During the week leading up to Christmas break, crews were seen putting the final touches on a brand new mid-block crosswalk (with flashing beacons) on Wiregrass School Rd., directly in front of Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH), to the surprise of both parents and staff, who had no idea it was coming, or who was even installing it,….and it went up quick!
It was like a surprise Christmas gift from a secret Santa had just appeared at the schoolโs doorsteps, literally.
At the beginning of this 2024-25 school year, WRH principal Robyn White had sent an email out to parents about her concerns with students crossing mid-block, in order to get to the 7-Eleven on the other side of the road:
โWe need your help. I have noticed in the [morning], but more so in the afternoon, that students are crossing the road in front of traffic by the 7-Eleven. Please encourage your child, if they are a walker or bike rider, to use the crosswalk [at the signal] at Mansfield Blvd. The last thing any of us wants to see is a student get hit by a car or a bus. They think they are invincible and donโt hesitate to walk in front of moving vehicles and, as a parent, it is scary for me to watch. I appreciate your assistance as you discuss this safety concern with your children.โ
Since the 7-Eleven gas station opened in 2022, itโs been a very popular place for WRH students to grab a drink or a snack, as it is conveniently located just outside the school.
But, the gas station was on the opposite side of Wiregrass School Rd. from the school, so students would just find gaps in the school traffic wherever they could, to cross anywhere from the sidewalk leaving the school property. There was no โdesignatedโ place to cross, except at the traffic signal, which was about 350 feet out of the way, and kids tend to take the shortest path possible.
This new mid-block crosswalk is positioned perfectly to help with the problem, providing a well-marked and well-lit consolidated crossing point, located off the southern corner of the gas station, just outside the front gate for the school.
The question on the minds of many residents and school administrators was, โHow did it get there?โ White and other staff members said they had no idea, since the new crosswalk was installed just outside of the schoolโs property.
A keen eye would notice that the new sidewalk ramps for the crosswalk connect with the new sidewalk that was just laid around the property for the recently constructed Bay Paws Pet Resort (blue building in photo). Mallory White, the new Wesley Chapel Bay Paws manager (who previously was at the Trinity location), explained that Bay Paws provided the new crosswalk.
โIt was something that the county required, so our contractor worked with them on it over two weeks [to complete the crosswalk].โ
White also said that the crosswalk was one of the final steps in the Bay Paws site construction permit requirements, so the pet boarding facility could receive its Certificate of Occupancy (CO) to open, which she says she hopes will be by the time this issue reaches your mailbox.
Over the past couple of years, Pasco County officials have been focusing even more on pedestrian safety and connectivity, with effective sidewalk networks, with all new construction permits. This new crosswalk is equipped with Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) which are activated by a push button on either side of the street, similar to the ones recently installed on Mansfield Blvd and on County Line Rd in Meadow Pointe.
There is no button in the median because the flashing sequence gives ample time to cross both sides of the street. The push button makes a loud chirp when pressed to let the pedestrian know that the flashing beacons have been activated.
Peggy DโAlessandro and Linwood Wright of My Tampa IT, located in the Windguard Professional Center in Wesley Chapel, are happy to be the information technology department your small business needs.ย (Photo by Charmaine George)
As a business owner who can only use the technology available to me enough to keep my business running, anytime thereโs a glitch โ and believe me, there have been many โ that affects my ability to complete the work I have to do, there is no way for me to fix that problem myself.
In other words, when you consider that I need to use a computer to write stories, help my graphic designer create ads, edit stories written by others, lay those stories and ads in on digital pages, transmit those pages to our printer, create invoices and sales receipts for our advertisers, Auto-Pay the credit cards and communicate with dozens of local businesses every day, etc. โ well, letโs just say that there are a lot of glitches that can happen during that process that can prevent me from being able to complete an issue every two weeks.
So, even though I know absolutely nothing about Information Technology (IT), I understand enough to know that I need someone to handle my IT needs so I can focus on my business.
Thatโs why I feel fortunate to have met (and become friends with) Linwood Wright, the owner of My Tampa IT, and his marketing/sales director Peggy DโAlessandro. My Tampa IT has a convenient office located in the Windguard Professional Center off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in Wesley Chapel, but even if Linwood was operating out of a home office (like Jannah and I do), I would still recommend him and his team of IT experts that keep me and the Neighborhood News glitch-free.
When we first decided to utilize My Tampa ITโs services, Linwood had to get our email back up and running when our primary email account was hacked. Not only were we completely shut down, the hackers sent fake messages to all of our email contacts that looked like they came from us. He and his crew got us back up and running โ within 24 hours or so โ and implemented new security protocols to protect us as best as they could going forward, which was done remotely.
But next, he and his team came to our home office to check out the computers and programs we were using to figure out where we were most vulnerable to possible future hacking โ since everything we do, every program we use, is connected to the internet. They determined that because of the age (close to 10 years old or more) of our computers, they couldnโt provide the type of security we needed unless I would invest in new computers. But, while ours had gotten slower over the years, I worried about how I could afford that significant investment in new computers.
And, even though he didnโt sell me my new computers (I bought them directly from Apple but My Tampa IT does also sell computers to its clients), I knew Linwood was right (pun intended).
He and his team again came to our home office to set up and protect all of our new gear, so that if any part of our operation is hacked in the future, his computers receive an immediate notification and they are normally able to immediately get to work to correct the problem, usually within ten minutes of its detection.
โWe have to be able to act quickly,โ Linwood says. โIf it ever takes us more than twelve minutes to call you after a threat is detected, well, letโs just say that is unacceptable to me.โ
I receive a โQuarantine Listโ of potential threat emails every day and go through that list so I can determine if each is a legitimate email from either an existing or potential advertiser or from a member of the communities we serve before I even consider opening it. Months after My Tampa IT set me up, our operation has continued to run smoothly, and just knowing I have proper backup helps yours truly sleep soundly every night.
โThere are literally millions of hackers around the world โ some of whom are basically unpaid slaves,โ he says, โso, if you think your business is too small for anyone to try to hack into your computers, smartphones and bank accounts, we have proof youโre playing a dangerous game.โ
Meet The My Tampa IT Team
Linwood admits that even at a young age, he was always something of a technology โgeek.โ
โI think my first IT job was in 1997,โ Linwood says. โI was actually introduced to computing in high school in 1985โ at a small town in the middle of Illinois, which was surprisingly advanced for computing at the time โ and I excelled at it and really liked it. But, back then, there was really only one thing you could do in IT and that was programming, which didnโt really do it for me, so I went to business school. But, when Microsoft came out with one of their first servers ever โ the Windows NT4 โ I put myself through Microsoft training because I saw that people really liked the Windows system. and that really kind of set the stage for everything for me going forward.โ
Linwood moved to Florida and got a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology and a Master ofย Science degree in Information Studies from Florida State University in Tallahassee.ย
โI worked for quite a few companies,โ he says, โincluding the Florida Department of Labor, and as a consultant to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Police Department of San Juan, Puerto Rico. I had a one terabyte drive in 2001. It was 20 feet long, 8 feet tall and 3 feet deep. No one had ever even heard of a terabyte back then.โ
He was consulting with FDLE when 9-11 happened. โThings got crazy real quick after that,โ he said. โI had to log every single person and photo the computers tagged as a possible threat.โ
From there, Linwood says, he was working as an IT director for a company, when some people he used to work with had started their own engineering firm. โThey said, โWe donโt have any IT support. Can you help us?โ I said, well, I can only help you nights and weekends because I work full time,โ but they said โOK.โ That was in 2009 and I still have that customer to this day.โ
And, although it was just Linwood at the time and wasnโt yet called My Tampa IT, โThat was how I started this business. Every year, someone else would come to me with a similar problem. By 2014, I had founded My Tampa IT.โ
He adds, โAs an IT person, Iโm like the opposite of a sales person, so I helped found a BNI (Business Networking International) chapter to get my โelevator pitchโ down and, by 2021, Peggy agreed to handle sales and marketing for me.โ
Peggy says she worked for Sears for 30 years. โI went from a part-time sales associate in the tool department for one year, and then in appliances, in Flushing, NY.โ
But then, when she moved to Florida, she says, โI moved into commercial sales and I started reaching out to home builders asking, โWho needs appliances?โ Instead of one house at a time, I was now selling 300 sets of appliances at once to multi-family builders, which became my niche. I ended up in the top 1% of sales for the entire company and did that for about 20 years. But, after Sears eventually shut down my division, I ended up asking Linwood if we could team up. He said, โOh my God, yes.โ And that was it.โ
Peggy says she then immersed herself in learning enough about technology to translate Linwoodโs โtech speakโ into everyday English for business owners, โSo itโs really been a great partnership between us.โ
She adds that even people who buy the absolute top-of-the-line computers still have problems, โand when they do, theyโre upset. Theyโre not mad at us, theyโre mad because theyโre shut down. Itโs up to us to have empathy and solve their problem.โ
And for that, Linwood needs capable techs and he says he is proud that, โall of my techs are local โ not in a foreign country โ and have been with me for at least three years now.โ
So, whether the business you own is a CPA, law, engineering or architectural firm, a manufacturing business, home service company (HVACs, plumbers, roofers, etc.) a health care or any other type of small business, My Tampa IT can help โ not only keep your computers up and running, but also make sure you stay in compliance with the laws and rules of the business.
Still think you canโt afford it? I say you canโt afford to not give My Tampa IT a call!
For more info about My Tampa IT (2816 Windguard Cir., Ste. 101), call (813) 513-9849 or visit MyTampaIT.com.ย
General dentists Dr. Louis Cerillo (left) and Dr. Danielle Jones are accepting new patients at Somerset Dental Care, located in the Somerset Professional Park in Tampa Palms. (Photos by Charmaine George)ย
Helping patients smile is a priority for the dentists and staff at Somerset Dental Care, located in the Somerset Professional Park in Tampa Palms. The long-time practice of general dentist Louis Cerillo, D.D.S (it was previously known as Cerillo Family Dentistry), has expanded and now includes Dr. Cerillo, Danielle Jones, D.D.S., and Tamara Tavakoli, D.M.D. The trio has nearly 60 years of combined experience and offers a wide array of services that includes corrective, restorative and emergency dental services, as well as professional teeth whitening and cleaning. Whether you need a regular check-up, a crown, Invisalignยฎ aligners, dentures, oral surgery or cosmetic dental services, Somerset Dental Care can help.
Dr. Cerillo earned his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology from Creighton University in Omaha, NE, and his Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) degree from the Creighton University School of Dentistry. He then did a general practice, hospital-based residency at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Lincoln. Dr. Cerilloโs first job out of dental school was in New York City, but in 1988, he decided to move to Florida for the sun and warmth.
He opened his first private practice office in the City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center in 1993, which means he has been taking care of some of his patients for more than 30 years. But, it is not just patients who have stuck around with him. Dr. Cerillo has several employees who have been working with him for 10-25 years, and several that retired after working their entire careers with the practice. That longevity has helped foster what Dr. Cerillo describes as a โrelationship-basedโ versus a โtransactionalโ practice.
That long-term connection to the community, and his love for the work, were top of mind for Dr. Cerillo as he looked to add to his team.
โI always want to make sure I have the right people in here to address the patients and care for them like I care for them,โ explains Dr. Cerillo.
A shared philosophy towards patient care, and her 15 years of experience, makes Danielle Jones, D.D.S., a terrific recent addition to Somerset Dental Care. During her time as a practice owner for Affordable Dentures & Implants in Clearwater, she provided services to veterans and the unhoused and gained valuable implant dentistry experience. She then transitioned to Heartland Dental, where she gained recognition for her outstanding veneer work.
Throughout her career, Dr. Jones also made time to volunteer to provide dental care to underserved communities. Putting her skills to work in the service of others, and potentially changing their lives, is a huge motivator for Dr. Jones. โMy goal is to always provide long-lasting, quality care for patients, make them comfortable and to serve and impact as many people as I can,โ she says.
After earning her Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Health Science from Truman State University in Kirksville, M), she earned her D.D.S. degree from the Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry in Nashville, TN. She completed her General Practice Residency at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY, before starting her career in public health. For five years, Dr. Jones worked for a Medicaid office serving the Florida panhandle communities of Fort Walton Beach and Crestview. Her experience working in public health showed her first-hand the rampant decay that can happen when dental issues go untreated.
โBecause of dental anxiety and financial strain, [many] people unfortunately neglect their teeth,โ explains Dr. Jones.
Both Dr. Cerillo and Dr. Jones see helping patients through that fear and anxiety as an important part of their role as dentists. They know that many people strongly dislike and avoid going to the dentist and, for that reason, they both put in extra effort to make their patients feel comfortable.
After nearly four decades of private practice, Dr. Cerillo has seen his fair share of nervous patients. โIโve dealt with a lot of phobic patients,โ he says. โA lot of times they think they are going to come in and have a train wreck but it wasnโt as bad as they thought it would be.โ
Working over so many years has given Dr. Cerillo the opportunity to see patients move from that fear to finally being comfortable with dental visits. He encourages people who have been avoiding the dentist to take the initiative and meet the people providing their care. He hopes that stepping into the welcoming environment at Somerset Dental Care and working with the officeโs friendly and caring staff will help put them at ease.
Both dentists see humor and fun as a way to help put patients at ease and minimize their stress. They understand that laughing and joking with them can help ease their tension and keep the atmosphere fun and inviting.
โIโm literally cracking jokes all day long,โ Dr. Jones says, โbecause Iโm trying to take you away from focusing on something that is, for one, outside of your control. A lot of anxiety is driven by trying to control something that you canโt. If I can make you more relaxed and kinda laugh through a dental appointment, then I have done my job for the day.โ
While they utilize humor to ease patientsโ fears, Dr. Cerillo and Dr. Jones take their work very seriously. Smiles can influence first impressions, success, relationship satisfaction and even our own moods and confidence. Dental health also plays a bigger part in our overall health than most patients realize.
โThe mouth is the gateway to the rest of your body,โ says Dr. Cerillo. โSo obviously, the healthier your mouth is, the healthier the rest of your body will be, too.โ
Dr. Jones adds that there are multiple benefits to consistent dental visits and maintaining oral health. โA lot of people think itโs just the aesthetics,โ she says, โbut everything is intertwined. I think educating patients on the impact of your overall dental health and how it impacts your body is extremely important.โ
For example, she says, people who have issues with blood sugar and diabetes are more prone to gum disease and, in some instances, these problems have even been linked to stroke.
โWhen patients donโt take care of their mouths,โ Dr. Cerillo adds, โthat bacteria can actually cause systematic [health] problems.โ
Advances in technology also are making visits to the dentist more efficient and patient-friendly and Dr. Cerillo says the practice has been highly technology-driven from the beginning.
For example, Somerset Dental Care uses three-dimensional X-ray technology that utilizes a high-speed video scanning camera to take digital impressions of the mouth. This means that patients can receive crowns or Invisalignยฎ aligners without the trays and goopy material that tastes terrible and can make some patients gag โ and with better precision. It also enables dentists and patients to see how the teeth are oriented in the jaw. With this information, the dentists canย plan out implant surgeries ahead of time and show their patients where the implant will be placed preoperatively.ย
โWe can virtually do a surgery before we even touch a patient,โ explains Dr. Cerillo. โAs the technology advances, it helps create a new standard of care.โ
That is key for Dr. Cerillo, who also leads San Antonio Dental Care north of Wesley Chapel, and who says he personally had to undergo a lot of dental work himself. He adds that not all dental issues are a matter of care and upkeep โ some are hereditary. There are people whose teeth are skeletally not a good match. If the upper and lower jaw are incongruent sizes, that can create issues over time from constant wear and tear.
Then, by the time these patients reach their 40s and beyond, the problem may require corrective surgery. Dr. Cerillo was one of those patients. He had to have corrective surgery at age 39 and braces to fix his bite, because it was so far off that it was causing him extreme jaw pain.
โIโve actually had more dental work done than ninety percent of my patients,โ he says.
Whether it is a regular check-up and cleaning or something more intensive, Somerset Dental Care is there to take care of patientsโ overall dental health with compassion and a smile. And, as Dr. Jones says, โIt just feels like family here.โ
Somerset Dental Care is located at 15277 Amberly Dr. and is open Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m., and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on Friday. For more information, visit SomersetDentalCareFL.com, call (813) 971-1688 or see the ad below. Dr. Cerilloโs San Antonio Dental Care is located at 11938 Curley St., off C.R. 52. For more info, call (352) 668-4819, or visit SanAntonioDentalCareFL.com.ย
Congratulations to the Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation Department, which has now opened Phase 1A of a new $6.7-million multi-phase expansion of Branchton Park at 15508 Morris Bridge Rd., less than a half-mile south of Cross Creek Blvd.
On a frosty cold Jan.23, Hillsboroughโs director of Parks & Recreation Rick Valdez, District 2 County Commissioner Ken Hagan, park project manager Jason McKenzie, New Tampa resident and Dist. 4 Comm. Christine Millerโs legislative aide Rico Smith were among those who cut the ribbon on the new 43-acre park.
Valdez said the new park includes a splash pad (which wasnโt yet open, but it was too cold to try that day anyway), a large playground area (with a blue turf facsimile of the Hillsborough River running through it), plus several changing rooms, restrooms and a โCop Cabinโ where Hillsborough Sheriffโs Office (HCS) deputies can have a desk, a lounge (with a working fireplace) and a place to keep an eye on whatโs happening in the park.
Also under construction in Phase 1B are six pickleball courts, large- and small-breed dog parks and an additional restroom. Phase 1B is expected to open by no later than March of this year.
Phase 2, which is funded and includes renovations to the original 19-acre Branchton Park, also is expected to include a zipline (in partnership between the county and a private contractor, who has not yet been selected) and an event center. Valdez said Phase 2 will take about two years to build.
โI am thrilled to be here this morning as the commissioner who championed this project for over a decade,โ Comm. Hagan said prior to the ribbon cutting ceremony. โHow this occurred is that, for six years, I lived around the corner, off Cross Creek Blvd. And every day, I would drive on Morris Bridge Rd., because before we widened Bruce B. Downs (Blvd.), the traffic was terrible.
โSo, Iโd go down Morris Bridge, and Iโd always look over here and see this beautiful area and I would never see more than two or three people on the basketball courts or in the little picnic area. And I just remember thinking that we could really do something special and make a destination here. Well, many years later, weโve created it [and we] worked closely with the New Tampa community to get the amenities the residents wanted to see here.โ
Hagan added, โThis park will serve 45,000+ people within a ten-minute drive of this area.โ
Although we told you it was getting ready to open last issue, the second Sindbad Tampa restaurant โ which features smoothies, juices, crepes, desserts, cakes, ice cream and more โ is now open in the former location of Bang-Bang! Bowls in the Pebble Creek Collection (19651 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Suite C-2).
The original Sindbad location is at 10933 N. 56th St. in Temple Terrace, and while the shop has a Middle Eastern-sounding name (Sindbad the Sailor is a fictional character from Baghdad), owners Laith Mahdawe and his wife Raghad Alkalide (who are Middle Eastern; top left photo), say their daughter-in-law, who is Mexican, was the inspiration for Sindbadโs many Mexican and Latin juices and other menu items.
Although the new Sindbad was only open for two weeks at our press time and didnโt yet have all of its menu available, photographer Charmaine George and I definitely were impressed with the storeโs incredible array of fresh fruits and veggies (photo below) that Laith and Raghad use to make fresh smoothies and juice drinks. We did also sample a few beverages, including a banana-strawberry smoothie (so fresh!) and a pure watermelon breeze juice served in a half of a small watermelon (Charmaine loved it). Sindbad also features juice drinks specifically created to help with everything from kidney stones to memory loss to indigestion (bottom left photo).ย
We also enjoyed two dessert items โ a slice of chocolate cheesecake with a scoop of fresh Hersheyโs strawberry ice cream, and an unexpectedly delicious croissant ice cream sandwich filled with caramel ice cream. Both of the desserts were served with whipped cream and a couple of fresh strawberries. Both Hersheyโs ice cream flavors we sampled (there are about a dozen flavors, and soon to also be served with Sindbad waffles), were creamy and tasty.
For more info, visit โSinbad Tampaโ on Facebook or call (813) 443-9692 and please tell Laith and Raghad I sent you! โ GN
