New Tampa Projects In The City Of Tampa’s Fiscal ‘24 Budget 

The City of Tampa’s Fiscal 2024 budget includes $75,000 in funding for the New Tampa Players’ Penguin Project, whose production of “Beauty & the Beast” was the first performance at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center. (Photo credit: Angie Schneider)

The City of Tampa’s Fiscal 2024 budget passed unanimously on October 3 and, according to District 7 City Council member Luis Viera (whose district includes all of New Tampa), a number of New Tampa projects were included in the budget allocations. 

1. K-Bar Ranch City Park — “I was able to put the plans for the city park in K-Bar Ranch in the Community Investment Tax (CIT) for future consideration,” Viera says. “This puts us in the dugout so to speak, and ready to bat when the time comes. That’s a big change and major movement forward for us there. This is the K-Bar Ranch Park I have been talking about with my constituents for a really long time. My idea was to move it into potential projects with plans ready to go in concrete.” 

2. Penguin Project Funding — “I was able to get $75,000 for the New Tampa Players (NTP) theatre troupe, for their Penguin Project, for an adult version arts program for people with intellectual disabilities,” Viera says. “Presently, when persons with intellectual disabilities in the Penguin Project (an effort by NTP to give persons with ID a first-class theatre opportunity — like ‘Aladdin,’ ‘Beauty & the Beast (photo), etc. — “age out” (at age 18), they are done with the program. This funding will allow NTP to create another program for adults. It’s wonderful. This project is spearheaded by NTP president Nora Paine, who is an amazing disability advocate who also is a Heritage Isles resident.” 

3. Street Repaving — “We were able to get about $7 million in new funding for repaving,” Viera says. “This will create opportunities for streets like New Tampa Blvd. in West Meadows, which desperately needs to be resurfaced, and 30th St. (Bruce B. Downs Blvd. south of Fowler Ave.). Nothing is set in stone yet regarding which planned repaving projects will get what, but it moves us faster forward for New Tampa Blvd. for consideration. I believe the Tampa Palms Blvd. repaving is just about done.” 

4. Fire Station & Public Safety Funding — “I also was able to secure $1.5 million in design funding for Tampa Fire Rescue (TFR) Station No. 25, which will be on Fowler Ave,” Viera says. “This will allow for better response times for the areas around Fowler Ave., but it also will allow Station No. 20 on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. (serving the Tampa Palms area) to better serve areas north of Fowler, especially zip code 33647. The design of the new station will take about a year, and then, we will get construction funding. I have a motion coming in a month or so to look at government bonds for our new fire stations. So, while this budget item is not directly funding for New Tampa, it will allow areas in North Tampa south of Tampa Palms to be taken care of by this new forthcoming station, so that Station No. 20 can better focus on the areas to the north of Tampa Palms. So, it is a piece of the puzzle.” 

He adds, however, “As for direct fire station funding for New Tampa, we got money for a new rescue vehicle for TFR Station No. 22 on Cross Creek Blvd. (a little west of Morris Bridge Rd.) to help with response times for the K-Bar Ranch area. This is big news for that area.” 

And finally, Viera says, “The budget also allocated $50,000 to fund the city’s Public Safety Master Plan I have been pushing for three years. This means that we will have a citywide assessment of emergency response times and needs for both fire and police — which, of course, acutely affects New Tampa when it comes to fire safety.” 

Need An IT Expert For Your Home Or Business? Try NerdsToGo! 

(L.-r.) NerdsToGo New Tampa operations supervisor Angie Bosley, owner Michael Varnadore and certified IT tech Abhishek Singhai look forward to serving your personal and business technical needs at the store in the Pebble Creek Collection. (Photos by Charmaine George)

In the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel area, there is no shortage of places that claim to be able to fix a broken device, such as mobile phone, laptop or computer. 

But, NerdsToGo is the only one owned and run by Michael Varnadore, a U.S. Air Force veteran with four decades of experience and education that have all dovetailed into his latest endeavor. 

Michael enlisted in the U.S. Air Force right out of high school, four days after his 18th birthday. Of his 20-year military career, he says that 15 were spent in computer service, including teaching his entire squadron how to use personal computers when they received them while stationed in Korea. 

Along the way, he earned a Bachelor’s degree and went on to receive a Doctorate degree in information systems management. 

After retiring from the military, Michael started his second career at an aerospace corporation. He served as director of personal computing, responsible for 80,000 end points (personal computers and laptops). After nearly two decades, he retired again, and that’s when he decided to take all of the knowledge he had gained to start something new, as the local franchise owner for NerdsToGo, located in the Pebble Creek Collection plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. 

“Everything I’ve done — starting with working on my first Tandy 1000 in 1986 — has led to where I’m at today,” Michael says, “it’s been a progression of skill sets and responsibilities, and I’m still learning.” 

He teaches, too, as a college professor teaching introductory computer classes at Hillsborough Community College and University of Maryland online. 

Those decades of experience and extensive education have given Michael the expertise to help both consumers and businesses with any computer or IT issue that may arise. 

Since opening the business in 2019, Michael says he’s proud that his small business has served the needs of the New Tampa area and has racked up more than 150 5-star reviews on Google, and an average of 4.9 stars out of 5. 

“As a small business, I don’t have any way to brush off bad reviews,” he says. “We have very few untrue or unfair reviews.” 

NerdsToGo is a growing franchise, with about 35 locations nationwide. 

Michael explains that when you hire NerdsToGo, you’re hiring an IT specialist, and he and his staff provide the expertise to fix your problem. 

Got a cracked phone screen? Bring it in. NerdsToGo can fix most devices and even has a special laser to remove the back glass off iPhones. Without that laser, Michael says, it can take hours to try to pry it off by hand because of the strong glue that holds it in place. At NerdsToGo, repairs are quick and you can generally get your phone back within a couple of hours. 

Virus on your computer? Michael says this is a big issue these days. You clicked on something you didn’t realize was a scam and now you’re having all kinds of problems with your computer? He and the other “nerds” at NerdsToGo know exactly what to do to get rid of any signs of the problem you encountered. 

Michael says he also often helps people upgrade computers that are running slow. It can cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars to replace a computer, but Nerds ToGo can offer upgrades that will keep your computer running efficiently for years without having to buy a whole new system. 

NerdAssure For Business 

But, don’t just think of NerdsToGo for your own personal needs. 

As a small business owner, Michael knows all too well just how many hats have to be worn and how many things small business owners have to become experts in just to get by. 

He promises that those who own small businesses don’t have to learn to be IT experts, as Nerds ToGo’s exclusive NerdAssure program will manage all information technology services for you. 

He says the service uses software to monitor machines for performance and fix hardware before it breaks, along with providing antivirus services, cloud backup to ensure all data and email is backed up and recoverable in case of a problem, and the administration of some kind of office productivity software, which could be Office 365 or something else. 

He says this includes making sure everyone has access to the things they should and not to the things they shouldn’t. 

“For businesses that have no IT department or person, we can remotely manage and monitor the environment,” Michael explains. “For those who have a person or small department, this service complements that and takes a lot of work off their shoulders.” 

That’s how it works at Ridge Manor Christian Academy, where assistant principal Nathan Puentes is responsible for the school’s IT but can’t do it by himself. 

“We’ve worked with five different companies over the last 13 years, and before NerdsToGo, no one was as accessible to us as we needed them to be,” Nathan says. “When something goes wrong, we can’t wait days for it to get fixed. Our students need their devices working immediately.” 

He says that, for the past three years, working with NerdsToGo has met all of the school’s needs and has performed beyond their expectations. 

“These guys are amazing,” he says. “They are performing updates, identifying issues in the system, getting the right people right away to solve problems.” 

NerdsToGo is located at 19651 Bruce B Downs Blvd., Suite C6. The store is open Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m., and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, visit NerdsToGo.com, call (813) 321-1700.

Online Ads, Story Plaques & All-Direct-Mail Print Issues Set Us Apart 

Editorial

In case you hadn’t noticed, the Neighborhood News you’ve been receiving in your mailbox has continued to grow, despite some people still believing that “print is dead.” 

Thanks in no small part to the efforts of our director of ad sales & marketing, also known as my beautiful wife Jannah, we have been adding new advertisers at a near-record rate. Just a few issues ago, we were at 40 pages per issue, but last issue and this one, we’re up to 48 pages and that momentum doesn’t appear to be slowing. 

In fact, Jannah has been averaging between 3-5 new advertisers in each issue and the content I am so proud — as the publisher and editor — to present to you each issue continues to keep both readers and advertisers alike coming back for more. 

Although both of our publications are growing, there is no doubt that it’s been a lot easier for our all-direct-mail circulation to keep up with the pace of growth here in New Tampa than it has in Wesley Chapel. 

At the start of 2022, our New Tampa direct-mail distribution, which also includes the Lake Forest subdivision on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Lutz, was 28,436 residences and businesses, reaching 77,500 total people, according to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS)’s estimates of the number of people per household in each postal carrier route we serve. With only the K-Bar Ranch area of New Tampa still growing, that number has risen (as of Sept. 1) to just over 29,000 residences and about 80,000 total people. 

Meanwhile, at the start of 2022, our mailing to zip codes 33543, 33544 & 33545 was less than 29,000 total pieces and less than 80,000 total people, At the start of 2023, our Wesley Chapel distribution had risen by more than 2,000 additional pieces — to 31,000 homes, apartments and businesses by direct mail. That number of pieces equalled more than 5,000 additional people (or about 85,000 total) in those same zip codes, again according to USPS. 

Now, only nine months later than that, our all-direct-mail Wesley Chapel circulation has surpassed 33,000 residences and businesses and we now reach more than 90,000 people! And, my pledge is that we will continue to add the thousands of additional residential units that are planned and actively being built to our mailing every four weeks. Based on the stories about new developments we continue to run in these pages, we could surpass 35,000 direct-mail pieces and approach 95,000 total people by the end of this year or sometime in 2024. 

Compare those numbers in Wesley Chapel “proper” with any other print publication claiming to serve our area — or any portion of it — and you’ll see that if you have a business located in or near either of our distribution areas, there is no other way to reach as many potential customers for that business than by advertising in the Neighborhood News. And, some of those other publications actually charge more to reach a tiny percentage of your potential customers than we do. We’re not just mailed to one community, no matter how nice it may be. We mail to ALL of them! 

But Wait, There’s (Much) More! 

And, in case you think we’re resting on our print laurels, you couldn’t be more wrong. 

Our online presence continues to grow at an equally rapid rate, as we post individual hyperlocal news, business and dining stories on our “Neighborhood News” Facebook page pretty much every day of every week. Those posts often reach thousands of people in our areas who don’t necessarily want to hold a print publication in their hands. And, those stories always link to our website in order to read the entire text of those stories. We also recently began selling ads on our website, which registers an average of more than 30,000 “hits” per month, with some months surpassing 100,000 hits — when one of our Facebook stories attracts enough attention — such as our breaking news stories about the Target being built at The Grove, PopStroke’s opening on S.R. 56 and even the Chicken Boss’ opening at the KRATEs. Our 2024 Media Kit, which will be available shortly, will include combination rates for print and online advertising. 

We also continue to have advertisers — and even some local residents — who have had stories in our publications also purchase what I call “Story Plaques” (photo above) from us, rather than take what we work hard to do for them to an outside company who then makes money off our efforts by creating plaques of stories they had nothing to do with writing. 

For nearly two years now, we have been able to offer equally attractive plaques for our advertisers and others to hang in their offices and homes — all at a lower cost than what those outside companies charge. 

Best of all, we can even include the cost of the plaque in the cost of your ads! 

So, whether we’ve done a story about your business or someone you love in these pages, email us at Ads@NTNeighborhoodNews.com. Or, call (813) 910-2575 and Jannah will help you find out more about everything new at the Neighborhood News! 

Dr. Sam Jureyda Will Make You Smile At Radiance Orthodontics 

Dr. Sam Jureyda of Radiance Orthodontics, located in the Tampa Palms Professional center, combines his outstanding expertise and experience with the latest technology to keep his patients smiling beautifully. (Photos on these pages provided by Radiance Orthodontics)

The world of orthodontics is changing at lightning speed. 

Emerging from the recent fad of do-it-yourself aligners that have oversimplified the process of moving teeth to a newer trend where large corporations are buying independent orthodontic practices, the idea of a neighborhood orthodontist may seem a bit old-fashioned. 

That’s just fine with Sam Jureyda, DMD, who considers his relationships with patients to be his top priority and understands the value that his decades of experience as an orthodontic specialist brings to them. 

“In this environment,” he says, “we focus on what we do best – offering our expertise in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, and providing the best possible customer service to our patients.” 

That includes treating patients like family, Dr. Jureyda explains. “When you’re here,” he says, “you’re a neighbor and a friend.” 

Dr. J, as his patients call him, opened Radiance Orthodontics more than seven years ago to serve patients of all ages, including kids, teens and adults. The practice is located in the Tampa Palms Professional Center off of Commerce Park Blvd. near the New Tampa Recreation Center. 

Before moving into private practice in 2006, and subsequently opening Radiance Orthodontics in 2016, he taught graduate-level orthodontics at the University of Buffalo. Prior to that, he earned a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree from the Boston University School of Dental Medicine, a Certificate of Specialty in Orthodontics from the Howard University College of Dentistry, and completed a clinical fellowship in Orthodontics from University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, Department of Orthodontics. 

His education includes years of studying facial biology and growth dynamics, and his practice has includes decades of treating patients with sophisticated cases. 

Patients at Radiance Orthodontics are offered both traditional braces and Invisalign, along with Dr. J’s expert opinion on which option would be better for a particular case, and why. 

“There are so many factors that go into a decision about an appliance that you may wear for 18 months or more,” says Dr. J. “I am happy to go over all of that information so that you can make the right choice about the treatment plan that is best for you.” 

These days, general dentists are more frequently offering tooth movement and aligners. Radiance Orthodontics offers a deeper understanding of the dentofacial orthopedics involved in aligning teeth and jaws over a lifetime, whether it’s during the early years of childhood growth or even in older adults. 

Christy Schnell is a local mom who chose Radiance Orthodontics when her dentist suggested it was time for her daughter to get an evaluation for orthodontic treatment. 

“Dr. Jureyda is such a huge supporter of our local schools,” she explains, saying that she is so impressed by the way Radiance Orthodontics shows up for kids in our community that she decided to visit his office first. 

“After that initial visit, I could tell it was a really good fit,” Christy says, “so I didn’t even look anywhere else.” 

Whether they choose traditional braces or Invisalign Radiance Orthodontics’ immaculate, comfortable office offers patients a serene setting for their orthodontic treatments.

Christy appreciates how Dr. Jureyda includes her daughter Lyla in the conversation about her treatment, explaining the equipment and processes, and giving her the opportunity to ask questions. 

“Lyla had a lot more questions than I thought she would,” Christy says, “We were all so comfortable when we left (Radiance).” 

Since that initial consultation, not only has Lyla has started treatment — so has Christy. 

“My teeth were shifting because I didn’t wear my retainer from when I was little,” she says. “So, I figured while I’m here with my kids, I might as well get my teeth straightened as well.” 

She says Dr. J made it both easy and affordable to start treatment. 

He says that’s an important part of the way he serves his patients. 

“We’re seeing so much inflation right now, which is stretching families,” says Dr. Jureyda. “Radiance Orthodontics is a small business and we are in touch with what’s happening in our community. We try to walk that fine line between meeting the demands of running a business and keeping our fees affordable and payments flexible for our patients.” 

He promises reasonable fees that avoid the need for coupons or complex payment structures. Initial consultations are always completely free, as are consultations for those seeking a second opinion from Dr. J, where he may be able to provide additional avenues for treatment or a lower cost than other options. Radiance patients can rest assured that they will be given a fair price. 

That’s another reason Christy says she chose Radiance Orthodontics. 

“Friends had told me that Invisalign was much more expensive than braces, but at Radiance, the prices were actually similar,” she says. “It was so nice to be able to make the decision based on what was best for my daughter and me, without having to make a choice based on cost.” 

Never Too Young… 

Christy’s younger kids are already seeing Dr. Jureyda, too, although they’re not ready for treatment. The dentist suggested her son needed an evaluation, but Christy appreciates that Dr. J is watching his growth with appointments every six months, but not pushing treatment. 

Dr. J explains that treatment is always unique to the individual. 

“We often recommend ‘phase one’ treatment, which is for children as young as seven – and in some cases even younger – so that we can do early intervention that will make treatment easier down the road,” says Dr. Jureyda. “We follow the concept that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.” 

However, that doesn’t mean that every child will need early treatment. It just means that all children can take advantage of Dr. Jureyda’s free consultations to get an expert opinion on what kind of treatment may be needed at an early stage, or somewhere down the road. 

And, speaking of kids, as a former educator, Dr. Jureyda makes it a high priority to support students and educators in our community. 

Not only is Radiance Orthodontics a business partner at all of New Tampa’s public schools and some Wesley Chapel schools, too, he also awards scholarships each spring to a senior at both Wharton and Freedom high schools. These scholarships recognize students who have demonstrated a commitment to serve the community through volunteering. This year, he also will offer a scholarship to a senior at Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School, too. 

Radiance Orthodontics offers Invisalign and braces for kids, teens and adults of all ages. To schedule a free consultation, text or call Radiance Orthodontics at (813) 972- 1100. For more information about the practice, located at 17427 Bridge Hill Ct., Suite A, in the Tampa Palms Professional Center, search for Radiance Orthodontics on Facebook, visit www.MyRadianceBraces.com.

Check Out ‘Shrek: The Musical’ At The New Tampa Performing Arts Center! 

By NORA PAINE 

NTP Producing Artistic Director 

Source: IMDb, original Broadway cast poster 

Remember that terrifying-but-secretly-lovable ogre, his annoying-but-lovable donkey, and that captive princess hiding a secret or two? Dreamworks’ classic movie “Shrek,” loosely based on a book by William Steig, was one of the biggest animated hits of all time: a funny, irreverent send-up of fairy tale clichĂ©s, with catchy music, iconic voice acting, and — underneath it all — a heart of gold. “Shrek” spawned several sequels and a hit Broadway show: “Shrek The Musical,” with twenty original songs. “Shrek The Musical” is coming to the New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC) for two weekends — October 20-22 & 27-29. 

The New Tampa Players (NTP) theatre troupe has been operating for 20 years and more than 70 productions, but “Shrek The Musical” will be only the second Broadway musical the troupe has presented at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC), the beautiful, 350-seat facility located across Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. from the main entrance to Hunter’s Green that opened its doors earlier this year. 

As we have already come to expect from our NTP, “Shrek The Musical” will have a shockingly-talented local cast, a live orchestra and gorgeous costumes, sets, and lights. NTP’s previous Broadway musical, “Grease,” completely sold out the last four of its six performances in July, with a waiting list of 60, so if you want to catch everyone’s favorite green ogre, you should pick up those “Shrek” tickets right away. 

“Once upon a time, there was a little ogre named Shrek
.” — thus begins the tale of an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking Donkey and a feisty princess who resists being rescued. Throw in a short-tempered bad guy, a cookie with an attitude and more than a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you’ve got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. And luckily, there’s one on hand, and his name is Shrek. 

Shrek the Musical’s cast of 30 includes residents from New Tampa and the local area, including Chris Cordero (photo below) as Shrek, Brianna Filippelli-Peterson as Fiona, Evan Lomba as Donkey, and Kyle Fisher as Lord Farquaad. Cordero, Filippelli- Peterson and Fisher were featured performers in NTPAC’s dedication performance in March, and if you were lucky enough to catch “Grease,” you saw Fisher as Kenickie. 

Chris Cordero will play the titular ogre.

NTP also has assembled an amazing artistic team with newcomers Karissa Barber, Megan Zietler and Victoria Zisi as director, music director, and choreographer, respectively. 

For Barber, Shrek is a passion project and very dear to her heart. 

“Shrek is about loving yourself and finding your people in life,” she says. 

Cordero, as the titular ogre, agrees wholeheartedly with Barber, “Most of the characters have to learn not to judge a book by its cover. Everyone has their own story, their own dreams and things that make them special. This show is about acceptance, vulnerability and love. These themes are universal to everyone, and everyone will find something in this show that will touch their hearts.” 

“Shrek The Musical” is funny and fast-paced with a warm heart. Seeing familiar characters brought to life on stage (along with some truly stunning costumes and effects) makes the show exciting and accessible for kids, parents, grandparents, and anyone who enjoys a musical good time. Similar to the animated film, “Shrek the Musical” is considered appropriate for ages 12 and up, due to mild language and some crass humor. Some jokes will be over the younger kids’ heads and, as always, parents should use their own judgement. 

Mark your calendars and get your tickets now for “Shrek The Musical” on Fri. & Sat., Oct 20-21, both at 8 p.m. & Sun., Oct. 22, at 3 p.m.; it also will be performed Fri.-Sat., Oct. 27-28, at 8 p.m., & Sun., Oct. 29, at 3 p.m., all at the beautiful New Tampa Performing Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased at NewTampaPlayers.org.