Planet Fitness Heading To The Grove

Planet Fitness, which has more than 2,000 locations across the U.S., is adding another at The Grove at Wesley Chapel.

Planet Fitness will take over the 25,000-sq.-ft. space formerly occupied by Babies “R” Us. Back in May, Grove developer Mark Gold announced that the other half of the space, which was formerly occupied by Toys “R” Us, was being leased to a combined Bealls Outlet/Home Centric store.

Billing itself as a “Judgment Free Zone,” Planet Fitness offers free fitness training, a variety of different memberships, and an array of fitness machines for members to use. Some memberships alloow you to use any Planet Fitness location in the country.  

The fitness chain currently has eight locations in Hillsborough County, including the nearest ones on E. Bearss Ave. and another on E. Fowler Ave., as well as a handful of locations in Pinellas County. Its Pasco locations are in Zephyrhills, New Port Richey and Holiday.

AHCI Introduces New Global Prospects Academy Hockey Director


(L.-r.) Gordie Zimmermann of AdventHealth Center Ice, AHCI’s Global Prospects Academy Director of Hockey Glenn Metropolit & Stephen Herr of North Tampa Christian Academy.

If both of your kids played high school ice hockey, as mine did, more than a decade ago, there was no way (or place) locally for kids who were good enough to play travel hockey to play youth or high school hockey at the highest level while also receiving a great education. 

My kids both decided to play hockey, instead of the competitive sports they grew up with, after the Tampa Bay Lightning won their first Stanley Cup championship back in 2004. They weren’t alone, as many outstanding young athletes at that time also either first took up or decided to focus on hockey because of being bananas for the Bolts.

Thirteen years later, the same developers who built the Brandon Ice Sports Forum — where kids from high schools in and near Tampa had been practicing and playing — finally opened Florida Hospital (now AdventHealth) Center Ice (aka AHCI), right here in Wesley Chapel.

The new place was (and still is) a palace for both hockey players and figure skaters, especially when compared with any other ice skating facility in the entire Tampa Bay area — with three NHL-sized rinks, one (larger) international-sized rink and a mini-rink, plus a great pro shop and an actual restaurant. AHCI, the largest skating facility south of New York, even offers curling, a cult favorite Winter Olympics sport.

In 2019, the Lightning were again favored to win the team’s second Stanley Cup at the start of the 2019-20 season, despite a disappointing first-round sweep at the sticks of the Columbus Blue Jackets to close out their 2018-19 campaign, which saw them win the President’s Cup for having the NHL’s best regular-season record. 

Of course, the Covid-19 pandemic shortened that 2019-20 season and caused the entire Cup playoffs to be played in two “bubbles” in Canada, but somehow, the Bolts did prevail and brought Lord Stanley’s chalice home to Tampa. And of course, the Lightning then repeated as Cup champs to end of the 2020-21 season.

It just so happens that 2020-21 also was the first year that AHCI offered its Global Prospects Academy (GPA), combining top-notch hockey training and lots of ice time for 15 young players, as well as a full-fledged private school experience affiliated with North Tampa Christian Academy (NTCA), which is located just three miles from AHCI on County Line Rd. in New Tampa.

AHCI co-owner Gordie Zimmermann hosted a press conference on August 12 to announce the intended expansion of the rink’s GPA program and the hiring of new Academy Director of Hockey, former NHL player Glen Metropolit, whose career included 400 games with six NHL teams (including two games with the Lightning), followed by six years of international experience with top-level European clubs.

 â€œOur goal is to establish an elite hockey program,” Zimmermann said at the media event, “in order to keep them here in Florida before they turn 16 and move up north to Boston or Michigan to play. There haven’t been any programs here with academics and hockey training.” 

Zimmermann also introduced former Lightning star Brian Bradley (who still works for the team) at the event, and admitted that AHCI’s success, “also has to do with the Lightning’s success.” He also said that he expects the rink’s GPA program to double in size this school year (to 30 or more students) and ultimately, to 300 or more — and promised to expand the GPA to include figure skating in the future.

Stephen Herr, the Head of School at NTCA, also spoke at the press conference and said that the school will offer GPA students in-person classes at both NTCA and at the rink (with on-site teaching staff), plus Zoom classes. 

“Our primary goal is the same as Advent Health Center Ice’s goal,” Herr said, “helping students to become people of character and leaders.” For additional information, visit AHCenterIce.com/global-prospects-academy.   

Mike Moore adds radio host to media portfolio


Mike Moore chats with Chris Sprowls, the Speaker of the House of the Florida House of Representatives, on a recent episode of “Reel Politics,” Moore’s new radio show/podcast.

There are two Mike Moores.

One is the Pasco County Commissioner representing District 2, which includes most of Wesley Chapel.

The other is a regular guy who has a media itch he needs to scratch, and is the new host of “Reel Politics” show and podcast on conservative radio station WGUL-AM 860 The Answer on Saturdays at 7 a.m..

“Two different guys,” says Moore, emphasizing that his radio show has nothing to do with his role as a county commissioner because that would be not allowed. “I have to keep them separate. If I have to vote on it, we won’t talk about it.”

So, if you’re looking to hear what Moore thinks about things like Wesley Chapel’s traffic, business development and the area’s massive growth, “Reel Politics” may not be for you.

If you enjoy conservative politics and learning about conservative politicians, however, it might be worth your time.

Moore’s first show (they are pre-recorded) focused on his guest — District 38 State Representative Randy Maggard — and mostly on why Rep. Maggard got into politics and some of the bills he has worked on and sponsored. On the second show, guest Chris Sprowls, the Speaker of the House of the Florida House of Representatives, and Moore discussed school choice legislation, the HB 1 protest bill, taxes and other Republican issues.

“We’ll discuss national things — infrastructure, how to do things better, things like that,” Moore says of the one-hour show. “We’ll get some pundits and some celebrities on there talking about politics, but it won’t be people going at each other’s throats.”

Moore, a former radio/TV major at the University of Central Florida, isn’t just dabbling in radio. The precursor to “Reel Politics” was a television version by the same name, where he took his guests out on a boat and had the same kind of discussions. Three episodes were filmed before Covid-19 hit.

Moore also has the Freedom Broadcasting Network, which is available on Roku and other streaming devices, which carries conservative shows like “Diamond and Silk,” as well as some fishing shows.

Moore laughs when it’s suggested that he could someday become a media mogul, and adds that he has no plans to get out of politics.

“I’m just getting back to my roots,” he says. For more information or to listen to past shows visit TheAnswer.com/radioshow/9757.

Wesley Chapel District Park Recreation Complex Grand Opening postponed

The grand opening of the Wesley Chapel District Park Recreation Complex, originally scheduled for tomorrow morning, have been postponed.  The ribbon cutting ceremony today, and tomorrow’s Grand Opening celebration, will be rescheduled for a later date.

Pasco County Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources will announce the new dates for these events as soon as plans are finalized. We’ll keep you posted.

Miller Is Wesley Chapel’s Own Eye In The Sky

Local Realtor Jeff Miller gets ready to send his drone into the sky for his latest video of The Grove at Wesley Chapel. Miller has shot and posted more than 80 drone videos of locations around Wesley Chapel. (Photo: John C. Cotey)

Jeff Miller has seen a lot of things since moving to Wesley Chapel in 2004.

As a Realtor for Charles Rutenberg Realty, he has seen the market take off, then crash land, then take off again. He has seen the area grow and grow. He has seen neighborhoods evolve and new roads appear.

These days, however, Miller’s view has changed….to about 300 feet above the ground.

If you’ve been on the web looking for all of the new developments and businesses in Wesley Chapel, you may have come across one of Miller’s many drone videos, which are focused on all of the new developments in our area.

“I really love sharing the videos with everyone,” Miller says. “I think it’s pretty cool.”

Miller has been posting regular old ground-level videos on his YouTube page since 2017, but kept noticing more and more drone videos. 

“They were unique and super visual,” he says. “What a difference.”

Miller bought his first drone — a surprisingly compact gray DJI Mini 2 — in February, and has since posted more than 80 videos, from local communities like Persimmon Park, Estancia, River Landing and Avalon Park to area favorites like the Crystal Lagoon at Epperson, the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County and the Wesley Chapel District Park. 

The first drone video he posted was 47 seconds of footage at the Overpass Rd. construction at I-75, followed by 99 seconds of Epperson Ranch and its lagoon. None of Miller’s first five drone videos topped 100 views, but many of his videos since then have fared much better. 

A video of the future Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. has more than 600 views, a drone tour of Winding Ridge by GL Homes has more than 1,000 and an update on the Overpass Rd. construction currently is his top drone video to date with 1,300+ views.

All of his videos combined have nearly 20,000 views.

While Miller started posting his videos as a hobby, he says it hasn’t been bad for business either.

“I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me because of the videos,” he says. “Especially the updates on the Overpass Rd. bridge, the parks and the malls. There are people interested in buying homes from out of state and I think it’s pretty cool they can see how the community has progressed.”

Jeff Miller’s drone videos focus on new developments like Avalon Park Wesley Chapel (top) and popular places Wesley Chapel is known for, like the Crystal Lagoon at Epperson.

Miller said the wealth of aerial video opportunities is a far cry from his first decade or so in Wesley Chapel.

“Back then, there was really nothing to shoot (here),” he says.  

A 1993 graduate of Southern Connecticut State University with a degree in corporate video communications, Miller has long had an eye for photography and video. He says he started taking pictures when he was a kid and, when he moved to Wesley Chapel, he took on a role helping the former Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (now the North Tampa Bay Chamber) with social media. 

“Before Facebook, that was pretty impossible,” he says. But, he would attend events, and send out email blasts with recaps and photos. 

He says he helped start the Wesley Chapel Fall Festival and art show. In 2008, Miller even ran for the Chamber’s Honorary Mayor of Wesley Chapel. He hosted a wine tasting at the old Cork and Olive on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. hoping to attract voters, and one of his goals was to get signs up in the area that said “We Love Wesley Chapel.”

“I think I met everyone in Wesley Chapel that year,” Miller says, chuckling. 

A long-time promoter of the community, Miller says he tries to get out and shoot something in the area every day. Although he says he graduated from college without even having used the internet or a cell phone, he eagerly dives into new technology.

 â€œThis technology is ridiculously easy to use,” he says. “It really gives me the chance to make awesome, shareable content. I hope people like it.”

To check out Miller’s drone videos, visit FlyWesleyChapel.com. For more information about Jeff, visit Jeff-Miller-Realtor-Wesley-Chapel-Fl-homes-for-sale.business.site or call (813) 382-8312.