Citrus Grove Lutheran Church Wants To Help You Grow, Too!

According to Pastor Phil Hunter, he picked the name Citrus Grove Church as a nod to Florida’s most famous produce, as well as to growing as a person. (Photos: Courtesy of Pastor Phil Hunter)

When Pastor Phil Hunter chose Citrus Grove Lutheran Church as the name for his new congregation in Wesley Chapel, he took inspiration from Florida’s most famous produce, saying that it reminds him of people’s lives.

“It’s a nod to the development in Florida and that people are now growing where the oranges used to be,” Pastor Hunter says. “But, also, that there’s not just one tree by itself (in a grove). At Citrus Grove Church, you have other people supporting you and growing with you. You’re not alone.”

Pastor Hunter and his wife Andrea moved to Wesley Chapel from Wisconsin in mid-2020 with two kids, who are now ages five and three. 

They have since also become foster parents and are now raising five kids ages five and younger.

Pastor Hunter says when he saw the opportunity to be a missionary pastor to start a new church in Pasco County, he thought it sounded like fun. 

“It was snowing in May 2020 on the last Sunday I preached at my old church in Wisconsin,” he says.

Prior to coming to Wesley Chapel, Pastor Hunter served as pastor at Bethel Church in Menasha, a bilingual English/Spanish church where he taught, preached and counseled people in both languages.

He says the church here in Wesley Chapel is all English, but he is willing to serve neighbors who speak Spanish, and that a Spanish service could be a way Citrus Grove might grow in the future.

Pastor Hunter says Citrus Grove Lutheran Church, which opened in December 2021, is continuing to grow and is open to everyone.

Citrus Grove is a mission congregation of the WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) network of churches. It started because a congregation in Zephyrhills was getting smaller and closed its doors, and requested that a new church from the nationwide organization be formed in the Wesley Chapel area.

Although WELS originally started in Wisconsin and remains headquartered there, there are now 1,300 member churches across North America, including nine in the Tampa Bay area. 

Pastor Hunter comes from a line of pastors, including his dad. He knew he wanted to follow in those footsteps, so attended Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN, and earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in 2011. He then attended Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary outside of Milwaukee to earn his Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree in 2015. During that time, he spent a year working at a church in suburban Atlanta.

“Being part of a larger church body is a long-term partnership,” he explains. “Some new churches have to grow very fast, but we have a church body that sustains us and supports us over the long haul. We don’t need a ‘gimmick. (We) can build more realistically.”

Visiting Citrus Grove

“We’re here to help people in Wesley Chapel have healthier hearts and more fruitful lives,” Pastor Hunter explains. “We sing hymns, have hymnals and Bibles in our church, teach from a section of the Bible every week, and emphasize people learning the Bible for themselves and using it as a guide for their lives.”

The church started gathering as a small group in the fall of 2020 and opened its doors publicly in December 2021, meeting at Pinecrest Academy on S.R. 54.

Pastor Hunter says the best way to learn about the church is to show up any Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m.

“We meet inside the cafeteria,” he says. “It’s not fancy and there are no bells or whistles, but we meet you in the parking lot and our members will walk you in. Your kids can join my kids in the Kids Zone.”

The church is participating in events and doing outreach to let people know they are here to serve the community.

“We’re meeting our neighbors, bringing lunch to offices, bringing our volunteers to events — especially those that support worthy causes, being a presence at different events around town,” Pastor Hunter explains. “We can also donate supplies and send a financial gift to agencies in our area that are doing a great job, and encourage people with notes, cards and prayers.”

For example, he says, the Wesley Chapel District Park on Boyette Rd. recently needed breakfast food for an event for underprivileged kids and their parents, so Citrus Grove Church members cooked and delivered breakfast, as a way to let the community know they care.

He says he recognizes that Wesley Chapel is known for being a beautiful place to live with lots to do. 

“All the shopping, dining and entertainment can be fine, but it can also wear a heart down with guilt, debt, and insecurity,” he says. “It can cause people to look around and say, ‘I have everything I could want, but I’m angry, lonely, or jealous. What am I missing here?’”

He says people don’t need more entertainment. They need to look deeper.

“My encouragement to (Neighborhood News) readers,” he says, “is to not put off thinking about the biggest questions of life. Have those big conversations with your kids and your spouse about our purpose in life and what happens after this life. I’m here to encourage you to find answers to those big questions.”

Elaine Miller and her husband, Ralph, are members at Citrus Grove Church who want to grow and serve alongside others in Wesley Chapel.

“We had been involved in a mission congregation that our son and daughter attended in Minnesota,” Elaine says. “We watched it grow from meeting in a cafeteria to meeting in a strip mall, to now they have their own building.”

The Millers retired to Florida from Minnesota, and say they love living in Wesley Chapel.

“People in Florida seem so much happier, and we love the sunshine.”

Elaine also says she likes that her church is relaxed and comfortable, and that the people are friendly and welcoming. “If you need anything, people are willing to help out. It’s like a family.”

She adds that the world around us can feel very uncertain and like it’s constantly changing.

“Covid kind of turned us upside down, too,” Elaine says. “But, the church provides a constancy because God is constant. There’s a sense of peace (here) that I think a lot of people are looking for.”

Citrus Grove Lutheran Church meets Sundays at 9:30 a.m. inside Pinecrest Academy, located at 33347 S.R. 54, near New River Rd. in Wesley Chapel. For more information, visit CitrusGroveChurch.com, or call or text Pastor Hunter at (813) 788-4126.

AIMING FOR THE TOP

Parth Madabhushi gives 100 percent to everything he does, as evidenced by his acomplishments in dance, music and sport.(Photos: Courtesy of Madabhushi family)

Wesley Chapel teenager Parth Madabhushi doesn’t do anything half way. 

When he took up karate, he put in all his effort and made it onto a national team that competed in other countries.

When he took up dance, he spent hours and hours practicing his craft and became the third generation in his family to learn the classical Indian dance Bharatanatyam.

And, when he took up music, he mastered the mridangam (the ancient classical drum of South India), recently completing his solo percussion recital, or arangetram, with renowned Indian musician Padma Shri A. Kanyakumari.

Whereas the majority of people may take a few years of karate or a few lessons in dance or compete in a couple of sports leagues, Parth has always set out to conquer everything he tries.

“I’m proud of myself for the accomplishment,” Parth says. “I don’t really get the appeal of doing something and stopping, unless it was just a hobby or something. Accomplishing all three things was important to me. My parents preached that if you’re not going to do something 100 percent, don’t do it.”

The most recent accomplishment on Parth impressice roster was completing his mridangam arangetram last year.

An arangetram (which means “ascending the stage”) ceremony is a rite of passage that is most similar to a recital or graduation, and is deeply rooted in Indian culture. The mridangam, the instrument Parth plays, is the.

All classical dancers and musicians participate in an arangetram at the end of their training with a guru, and it signifies their ascension from disciple to performer and even to teacher.

For his arangetram, Prahlad Madabhushi, Parth’s father, managed to arrange for his son to accompany violinist Padma Shri A. Kanyakumari, a recipient of the Padma Shri Award from the government of India for her devotion to the arts. Prahlad says it is rare that such a prominent artist would agree to play at an arangetram.

The Madabhushi family (l.-r.) dad Prahlad, Parth, sister Nitya and mother Sabrina.

“We had been in communication for 2-3 years, before Covid,” he said. “And, her calendar is packed. However, she sent us a message that she had a weekend open, and we were shocked. It was jaw dropping. But, we can see why she agreed. Parth is very very unique, and artists want to enrich upcoming brilliant kids.”

On October 29, 2022, Parth took the stage at USF and accompanied Padma Shri A. Kanyakumari in a three-hour performance that included a 10-minute solo. She changed pace often, playing at such a dizzying speed at times 

it was hard to imagine Parth keeping up on his mridangam. However, he did. 

“The speed she played at was crazy,” Parth said. “I enjoyed it, trying to see how fast I can play. She was challenging me, and now I know I can play that fast.”

Prahlad, who joined his son on stage, called it an impressive performance.

“It was exhilarating to see my son not only play well, but hang in there,” he said, “because it is very difficult when she plays the violin, because it’s not just at one speed, but 4-5 speeds. And she’s not like, “This is a newcomer, let me take it easy.’ Very, very seasoned musicians find it difficult to hang in with her, but Parth did.”

Completing the arangetram was just another step for Parth, who has already piled up a list of impressive accomplishments.

His father says that Parth represented Team USA at the World Karate Federation championships four times, winning four championships, and also has recently gained the title of Sensei in the martial arts form of Shitu-Ryu.

At his first arangetram in 2008 for dance — his mother Sabrina and grandmother Geetha Raaj are dance teachers — he became the first boy in Florida to complete a recital in the classical Indian dance Bharatanatyam.

Prahlad says that combination of accomplishments is “one-in-a-billion.” 

So, what’s next for Parth? He’s not sure. A Carrollwood Day School graduate, he is currently a second-year Business student at the University of South Florida, and has taken an interesting in video editing. While school is a priority, and time-consuming as well, he has wondered what his next challenge might be.

“In my brain, I want to do something else,” he says. “I will figure it out. In my opinion, having something to accomplish, that’s what makes life fun.”

GL Homes Proceeds With Pebble Creek Redevelopment Plan 

The area in red is the former Pebble Creek Golf Club, which will be redeveloped by GL Homes and become home to 251 single-family dwellings and other amenities, if property owner Bill Place gets his way. (NN Map: Charmaine George)

GL Homes has officially teed off with its plans to redevelop the Pebble Creek Golf Club (PCGC).

The home builder has filed plans with Hillsborough County to amend the golf course property’s zoning and redevelop the 149 acres following months of meetings with residents — including, most recently, a door-to-door campaign — in their efforts to convince Pebble Creek residents that its plans are best for the community.

Even so, GL Homes faced resistance from a group of homeowners trying to stop them.

Although there are still a handful of steps along the way, including more meetings with the public, a vote on the proposed project by the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners (BCC) could come as soon as July 18.

PCGC owner Bill Place, whose company is Ace Golf, made it clear in a letter to Pebble Creek residents that redevelopment was the only choice.

Bill Place

He wrote to residents in a two-and-a-half-page letter that it would never reopen as a golf course due to the “declining economics” of golf, and that the county would never purchase the property to turn into a park because it doesn’t have the money.  

He said his first choice, and by far the one he felt was best for the community, was the plan submitted by GL Homes to the county. Those plans include a gated, 251-unit single-family detached residential development, with an amenity center and four acres of passive and active park space throughout the development.

He said if that plan is not approved, then residents will be stuck with a “vacant, overgrown, fenced-in property for potentially many years to come (like Walden Lake) and another plan by a lesser builder without the many guarantees and concessions made in GL Homes’ plan.”

Place told residents in the letter that he has solicited input from the community’s two homeowners associations (HOAs) and neighbors, and has agreed to certain requests — such as limiting density to about 250 units (although nearly 600 are allowed), enhancing existing wetlands, adding recreational amenities and also requiring the developer to make any road improvements needed to offset the number of new homes.

Place, who recently had a chain-link fence installed around the golf course due to what he claims is rampant vandalism, also took some shots at the Save Pebble Creek group and others that are opposed to redevelopment. 

“There is a vocal group that would have you believe that a vacant, overgrown, vandalized 150-acre property with a chain-link fence around it is better for your property values than GL Homes’ redevelopment plan,” Place wrote. “And, they would have you believe that, as the owner of the property, I will simply relinquish it to any buyer for a park or revived golf course. I will not, as both are not realistic options. I will simply hold the property for as many years as it takes for the existing entitlements and property rights to be recognized by a governing authority.”

Place said the letter was written to combat what he says is misinformation that has been spread about his intentions.

Before shutting down, PCGC was the oldest golf course in New Tampa, opening in 1967. Place bought the 6,436-yard semi-private golf course in 2005. He has said that since the 2008 recession, he had been unable to make much money from it. When he shut PCGC down for good on July 31, 2021, he said there were only a dozen golf members. 

Place had been seeking buyers for the property before he shuttered it, and at least four other developers had explored purchasing the course before ultimately declining. 

The county staff will examine the GL Homes plan and reply with comments, suggestions and possibly revisions. Jake Cremer, a land-use attorney for Stearns Weaver Miller law, who is representing the developer, said he expects the first hearing will be May 15 before the zoning hearing master, who will listen to both sides and make a recommendation to the BCC.

Pebble Creek Golf Club owner Bill Place recently had a chain link fence installed around the defunct golf course to prevent vandalism. It didn’t help when it came to the former golf club’s marquee. He says the chain link fence could become permanent if the county doesn’t approve GL Homes’ redevelopment plan.

Cremer says GL Homes has gone above and beyond the normal efforts of developers in trying to bring the existing Pebble Creek community on board with the plans. The home builder is close to wrapping up its door-to-door campaign, with the goal of reaching all 1,350 homes in Pebble Creek.

The larger Pebble Creek HOA represents 1,050 homes and has participated in meetings with GL Homes; the smaller Pebble Creek Village HomeOwners Association (PCV HOA), which represents 303 homes, remains opposed to redevelopment and has declined all meetings.

One of the PCV HOA members, Leslie Green, is the person who started the Save Pebble Creek Facebook page and helped organize a number of protests. Despite the efforts of GL Homes, Green remains unconvinced.

“All the same issues we’ve had from the start are still there,” Green says. “Our quality of life will be impacted. The construction will take three years, the loss of wildlife and green spaces is terrible, and this area just can’t handle any more traffic.”

Green says that most of the residents that she has spoken with are opposed to redevelopment

However, Cremer says GL Homes is not finding that to be the case.

“What we’re finding is that, like a lot of these more controversial projects, there’s a very vocal minority that’s opposed,” Cremer says. “And, there’s a similar number of people that really like the idea. They’re just tired of having 18 months of a defunct golf course in their back yards, with no way to use that or enjoy the property. And then, there’s a lot of people in the middle that have been, from what I understand, very, very open to talking and haven’t necessarily made their minds up yet.”

Pebble Creek was zoned PD (Planned Development), and the 149 acres in question was zoned as a golf course. The developers will try and get that designation removed.

The county’s current comprehensive plan, established in 1989, classifies the Pebble Creek property in the RES-4 Future Land category, which caps development at a maximum of four homes per acre, meaning that as many as 600 homes would be permitted. GL Homes, as one of its concessions to current residents, it says, only intends to build 251, or less than half of that total.

Place still has a soil issue to contend with as the redevelopment process plays out. Contaminants were discovered in the golf course’s soil in 2019, and Place says he recently received approval from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to submit a cleanup plan. He expects that plan to be submitted in roughly 30 days, with six months needed for the cleanup.

“Things are happening,” Place says. “I think we are taking steps in the right direction with all of this.”

Wesley Chapel’s 2022-23 Teacher Of The Year Nominees 

The Pasco County School District recently named its Teacher and School-Related Personnel of the Year.

Anita Dienes, Instructional Assistant at Thomas E. Weightman Middle School, won top honors in the District among all School-Related Personnel.

“Mrs. Dienes was nominated for her outstanding dedication to our students and continuous support of our staff,” says Donna Gricoski, the principal at Weightman. “She works hard to build relationships with students and is an out-of-the box problem solver when working through various student-related interactions.”

Timothy Hamlin, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math)teacher at Wiregrass Elementary, was one of three finalists for the District-wide Teacher of the Year, although the award was ultimately presented to Kim Theurer of Gulf High in New Port Richey.

District-wide winners are chosen from the nominees selected at all schools in the county. Being chosen as the nominee from a school is an honor in itself, so we congratulate all of the teachers and supporting staff in the schools in Wesley Chapel who were recognized as their school’s nominees this year. 

At the brand new Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation off Curley Rd., the school chose its first-ever nominees, including Brooke Howard, learning design coach, as its Teacher of the Year.

“I am extremely honored to receive this recognition from those who I work alongside,” she says.

Timothy Hamlin (with plaque)
Wiregrass Elementary 
Schoolwide STEM Specialist
Brooke Howard
Kirkland Prep
Nicholas Shaw
John Long Middle School
Jordan Less
Double Branch Elem.
Taryn Neale
Seven Oaks Elem.
Brenna McHugh
Quail Hollow Elem.
Danielle Sauerwein
Cypress Creek Middle School
Shaylon Peck
Sand Pine Elem.
Danielle Provenzano
Wesley Chapel Elem.
Jamie London (l.) New River Elem.
Barbara Sheats
Pasco Adult Ed at WC
Deborah Hutner
Cypress Creek High
Krista Carbone (R)
Veterans Elem.
Kori Barber (L)
Watergrass Elem.
Penny Ward
Wesley Chapel High
Stephanie Adams Kincaid (R)
Wiregrass Ranch High
Anita Dienes, Instructional Assistant at Thomas E. Weightman Middle School, won top honors in the District among all School-Related Personnel (SRPs).

For Tax Help & Much More, Trust Murtha & Murtha

Patrick Murtha (center left), Kyle Flischel and the rest of the staff at the accounting firm of 
Murtha & Murtha, LLC, located off S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel are ready to help you through 
another busy tax season. (Photos by Charmaine George) 

As tax season heads into full swing, Patrick Murtha, the managing partner of the accounting firm of Murtha & Murtha, LLC, says that even if you’ve always done your taxes yourself, now is the time to reconsider.

“It’s a tough landscape this year,” Murtha says, “and there has never been a more important time to work with a tax professional who really knows what they’re doing and can find deductions and credits that you’ll never identify if you’re just using software to file your taxes — especially if you are self-employed or any kind of small business owner.”

Patrick, his father Tom, and Kyle Flischel run Murtha & Murtha in the Seven Oaks Professional Park off S.R. 56 (near Sam’s Club) in Wesley Chapel. All three are Certified Public Accountants (CPAs). Patrick and Kyle are managing partners, while Tom serves as senior partner for the firm, which handles accounting, bookkeeping, taxes, mergers and acquisitions and related services for its clients.

Together, the trio has more than 60 years of combined experience. Their expertise stretches well beyond tax season, but it is the busiest time of year for any accounting firm.

“We’re anticipating that this year will be a pretty harsh turn back to reality from the last couple of years,” Patrick explains.

After two years of generous credits from the federal government because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Patrick says it’s all coming to a halt for the 2022 tax year.

While all the changes may cause confusion — and people may not get as large a refund as they are used to, or may end up owing money — Murtha & Murtha promises that if you have the firm prepare your taxes, you will always at least understand the issues and exactly why you owe what you owe.

Patrick says communication has always been the top priority at Murtha & Murtha.

“A lot of clients who come to us from another practice say they liked who they were working with, but that they didn’t return calls or answer emails,” he says. “So, our primary goal is to communicate well with our clients.”

And, he says, while some tax firms have a strategy where CPAs meet with clients face-to-face but hire temporary seasonal employees who do the actual paperwork but never communicate with the client, that’s not how Murtha & Murtha does things.

“Whoever you meet with is who is going to actually be doing your tax return,” he explains, whether that’s one of the firm’s three partners, or one of two long-term employees who are taking on their own clients this year.

Those two employees are Kaitlyn Kociba and Kaitlyn Little, who have both been part of the Murtha & Murtha team for the past several years and have finished the education and experience requirements on the track to becoming CPAs.

Of course, they won’t be studying for the CPA exam during tax season, but fully expect to take the exam and be accredited as CPAs sometime in the near future. Meanwhile, they have been carefully trained and have the expertise to manage tax returns to the high standards Murtha & Murtha expects.

Other Services

Although tax season is Murtha & Murtha’s busiest time of year, it’s just part of the services the firm provides.

Patrick says Murtha & Murtha’s “CFO retainer package” continues to attract new clients. With this package, the firm helps businesses and people who are self-employed do monthly accounting and bookkeeping, but also helps with budgeting, and provides an expert for advice when clients have questions about tax planning, mitigating tax bills, or about offering health insurance or retirement plans, for example.

Patrick understands that most business owners are too busy worrying about their primary business to really step back and look at the big picture, so Murtha & Murtha provides its clients with an extra layer of financial planning and analysis for their businesses.

Kurt Dimeler of Tampa Bay Pest Management is a client who says he appreciates what the CFO retainer package has done for him and his business. “Basically, they run everything for me, from budgeting to forecasting, and just keep me updated every couple of weeks, so it’s easy-peasy,” Kurt says. “It frees me up to really focus on what I’m best at.”

He says he used to have to do his own payroll and budget and figure out if financial transactions have any tax liability or benefit, but now, Kyle and Patrick handle that for him.

“It takes so much weight off my shoulders,” he says. “Kyle and Patrick and their staff are just fantastic to work with, and I would recommend them to anybody.”

As of January 1, Murtha & Murtha doubled the size of its Wesley Chapel office, which now occupies a full building in the Seven Oaks Professional Park. 

“We’ve expanded and added five offices,” Patrick says, adding that, for the time being, because they don’t quite need that much space for themselves, they have hand-picked a couple of professionals to share offices that also will benefit their clients.

“Starting February 1, we’re sharing space with an estate planning attorney and a financial advisor,” he explains. “These are people we know well and trust, so if a client tells us they need to get their will put together or need a financial advisor to plan for retirement, I can walk them over to the office and know they’ll be in good hands.”

Tom Murtha, CPA, earned his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Management from Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY, in 1976, and his M.B.A. (Master of Business Administration) degree in Accounting from St. John’s University in Queens, NY, in 1981. He has been doing mergers, acquisitions and business valuations since the 1990s.

Patrick, who grew up around tax codes at his father’s business, graduated from the University of South Florida in 2009 with B.S. degrees in both Finance and Accounting. He joined his father in opening a firm in Tampa in 2010, focusing on mergers and acquisitions.

Meanwhile, Kyle Flischel, CPA, is practically family, having gone to school with Patrick at USF.  

The firm operates a second office in Zephyrhills, as well, located at 5315 8th Ave., and known as Henson & Murtha.

Murtha & Murtha, LLC, is located at 2236 Ashley Oaks Cir., Suite 101. For more information, visit TampaTaxFirm.com or see the ad on pg. 35. Or, to schedule a free consultation, call (813) 991-1120.