Category: News

USF Credit Union’s New Branch To Open In New Tampa

For the first time in its nearly 60-year history, the USF Federal Credit Union (FCU) is venturing off campus to open a new branch in New Tampa.

On August 29, USF president and New Tampa resident Judy Genshaft, USF FCU President and CEO Rick Skaggs, Tampa City Council chair (and USF grad) Mike Suarez and a number of other school dignitaries stuck ceremonial shovels into a pile of dirt during a ground-breaking ceremony at the northwest corner of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) and Imperial Oak Blvd., in the Trout Creek area near Winn-Dixie.

“It’s a fabulous location, and we know that the population is growing soooo fast in this area of our region and of our state,’’ Genshaft told the crowd. “(The branch) is modeled after the Marshall Center (branch) that has been fabulous and so well-received.”

The first-ever standalone off-campus branch of the USF Federal Credit Union, which boasts 52,000 members, which will be located in front of the plaza that houses Winn Dixie and LA Fitness and across Imperial Oak Blvd. from Burger King, is expected to open in mid-2017.

“It’s the first off-campus building of the credit union,’’ said Skaggs. “We’ve had other offices (off campus), but this is the first one that will be a standalone facility, so it’s a big day in our history.”

USF Building Bigger, Better

The new credit union will go up just a few hundred yards from its current location in the same plaza.

The impetus for acquiring the land to build the two-story, 12,300-sq.-ft. credit union, in fact, is due in part to the success of that New Tampa office, Skaggs said, as well as the knowledge that this area is home to many USF grads and employees.

“We have a lot of faculty and staff that live in this area as well, and going back from here to the university might as well be like going to St. Petersburg, so this is going to be a nice hub for us,’’ Skaggs said.

He noted that there have been numerous studies done on the membership base located in New Tampa, and those studies also reveal that many graduates settle in the area after attending USF and would like to remain members. Suarez, for example, said at the groundbreaking that he still has the same account he started 30 years ago when he was a USF student.

New USF FCU, New Offerings

The new facility will allow the credit union to expand the services offered at other off-campus locations, like in mortgage lending and wealth management. There will be a large community room available for meetings and functions, Skaggs said, equipped with a large TV for presentations and multi-media capabilities.

There also will be drive-through tellers and “universal service reps,” who according to Skaggs, are like bank tellers of the future. Since many patrons use electronic banking and don’t bother with the brick and mortar building for simple tasks like deposits and withdrawals anymore, universal service reps will be equipped to handle not only traditional teller duties, but also all of the other services offered by the credit union.

“The concept is like an Apple Store,’’ Skaggs said. “In the Marshall Center, the design we put in there has been very well-received. The open architecture feel, as well as all the electronic services, remote access, all of it, will be a totally different environment than a regular bank or credit union drive-through.”

USF FCU Highly Regarded

In July, the USF FCU, which was chartered in 1959 for the staff and faculty and began serving students in 1990, was named as the 2016 Credit Union of the Year by the League of Southeastern Credit Unions & Affiliates (LSCU) in the “$500 Million in Assets or Above” category.

Its merger with Darden Employees Federal Credit Union, the renovation of the Marshall Student Center Branch and the executive internship program, which allows students to work at the Marshall Center location and earn college credit, were cited in earning the award.

Skaggs said USF FCU has more than $500 million in assets, 135 employees and lends in excess of $100 million per year.

For more info, visit USFFCU.org or call 569-2000.

USF Credit Union

Costco Delays Opening To Feb. 2017

Clearwater store manager Hector Mencia tells the Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce that Costco’s opening near the Tampa Premium Outlets will be delayed until Feb. 2017, due to rainy weather.

Costco manager Hector Mencia had some good news for local business leaders at the Aug. 25 Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) Economic Development briefing held at Pebble Creek Golf Club.

Costco, for one, is still definitely coming to Wesley Chapel Blvd. adjacent to the Tampa Premium Outlets (TPO) off S.R. 56. And yes, it will offer its usual great prices and bountiful free samples. The largest retailer of fine wine in the world (a whopping $1.2 billion in yearly sales!) and second-largest auto retailer will continue to sell cheaper and better gas, millions of $1.50 hot dogs and drinks and the company’s highly-rated Kirkland line of products.

Oh, and don’t forget Costco’s commitment to the local community, in addition to well-paying jobs (if you’re lucky enough to land one).

There was, however, one bad bit of news that Mencia, who manages the Costco in Clearwater, delivered: It won’t open near TPO until February of next year.

Though the ground has been broken and the initial work is well under way, Mencia said the planned November opening of the much-awaited Costco has been derailed by bad weather, setting builders back by at least two weeks. And, that was before last week’s tropical storm.

Because Costco doesn’t open stores in December and January, its peak months, the new store won’t open its doors until early February.

That is a big bummer for Costco fans, who currently have to drive to Brandon to stock up on paper towels and soft drinks.

But, those fans of Costco, which also is opening a store in the Citrus Park area at the corner of Sheldon Rd. and Linebaugh Ave., are likely still excited by the arrival of the membership-only, wholesale club giant, the second-largest retailer in the world after Wal-Mart.

While Costco will have plenty of competition, with fellow wholesalers Sam’s Club (on S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel) and New Tampa’s BJ’s Wholesale Club (on Commerce Palms Blvd. in Tampa Palms) both within seven miles of the newest club, it is likely to find success, due to its religious-like following.

“We’ve been trying to get in here for quite a bit in this market,’’ Mencia said. “It’s a great location. It’s amazing what that area is turning into.”

Mencia shared with Chamber members the benefits of Costco, clearly drawing positive reactions from the crowd. He played a five-minute video filled with clips of Costco being mentioned by celebrities, including Rosie O’Donnell saying: “I go in with a list and a mission, and I come out with a trampoline and a case of corn nuts.”

Another clip showed massive crowds at various openings, including places like South Korea, Spain and Australia, and long lines for jobs at many locations.

If you’re wondering about your chances of landing a gig at Costco — where Mencia said the average pay is $21 an hour and cashiers start between $13 and $13.50 an hour — well, they aren’t great. According to one clip, an Indiana store received 22,000 applications for 200-275 jobs. You might have a better shot finding a Willie Wonka Golden Ticket.

Mencia, who has been with Costco for 27 years, said there is a low turnover at the wholesaler, and that the store will begin marketing six weeks prior to opening for those looking for memberships.

Those members will have a ton of choices, he says. Costco carries roughly 3,800 products, and rotates 1,500 or so to create a “treasure atmosphere” at least 14 times a year.

And last year, on a single day, three days before Thanksgiving, Costco sold more than 70 million dinner rolls, 1.6 million pumpkin pies, 471,000 apple pies and 252,000 pecan pies.

For more information about Costco, visit Costco.com.

Costco

Mayor Buckhorn Taking Fight To Mosquitoes & Zika

While the federal government continued to dawdle over additional funding to fight the spread of the Zika virus, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn has taken matters into his own hands.

Or rather, the hands of the city’s code inspectors, who have been tasked with finding abandoned pools and standing water in order to take the fight to the mosquitoes, whether they carry the Zika virus or not.

On Aug. 22, Mayor Buckhorn held a press conference at an abandoned home in the Wellswood area of central Tampa. He announced that the city is going on the offensive with bricks, or “dunks,” that can be tossed into areas where there is standing water — prime breeding ground for mosquitoes — to kill the pesky insects’ larvae.

“In light of what has been going on around the state of Florida, we decided not to wait for politicians in Washington, D.C., to act,’’ Buckhorn said at his press conference. “We’re going to take action ourselves. We can be proactive in terms of negating the environment in which mosquitoes breed.”

Stopping The Spread Of Zika

The Zika virus is spread by certain mosquitoes who become infected when they bite a person already infected. It also can be transmitted sexually, from one infected person to another.

Though most people will not feel any effects of the virus other than fever, headaches and joint pain, it is especially hazardous to pregnant women. It can cause severe brain defects — or microcephaly — in unborn fetuses. The virus can cause babies to be born with unusually small heads and underdeveloped brains, and lead to growth problems.

Tampa initially purchased 3,600 of the dunks, which cost roughly $5,000. The dunks contain BTI, or Bacillis thuringiensis israelensis, which is a bacterium that kills mosquito larvae. It has a range of 100 sq. ft. and can last for 30 days.

But, a week after Buckhorn’s press conference, the city announced 5,000 more dunks had been purchased, in anticipation of the rainy weather that was coming.

Tampa was hit hard by Tropical Storm/ Hurricane Hermine, which produced massive rains, which, of course, usually leads to standing pools of water.

“Our residents’ safety is our number one priority,” Buckhorn said. “With heavy rain comes standing water and we’re working around the clock to prevent the Zika virus from coming to Tampa, If that means purchasing an additional 10,000 dunks, we will do just that.”

The dunks have been given to more than 80 city code inspectors and neighborhood workers to distribute to areas where they are needed. An emphasis is being placed on abandoned homes with pools and retention ponds.

Mosquito control is typically handled by Hillsborough County, rather than the city, but Buckhorn decided to take an aggressive approach to a problem that is growing, although it has mainly been confined to the Miami area. In particular, the Wynwood neighborhood north of downtown Miami has been hit hard.

Until recently, there hadn’t been any locally transmitted cases in Tampa Bay.

Hitting Close To Home

A day after Buckhorn held his press conference, however, Florida Governor Rick Scott announced the first locally transmitted case of Zika during a roundtable discussion about the disease in Clearwater.

According to reports, a Tampa Fire Rescue (TFR) firefighter who lives in Pinellas County has contracted the Zika virus.

“This person did not travel to an infected area with Zika; we are looking at a number of locations,” Gov. Scott said. “Hopefully, something good will happen and it will just be a single case. But (whatever) we do find out, what we will do is we will be very aggressive.”

The TFR firefighter works out of Station No. 3 on Kennedy Blvd. in south Tampa. Other firefighters at the station tested negative for the virus.

The state has emergency funds of $26 million to help fight the spread of and to treat Zika. However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) & Prevention said late last week it was almost out of money to fight Zika, even as three new state cases here were announced. Florida now has 46 cases of infection.

According to reports, the CDC already has spent $8 million fighting Zika in Florida. Congress, which has been in recess, returned to work this week and the $1.9-billion funding request from the White House to combat Zika is still awaiting action.

Zika originated in Brazil in 2015, but there are more than 2,200 cases of Zika to date in the U.S., and more than 8,000 reported cases in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories.

Zika

‘Community’ Is At The Heart Of Cypress Point Community Church

cypress pointWEB — The Cypress Point Community Church Worship Band is an important part of church activities. Its repertoire ranges from an ecclesiastical-inspired version of the Rolling Stones song “Gimme Shelter” to classic Christian Rock favorites.

When Cross Creek residents Dean and Heidi Reule began Cypress Point Community Church in 1998, the married couple saw that residents of the burgeoning New Tampa area would need houses of worship as well as places to work, shop and play. As Hetti, who is the church’s children’s pastor, explains it, the insight was more inspired than reasoned.

“There was not much in the area at the time and the Lord was very clear about wanting a nondenominational Christian church in the area,” Hetti says.

Dean, who is the lead pastor of Cypress Point, agrees that the decision to start a church came from a deep conviction of its righteousness.

“It was that mysterious sense of vocation,” he said. “I just had the sense that this was God’s plan for my life.”

Cypress Point’s genesis was a small group of spiritually like-hearted families who gathered together in a living room for Bible study and prayer. As the church grew in size, venues such as the Hunter’s Green Model & Visitor Center and the Muvico Starlight 20 movie theater on Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. accommodated the growing congregation. Today, more than 700 worshippers attend services weekly in their own 30,000-sq.-ft. building on Morris Bridge Rd., just north of Cross Creek Blvd.

In addition to having a spacious sanctuary of its own in which to hold religious services, Cypress Point also has grown in terms of its impact on the local community, and beyond. “We’re a church that really tries to be on mission. We try to minister to the whole range of human needs,” says Pastor Dean, who has a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Florida State University in Tallahassee. “It’s what you do with the message that’s important to us.”

Among the services focusing members’ efforts to serve others are a Care Center, which provides groceries to 48 families each month and outreach ministries serving members of the military and firefighting communities.

Pastor Dean says church members deliver food to local fire stations to demonstrate their appreciation to the first responders staffing them. Support for the military community ranges from visiting veterans in hospitals and nursing homes to helping the families of deployed active duty forces when daily life presents challenges.

“Our military support mission is recognition of how many people in New Tampa that are active duty or retired military persons,” Dean says. “Somebody deploys and, on the home front, there’s a family of somebody who serves, and it’s nice to have a church family to help with practical matters and child care.”

The Military Support Outreach ministry also assists homeless veterans and sends care packages to troops stationed overseas.

In addition to community outreach, Cypress Point offers classes, workshops and topical Life Groups that provide members with Bible-based life skills and fellowship. Topics range from strengthening marriages to family protection classes that teach how to respond in an active shooter situation.

Like many churches, Cypress Point engages with communities outside its local area with missions to other states that refurbish homes and perform other acts of charity.

There’s also a global reach to Cypress Point’s missions. Mission teams travel to Thailand and Laos to assist youth at risk of exploitation there. Through construction projects and economic development programs, Cypress Point supports Christians who are a religious minority in those countries and often live and practice their faith on the margins of society, says Dean.

“We focus on serving the persecuted, underserved churches in Southeast Asia.”

Helping To Fight Fear

Just as the leadership of Cypress Point Community Church supports Christian communities facing persecution overseas, it also is dedicated to fighting religious intolerance in its own neighborhood (as Dean remarked in a recent service) by, “building bridges of love and respect with our Muslim neighbors.”

Cypress Point is next door to the Islamic Society of New Tampa’s Daarus-Salaam Mosque and the two groups occasionally get together for picnics and open house events.

That neighborly approach appeals to Cypress Point member Leon Jonas.

“Pastor Dean, he preaches love,” the Cross Creek resident says. “You’ve got to know your neighbor. Once you get to know people, you’re not so cold toward them.”

Leon and his wife Zoey (who volunteers with the worship arts and prayer teams) have been members since 2013. According to Zoey, being a part of Cypress Point’s church family means more than showing up on Sunday mornings. “You have to participate to make things happen,” she says.

Another appealing aspect of Cypress Point Community Church, according to some of its members, is its family-friendly atmosphere.

Bobbie Benson says discovering the church nine years ago following a divorce helped her and her three children get through a difficult transition in their lives.

“I felt accepted right away,” the Tampa Palms resident says. “After my divorce, (the church family) gave me a lot of support and gave my children stability. There’s a place for everybody here.”

Doing More To Serve Families

In particular, Cypress Point emphasizes being a place for children. There are age-appropriate Bible studies and activities that engage the church’s youth.

Tampa Palms resident Jill Barber is the worship arts pastor and sings in the worship band. She says attending Cypress Point has been especially beneficial to her five children.

“It’s a great place for my children to grow up in,” Jill says. “It has changed their lives by loving God and serving others.”

Involving young people in service to others is one way Cypress Point delivers its educational message, according to Sunday School teacher Rachid Mehdaova, who lives in Live Oak Preserve.

“They do a mission once a year,” Rachid says. “This year, the mission was local, working with Habitat for Humanity and going to multiple projects.”

Youth Pastor Earl Henning has been a part of Cypress Point for 16 years and has witnessed its growth. He says much of the church’s future expansion will be oriented toward its youngest members.

“We are in the process of building a 10,000-sq.-ft. youth center with a gym, basketball court, rec center and café,” Henning says, adding that the church hopes to eventually begin a special-needs youth program.

Serving Cypress Point’s youngest members is central to its mission, Pastor Dean says.

“We partner with families to help the mom, the dad, the guardian to build spiritually strong children.”

Cypress Point Community Church is located at 15820 Morris Bridge Rd. Sunday services are held at 9:30 and 11 a.m. For more information, call 986-9100 or visit CPCConline.com.

Cypress Point

District 1 Winner To Help Shape The Future Of The ‘Connected City’

rachel_oconnor2 — Pasco County Commission District 1 candidate Rachel O’Connor answers a question, as fellow candidate Ron Oakley checks his notes at a recent candidate forum in Zephyrhills

Three of the five Pasco Board of County Commissioners seats are up for grabs on Tuesday, November 8, the most interesting of which might just be District 1, which represents the Zephyrhills, Dade City and Wesley Chapel areas.

There are three Republicans on the ballot vying for votes in the Tuesday, August 30, primary election –

(in alphabetical order, as they will appear on the Aug. 30 ballot)

• Ronald Oakley, a 71-year-old Zephyrhills citrus farmer and former treasurer and chairman of the Southwest Florida Water Management District board;

• Rachel O’Connor, a 31-year-old Pasco County substitute teacher and former Republican Party of Florida field representative who also is a Wesley Chapel resident;

• Debbie Wells of Lake Jovita, 66, the director of sales for the Tampa division of Meritage Homes and ex-wife of Pasco Property Appraiser Mike Wells, Sr.

Wells’ son, Mike Jr., currently is Pasco’s District 4 commissioner.

O’Connor and Oakley both ran unsuccessfully for the same seat in the 2012 Republican primary, losing to four-term incumbent Ted Schrader, who this year running for property appraiser.

The winner faces Dimitri Delgado, 51, a no-party candidate, in the general election on Nov. 8.

The three candidates all present similar views on many subjects, with some differences on quite a few, like development, supporting police, improving the area roads and increasing tourism.

The Metro Question

However, at a Pasco County Commission Candidate Forum on Aug. 15, in front of roughly 25 potential voters at the Alice Hall Community Center in Zephyrhills, the biggest difference between the candidates’ views centered on Metro Development’s plans to build a “Connected City” on nearly 8,000 acres of land that sits in District 1.

Because Metro asked to delay consideration of its plans in front of the commission, originally slated for July, to sometime later this year, the winner of the District 1 race could now cast a crucial vote.

Recent attempts by Metro, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times, to stack an advisory board with hand-picked members while removing public and county representation, as well as a request for impact fee credits typically not afforded to other developers, has raised some eyebrows.

O’Connor is opposed to the project and says she will not vote for it.

“They propose taking the voice of the people away, giving them permission to do whatever they want with the land there,’’ said O’Connor, adding that giving Metro impact fee credits, “would not fly with another developer.”

Oakley and Wells both said they needed more information before deciding if they are in favor of the project, which includes a highly-anticipated “Crystal Lagoon” in the Epperson Ranch Development of Regional Impact (DRI) off Curley Rd., as well as the promise of ultra-fast internet speeds in every home in the development.

“There’s a lot of issues and nuances that are unknown,’’ Wells said.

Oakley said he has had at least seven meetings with Metro Development, and has been unable to figure out “what they are holding back.”

O’Connor, however, questioned whether Oakley or Wells could vote against the project at all, based on the fact they have received a combined $20,000 in campaign contributions — $14,000 for Wells and $6,000 for Oakley — from Metro and its affiliated companies.

“I know Rachel said she was the only candidate that did not take contributions, but they were not offered to her,” said Wells, a claim O’Connor said was not true.

“I would never support that (project), which is why I have not taken the opportunities presented to me to take money from Metro Development,’’ O’Connor said.

Metro also has donated thousands to commissioners who are currently serving and running for re-election.

Oakley defended taking contributions from a development company that will need his vote.

“I did, I got a contribution from them for my campaign,’’ Oakley said. “That money was needed to run my campaign. Just like anybody else that has to run a campaign, it costs money. I can tell you that in that process, I didn’t sell my integrity, I didn’t sell my soul, and I didn’t sell my vote to Metro.”

O’Connor, who has railed against the ‘Good ol’ Boy Network’ during her campaign, said that is not a chance voters should take.

“When you take money from a developer or a builder, you are pretty much saying that they have an open door to you,’’ she said. “And, if they don’t have the door to you, they invest heavily in other county commission candidates. When you take $14,000 from one developer, that is pretty much buying your vote. No way you’re going to say no, I’m sorry.”

Other than the exchange over Metro, the three candidates did not disagree on much.

On the vastly expanding Wesley Chapel area, all three candidates agree that growth and development is a good thing.

Oakley said that the economic development on the east side of Pasco County, primarily in Wesley Chapel, was a “steamroller and it is running down that road” towards Zephyrhills and Dade City. He said that is a good thing, as long as certain controls are in place.

“It’s one of the better things we have going for Pasco County,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, Wells, citing what she said was a 20-plus-year career in business leadership and boardrooms (mostly in real estate, where she is currently director of sales for the Tampa Division of Meritage Homes) said that to continue the growth, she would form a strong partnership with Pasco Economic Development Council (EDC) president and CEO, Bill Cronin. She stressed the need for Pasco to better market itself to continue to attract new businesses.

O’Connor presented a six-point plan for harnessing the growth, including streamlining permitting and updating the county’s technology for handling it, reviewing codes to make sure the county is open to all types of businesses, instead of just a few, creating competitive impact fees and evening the playing field by not playing favorites to certain developers.

All three candidates, speaking in front of a small Zephyrhills audience, said S.R. 56 was going to connect to their city and they needed to be ready and prepared for the growth that is likely to come with it.

Regarding the county’s current issues with homelessness and drugs, Wells said she was a proponent of helping, “but also to enable them to get jobs and get back on their feet.”

Oakley called for a bigger role by local ministries, while O’Connor said working with the sheriff’s office to help stop the drug problem would play a big role in settling the homeless issue.

All three candidates profusely praised both Sheriff Chris Nocco’s office and the county’s other first responders, and promised to help find more funding for those departments.

Asked what is one of the biggest issues facing the district and county, O’Connor said preparing for the upcoming development and population boom that would accompany it is a priority. Wells said the Zephyrhills Airport was a “jewel” and needed attention, and also stressed the need for better county infrastructure. Oakley said he was “very passionate” about improving Pasco residents’ quality of life.

District 1