A portion of Regents Park Dr. that has been resurfaced.Â
For many months now, the residents of New Tampaâs Pebble Creek subdivision have had to deal with the ongoing resurfacing of the communityâs two main thoroughfares â Regents Park Dr. and Pebble Creek Dr.Â
The portion of Regents Park Dr. near BBD Blvd. where the Roadway Resurfacing signs are located are the only portions of the roadway not yet resurfaced.Â
As of the last few weeks, however, all but about 0.2 miles of the 2.3-mile stretch of the circular Regents Park Dr. â from its northern Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. terminus to its southern BBD connection â have been resurfaced, with only about 0.1 mile at each terminus of the roadway closest to BBD now completed.
Likewise, all but a couple of hundred feet â again, the portion closest to BBD â of Pebble Creek Dr. also has been completed.Â
According to Chris Wilkerson, a senior media relations strategist with Hillsborough County, the Pebble Creek Roadway Resurfacing project represents 4.78 total lane miles of the countyâs 285 total lane miles and $1.995 million of the $35-million Roadway Pavement Preservation plan of county-maintained roads approved by the county commissioners in 2021.
Although most of the actual repaving has been completed, Wilkerson says the remaining work on this project includes paving entrances, stripping and signage, tree planting and the installation of traffic beacons and that the anticipated completion of everything, minus the traffic beacons, is early December 2023.Â
The cones shown above are now gone & the patches shown are now coveredÂ
âThere is a long lead time on the traffic beacons,â he adds, however, âso final completion will be early spring 2024.â
The project also includes brand new bike lanes in the sections of the roads that are wide enough. Public works officials say that in sections where there isnât room, there may be shared road markings for bicyclists.
Although it has taken a while, the county has done a great job of resurfacing these two main roadways in Pebble Creek. If itâs been a while since you visited the community, itâs worth taking a drive to check out how much better the two roads are now.
For more information about this and other county projects, visit HillsboroughCounty.org.Â
U.S. Army veteran Cam Caudle has been a franchise owner of Shred360 since 2015.(All photos provided by Shred360)
When Cam Caudle joined the U.S. Army after his college graduation in 1991, he didnât want to be just an everyday soldier. He wanted to go above and beyond, so he set his goal high and became an Army Ranger.
Now, as the franchise owner of Shred360, based in Wesley Chapel, he has been carrying that desire to reach higher into the business world.
âWe take a lot of pride in doing a great job for people and doing more than is expected of us,â Cam says. âPeople are happy to see us arrive, and my guys are phenomenal, so (our customers are) happy when weâre done, too.â
Cam started his business in 2015 when his friends and fellow military veterans wanted to expand their South Carolina-based document-shredding business into Florida. He agreed to start a franchise in Wesley Chapel, where he lives. The franchise model hasnât expanded, but Camâs business surely has.
Back then, his company was just him and one truck. Now, he has five trucks and a staff of three full-time drivers, a couple of part time drivers and a sales director, and the business covers the entire Tampa Bay area and then some â north to Gainesville, south to Port Charlotte, and east to Orlando.
Shred360 provides primarily on-site document shredding and hard drive destruction for both businesses and individuals.
Although Shred360 does have a drop-off option, Cam says, âMost of the time, we go to wherever the material is, whether thatâs a home, business, or storage unit. From a security standpoint, itâs better that people can watch their documents be destroyed right in front of them.â He adds that although the destruction happens inside the truck, âit is visible on a screen.âÂ
When you utilize Shred360âs shredding service, your documents are loaded into a bin and the shredding machine allows you to see them destroyed.Â
He also says that the alternatives to on-site shredding are far from ideal. You can either use a home office shredder, which is cumbersome and time consuming, or drop documents off at a store, where youâre often leaving them in a bin â for who knows how long and without any idea of who will have access to them until they are destroyed.
Karen Wallace is practice administrator for Friendly Smiles Dental Care, with four locations in the Tampa area. She says she was one of Shred360âs first customers.
âWe needed an alternative to having shredders in our office,â Wallace says. âIt was so loud and disruptive, and not really sufficient for the amount of paper we have to destroy, due to HIPAA regulations.â
She adds that sheâs continued to work with Shred360 because of Cam and the way he runs the company.
âIn business, itâs so refreshing to meet someone like him,â Karen says. âIâve always been so impressed. If one of his guys is out for some reason, he comes out, driving the truck (himself).âÂ
She calls Cam the âconsummate professionalâ and says everyone he hires follows in his footsteps.
âWhen they come in, theyâre quiet, they donât interrupt any work, they say âhiâ politely and depart,â she says. âItâs like white glove service.â
Medical offices such as Karenâs, along with law firms, credit unions, hospitals and other businesses with a lot of records that need to be destroyed, have ongoing service with Shred360, where documents are picked up on a regular basis, anywhere from once a week to once every twelve weeks.
The other service is a one-time purge, although Cam says many of his clients purge again at a later date.
Shred360 can accommodate everyone from residential customers with a few boxes to commercial customers with a full warehouse â and pretty much anything in between.
âIn the time it takes an employee to shred a box of documents at an office shredder,â Cam says, âwe can do 250 pounds.â
Before starting Shred360, Cam says he sold all kinds of things, from furniture to medical equipment, but he says none of those jobs were exactly the right fit.
âI love what I do now,â he says.
He appreciates the opportunity to make his customers happy â and you canât argue with his results âof 630 Google reviews, 628 are five stars (out of five), and he insists that the two four-star reviews his business has receivedâ from eight and five years ago, respectively â should have been five stars, too.
Giving BackÂ
When Shred360 hosts a charity shredding event, you line up in your car, your documents are shredded and you make a donation to the eventâs selected charity.Â
Cam also sees his business as a way to both give back to the community and set an example for his children and stepchildren. He and Ines, his wife of three years, have five children between the two of them.Â
Shred360 does a charitable event every month, where they set up like a drive through lane at a particular location. People pull up next to the truck, stay in their car, have their documents shredded while they wait, and then make a donation to the selected charity.
In nine years, Cam says Shred360 has raised more than $70,000 for organizations that are doing good things in the community, including the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, Community Food Pantry, and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
âThese events are important for serving the community where I live,â he says, âWeâre busy, so sometimes itâs hard to fit those in, but theyâre important, so we still do them.â
To find out about upcoming charity shredding events, visit Shred360.com/Tampa or âShred360Tampaâ on Facebook.
Cam also has been a long-time member of the Rotary Club of New Tampa, which meets on Friday mornings at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club, and in 2021, he was one of the co-founders (and is still a Board member) of the New Tampa Rotaryâs After Hours Satellite Club. He says that Rotary gives him another outlet to volunteer, support the community, and show his kids the importance of serving others.
It goes back to those early lessons he learned in the Army. He started active duty two weeks after graduating from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, in 1991 on a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship, and stayed in active duty until 1996.
âI wouldnât be doing what Iâm doing now, if not for the Army,âCam says. Not only is that where he met the owners of Shred360, but also because of the values that have carried over from that experience to his business.
âDoing things with integrity, doing more than whatâs expected,â he says, âMy motto is. âWhen you think youâve done enough, do more./â
Heâs proud that Shred360 has won âBusiness of the Yearâ through the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce and that he has also been honored as its volunteer of the year.
For a price quote on a one-time purge of documents for your home or business, or if you would like information about setting up ongoing service, call Shred360 at (813) 944- 2223, visit Shred360.com/Tampa.Â
Firefighters from Tampa Fire Rescue Station No. 20 captivated Primrose School at Tampa Palms students with their fire safety presentation during National Fire Prevention Week. (All photos provided by Primrose School at Tampa Palms)
In the U.S., National Fire Prevention Week was first proclaimed by President Calvin Coolidge in 1925, and nearly 100 years later, itâs still recognized and celebrated.Â
Fire Prevention Week was the backdrop for preschoolers at the Primrose School of Tampa Palms to receive some of their first lessons in fire safety.
The firefighters from Tampa Fire Rescue Station No. 20, located on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. just south of I-75, visited the school to teach kids important lessons.
The preschoolers learned what the Fire Rescue department does, what equipment firefighters use and the importance of their uniforms. The firefighters also demonstrated how to âstop, drop, and rollâ in case of a fire.
And, perhaps most fun of all for the kids was that they were able to hold the fire hose and even go inside the fire truck.Â
The Tampa Fire Rescue Department provides education as an important part of its community services.
For the 2023-24 school year, local schools have chosen nominees for the Pasco School Districtâs countywide awards.
Three Teacher of the Year nominees â one each from the Districtâs elementary, middle and high schools â and one School Related Personnel (SRP) nominee will be surprised by Pasco school superintendent Kurt Browning with the announcement that they have been chosen as a countywide winner later this year.
Each public and charter school throughout the District, including all of the schools in Wesley Chapel, nominated candidates for consideration. The people named on these pages were recognized by their peers on their respective campuses for their outstanding contributions to their schools. Congrats to all!
Editorâs Note â We had not received the Teacher/SRP of the Year info for Union Park Academy or Innovation Prep at our press time.
Double Branch ElementaryÂ
Teacher of the Year: Debra Hodros, Kindergarten (photo)Â
School-Related Personnel of the Year: Jill GalvisÂ
New River ElementaryÂ
Teacher of the Year: Brianna Warren (photo)Â
School-Related Personnel of the Year: Maria ZamoraÂ
Quail Hollow ElementaryÂ
Teacher of the Year: Robin Stead, Kindergarten (photo)Â
School-Related Personnel of the Year: Wendy Bibbey, Instructional AssistantÂ
Sand Pine ElementaryÂ
Teacher of the Year: Heather Forsman, 2nd Grade (right)
SRP of the Year: Bailey Glover, ESE Instructional Assistant (left)Â
Seven Oaks ElementaryÂ
Teacher of the Year: Danielle Bullara, 3rd Grade (right)Â
School-Related Personnel of the Year: Andrea Long, Kindergarten Instructional Assistant (left)Â
Veterans ElementaryÂ
Teacher of the Year: Bridget Aubuchont, 4th Grade, PLC Facilitator, New Teacher LeaderÂ
School-Related Personnel of the Year: Cristin Becker, BookkeeperÂ
Watergrass ElementaryÂ
Teachers of the Year: Pam Armstrong, 1st Grade (left) & Jenna Huetten, 3rd Grade (right )
School-Related Personnel of the Year: Tracy France, Instructional AssistantÂ
Wesley Chapel Elementary
Teacher of the Year: Aveon Moon (photo)
School-Related Personnel of the Year: Beth Kurland
Wiregrass ElementaryÂ
Teacher of the Year: Heather Olds, 5th Grade STEM Teacher (left)
School-Related Personnel of the Year: Jamie Zuzek, Guidance Secretary (right)
Cypress Creek Middle School
Teacher of the Year: Justin Santiago, Language Arts, PLC Facilitator, New Teacher Liaison, Profâl Development Coordinator (left in photo)
School-Related Personnel of the Year: Tami Milner, Data Entry Operator
John Long Middle School
Teacher of the Year: Porsche Alderman (photo)
School-Related Personnel of the Year: Loretta StephensonÂ
Thomas E. Weightman Middle School
Teacher of the Year: Adam Zondor, Art (photo)
School-Related Personnel of the Year: Nadine Di Vittorio, Instructional AssistantÂ
Cypress Creek HighÂ
Teacher of the Year: Warren Underwood, Theatre (left in photo)Â
School-Related Personnel of the Year: Lorraine McKinney, BookkeeperÂ
Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation (Charter School)Â
Teacher of the Year: Stephanie Bertig, Digital Media/Multimedia (photo)Â
School-Related Personnel of the Year: Juan Garcia, CustodianÂ
Wesley Chapel HighÂ
Teacher of the Year: Jennifer Salter, 9th Grade English (pictured with her family)
School-Related Personnel of the Year: Denise Garcia, School RegistrarÂ
Wiregrass Ranch HighÂ
Teacher of the Year: Tammy Williams, Assessment Coordinator (photo)Â
School-Related Personnel of the Year: Jessica Jackson, Front Office Secretary/Sub CoordinatorÂ
For the 2023-24 school year, the eleven public schools located in New Tampa have chosen their nominees for the Hillsborough County Schools/Hillsborough Education Foundation âExcellence in Educationâ awards. In the Spring of 2024, the winners of the following three awards will be announced at the School Districtâs annual awards gala.
Each school nominated one candidate to be considered for the each of the three county-wide awards: Teacher of the Year, Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year, and Instructional Support Employee of the Year.
Every person on this page was recognized by their peers for outstanding contributions to their respective schools.
Congratulations to all of the worthy nominees for these awards at every New Tampa public school. (Note-Only the Teacher of the year nominees at each school are shown, except at Wharton High).Â
Chiles ElementaryÂ
Michael Zang
Teacher of the Year: Michael Zang, 3rd grade Math & Science; Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year: Amie Adum Simmons; Instructional Support Employee of the Year: Lauren RichardsonÂ
Clark ElementaryÂ
Christy Gupta
Teacher of the Year: Christy Gupta, Academically Gifted Program; Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year: Donna Clark; Instructional Support Employee of the Year: Shannon FerreiraÂ
Heritage ElementaryÂ
Dona Marlatt
Teacher of the Year: Dona Marlatt, 5th grade English Language Arts; Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year: Altemese Simard, Music; Instructional Support Employee: Vanessa Hernandez-Morales, cafeteria managerÂ
Hunterâs Green Elem.Â
Danielle McGonagle
Teacher of the Year: Danielle McGonagle, 2nd grade; Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year: Amanda Palmer; Instructional Support Employee of the Year: Melissa CurtisÂ
Pride ElementaryÂ
Crystal Camerino
Teacher of the Year: Crystal Camerino, 4th grade Math & Science; Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year: Suzy Tkacik, Media Specialist; Instructional Support Employee: Diane Riley, Student Nutrition Services ManagerÂ
Tampa Palms Elem.Â
Kelly Sollenberger
Teacher of the Year: Kelly Sollenberger, 4th grade; Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year: Cindy Sciandra; Instructional Support Employee of the Year: Awilda Valentin
Turner/Bartels K-8Â
Chelsea Gonzalez- Panek
Teacher of the Year: Chelsea Gonzalez- Panek, Math; Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year: Marelisa Moreno; Instructional Support Employee of the Year: Jessica GhoumariÂ
Benito Middle SchoolÂ
Michelle Nolan
Teacher of the Year: Michelle Nolan, Math; Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year: Patricia Brown- Denis; Instructional Support Employee of the Year: Geraldo Mendoza
Liberty Middle SchoolÂ
Brianne Melvin
Teacher of the Year: Brianne Melvin, PE Coach; Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year: Edwin Cadet; Instructional Support Employee of the Year: Lori McNabb
Freedom HighÂ
Lonna Hernandez (center)
Teacher of the Year: Lonna Hernandez, Biology; Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year: Cheryl Bernales, Varying Exceptionalities; Instructional Support Employee of the Year: Malissa NannsÂ
Wharton HighÂ
Kristen Montgomery (center)
Teacher of the Year: Kristen Montgomery, Math (center) Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year: Markee Duncan (right); Instructional Support Employee of the Year: Jill Brown