FMC also has two major nearby complexes: 60,000 sq. ft. on S.R. 54 in Land O’Lakes and the newer, 85,00-sq.-ft. complex just south of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel on Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
Kininmonth also says that the rest of the Promenade Business Centre tenants will be market-driven.
The WaterGrass community recently held its Grand Opening for Phase III, the latest residential offering, with seven neighborhoods and builders Meritage Homes, D.R. Horton, Taylor Morrison and Vitale Homes.
Phase III will be the last single-family-home phase of the community, which currently has 800 residents, a number which will swell to 1,900 when WaterGrass is built out.
Promenade Park in Phase III, which sits on four acres and Kininmonth calls a “unique” amenity, also is close to opening.
“Everything is meant to be family-centric,” she says, adding that Phase III will be completely private and gated, and will include a resort-style pool, large splash pad, shaded picnic area, open playfield, two dog parks (one for large dogs, and another for smaller dogs), a playground and a pavilion with luxury seating and WiFi where parents can relax within view of the playground and splash pad.
“The market in Florida, in Wesley Chapel in particular, has been very very strong and growing,” Kininmonth says. “A lot of exciting things are happening in Pasco, and we’re glad to be here.”
Those blue bins still have Pasco County District 2 commissioner Mike Moore seeing red.
Moore is renewing an old fight against donation bins that seem to be a breeding ground for mini-junkyards, as a recent spate of trash dumpings have pushed him to ask for stiffer rules and harsher penalties.
Moore, who originally pushed to enact an ordinance passed in 2016 making it harder to leave unmanned bins scattered around the county, is rolling his sleeves back up. The Seven Oaks resident’s district serves most of Wesley Chapel, and one recurrent dumping ground on S.R. 56 just east of I-75 has him particularly unhappy.
“When we did that (ordinance in 2016), a bunch of them did go away,” says Moore. “It wasn’t as bad. But now that the dust has settled, they have been starting to reappear all over the place.”
That may not be much of a surprise. The 2016 ordinance required that those operating the donation bins apply for a permit, which entailed producing a site plan and receiving written permission from the landowner, as well as a regular pick-up schedule to be followed.
And how many bin operators have applied for a permit since then?
“Zero,” says Moore.
Three of the dumping locations — there are many all across the county, Moore says — that have gained a lot of attention among Neighborhood News readers the past month are in Wesley Chapel, including one near his home.
A pair of bins placed across the street from the Wesley Chapel Mini car dealership near the Texas Roadhouse restaurant, and another near the Sam’s Club (also on S.R. 56) have been attracting items not intended as donations.
Photo: Dan Ballman (Facebook)
Resident Dan Ballman posted the photo above on the Wesley Chapel Community Facebook page on June 9 pleading for an answer to the illegal dumping problem, with a two pictures of the dumping site between Texas Roadhouse and TD Bank.
One picture, he wrote, was taken on May 26, and the second was taken two weeks later, after the junk pile had doubled in size.
A dresser, at least five couches, six mattresses, a television set and what appears to be a dishwasher can be seen in the pictures. it looked as if enough items were dropped off to fully furnish a one-bedroom apartment.
Facebook page members have called the dumpers “lazy,” “horrible” and “disgusting,” while suggesting that the county install cameras in certain hot spots to catch the lawbreakers in the act.
Moore says the county already has asked code enforcement and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office to investigate, and said cameras have been placed at other locations he cannot reveal.
Moore said some bins have been seized as evidence for potential criminal proceedings. Although the bins are labeled for charitable donations, the commissioner thinks they are full-fledged businesses cashing in.
“Companies are collecting textiles to be reimbursed for it, to sell it,” Moore says. “Some say they give a portion of the funds to charity. We can’t confirm or deny that, because when you call the number on the bin, there’s no answer.”
While the bins themselves — which are not picked up in a timely fashion and are often overflowing — are a problem, District 1 commissioner Ron Oakley pointed out that those dumping items with no intention of putting anything in a bin also are an issue.
Commissioner Moore, however, said it is the bins themselves that begin the process of sites turning into junkyards. Commissioner Kathryn Starkey called the bins “magnets” for junk haulers to unload their stuff.
Moore said he suspects some of the junk dumpers are professionals who get paid to haul away large items but then decide to unload it somewhere other than the nearest junkyard — the Pasco County Transfer Station (PCTS) at 9626 Handcart Rd. in Dade City — to avoid paying a fee.
The PCTS charges $2.96 for every 100 pounds dumped.
When the county has to clean up these eyesores, it is at the taxpayers’ expense, Moore says.
On May 21 at a Board of County Commissioners meeting in New Port Richey, Moore suggested that the county ban unmanned collection bins altogether, which would affect legitimate collection bins like those used for recycling and those used by churches. County assistant attorney Kristi Sims said that the county would “quite definitely” be sued.
“I cannot stand up here and tell you we will win,” Sims said.
What the county has done is that it has begun monitoring various sites and seizing bins, and some sites that have been cleared out have since been repopulated with more bins — or more junk.
The county also sent 40 letters to property owners where the bins are being placed, asking if they had given permission; 15 of those letters involved bins from one company.
About 20 have responded, “and not a single one has said they gave permission,” Moore said.
Those who haven’t replied have until July 1 to do so.
Sims suggested that Moore hold off on pushing for a ban and allow for renewed enforcement efforts this summer to take hold. “Let’s see how this shakes out,” she said.
Moore said the county needs to end the problem as soon as possible. He is promoting strict enforcement of the ordinance and stiff penalties — including third-degree felony charges for dumping more than 500 pounds (or 100 cubic feet in volume), which carries with it up to five years in prison.
“I’m frustrated,” Moore said, “That’s why we’re taking it to next level. Now, we’re going to go out, and we’re going to catch them. We’re going to prosecute (them). We need to catch a few of them, and if they meet the criteria for a felony, they are going to be in bad shape.”
