Local Realtor and registered nurse Charlene Joyce is a conservative Republican running in Nov. 2026 for the Florida House District 54 seat currently occupied by Rep. Randy Maggard. (Photo by Charmaine George)
Charlene Joyce has filed to run in the Nov. 2026 mid-term elections for the State House District 54 seat which covers parts of Pasco County, including Dade City and some of Wesley Chapel, and is currently held by fellow Republican Randy Maggard.
Charlene is a conservative Republican who lives in Dade City and says she disagrees with legislation Rep. Maggard filed in November to prohibit counties and cities from adopting their own rules related to water quality, wetlands, and pollution control.
โThe State House is trying to put more emphasis on [its own] power,โ Charlene says, โrather than trying to let the people make the decisions for where they live.โ
She says overdevelopment is a big issue, and that Pasco County needs smarter ways to grow. โIt shouldnโt take an hour to get somewhere thatโs 20 minutes away,โ she says.
And, while she says she has nothing personally against Maggard, โGod put it on my heart that I need to try to make a change, and make a difference in the lives of others.โ
Charlene says itโs important to her to listen to her future constituents, and to maintain the beauty of Pasco County.
โI listen more than I talk,โ she says. โI want to ask people questions, [find out] whatโs important to them, keeping it grassroots, conservative, and helping others protect their rights as parents and landowners.โ
Charlene grew up in Wesley Chapel and is a single mom of two children, ages 6 and 3. She attends Life Church in Wesley Chapel, and says faith is central to her campaign, which she sees as a calling.
She also is a licensed registered nurse and obtained her R.N. degree through Rasmussen College in Tampa in 2018. She is the health care administrator for a residential facility in Hillsborough County for the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), where she cares for female residents, ages 12 to 18.
โOne of my pushing points for running was when I started working at DJJ,โ she says. โI saw a lot of things that could be implemented through legislation and a lot of loopholes that could be closed.โ
For example, she says, while DJJ employees are drug tested before they are hired, there is no Florida statute that requires testing throughout employment.
โIโve encountered people who came to work smelling like marijuana,โ she says, โand thatโs unacceptable in a place with youth.โ
However, she says, since residential facilities are contracted out to third party providers, they stick closely to legal requirements.
โThey do what they have to do,โ she says, โbut not anything extra, because itโs money out of their pocket.โ
She says her experience working with the youth in the facility where she works has been moving. On the weekends, she volunteers there with a team from a ministry called Set Free out of Pinellas County.
For kids who want to participate in the Set Free program, Charlene and the team bring Christian music and Bible teaching. She says she brings hope to the youth in her facility, most of whom have experienced trauma such as physical, sexual and emotional abuse.
โNo one is hopeless,โ she says. โGod always finds a way, letting them know they are loved and valued. Itโs so important for a child to thrive and to walk a different path. These children may have made some bad decisions that put them in a position that might alter their lives for the worse, but I want to take that opportunity to change it for the better.โ
Charlene also is a licensed real estate agent who obtained her Florida real estate license in 2024.
She says she is looking forward to the election, which will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
For more information about Charleneโs campaign for State House, visit CharleneforStateHouse54.com, or follow her on Facebook or Instagram @CharleneforStateHouse54. She can be contacted at (813) 333-8612. For more info about Charleneโs real estate business, visit CJoyceHomes.com.
The Former Location Of Ginza No Longer Offers All-You-Can-Eat, But Is A Big Step-Up In Quality!ย
I can honestly say that Iโve never been a big fan of all-you-can-eat restaurants. Especially when you donโt know which dishes you even like at a place, all-you-can-eat basically means youโre โforcedโ to sample a number of different items in order to find the ones you like โ and by then, youโre usually too full to enjoy those items.
Once youโve been to a particular all-you-can-eat restaurant more than once, and know what items you like there, Iโll admit that there is a certain value in this type of dining, but it usually causes you eat more than you normally might to โget your moneyโs worth.โ
Thatโs why I wasnโt upset when the owners of the new Sushi Time restaurant โ which opened a couple of months ago in the former location of Ginza All You Can Eat Sushi & Hibachi (on E. County Line Rd., next to LA Fitness, just south of the Pasco County line) โ decided to do away with Ginzaโs all-you-care-to-eat concept.
In fact, the first thing those of you who loved Ginza should know is that even though you no longer receive unlimited food for one price, the quality of the food โ especially the sushi โ at Sushi Time has been upgraded significantly, as has the presentation of that food (as evidenced by photographer Charmaine Georgeโs beautiful pictures on this page).ย
Letโs start with the sushi. Jannah, Charmaine and I were treated to a beautiful and delicious sushi boat (top photo), which included three rolls โ Jannahโs favorite California roll, a spicy tuna roll topped with avocado and a black dragon roll (tempura shrimp and avocado with eel and eel sauce on top) that I couldnโt eat but Jannah and Charmaine both loved. The grilled eel on top was so sweet that they both thought it was cooked banana โ and loved it! It was Jannahโs first time ever even eating eel and she was stunned to find she actually enjoyed it!
The boat also included thick slices of raw tuna, white tuna (escolar), salmon and yellowtail, plus nigiri (sliced sushi on rice) of salmon, yellowtail and my favorite โ red snapper. Slices of the snapper also were formed into a pretty flower and topped with ikura (salmon roe).
The boat alone would have been more than enough for the three of us, but we had already ordered Charmaineโs favorite Naruto Roll (above right), which is an extra-large sushi roll with tuna, salmon, yellowtail, spicy krab, avocado and tobiko (flying fish roe) wrapped in cucumber. Simply amazing.
Charmaine and I also really enjoyed the yellowtail jalapeรฑo (above left). which was only slightly spicy, as well as a salmon โsprint,โ which is slices of salmon wrapped around julienned cucumber in a mild chili sauce (right). And, since my companions loved the eel so much, we also had three pieces of eel nigiri. All of the sushi was incredibly fresh.ย
But, since Jannah is only a casual fan of sushi, we also got an order of crispy and delicious gyoza (fried pork dumplings; below left) and equally crisp Chinese-style pork egg rolls (below right). Both were yummy!ย
And, even though we were totally stuffed by now and took much of the food home with us, we wanted to sample (and of course, photograph) at least one hibachi dish, so we had the chicken hibachi, which featured big chunks of chicken and broccoli florets in a zesty sauce. Please note that Sushi Time does not have teppanyaki (hibachi) tables. The hibachi dishes are made in the kitchen, but are well worth having. Other hibachi options include tofu, sirloin steak, shrimp, scallops, king salmon and a variety of combos.
Other entrรฉes include favorites like sesame, orange and General Tsoโs chicken (or tofu), Mongolian beef or chicken, beef & broccoli and โDragon & Phoenixโ (shrimp with mixed veggies & General Tsoโs chicken). There also are ramen and udon noodle dishes and all of the entrรฉe categories feature vegetable-only options.
So, despite already being barely able to get up from the table, we finished off our meal with one order of fried (chocolate) ice cream (topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce; below right), an order of fried bananas (which were done to crisp perfection) and Jannahโs favorite green tea ice cream.ย
Best of all, Sushi Time is a pretty restaurant with a variety of Japanese (Sapporo, Asahi and Kirin) and other beers, plus red and white wine, green, jasmine and boba tea, as well as a variety of soft drinks, including Japanese soda.
The portions are large, the prices are very fair and as I said, the quality is a quantum leap above Ginza and other all-you-can-eat places.
Need more incentive to try Sushi Time? With the coupon in the ad below, youโll save 20% off your total bill when you dine in!ย
Sushi Time (6417 E. County Line Rd., #104) is open every day for lunch and dinner, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. For more info, call (813) 907- 1688 or visit SushiTimeFL.com. Reservations are not required. Please tell them I sent you!ย
Tampa Palms Staple Stretches Streak To 10 Years In A Row! Noble Crust Regains #1 Spot In Wesley Chapel!ย
The thing thatโs perhaps most amazing to me about Stonewood Grill & Tavernโs 10-year run as the #1 Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa is more than just the delicious food, the always-happening bar or even the amazing people who work there (photo) โ although all of that is true.
As the person who tabulates our readersโ votes every year for the Dining Survey & Contest, the thing that always stuns me is that not only has Stonewood always received the most first-place votes, it also regularly receives the most 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th-place votes, too. And, no matter which other excellent local restaurants finish 2nd and 3rd each year, whether you count total votes or use my point system to score the results, Stonewood has still come out ahead by a wide margin.
In other words, our readers have loved the place since it opened and, every year, people who never participated in our annual Reader Survey before, as well as many of the newcomers to our area, hear about Stonewoodโs quality from their friends, try it for themselves and agree that itโs the best or at least one of the best restaurants in our area.
And yes, that starts with both the food and the people. Executive Chef Danny Manzur (far left in photo) and operating partner Dennis Diaz (far right) bring not only yearsย of experience to the Tampa Palms Stonewood, but also a shared understanding of how to manage people.ย
For example, when I told Dennis that Stonewood had won again this year and that we needed to take pictures of at least him and his top management, he turned it into a previously unplanned pre-holiday breakfast party for his entire appreciative staff. He had them come in hours before the restaurant opened for the day and Chef Danny, kitchen manager Gary Zimmerman (2nd from right) and their kitchen staff got the grills fired up early to create three of the new dishes on the menu for our photo shoot.
โWe appreciate that the Neighborhood News readers continue to rank us #1,โ Diaz told the staff before we took the photo above. โI know itโs because every one of you is just as committed to being the best as we are. And, I thank all of you for that!โ
2025 Dining Survey & Contest โ Your #1-#10 Favorite Restaurants In New Tampa!ย
1. Stonewood Grill & Tavern
17050 Palm Pointe Dr., Shoppes at The Pointe, Tampa Palms
What else can you say about the restaurant that has been our readers; favorite for ten years in a row and close to 20 times in its 20+ year history?
Stonewood is an elegant, upscale restaurant with a happening bar crowd and some of the best steaks and fresh seafood in our area.
The top photo is of the new grouper Giovanni, which is a limited time special that is served with a tomato cream sauce and butternut squash ravioli. Yum!
To the right is the delicious new baked brie with a raspberry glaze, fresh fruit and nuts served with crispy toasted bread. And of course, Stonewood serves some of the best prime rib (above, right) among its #1-rated steaks..ย
And, although Stonewood is aย mini-chain, now with seven locations, we are fortunate that the chainโs executive chef Danny Manzur, who creates many of Stonewoodโs seasonal dishes, is based at the Tampa Palms location. Congrats!ย
2. Via Italia
8644 Hunters Village Rd., The Village at Hunterโs Lake
Our readers have placed Via Italia in their top-3 in New Tampa every year since it opened, so clearly the restaurant being sold by original owner Roberto Maganuco to Sanjay Patel in early 2024 hasnโt affected what our readers think of New Tampaโs largest selection of fresh pasta dishes, like the spaghetti con zucchine e gamberetti (shrimp) shown above.
Via Italia also serves outstanding woodfired pizzas, salami and cheese platters, appetizers like four different kinds of bruschetta, two different capreses, polpetta della nonna (grandmaโs meatballs), chicken wings and the suppliโ al telefono (Arborio rice croquettes with premium shredded mozzarella, hand-milled pomodoro sauce and cut basil) shown here.
Our readers were happy to see Kobe reopen in its new New Tampa location in Sept. 2023, as it was ranked #10 in our 2024 Reader Survey and shot up seven places to #3 for 2025. Serving some of the highest quality Japanese hibachi fare in our area, Kobe finished ahead of Liangโs Bistro (see below) overall with our readers for the first time, but somehow only finished 4th for โFavorite Asian Restaurant.โ Go figure.ย
4. Fat Rabbit Pub
16029 Tampa Palms Blvd. W., City Plaza at Tampa Palms
After coming in at #5 Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa each of the last two years, Fat Rabbit moved up to #4 this year and also finished second for both Favorite Burger and Favorite Chicken in NT & WC and as the #1 Favorite Bar in NT & WC.
Our readers definitely seem to love Fat Rabbitโs food โ like the Buffalo chicken sandwich shown here โ and craft cocktails. Many readers rave about its wings, sliders and loaded fries and tater tots, too.
There also is now a popular second location on Main St. in downtown Sarasota.
Moving up three spots with our readers this year, Cali continues to be a consistent performer in our annual Reader Survey, thanks to its high-quality fare, like the Hot & Crunchy bowl shown here (with seared ahi tuna). Cali also features hand-tossed pizzas, small plates like garlic & lime edamame and turmeric hummus, plus โchillโ salads and more.
Moving down a couple of spots with our readers this year, (perhaps due to a brief closure shortly before our voting began for health department violations), Liangโs is still the go-to Chinese and Asian fusion restaurant in New Tampa, for its outstanding appetizers like egg rolls, NY-style BBQ spareribs and the Thai coconut shrimp shown here, as well as wok-fired classics in a variety of styles โ from Korean BBQ to Mongolian to Sichuan & Thai. Although we didnโt have a โChineseโ category this year, Liangโs ran away with the 2025 โFavorite Asian Restaurantโ title.
Mr. Dunderbakโs has only missed being in our readersโ Top-10 Favorite Restaurants in New Tampa only a couple of times since moving from University Mall to the Oak Ramble Plaza more than 20 years ago. Its limited menu of deli sandwiches and a few German favorites, like the Jรคgerschnitzel shown here, continues to attract plenty of votes and its unquestionably huge beer selection and cool vibe keeps Mr. Dโs high on the โFavorite Barโ list, too, despite not having full liquor.ย
I find it hard to believe that The Grill, which peaked at #2 Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa three years ago, has fallen as far as #8 this year. Owner Frank Gouveia and chef Mike Touranjoe continue to offer some of our areaโs best steaks, fresh fish and other unique American & Italian specialties โ like the pork Milanese shown here โ and our readers from New England also always mention their love for its authentic โSouth Shore bar pizza.โ The Grill also has New Tampaโs largest wine list, a happening bar scene and great craft cocktails.
It came as no surprise to yours truly that Box of Cubans was this yearโs highest-rated newcomer in New Tampa. So many people have told me how much they love the authentic Cuban sandwiches and dishes like the tasty red bean chicken bowl shown here. Itโs also a great place for huge Cuban breakfast sandwiches and specialties, plus some of the best cafรฉ con lechรฉ in our area. If youโre one of the few locals who havenโt yet tried it, definitely go check it out & please tell them I sent you!
After barely making the Top-25 Favorites in New Tampa list in last yearโs Reader Survey (it was 23rd), Acropolis jumped 13 spots to return to its usual spot among the Top-10 Favorites in New Tampa with our readers for 2025. I guess it took a year or so for the new ownership โ which has beautifully redesigned and opened up the restaurantโs interior and improved on many of the traditional Acropolis favorites (like the always-yummy Athenian fish shown here) โ to recapture some of the restaurantโs former customers and attract new ones.
So, as weโve previously reported, despite all of the new stuff and everything that has already been built, the Wiregrass Ranch development is still at less than 40% of its approved capacity.
But, with the Florida Medical Clinic Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital nearing completion, that number is going to rise and it will also bring two affiliated medical office buildings into the fold in the future.
But now, Wiregrass Ranch, the Porter family and its Locust Branch Development are partnering with Flagship Healthcare Properties (which is based in Charlotte, NC) to begin building a separate 46,000-sq.-ft. medical outpatient building (rendering below) within walking distance of the second hospital to open in Wiregrass Ranch.
On Dec. 9, Flagship and Wiregrass Ranch hosted a groundbreaking event at the site of that new medical office building, which will have as its anchor tenant Florida E.N.T. (Ear, Nose, Throat) & Allergy. Those entities were joined by Precise Construction, Ardurra Engineering, Kasper Architects & Assoc. and Atlantic Union Bank for the groundbreaking, which was led by Flagshipโs executive VP of development Dev Gregg (4th from left in photo, above), who first thanked everyone involved in the project.ย
โAll we build are medical outpatient projects,โ Gregg said. โWe have been working on this project for about three years and are proud to be here today.โ
Gregg also thanked Florida E.N.T., โ(Physician partner) Scott Powell and his team. Florida E.N.T. will occupy 12,000 sq. ft. of the building and is also a partner in the project. Weโre really proud to be working with them.โ
He then thanked JD Porter and Scott Sheridan (5th & 6th from the left in the top photo) of Locust Branch. โTheyโve been wonderful to work with. Itโs harder and harder to put these projects together, but theyโre partnering with us on this project and weโre excited to have it come out of the ground.โย
He added that, โWeโre looking forward to this project being an asset to the community, the health care providers in the area and the patients.โ
We receive a lot of press releases in our Neighborhood News inbox, but I honestly canโt remember ever having seen a press release saying that someone was donating a million dollars in a ceremony in Wesley Chapel we were invited to attend.
So of course, when we were invited by the Community Foundation Tampa Bay to visit the Kirkland Ranch property on Curley Rd. on Dec. 8 because the Foundation was going to be presenting a $1 million grant โon behalf of the Marvin & Elizabeth Holloway Foundation to the Alpha Gamma Education Foundation,โ I knew that I wanted to be on hand for it โ even though I had never even heard of the Holloway or Alpha Gamma foundations before.
And, while we never just run press releases, as it turns out, this is the best way to understand why the event was being held: โThe philanthropic investment builds on the recent sale and permanent conservation of nearly 1,000 acres of Kirkland Ranch, a historic Pasco County property owned by the Kirkland family for generations. The State of Florida purchased the ranch earlier this year following a multiyear effort championed by Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson and supported by the ranchโs leadership and shareholders. The sale preserved the land in perpetuity and generated more than $20 million in philanthropic assets now stewarded by Community Foundation Tampa Bay.โ
OK, but who are Marvin and Elizabeth Holloway? Elizabeth Kirkland Holloway, who passed away at age 103 in 2024, was the sister of Cicero Kirkland, who began developing the Kirkland Ranch in 1949 with his son Raymond.
The release also said, โWith the initial gift of the land to Community Foundation Tampa Bay, the Community Foundation was able to ensure the Kirkland and Holloway familiesโ legacy by converting a complex donation into lasting charitable impact that benefits agriculture, youth services, health care, and environmental education.โ
โThe Holloway Foundationโs $1 million grant is a powerful example of how charitable giving can create meaningful, long-term impact,โ said Marlene Spalten, president & CEO of Community Foundation Tampa Bay. โWe are honored to carry forward the Kirkland and Holloway familiesโ philanthropic legacy and grateful that this gift will support the next generation of Floridaโs agricultural leaders.โ
But, what is the Alpha Gamma Education Foundation? โThis grant to the Alpha Gamma Education Foundation (Alpha Gamma Rho, or AGR, is the agricultural fraternity at the University of Florida in Gainesville) will support students in the [U-F] agriculture program, including scholarships that will help prepare them for careers in agriculture and related fields โ an enduring priority for theย Kirkland and Holloway families.โย
At any rate, on hand for the check presentation were (l.-r. in the top photo) Alpha Gamma Foundation pres. Steven Hall, Kirkland family & Holloway Foundation trustees Caesar Rinalvi and Bob Sharp, Dist. 54 State Rep. Randy Maggard, Spalten and Comm. Simpson. At right is a photo of Elizabeth โBetsyโ Holloway and far right is the plaque presented in her honor to Rinalvi and Sharp by AGR, โin grateful appreciation of the generous gift remembering (Betsyโs father) Cicero, Jack & Raymond Kirkland (Betsyโs brothers) to create a lasting legacy for Alpha Gammaย Rho and the future of Florida Agriculture.โย
How will the grant help AGR and its Education Foundation?
Hall said, โSome of the money will be used to pay off the mortgage on the AGR frat house (in Gainesville). But, the bulk of the money will fund $20,000-$40,000 per year in scholarships for agriculture students at the University of Florida in perpetuity.โ
Congratulations to all! โ GN, photos by Charmaine George
