New Tampa Performing Arts Center Making Progress


The New Tampa Performing Arts Center has gone vertical and Hillsborough County could choose someone to manage it as soon as March. The NTPAC is expected to open in fall 2022. (Photo: Charmaine George)

The New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC) has finally gone vertical, and one of the final questions remaining before it opens sometime in the fall of 2022 is who will run the facility.

Ken Hagan, the Hillsborough County Commissioner for District 2, which includes New Tampa, said that decision could come by March 2022, now that the deadline for interested parties to respond to the county’s request for proposals (RFP) has passed.

The RFP was issued on Nov. 10 and expired Dec. 3, or after we went to press with this issue. The county is looking a performing arts resident company to manage all aspects of the NTPAC for 10 years, with renewal options for another 10 years, subject to annual satisfactory performance evaluations.

One of the groups that was expected to bid to manage the 20,000-sq.-ft. center is Florida Cultural Group, which was originally selected by the county staff. But, during a vote about the PAC’s funding in May, four commissioners — Mariella Smith, Kimberly Overman, Gwen Myers and Harry Cohen — voiced concerns about the organization, primarily because of its location in Manatee County.

Coomissioner Smith and Kemp, who were the dissenters in a 5-2 vote to approve the funding for the PAC, wanted a local group to run it. They also questioned the $1.4 million in county subsidies over the next four years requested by Florida Cultural Group.

The commissioners then unanimously voted to open up the facility’s management with an RFP.

Both commissioners specifically mentioned the New Tampa Players (NTP), a 20-year-old organization that was started by residents of Hunter’s Green and Tampa Palms. A large part of the effort to build the NTPAC, which is under construction off Bruce B. Downs Blvd. across from the entrance to the Hunter’s Green development, was to deliver a home for the NTP, which has staged performances at numerous locations, but none the group could call its own.

“The NTP are the driving force behind my championing the New Tampa Performing Arts Center,” Hagan says. “They are the reason. It will be their home and they are an essential partner in this being a successful and sustainable facility for generations to come.”

But, will NTPalso get to manage it? While producing artistic director Nora Paine declined comment, it is believed that NTP planned to submit a proposal. The troupe has held meetings with those involved in New Tampa’s performing arts scene in order to bolster its standing by forming a larger local and more inclusive group that includes dance and ballet.

Paine did say that NTP has not been involved in many large fund-raising campaigns. That is likely to be a major requirement for any organization that is selected to manage the new center.

About The Florida Cultural Group

Formerly known as The Manatee Players, Inc., which was created in 1947, the Florida Cultural Group is an umbrella organization that operates the Manatee Performing Arts Center and the Manatee Players community theater. It has a long track record marked by successful fundraising.

“When this issue came in front of us before, our staff was very enthusiastic about that group because of their fundraising track record,” Comm. Hagan said. “It’s paramount that we have local representation driving this partnership, but I don’t think you can ignore the importance of fundraising throughout this process.”

Hagan says he will let the county staff make the determination as to who should manage the NTPAC, but no matter who is selected, he would like to see a Board formed, and “it’s critically important that there’s a majority of New Tampa representation on that Board.”

Want New Floors Quickly? Visit American Wood Flooring!

Andy Dunning, the owner & CEO of American Wood Flooring in the SuperTarget-anchored Northwoods Plaza on BBD just north of County Line Rd., can get your new, quality flooring installed in a jiffy. (Photo: Charmaine George)

While families are waiting months for new furniture, contractors seem to be too busy to take on jobs, and Christmas gifts may be languishing in shipping containers still on the ocean, you don’t have to wait if you want new floors.

Andy Dunning, the owner and CEO of American Wood Flooring, located in the SuperTarget-anchored Northwoods Plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., north of County Line Rd., says his crews are typically installing new floors for clients in about a week.

“From order to install is about seven to 10 days out,” Dunning says, although he admits that some materials are on back-order, and some clients could have back-ordered materials delayed for several months.

That’s not normal, though, and for those who are waiting, it’s not on the installers. Dunning says American Wood Flooring has 12 crews that are kept busy working six days a week with all the families who are remodeling their homes or upgrading builder flooring, especially at this time.

“We do a lot of new construction,” Dunning says. “Customers are buying new houses with cheap carpet and then come to us. We do the floors before they move in, because builder prices are ridiculous.”

The process normally doesn’t delay move-in day very long. An American Wood Flooring crew starts immediately as soon as the sale of the house closes. It’s typical for a crew to install 500 to 600 square feet of flooring per day.

Dunning says that if you have a mortgage, the builder has to install a floor covering to close. If his company pulls out brand new carpet, he will donate it to the Salvation Army or Habitat For Humanity to be used for another purpose.

For any buyers who pay cash for their home, the builder can leave the subfloor and skip the installation and removal process altogether.

But, it’s not just new construction keeping the crews occupied. Dunning says the store has been busier than ever with remodels, especially over the last 18 months, because of the way people’s lifestyles have changed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“A lot of people are working from home or are stuck at home looking at their flooring and want to get something new in there,” he says.

Dunning says that recently, the most popular choice for flooring has been luxury vinyl plank, sometimes referred to as LVP.

“The trends continue toward that vinyl plank because of its durability, the fact that it is waterproof, dent-proof, and super scratch-resistant,” Dunning says.

That’s because vinyl plank floors may look like wood, but they aren’t. They are made from a PVC-type material with a tight lock-and-fold system to keep moisture out, even from the attached padding underneath that is made from an anti-microbial melamine material.

The current LVP flooring options are also dent-proof, which is an upgrade from when the vinyl planks first arrived on the scene and were made from a wood composite material. 

“They’re always coming out with newer, more innovative ways to keep the product getting better and better,” Dunning says.

While the vinyl planks are his best sellers, American Wood Flooring also installs a wide variety of wood floors, as well as carpet, tile and laminate.

You can choose the flooring that matches your taste, lifestyle and budget, and the experts at American Wood Flooring can direct you to the materials that will work best for you. Dunning says that projects can be for just one room, up to every room in the entire home.

Dunning says there are many options, but he sees trends that are typical among many of his clients. “Usually we’re doing a hard surface, such as vinyl, wood or tile throughout the main areas, and carpet in bedrooms,” he explains.

A Wesley Chapel Fixture

The Wesley Chapel location of American Wood Flooring has been located in the Northwoods Plaza for more than a dozen years.

The company also has another location in New Port Richey. That location opened first, by Dunning’s dad and stepmom, before he opened the Wesley Chapel location in 2008.

Between the two locations, American Wood Flooring crews travel far and wide to meet their customers’ needs. In fact, Dunning says they often follow families when they move out of the area. 

“We did a home in Meadow Pointe in 2016 and they’re moving to Apollo Beach, so now we’re doing the house in Apollo Beach,” Dunning says. “We’ve (installed floors) as far north as Ocala, as far south as Fort Myers, and as far east as Orlando.”

Wesley Chapel resident Patrick Murphy has used American Wood Flooring for several projects in his home, in a rental property, and says is now looking at redoing the floors in his office.

“In our old house, Andy did tile and laminate floor, then we moved to our new house in 2018 and he’s done almost our whole house,” says Murphy. “Now we’re shopping for new tile. It’s always a good experience. The pricing is competitive, the installers are good, and we like to support a local company before going to a big box store.”

American Wood Flooring offers free in-home estimates, and financing through Synchronicity Bank is available that allows many customers to pay no interest for 12 months. 

The company also offers a non-transferrable lifetime warranty on every installation.

“A lot of companies won’t offer a lifetime warranty on the install, but we do,” says Dunning. “Sometimes the transition pieces will pop up or boards get loose, and we’ll fix that for as long as you own the house, as long as it’s an installation problem.”

American Wood Flooring’s Wesley Chapel showroom is located at 1285 BBD Blvd. and is open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday; and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday. 

For more information, visit FlooringforFlorida.com or call (813) 991-7999.

RADDSports Charity Hosts Golf Tournament On Dec. 6!

We’ve been telling you about RADDSports, the private company that has been responsible for the management and all of the programs at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County, since long before the 98,000-sq.-ft. AdventHealth Sports Arena opened to the public at the Sports Campus in August of 2020.

But, one of the things the management at RADDSports had noticed since it opened is that there are a lot of outstanding athletes throughout the Tampa Bay area who can’t afford to pay for the basketball, volleyball, soccer, cheerleading and lacrosse programs offered at the Sports Campus, and that just didn’t sit well with president and CEO Richard Blalock and his management team.

In order to rectify that situation, Blalock and his director of marketing Jannah Nager, who had years of prior experience in similar positions for nonprofit organizations like the American Cancer Society and the Pasco Education Foundation, decided to start their own nonprofit charity in order to provide scholarships for kids of all ages and ability levels who couldn’t afford to participate in the programs at the Sports Campus.

 “RADDSports Charity wants to change the culture of youth sports by promoting equal access to quality sports and fitness programs, regardless of their ability to pay,” says Blalock, who also serves as the new Charity’s Chairman of the Board. “We decided we needed to start our charity to provide these kids who couldn’t afford our programs with scholarships to participate in their choice of sports at the Wiregrass Sports Campus of Pasco County. Our goal is to promote the total overall well-being and development of each child through education, discipline, physical fitness and teaching proper technique of each sport, and we don’t want cost to be an issue.”


Former NFL players Brandon Ghee (left) and Chris Pressley are among the former pro and college athletes on the Board of Directors of the new RADDSports Charity, which will be hosting its first-ever fund-raising golf tournament at Lexington Oaks Golf Club on Dec. 6. 

How You Can Help

In order to kick off the fund-raising arm of the new RADDSports Charity, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Nager decided to organize a charity golf tournament, which will be held on Monday, December 6, at the recently upgraded Lexington Oaks Golf Club.

“This event is our first of hopefully many fund raisers for the RADDSports Charity,” Nager says. “It should allow us to fund our first round of scholarships, and we’re still looking for not only golfers to play in the tournament, but also businesses who want to help young athletes in need by supporting this and other upcoming events.”

Blalock, Nager, and their fellow original RADDSports management team members Anthony Homer and Arika DeLazzer all serve on the new RADDSports Charity’s Board of Directors. Other members of the Board include former NFL defensive back Brandon Ghee, who is the director of operations for Yo Murphy Performance, the sports training company that operates at the Sports Campus, Realtor and former NFL fullback Chris Pressley (who played a few games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), and former Florida State University tight end Carver Donaldson.

“We’re excited to kick off our fund-raising for RADDSports Charity at Lexington Oaks,” Nager says. “We thank owner Anass El-Omari, who gave us a price for golfers that ensures we will be able to raise money for our charity with this event.”

To play in the first RADDSports Charity Golf Tournament, or to help sponsor it, visit RADDSportsCharity.org, email development director Lauren Cione at Lauren@RADDSports.com or call (727) 271-4873. Sponsorships start at as little as $250 and your company’s logo/graphics will be displayed at the event.   

New Bell Times For Wesley Chapel Schools Start Jan. 4


Because of a countywide bus driver shortage, Pasco County school start times will change in January. Some schools will see changes of only 15 minutes (Cypress Creek High), while others will change by up to 90 minutes (Wiregrass Elementary). (Photo: Charmaine George)

When Wesley Chapel students return to school after the winter holiday break, every single school will have new start and end times, with some changing by as much as 90 minutes (see chart on next page).

A shortage of drivers countywide has been causing buses to run late every day throughout the Pasco County School District, so the School Board approved a plan that moves schools into four “tiers” — instead of the current three — to allow existing bus drivers to run an additional route each day.

When the change was proposed, Pasco County Superintendent of Schools Kurt Browning explained in a video to parents, “The result of this acute shortage is that many of our students are late arriving to school in the morning, which results in loss of instructional time, and they are late arriving at home in the afternoon and early evening, which puts a strain on families.”

Students at Wiregrass Elementary will see the biggest change in Wesley Chapel, with school times moving 90 minutes earlier. The students currently attend from 9:40 a.m. to 3:50 p.m., but the new schedule has them starting at 8:10 a.m. and ending at 2:20 p.m.

Another big change in Wesley Chapel is that a couple of schools that already start late will start even later. New River and Quail Hollow elementary schools, which currently go from 9:40 a.m. to 3:50 p.m., won’t start school until 30 minutes later, both beginning their day at 10:10 a.m. and ending at 4:20 p.m.

The other six elementary and three middle schools in Wesley Chapel are all changing by 20 or 30 minutes; some starting earlier and others later.

Wiregrass Ranch High students will likely appreciate the extra sleep they will get by their school start time moving 46 minutes later, to 8:10 a.m. instead of their current 7:24 a.m. And, while the other Wesley Chapel high schools are only moving by 15 minutes, those students are now expected to be in their classes, ready to learn, at 7:10 a.m.

A 2017 proposal in Hillsborough County to have high schools start similarly early was widely opposed by parents who cited the American Association of Pediatrics’ recommendation that middle and high schools start at 8:30 a.m. or later to give students more time for adequate sleep, but that change ultimately was not approved by the School Board.

The changes in Pasco County were approved unanimously at the School Board meeting on November 2, and go into effect on January 4.

While the new schedule should allow school buses to run on time and get more kids in the classroom for instructional time, Browning acknowledged that it puts a strain on families to shift their schedules around and find new solutions for childcare during the times they are not in school.

“I don’t like it,” Browning said at the School Board meeting. “I don’t like anything about it. But, I equally dislike having kids miss instructional time before the great teachers we have in this District.”

The new start times will remain in effect for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year and will be reevaluated for the 2022-23 school year.

Metro Development Communities Lead The Way In New Home Sales

Metro Development Group, which brought the country’s first Crystal Lagoon amenity to Wesley Chapel and will soon unveil a second one at the Mirada development (technically located in San Antonio, but just north of Wesley Chapel), continues to experience growth in the area.

In fact, according to housing market analysts Zonda.com, the Wesley Chapel area has five of the Top 20 fastest-growing new home communities in the Tampa Bay area, and three of them — Epperson, Mirada and Union Park — are Metro properties.

Epperson is the fastest-growing, according to Zonda, which was formerly Metrostudy, with 705 new home starts and 493 closings from September 2020 to September 2021. 

Epperson also ranked No. 21 in Zonda’s national rankings for new home starts in that same timeframe.

The other Metro Development properties located in Wesley Chapel that made the Top 20 include:

• Mirada, ranked No. 8 on the Tampa Bay-area list, had 333 new home starts and 308 closings. The community includes Medley, an active adult community, and plans for a 15-acre Metro Lagoon, which will be the largest Crystal Lagoon amenity in the nation.

• Union Park, ranked No. 14, had 258 new home starts and 206 closings in the community, which is now almost completely built out.

Metro also is developing the No. 11 community (Southshore Bay in south Hillsborough, which is also getting a Crystal Lagoon as its primary amenity) and No. 15 (Cypress Creek in Ruskin) community on the list.

“Homebuyer interest in our Metro Places communities continues to be extremely strong, thanks to the convenient locations, the quality of our builder team, and the extensive and unique amenities we offer,” said Vaike O’Grady, VP of Marketing & Communications for Metro Development Group. “Our communities are simply a great value for homebuyers.”  

Two other Wesley Chapel communities also were on the list, with Wiregrass Ranch at No. 5, with 433 home starts, but ranking No. 4 on closings with 360.

Watergrass was No. 6, with 388 home starts and 304 closings.

Pasco County continues to be hot, with New Port Richey’s Starkey Ranch and Land O’Lakes’ Bexley communities also ranking in the top 10.

With south Hillsborough county going through its own growth spurt, don’t expect to see any slowdowns in the near future.

“Demand in the suburban areas of Pasco and Hillsborough counties is coming from homebuyers moving to Florida from other areas of the country, from renters deciding to buy, and from people who simply want a new home,” said Tony Polito, Zonda’s regional director for Tampa and Central Florida. “We see this strong demand continuing into 2022.”