Tyler Hudson (left) of All For Transportation, helps deliver 77,000 Transportation Referendum petitions to Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer’s office to be certified.
Snarled traffic, hazardous roads, dangerous intersections. The solutions to all of these problems are out there. The question facing voters this November, however, are you willing to pay for them?
Against the odds and, in less than two months, a group called All For Transportation (AFT) used a charter amendment by petition process to collect enough signatures to get a one-cent county sales tax hike on the ballot for the Nov. 6 election, which would boost the county’s current sales tax from 7 percent to 8, or one penny for every dollar you spend.
Funded primarily by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik and local philanthropist Frank Morsani, AFT enlisted a host of volunteers and paid Revolution Field Strategies, a grassroots organizing and public affairs consulting firm, to collect the needed 48,760 signatures. In all, AFT collected 77,000 signatures and had 50,709 signatures verified in August to put the referendum on the ballot.
The group says that the tax will raise $280 million per year for Hillsborough County to fund transportation improvements for 30 years. Those improvements include road and bridge improvements, relieving rush hour traffic, making walking and biking safer and expanding and improving public transit options.
Previous transportation referendums in Tampa Bay have not had much luck. In 2010, Moving Hillsborough Forward was voted down 58-42 percent. In 2014, Greenlight Pinellas was soundly defeated 62-38 percent. And, in 2016, Go Hillsborough, to be funded by a half-cent surtax,never even made it onto the ballot, as the Hillsborough County Commission voted it down twice.
In each case, a mistrust of government and its ability to properly spend the money worked against the transportation plans.
That is what makes this latest foray into transportation funding different, says Tyler Hudson, a Tampa lawyer and the chair of AFT.
“Our plan is the most balanced plan that’s ever been brought to voters,” he says. “Forty five percent of the money goes to transit, and 55 percent is for roads. And, it has the strongest oversight component of any plan ever offered.”
Hudson says an independent oversight committee comprised of 14 citizens will make sure the money goes where it was intended to, and an audit will be conducted yearly. Every agency requesting money has to produce a public list annually detailing how the proceeds will be spent, and the committee will vote to approve (or not) each item.
“This is not a blank check,” Hudson says.
Tampa Bay’s transportation issues may be reaching a tipping point, says AFT’s Christina Barker.
“It’s the most critical issue facing Hillsborough County,” she said. “In our polling, transportation wins every time.”
Like the half-cent education tax being proposed on the same ballot, AFT is letting voters know the details of their plans, releasing a list of signature projects and programs that the money would be used for.
Those that affect our area include improvements at the troublesome Cross Creek Blvd. and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. intersections, the potential widening of New Tampa Blvd. from the New Tampa Gateway Bridge in West Meadows to BBD, upgrades to New Tampa’s multi-use paths and trails, and yes, even an East-West road extension from New Tampa Blvd. to a new exit at I-275.
The East-West Connector Rd., as it was often called, has been discussed since the 1980s and was at the center of an intense debate between many residents of West Meadows and Tampa Palms Areas 4 & 8 who were opposed to the project — and the rest of the New Tampa. It was eventually scuttled in 2008.
Jean Duncan, the City of Tampa’s director of transportation and stormwater services, says the money raised by the tax increase would have an impact in New Tampa, and throughout the county. She says more round-a-bouts, including some in New Tampa, can be constructed, streets can be made calmer, and things like a speed limit reduction on Tampa Palms Blvd., as well as road restriping, would produce changes that are noticeable.
“The plan certainly has a healthy distribution of money between maintenance and adding in some of the new things we need,” Duncan said.
Many of those things have been in the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)’s Long Range Transportation Plan for years awaiting funding.
“If this passes, things will get done more quickly,” Hudson says. “We are telling people this is not a moonshot. You are going to see changes within months. You will see immediate improvements.”
The plan has its detractors, but has received endorsements from the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.
“The choice is on the ballot,” says Barker. “You either vote for a plan that is balanced and driven by community priorities, or you vote no and you get the status quo.”
Big Easy Bucha is available in all Publix stores. Austin Sherman shows off his original product – with flavors such as Jazz Juice and Streetcar Sipper — and its first-to-market kombucha “shots.”
When Austin Sherman graduated from New Tampa’s Wharton High School in 2001, he headed to the nearby University of South Florida to pursue a degree in communications.
At that time, he wouldn’t have guessed he’d be where he is now — leading a company brewing kombucha, a fermented, probiotic tea that is increasing in popularity and market share, with products in many major grocery stores, such as Whole Foods and Publix.
Austin and his wife, Alexis Korman, who co-founded Big Easy Bucha in New Orleans four years ago, expect to sell 3 million bottles in 2018.
And, with the way they’re growing, Austin says they’ll sell 10 million bottles next year.
It’s not how Austin envisioned his future. He left college in 2005 to join a commercial real estate firm in Seattle. He remembers it being a busy, stressful time, while he worked hard.
“Every dollar I made, I would invest in more real estate,” he says. “I was 25 years old, with a couple of million dollars in real estate. Then, I woke up one day and it was all worth nothing.”
The real estate bubble had burst. Over time, the firm he worked for let its employees go and shut its doors, and Austin came back to New Tampa to figure out what to do next.
He landed a job as a bartender at the old Ciccio & Tony’s in Tampa Palms, where he met people like Dan Costello.
“Dan was one of my favorite customers,” Austin says. “He was very active in the beverage and salty snack business, and I found that fascinating.”
Austin was living with his younger sister, Chelsea, who was studying to be a nurse. It was Chelsea who learned how to brew kombucha. Many people drink kombucha because of the health benefits associated with its probiotics.
“In nursing school, all of my peers were super health conscious,” says Chelsea. “Some were brewing kombucha; and we all were drinking it. We were trying to be health forward for our patients.”
Austin Sherman and his sister, Chelsea, before Wharton’s prom in 2001, when the siblings were growing up in Arbor Greene.
Chelsea taught Austin how to brew kombucha, which he had been introduced to in Seattle.
“I had been in bartending and mixology, so I knew how to put ingredients together and get a desired result,” says Austin. “I made my first batch with pineapple and elderflower.”
He began experimenting with different flavors and made small batches to pass out to his friends and family.
He moved to New Orleans, where Alexis was living and working as a writer.
In 2014, they officially launched their company in New Orleans and called it Big Easy Bucha.
“I really didn’t have a vision of what this could become,” Austin says. “At that time, it was just a hobby.”
Just four years later, it’s so much more. The friends and family he used to pass out samples to are not only his customers, they’re also his biggest supporters — and some are even employees.
Chelsea left nursing to work full-time as a marketing associate for the company.
Meanwhile, Dan Costello has served as an advisor and has just transitioned to the role of president of Big Easy Bucha.
Austin’s best friend from high school, Ted Krawsck, lives in Wesley Chapel and says he’s now a Big Easy Bucha “one-a-day-er.”
Ted says he was surprised to discover the positive effects kombucha has had for him.
“It had huge health benefits,” Ted says. “As someone with stomach problems, I instantly started feeling better. My stomach felt completely different.”
Austin says he and Alexis had tried other brands and were put off by the flavor, so they wanted to be a “gateway” drink for people who are new to kombucha.
While the kombucha trend started in the west, Big Easy Bucha is focused on the growing markets in the southeastern United States.
“Big Easy Bucha is definitely based on the Southern palate, with flavors that are very fruit forward,” such as strawberry, blueberry, pineapple, and satsuma — a citrus fruit similar to a Mandarin or clementine orange, Chelsea says.
Austin’s favorite flavor is still that first combination he put together in his first brew in Tampa, pineapple and elderflower. Now, that combo is known as Big Easy Bucha’s “Jazz Juice.”
A highlight of the company’s story so far is that last year, Big Easy Bucha was successful in getting its products into Publix stores.
“It’s really hard to do,” says Austin. “I’ve been a customer of Publix my entire life. I remember shopping at the store on Cross Creek Blvd.”
He adds that in the year that Big Easy Bucha products have been sold at Publix, the chain has opened 50 new stores, for a total of 1,196 Publix stores nationwide. Whenever a new Publix opens, it stocks Big Easy Bucha.
“It’s been fun,” Austin says. “We’ve been able to grow in Publix.”
He thinks Publix likes working with Big Easy Bucha, too.
“We’re known to Publix as innovators,” Austin explains. Recently, a Publix buyer suggested an idea for a new product — a kombucha “shot” for people who want the probiotics and healthy organic acids of the drink, but don’t want to have to drink a full 16 ounces.
“Within four weeks, we had samples for them,” says Austin. “Coke and Pepsi can’t move that fast. It takes them a year to get it through research and development and another two years to get to market, if they decide to make the product.”
Now, the four-ounce shots also are available at all Publix stores and Big Easy Bucha is the first kombucha company making the product, which are called Lil’ Easy Kombucha Shots.
“It’s the same strength and efficacy, in a fun and festive shot format,” explains Austin. “We’re in New Orleans, so everything’s festive (here).”
To buy Big Easy Bucha, visit any local Publix store and look for it in the refrigerated aisle, next to the juices. For more information about the company, visit BigEasyBucha.com.
At 11 years old, Sarah Clanton is finally learning to walk, thanks to the help of the special horses and people at Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center in Brooksville.
Sarah was adopted from an orphanage in Ukraine when she was five. At just 19 pounds, she had been kept in a bed all her life. Her mom, Yvonne, says she could barely sit up.
Yvonne and her husband, Jon, began helping Sarah in all the ways they could, including physical therapy, to help her learn to walk.
While Sarah has special needs, including blindness and other conditions, doctors could find no reason physically why she wouldn’t be able to walk.
“There’s no muscular or neurological reason she can’t walk,” Yvonne says. “It’s just that she’s missing all those milestones and all those years of development, and her brain just doesn’t have ability to put it together.”
Earlier this year, Yvonne decided to take a chance on something different. It’s called hippotherapy, and it uses the movements of a horse to help people like Sarah. Yvonne had heard about a place called Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center, so she decided to try it out.
“I did this just for the heck of it,” says Yvonne. “I didn’t really expect it to work.”
But, it has.
“It’s amazing,” says Yvonne. “We can walk with her now, just by holding one hand. Before, most of the time we just carried her — even around the house — because it was just easier.”
Yvonne and Jon have four other children. Of their five kids, three have some sort of disability, and their son, Sam, also benefits from hippotherapy at Emerald M. Of all the therapies her kids have experienced, says Yvonne, “Nothing has ever been as dramatic the change we’ve seen in Sarah.”
Lisa Michelangelo
(To purchase tickets to its Grand Opening Fundraiser on Saturday, October 20, 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m., visit EmeraldMTherapeuticRidingCenter.org.)
Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center was founded by Lisa Michelangelo, a former New Tampa resident who is a physical therapist. For about eight years, she managed the physical therapy department at the Fit 4 Life Personal Training & Physical Therapy studio in Tampa Palms.
She and her family always loved horses, so in 2013 – when Lisa’s daughters were 13 and 10 – they moved out to Dade City, where they could have a larger property and be able to live with their horses, rather than boarding them elsewhere.
At that time, it occurred to Lisa that she had the opportunity to combine her love of horses with her professional career as a physical therapist.
Lisa did extensive continuing education through the American Hippotherapy Association to be able to provide this unique therapy.
“Through the use of a horse and movement, we target deficiencies and work on areas such as core strength, balance and walking,” explains Lisa. “The horse replicates human walking. I can put someone on the back of the horse, and they feel like they’re walking on air. Once we can recreate the walking pattern on the horse, we can also recreate it on the ground.”
In 2014, Lisa launched Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center on her property in Dade City.
“The name, Emerald M, comes from the emerald gem stone,” Lisa explains. “The emerald stands for hope, renewal and growth, and that’s what we provide to the people we serve. We provide hope and a renewed sense of self, and then they continue to grow.” She says the “M” is for her last name.
Lisa explains that participants in her program have a wide variety of conditions that bring them to her.
“We have kids and adults who come to us with autism, processing disorders, emotional disorders, cerebral palsy, paralysis and brain tumors,” she explains, “It’s a whole plethora of diagnoses.”
She explains that sometimes a child or adult can complete hippotherapy, because they have successfully overcome the condition that caused them to need the therapy. At that point, they graduate to therapeutic riding, which is where they learn horsemanship skills and how to ride.
In addition, Emerald M offers beginner riding lessons for siblings of program participants, too.
“We know it affects the whole family,” Lisa says, speaking of the conditions that cause people to come to her riding center for therapy. “Often, the siblings of the children with special needs are watching their brother or sister ride, and they want to ride, too.”
Growth… And Tragedy
A couple of years ago, Emerald M became a nonprofit organization, with Lisa as its founder. “Since then, the program has exploded,” Lisa says, explaining that word of mouth and practitioner support continues to draw new people into the program.
Soon, the programs Lisa offers outgrew the five-acre property she had in Dade City, so she moved the riding center to Brooksville.
She says the new property is only 5 miles from the former one, and her participants coming from places such as Wesley Chapel and New Tampa don’t mind the drive. Sarah’s mom, Yvonne, who drives from Zephyrhills, says the hour-long drive is absolutely worth it, for the amazing results they are seeing in Sarah.
“We had to make that move to accommodate the growth,” says Lisa. “The new property is much more suited for the kind of work that we do.”
In the midst of moving, the staff and volunteers at Emerald M experienced a tragedy. When a storm blew through the area, three of the riding center’s horses were killed by a lightning strike.
“It was tragic,” said Lisa, who adds that says she has had support from the organization’s board of directors and volunteers, and throughout the community, as supporters set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to help with the cost of new horses.
“They will never be replaced,” says Lisa. “However, we have come through and have brought in some new furry friends. The new horses help to carry the load.”To celebrate the opening of the new location and to continue to raise funds for the organization’s mission, Emerald M is hosting a grand opening fundraising dinner on Saturday, October 20, from 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m.
Helping Veterans, Too
About a year ago, Lisa began partnering with an organization called Veterans Alternative to help U.S. Military combat veterans and their spouses. Veterans Alternative helps veterans from all over the country, all branches of the military, and all eras of war, by providing a weeklong retreat to work through PTSD and other issues.
Lisa facilitates the part of the program called P.E.A.C.E., or “Powerful Equine Assisted Counseling Experience.” She says she comes alongside mental health providers who join these combat veterans and their spouses for a day of therapy with the horses at Emerald M.
Each horse has a story — what jobs they’ve done, or what hurdles they’ve faced — which are relayed by mental health counselors. And in turn, the veterans relate their own personal stories to the stories of the horses they are working with. Lisa says they begin to talk about things that might be challenging to them.
“It’s incredible,” she says.
Over the past year, 135 combat veterans have completed the program.
“We even have combat veterans who have found so much reward in this program, that now they’re out here volunteering, giving back by helping their brothers and sisters in the military,” says Lisa.
One such veteran is Franco Caro, a former U.S. Marine who served from 2001-05, and who deployed to Iraq in 2003. After leaving the military, he struggled with finding a sense of purpose.
“I tried to take my life nine times between 2005 and 2010,” he says. “To go from working nonstop in the military to being told you can’t do that anymore, you feel lost.”
Working with mental health providers and taking medications didn’t keep him from attempting suicide.
But, Franco’s last suicide attempt was in 2010, before he found something to give him the sense of accomplishment he was looking for.
Franco says he first encountered horses and the idea of therapy through riding and caring for them at a place called Rocking Horse Farm in New Port Richey. Just this summer, he was introduced to Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center, and he now volunteers there two or three times a week.
“I don’t realize how far I’ve come until I start thinking back,” Franco says. “When I go there, instead of overanalyzing myself, it allows my brain an escape to focus on something else.”
He explains that his role is to be sure the horse he cares for, named Anna, is ready to work with the hippotherapy participants. He grooms Anna, rides her to be sure she’s properly exercised, gets her tacked up, and makes sure she’s comfortable.
“I look over my horse from nose to tail, make sure she’s walking correctly, standing correctly, doesn’t have any wounds or discomfort,” Franco says. “She can’t tell me, so I form a strong bond with her. It puts me at ease, too, and Lisa’s getting a volunteer who knows horsemanship and what to do.”
Those volunteers, Lisa says, are essential. “I couldn’t do it without them,” she says.
Franco also volunteers with the P.E.A.C.E. program, where he can tell his story to fellow veterans and share how equine therapy has helped him. “They are very small, very personal groups, and we are there connecting with the veterans one-on-one,” Franco says.
Whether it’s working with veterans or kids with special needs, Lisa says she has been a part of incredible changes at Emerald M.
“Miracles happen out here,” Lisa says. “A lot of times, it’s unexplainable. It truly is the horses. I facilitate it, but the animals do have a sense that we can’t explain. The changes that we see out here are monumental for both families and individuals.”
For more information about Emerald M Riding Center, to donate to its GoFundMe campaign, or to purchase tickets to its Grand Opening Fundraiser on Saturday, October 20,5:30 p.m.-10 p.m., visit EmeraldMTherapeuticRidingCenter.org.
Construction is booming all along S.R. 56, with each new building bringing new questions — What’s that going to be?
When you head east on S.R. 56 you can see new construction behind Restaurant Row, the string of eateries that now line 56 across from the Tampa Premium Outlets.
According to permitting records, an 11,015-sq.-ft. Party City store is coming, as well as a 55,084-sq.-ft. Hobby Lobby, which has been previously reported.
(Older permitting from May also shows an 11,003-sq.-ft. Five Below discount store as well, but nothing has been updated since, perhaps because the shell had yet to be constructed, as it is now).
Founded in 1986 and based in Rockaway, NJ, Party City is a chain specializing in party supplies and Halloween costumes, with the nearest one located on E. Fowler Ave. across from University Mall.
It is unclear from the permitting filed if the Wesley Chapel location will be a Party City or it’s new concept, a Toy City, which hopes to fill the void left by Toys R Us.
Hobby Lobby is a chain of arts & crafts stores based in Oklahoma City, with the nearest locations in Zephyrhills, New Port Richey, Clearwater and Lakeland. Founded in 1972 with a single store, today there are more than 800 Hobby Lobby stores nationwide.
TENANT WANTED: Developer Rave Commercial has filled three of the four vacancies in its new strip center on S.R. 54 a half-mile east of Bruce B. Downs Blvd., and says that business at the new Starbucks that is anchoring the Pleasant Plaza has so far exceeded expectations.
The plaza also is home to Pizza Hut, which opened earlier this summer, and a nail salon will be soon be beginning construction.
That leaves one 1,267 sq.-ft. space left to lease, which developers say has to be a retail store.
With Publix soon to be on the move and relocating to S.R. 54 and Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. from its current location on Bruce B. Downs and S.R. 54, and all the action happening across the street with Dunkin’ Donuts, Chick-Fil-A and Wawa beginning construction soon, the developers of Pleasant Plaza are hoping to land a notable retail business to an area that should be a hotbed for customers in the coming years.
After having only one fire station for many years, it won’t be too long before the Wesley Chapel area has three. On Sept. 17, Pasco County Fire Rescue (PCFR) hosted a groundbreaking event for Fire Station No. 38, located on Overpass Rd., west of Curley Rd., near Watergrass Elementary.
The station shows the foresight of PCFR’s long-term strategic plan.
“Wesley Chapel is a booming population center,” PCFR public information officer Corey Dierdorff said. “With new developments like Epperson and Watergrass already populated and new developments north of the new station, like Ashley Groves, already being permitted and approved, it means higher call volume. Without more stations, higher call volume means longer response times. We’re looking at putting stations in ahead of (new) development.”
Longer response times also can mean the difference between life and death. That’s why the new four-bay, 10,843 square foot Station 38 will feature some state-of-the-art technology when it opens in about a year.
The PURVIS Fire Station Alerting System (FSAS) is an award-winning, IP-based solution designed to automate the process of alerting fire and rescue personnel, enhance communications and decrease response times. Station 38 will be the first in Pasco County to utilize the system.
“Let’s say calls for chest pain, shortness of breath and a car accident all come in at the same time,” Deputy Chief of Operations Michael Cassano said. “Right now, all three calls will stack and be dispatched one at a time. With the PURVIS System, they’ll all be dispatched at the same time.”
County Commissioner Ron Oakley Photo by Orlando Negron
The new system could cut critical seconds or even minutes off of response times. While Station 38 will be the first in Pasco with the new system, PCFR plans to retrofit the rest of the stations across the county in future years.
Station 38 also will employ new technology to keep its firefighters safer and better rested. To keep them safer, the new fire station will employ a Plymovent diesel exhaust capture system. Plymovent is a global leading supplier of products, systems and services for the extraction and filtration of polluted indoor air. What oftentimes happens in the bays is a truck idles while emitting both carbon monoxide (CO) and the carcinogen Benzene.
“A lot of our bay doors open into living quarters and the trucks are spewing Benzene all over the bays,” Cassano said. “With this new safe air system, it monitors the atmospheric conditions in the bay and can automatically turn on fans, regulate temperature and even open bay doors.”
Another benefit for firefighters at Station 38 will be how the PURVIS System alerts them. Currently, a quick blast is emitted over the station’s speaker system. With the new PURVIS System, the tones gradually increase in volume. Additionally, the alerts can be targeted toward only the firefighters needed for a particular call and not the entire station.
“We found that many firefighters endure sleep deprivation,” Cassano said. “When you wake up to a loud noise, it triggers catacholamine release (in your brain) and a fight or flight mindset. This was happening every time firefighters would get a call. It’s designed with the goal of being a more humane notification system.”
Station 38 marks the first additional fire coverage area in Pasco County since 2009 and the first new coverage area in East Pasco County since 2007.
Not far behind Station 38’s groundbreaking will be the opening of the new Station No. 13. Located off of Old Pasco Rd., the new station had its groundbreaking in March. The old Station 13 at 27329 Dayflower Rd. is an aging facility that has become inadequate to handle the population growth in the area.
When it opens in January, the new Station 13 will be 9,400 square feet, have space for a Pasco County Sheriff’s substation and three drive-through bays able to accommodate six fire vehicles.
“In Pasco County, county wide, we are issuing 300 residential permits a month,” Dierdorff said. “The growth is incredible but our aim is to provide the best fire and medical coverage.”
Hudson says an independent oversight committee comprised of 14 citizens will make sure the money goes where it was intended to, and an audit will be conducted yearly. Every agency requesting money has to produce a public list annually detailing how the proceeds will be spent, and the committee will vote to approve (or not) each item.
