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County Approves 22-Percent Trash Assessment Boost

Despite a number of problems with curbside garbage service in recent months, Hillsborough County Commissioners didn’t seem to have much choice but to vote to increase trash assessments for the coming year.

On Aug. 4, commissioners voted 5-2 in favor of the 22% increase, effective Oct. 1, rather than run the risk of having no service when the current contract with Waste Connections of Florida expires.

District 2 Commissioner Ken Hagan, who represents the New Tampa area, was one of the no votes, along with fellow Republican Stacy White.

“A majority of (Waste Connections’) service failures were in north Hillsborough, including my neighborhood,” said Hagan, a Carrollwood resident. “It was getting to the point where they were missing up to 50,000 homes a day. Residents were extremely frustrated, and I completely understand. I feel the same way.”

The annual assessment will rise from $289.32 to $352.79, an increase of $63.47 annually, or $1.22 per week.

Solid waste assessments pay for two garbage collections per week, one recycling collection per week and one yard waste collection per week, as well as self-hauled disposals at the county’s collection centers.

Fuel prices, truck maintenance and population growth have led to the need for higher assessments, according to the county staff.

However, because of recent performance issues with Waste Connections, the timing for a boost couldn’t be worse.

The trash service provider missed more than 250,000 pickups in June and July, while hundreds of routes weren’t completed. The poor service resulted in thousands of emails and phone calls from angry residents.

Last month, the county threatened the trash hauler with fines if it did not improve service. Hagan says Waste Connections blamed Covid-related issues as well as an employee shortage brought on by not being awarded any of the new contracts, worth $589 million, which were approved in June and will begin in February of 2022.

The new contracts went to Republic Services of Florida, Waste Management Inc., of Florida, and Fomento De Construcciones Y Contratas, Inc.

Hagan said the new contractors are working with Waste Connections of Florida to bring over some of their employees.

“I feel relatively comfortable where we’re at now,” Hagan says. “They say they are caught up. And, we have procedures in place to prevent this, should it happen again. I feel much better than I did a couple of weeks ago.”

Back To School, Back To Worrying

In June, there was hope and optimism. The number of Covid-19 infections were down, the battle seemed to be turning in the wake of vaccinations, and a return to a normal school year — after a year that no one was eager to repeat —seemed closer than ever.

In July, a variant of Covid, a stronger and even more contagious version called Delta, began popping up in news stories. Infections began to spread, and so did concern.

In August, with numbers higher than they have been at any point since the pandemic began, schools across Hillsborough County and New Tampa opened on August 10.

What a difference a few weeks makes.

“In June, we thought we would be starting the school year in a much more normal situation,” said Chiles Elementary principal Teresa Evans. “I think everyone’s a little disappointed to be back to something like last year….but our community has been very cooperative, and we’re expecting a great year. But, we’re not through this pandemic yet. There’s still challenges to rise to meet.”

Without a mask mandate this year, however, some teachers and parents expressed reservations about the new school year. Those fears are being realized as Covid-19 numbers in schools continue to rise.

On Monday, the Hillsborough County School District reported that 5,600 students have either tested positive or are in quarantine due to exposure. That number has jumped to 8,400 today, and includes more than 300 school employees

As a result, the Hillsborough County Public School Board will hold an emergency meeting Wednesday from 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. in the School Board Auditorium to discuss ways to mitigate the spread of the virus in county schools, which have only been open for five days.

Mask wearing is likely to make up most of the debate. Superintendent Addison Davis reversed course and required them for all students, but did allow for parents to opt their children out of the policy. The new requirement will be in place until Sept. 3, when it will be re-examined.

Covid-19 School

Miller Is Wesley Chapel’s Own Eye In The Sky

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.

“This 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.

Avalon Park crystal lagoon drone Jeff Miller

Nibbles & Bites: Skipper’s Smokehouse, new restaurants and a ribbon cutting.

Pick Of The Week: Skipper’s Smokehouse!

Although it’s located 20 minutes or so south of Wesley Chapel, the legendary Skipper’s Smokehouse (910 Skipper Rd., off N. Nebraska Ave. in North Tampa) has officially reopened — and anyone who has lived in this area for more than a few years surely has visited (and missed!) this fun and funky non-chain seafood restaurant and live music venue.

I visited the closed-since-Covid restaurant on one of its soft pre-reopening days a few weeks ago and was thrilled with the latest incarnation of this long-time favorite.

Back when Wesley Chapel had only a handful of homes and New Tampa had only a few restaurants of its own, Skipper’s was famous on both sides of the county line for its great drink prices, outstanding live music, fresh fish (like the yummy grilled wahoo, above right, that I brought home to Jannah), raw oysters and great wings (above left). My new friends Terri and Michael (below) enjoyed those crispy wings (with medium-spicy “hotter” sauce on the side) so much that they got a second order of them. And, Skipper’s has revamped its menu from its soft opening to include a few more of its all-time favorites, from gator ribs to pulled pork and from fried shrimp to crawdaddy mac and more.

And, the locally famous Grateful Dead cover band, Uncle John’s Band, returned for its first Thursday evening show at Skipper’s in more than a year just before we went to press with this issue, and another popular Skipper’s staple, The Red Elvises, put on the first Saturday night love music show at the Skipperdome.

Hopefully, Skipper’s also will bring back its famous, adults-only Freakers Ball this year to celebrate Halloween properly.

Call (813) 971-0666 or visit SkippersSmokehouse.com for more Grand Reopening info, showtimes and the new menu — and please tell them I sent you! — GN

More Food Coming Soon To Our Area!

Years ago, Carrabba’s Italian Grill was rumored to be coming to Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in Wesley Chapel, on a still-undeveloped parcel located south of where Bonefish Grill used to be located (where it has been replaced by Señor Tequila).

Then, originally reported in 2019 to be coming to the Cypress Creek Town Center area on the north side of S.R. 56, along with the now-open Aussie Grill, and the new location of Bonefish, Carrabbas’s has finally begun construction. According to Pasco County’s permitting records, the 5,074-sq.-ft. Carrabba’s will be built in between Bonefish Grill and Aussie Grill. — JCC

Meanwhile, Zaxby’s (right), the fast-casual fried chicken eatery, is getting ready to open on the south side of 56, near ALDI and the Tidal Wave Car Wash and was still hiring additional employees as this issue went to press. — GN

The ExerScience Center Hosts A Ribbon Cutting!

Congratulations go out to my friend and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Dr. Lauren Leiva of The ExerScience Center, located at 24706 S.R. 54 in Lutz, less than two miles east of the Tampa Premium Outlets.

Lauren, her family and staff hosted a Greater Pasco Chamber ribbon cutting on July 19 and she, of course, couldn’t resist the urge to cut the ribbon with a Samurai sword, instead of the traditional (and boring, at least to her) scissors.

Lauren has helped strengthen my knees and Jannah rehab her back and The ExerScience Center also offers outstanding personal training, nutrition counseling, group fitness and yoga classes, in addition to her award-winning physical therapy — as she has been named the People’s Choice Best of the Best Physical Therapist by the Tampa Bay Times two years in a row. To find out more, call (813) 803-7070 or visit TheExerScienceCenter.com. — GN

Bosco’s Italian-To-Go — Great People Serving Great Value!

I consider Bosco’s Italian-to-Go owners Nancy and Charles Frankulin to be my friends, even though they know that because their thin-crust pizza is made “Detroit style,” or on a conveyor belt oven, instead of on a traditional New York-style stone, their pizza is never going to finish at the top of my list of local favorites.

Even so, I give them high marks for quality ingredients (I do love the taste of their pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese), super-fair prices and for being quality people who genuinely care about their community.

These Wesley Chapel High graduates have seen a lot of local pizza places come and go in their nearly five years since taking over the Bosco’s location in the Freedom Plaza on S.R. 54 from original owner David Bosco.

And, while many more restaurants failed because of the Covid-19 pandemic the last year+, Bosco’s has maintained its clientele and has continued to deliver (more on that below) its Italian fare to more and more people in every community in Wesley Chapel.

Plenty Of Favorites…

I do want to make it clear that although Bosco’s isn’t my favorite pizza locally, there are plenty of options on their menu that I do genuinely enjoy.

First of all, the pepperoni on the hand-tossed pizza (above) is delicious, and I also like their plain cheese and “meat feast” pizzas (the latter with pepperoni, Italian sausage and bacon). Photographer Charmaine George, who took all of the photos on this page, said the Buffalo chicken pizza had just the right amount of spice and there also are veggie, “Honolulu pineapple,” white winter spinach and chicken Alfredo pizzas on the menu, starting as low as $11.50 for a 14” plain cheese and going up to no more than $20.99 for the 18” meat feast and “Works” pizzas.

I also genuinely like Bosco’s crispy, naked baked chicken wings (I get them plain, as shown below, with the sauce on the side; 8 wings for $7.99, 16 for $14.99 and 40 for $35.99), the sides of homemade meatballs or sausage ($3.39), the chicken Alfredo pasta dinner ($8.49) and especially, the chicken parmigiana dinner ($8.99, it also comes with pasta) and hot sub sandwich ($8.49). The cut-up strips of chicken parm aren’t breaded, and the thicker tomato sauce is extra zesty, so you can enjoy the entrée even if you’re on a low-carb diet (although you’ll probably want to try it with one of Bosco’s fresh salads instead of the pasta if you’re keto-ing).

As for the subs, the bread does come out with a crispy edge, so I do recommend not only the chicken parm, but also the meatball ($8.49) and sweet Italian sausage (with onions and peppers) subs (also $8.49). There also are cold Italian ($8.49) and ham and cheese ($7.49) subs that Nancy says are very popular but I haven’t tried. All of Bosco’s subs come with a bag of chips and a can of soda, too.

Speaking of salads, Bosco’s has a very tasty Greek salad, with olives, feta cheese and banana peppers ($8.99), as well as Caesar ($6.49), chicken Caesar ($8.99), grilled chicken or chicken tender salads (both are $8.49) and an antipasto salad ($8.99) I’ve never sampled.

I do also like Bosco’s garlic bread sticks ($4.99) and garlic cheesy bread sticks ($5.99), as well as the lasagne ($9.49), baked ziti ($7.99) and stuffed shells ($8.49). All dinners are served with a small salad and garlic knots. I’ve also never tried include calzones (with one topping of your choice, ricotta and mozzarella, for $11.49), strombolis (stuffed with 3 Italian meats & 3 Italian cheeses for $12.99). Add $1.75 for each additional topping with your calzone or stromboli.

Save room for dessert, as Bosco’s offers hand-piped cannolis ($3.39) and delicious CinnaStix ($5.50). “There’s a baker in New Port Richey who provides our cheesecake ($3.39), tiramisu ($3.99) and cannolis,” Charles says.

Helping Those In Need

Charles and Nancy also enjoy doing their part to help the local community, as they have done school supplies drives in years past and now have a small food pantry on at Bosco’s to help local residents in need.

“We collect non-perishable food items and offer them to anyone in the community who says they need help, no questions asked,” Nancy says. “There is no stigma here. We’ve only been collecting items for a few months, but already have had a lot of locals thanking us for the help.”

Bosco’s also provides its own pizza delivery, instead of using Grubhub, Uber Eats or other delivery services. “We deliver to all of Wesley Chapel,” Charles says proudly.

Bosco’s Italian-to-Go is located at 30122 S.R. 54 and is open Mon.-Thur., 11 a.m.-10 p.m., and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. on Fri. & Sat. For more information, call (813) 907-2440 or visit BoscosItalianFL.com.

Bosco's food

County Approves 22-Percent Trash Assessment Boost

Back To School, Back To Worrying

Miller Is Wesley Chapel’s Own Eye In The Sky

Nibbles & Bites: Skipper’s Smokehouse, new restaurants and a ribbon cutting.

Bosco’s Italian-To-Go — Great People Serving Great Value!

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