If you were thinking there couldn’t possibly be more “stuff ” coming to Wesley Chapel this year (or at least by early 2027), think again.
Among the projects that are well underway but that we don’t have any kind of timelines for include:
• The completion of Mast Capital’s $92 million improvements to Saddlebrook Resort (above). We showed you the improvements that have already been completed in our last couple of issues, but there is still plenty more to come.
Since the Brew coffee shop and Rare 1981 restaurant opened, the Palm House Grill out by the resort’s revamped Superpool also recently opened. We’ll show you pictures of the Palm House’s food and beverages next issue. We also were told that all 27 holes of Saddlebrook’s golf courses also are open.
Still to come this year? The Sports Tavern off the resort’s lobby and the Saddlebrook National private club for members only. We’ll update you about all of these improvements in future issues.
Pinecrest Academy High School
Here & There, This & That…
Avalon Park — In addition to Phase 2 of Avalon Park’s downtown expected to begin building, Avalon Park Blvd., connecting the community’s single-family subdivisions with the downtown area, could be completed any day now and may even be open as you’re receiving this issue.
Pasco Fire Rescue Station No. 2
In addition, although the existing buildings at the Pinecrest Academy charter school are already serving kids in grades K-11, the separate, new Pinecrest Academy High School will open to grades 9-12 for the 2026-27 year, which will allow kids in Pinecrest Academy’s middle school (Grades 6-8) to have their own building.
Pasco Fire Rescue Station No. 2 — The much-needed new fire station on S.R. 54, less than a mile east of the new AdventHealth Meadow Pointe Emergency Room, should be ready to open before the end of this year.
New Walmart (Morris Bridge Rd @ S.R. 56)
New Walmart — Located southwest of the intersection of Morris Bridge Rd. and S.R. 56, Wesley Chapel’s second Walmart store hasn’t broken ground yet, so it’s possible that it may not be completed by the end of 2026, but it should at least begin building this year.
Two Rivers Updates — Even though Two Rivers is all technically located in Zephyrhills (with a portion in Thonotosassa south of the Pasco-Hillsborough county line), the private club to be called The Landing at Two Rivers is well under way and could be completed before the end of 2026. We have no further updates on the planned Peak Surf Park in Two Rivers, but will try to update that story in an upcoming issue. — GN
(l.-r.) Jordan Kornberg of Mast Capital, Pasco County Comm. Jack Mariano & Florida Sports Coast exec. director Adam Thomas were among those who took the first swings on the new driving range at Saddlebrook Resort on Dec. 11. (Photos by Charmaine George & Gary Nager)
Since Mast Capital purchased Saddlebrook Resort & Spa from the resort’s late founder and owner Tom Dempsey back in 2022, the Wesley Chapel community has been anxiously waiting to see what Mast was going to do to update and upgrade what was once the jewel of Wesley Chapel.
To that end, on Dec. 11, Saddlebrook and Mast unveiled the resort’s newly relocated golf driving range with a “first drive” ceremony, a champagne toast and a great party that thunder, lightning and the possibility of heavy rain cut short.
With Saddlebrook’s former driving range along S.R. 54 being replaced with apartments, the range was relocated to a portion of the former Palmer Course, one of two Arnold Palmer-designed 18-hole courses at the resort. But, Mast decided to do away with nine of the Palmer Course’s 18 holes and the new driving range takes up about six of the other nine holes.
When the renovations are complete, Saddlebrook will be left with 27 holes of championship golf.
(Above, l.-r.) Saddlebrook managing director Raj Mohan, Kornberg & Mariano all spoke at the event.
Mast Capital chief investment officer Jordan Kornberg promised that the new driving range “is just the beginning. We will be returning Saddlebrook to its former glory.”
Among those joining Kornberg for the ceremonial first drive (complete with exploding golf balls) were the resort’s managing director Raj Mohan, District 1 Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano and Florida Sports Coast executive director Adam Thomas.
Mohan said he was looking forward to the community seeing the changes now in motion at Saddlebrook and Mariano also expressed excitement for the future of the resort.
Attendees were treated to a picnic-style lunch with fried chicken, beef brisket and curried pork with all the trimmings, as well as enough umbrellas for everyone in attendance, as heavy showers were a looming possibility.
For more information about Saddlebrook Resort, visit Saddlebrook.com or call (813) 973-1111.
PTR & PPR’s 23,000+ Professional Coaching Members In 127 Countries Now Call Saddlebrook Resort Home!
(Above, l.-r.) Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) & Professional Pickleball Registry (PPR) CEO Peter Hurley,PTR Board Chair Lynne Rolley, Saddlebrook VP of International Sports Patrick Farrell, PTR Vice-ChairMartin van Daalen, Florida’s Sports Coast Marketing & Comm. Dir. Raul Nardi, PTR COO Brian Parkkonen& USTA Senior Dir. Craig Jones cut the ribbon at Saddlebrook Resort.
Why is it such a big deal that Saddlebrook Resort is now the new home of both the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) and the Professional Pickleball Registry (PPR)?
Well, for one thing, the 125-year-old PTR has moved its headquarters for the first time in 40 years, from Hilton Head, South Carolina, according to PTR Board Chair Lynne Rolley, who opened the festivities at the Grand Opening and ribbon-cutting event for PTR and PPR at Saddlebrook on Sept. 24. “We made this significant move to relocate here to Saddlebrook Resort and we are just so excited,” Rolley said. “Today marks the beginning of an incredible journey for us. Saddlebrook has always been a leader in the tennis community.”
She noted that Saddlebrook has, “trained so many Grand Slam champions, including Jim Courier, Andy Roddick, John Isner, Marty Fish, Lisa Raymond, Martina Hingis, Mary Pierce, Justine Henin and about 20 more. Some of our great coaches from Saddlebrook, sitting right here, have been responsible for that success.”
Rolley also said this about Saddlebrook: “This state-of-the-art facility will become a hub for developing coaches, empowering athletes and fostering a community that’s passionate about the growth of tennis and pickleball.”
Of course, those who have been responsible for PTR and its now 23,000 members under one umbrella (including 10,000 PPR members) in 127 countries have always been passionate about tennis and, for the last six years, pickleball.
Accredited by the United State Tennis Association (USTA), PTR offers globally-recognized certifications for tennis instructors and is the largest membership organization in the world for certifying tennis coaches.
And, with pickleball, still acknowledged as the fastest-growing sport in the country, PPR, which was founded in 2018, has grown exponentially and has been a big contributor to the 20% growth of PTR’s overall membership from 19,000 in a little more than a year.
“Who knows,” Rolley said, “We may soon train a Grand Slam champion in pickleball here.”
Rolley then introduced PTR Vice-Chair Martin van Daalen and called up PTR and PPR CEO (and new Wesley Chapel resident) Peter Hurley to the microphone.
Hurley first thanked Rolley and said that her hard work also has helped Saddlebrook groom many of its long list of professional tennis champions and, “along with Martin, helped bring PTR and PPR here to Wesley Chapel.”
Saddlebrook VP Of Intl. Sports Patrick Farrell
Hurley joked that the day of the Grand Opening, “marks my seventh day on the job as CEO of PTR and PPR, although I feel as though I’ve been here for a lifetime.”
He added, “This is a monumental day for our organization. I want to extend a heartfelt thank-you to our passionate members and to our ‘picklers,’ who are out here enjoying the day with Sarah (Ansboury, the managing director of PPR and a five-time U.S. Open Pickleball champion), our dedicated staff and Board of Directors and the entire Saddlebrook community for the warm welcome you have given us. We look forward to engaging members, developing content, education and curriculums and events that will drive visitors to the Saddlebrook area.”
Hurley then introduced Patrick Farrell, the VP of International Sports at Saddlebrook. “Patrick has an amazing team here,” Hurley said. “He also oversees the operation of the Saddlebrook Preparatory School, one of the most prestigious golf and tennis academies in the world. Pat has held many key leadership positions at top resorts across America, but most important to me is that he’s also a great guy, a class act and a phenomenal partner.”
Farrell welcomed everyone to Saddlebrook and thanked both the ownership group of the resort (Mast Capital) and Florida’s Sports Coast (Pasco’s destination management organization), “because without them, this really couldn’t have transpired.
Their support and what they do to bring sports tourism to Pasco County is unsurpassed in this industry. The work that they do helps support the tourism business here. The impacts for not just racquet sports but the hospitality business in this area and the impacts for the community are immense.”
He also noted that, “Thanks to Florida’s Sports Coast, we have people moving into the area to be team members of PPR and PTR, plus all of their events and programming throughout the year. So, it’s extremely exciting to have them as a partner for the long term. They are helping to take Saddlebrook to new heights and restoring it to its past grandeur. Our entire staff is extremely excited to partner with PTR and PPR and look forward to a great future.”
Next up was Raul Nardi, the marketing & communications director for Florida’s Sports Coast., who said how excited the county’s tourism office was to have PTR and PPR moving to Saddlebrook. “We know this move will have a profound impact on our tourism,” Nardi said, “and Saddlebrook is renowned for its beautiful amenities and world-class tennis facilities. And, with the addition of PTR and PPR, we can expect an influx of visitors, coaches and sports enthusiasts to the region. These guests will not only fill our hotel rooms, but also dine at our restaurants, shop at our stores and visit our multiple attractions that our beautiful county has to offer.”
Nardi added that Pasco County officials also are excited about the, “economic impact that all of these visitors and different events, tournaments and championships that are coming into our county [will bring]. It’s going to create jobs, drive revenues, encourage investment in the area and we expect it to have a ripple effect and bring still more visitors to our area. We’re just thrilled to see this flourish and come to fruition.”
Then, Hurley introduced USTA senior director of coaching Craig Jones, noting that “The USTA is a vital partner to PTR and PPR. Craig is responsible for developing coaching resources, workshops and accreditation. He is a certified PTR Professional and a USTA high-performance coach.
Prior to coming to USTA, Craig spent 25 years as a club owner, a director and a junior developer working with young players from novice through international champion.”
Jones said, “We want to welcome PTR to the great tennis state of Florida.” He mentioned that the USTA’s own National Campus is located in Orlando, “So, how great is it to have these two amazing facilities within 80 miles of each other? The USTA also is looking forward to more collaboration with PTR in the future.”
Hurley, van Daalen,Rolley, Farrell, Jones & Parkkonen celebrate PTR & PPR’s new home at Saddlebrook with a champagne toast.
Hurley also thanked Brian Parkkonen, the Chief Operating Officer of PTR. “Brian has been juggling multiple responsibilities to facilitate our move from Hilton Head while also helping me get up to speed in the last seven days.”
He also mentioned that Parkkonen has more than ten years of service to PTR. “Brian has played a pivotal role in advancing education pathways and developing innovative programs, including the PTR education dashboard and advancing the PPR pickle- ball certification curriculum.”
Parkkonen then said, “You’ve heard about all of the exciting things that are going to happen with PTR and PPR’s headquarters being relocated here to the beautiful Saddlebrook Resort. We’re excited about the impact that these organizations are going to have on Saddlebrook, as well as Pasco County. The question becomes now, ‘How do we deliver this exceptional service?’ It gives me great pride and honor to introduce the staff that’s going to be driving our initiatives here at Saddlebrook. As many of you know, putting together an exceptional team is not an easy task.”
He noted that it takes time, “to identify those who have the right skill sets, that have a passion for their sports — whether that be tennis, pickleball, padel, platform tennis, etc. — that have a generational perspective, in that we have individuals from multiple generations, all with the same goal of really providing an exceptional experience for our members.”
Parkkonen also quoted former NBA coach Phil Jackson, who said, “The strength of a team are the individual members of the team. The strength of the individual members is the team. And I think that what we’ve had the opportunity to put together at PTR and PPR is truly an exceptional team.”
He added that “Not only are PTR and PPR bringing a successful business to Saddlebrook.
We’re bringing exceptional individuals who will be contributors to the community. And, I don’t think most staffs have over 125 years of experience on their team, but we do.”
Parkkonen then introduced both the team relocating to Saddlebrook “and those who will be working remotely as well — (PPR managing director) Sarah Ansboury, (VP of special events & pickle-ball) Julie Jilly, (international director) Inaki Balzoa, Michael Baumgarten and (event coordinator) Dimitri Vlassov).” The remote folks Parkkonen thanked included (PTR membership director) Helma Capp, (PTR marketing manager) Caitlyn Fries, (PTR director of education and diversity) Milena Vidos, (PTR membership coordinator Sanaz Marand, (PPR membership services) Melanie Beckler. Then, there was a champagne toast to end the festivities.
The Man Who Put Wesley Chapel On The Map Was 97 Years Old & Surrounded By His Family
Saddlebrook Resort founder Tom Dempsey, with his granddaughter Alexis and her husband James Doyle, got to meet his great granddaughter Darla Eleanor Doyle while he was in home hospice care. (Photo copied from Alexis Doyle’s Facebook page)
Even though I knew he had been in home hospice care for several weeks, the news that Saddlebrook Resort founder and former owner Thomas L. (Tom) Dempsey — known affectionately to his family and friends as “T.D.” — had passed away the day before we went to press with this issue was still a shock to my system.
Mr. Dempsey, who literally put the previously unknown area known as Wesley Chapel on the map, when the Pittway Corp. purchased and began building Saddlebrook way back in 1979, was always so kind to me and said such sweet, complimentary things to me about my efforts with the Neighborhood News. The fact that he ran the huge Penton Publishing empire (a subsidiary of Pittway) in his native Cleveland, OH, for so many years gave his words to me so much more meaning. Even though we only met maybe 10-12 times in all of the years I have owned the Neighborhood News, I still looked upon him as something of a mentor — especially the few times he told me he felt I had gotten something wrong.
The ironic thing to me is that my first home in the Wesley Chapel area, which I moved my family into in 1993 (after leaving Westchester County, NY) was a condominium I rented in the community around Saddlebrook. My kids loved swimming in the resort’s Superpool and members of my family stayed at the resort when they visited us.
I was there when T.D. first opened his beloved Dempsey’s Steak House, Saddlebrook’s crown jewel, and when the original European-style spa opened. The Neighborhood News also followed closely the saga of the resort’s sale, which T.D. definitely resisted for years.
Alexis Dempsey (now Doyle) & her brother Masterson received their diplomas from T.D. when they both graduated from St. Leo University (Alexis with her M.B.A.) in 2016. (NN file photo)
I also became friends with not only Mr. Dempsey’s granddaughter Alexis, but also his former general manager at the resort, Pat Ciaccio, and long-time employee Erik Ravenna, both of whom partnered with T.D. in Johnny C’s Italian Eatery on Cross Creek Blvd. in New Tampa.
Both Pat and Erik also called T.D. a “mentor” and said that although his passing was tremendously sad, as Pat told me, “at least he is finally at peace, and with his beloved Ellie (his wife of 60 years, who passed away in 2017).”
Meanwhile, JD Porter, the Wiregrass Ranch developer whose family trust provided the land for Saddlebrook, said, “Mr. Dempsey was both a visionary and a trailblazer for this community. It’s a rarity for someone in an industry as cyclical and tumultuous as resorts to have such a track record of success and the grit to weather storms that most would run from. We had our successes and battles over the years on certain items with Tom but, at the end of the day, he was a man with fortitude who fought the good fight and was essential in helping to shape not only Wesley Chapel but the entire region through not only his vision but his actions. He will be sorely missed.”
(Above) BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel held its official ribbon-cutting on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Feb. 2023, while (below) Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital broke ground on Wesley Chapel’s largest hospital earlier this year.
1. Hospitals In The News —
Although its actual ten-year anniversary was in 2022, a number of things caused AdventHealth Wesley Chapel to postpone its 10-year celebration until Feb. 2023, which would, on its own, be pretty big news for Wesley Chapel.
However, Feb. 2023 also saw the opening of Wesley Chapel’s second hospital — the 86-bed BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel, less than two miles north of AdventHealth, which also brought the community out in force to check out the new hospital’s advanced technology.
But wait, that’s not all! Later in 2023, Orlando Health broke ground on its own Wesley Chapel location on S.R. 56 at Wiregrass Ranch Bvd. With its 300 beds, the multi-story Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital will be Wesley Chapel’s largest.
At our press time, the site work for the new hospital was well under way, although vertical construction had not yet begun. We also did not yet have an estimated opening date, but it’s unlikely the new hospital will be completed and opened before 2025.
And finally, John’s Hopkins All Children’s Hospital announced its plans to build a 356,000-sq.-ft. pediatric hospital at the Wildcat-Bailes site on Overpass Rd. (at McKendree Rd.) near I-75 in the “Connected City” project, although an exact number of beds had not yet been announced, nor was the deal finalized at our press time.
2. Overpass Rd. Exit Off I-75 Opens —
In the entire 30+ years the Neighborhood News has been in business, Wesley Chapel originally only had one exit off of I-75 — Exit #279 at S.R. 54 — and received its second exit, Exit #275, at the new S.R. 56 about a decade ago.
The new Exit 282 off of I-75 at Overpass Rd. opened in Jan 2023.
Since then, there has been no exit off I-75 between S.R. 54’s Exit 279 and Exit 285 at S.R. 54 in the San Antonio/Dade City area.
That remained true until Jan. of this year, when the new Exit 282 off I-75 opened at the new Overpass Rd. extension (see photo right), which finally connected Overpass from Old Pasco Rd. all the way to Epperson, Curley Rd. and even beyond, through the Watergrass community. Overpass Rd. will one day connect to Handcart Rd. in Zephyrhills.
The new exit has done a pretty good job of helping to reduce rush-hour traffic at the S.R. 54 exit and is definitely stimulating new growth in and around the area — growth that not all local residents are thrilled about.
Among the new development swirling around the new exit is the previously mentioned Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, as well as a possible multi-family or mixed-use development at the corner of Overpass, I-75 and Old Pasco Rd.
We’ll keep you posted.
3. Saddlebrook Redevelopment Plan Approved —
Saddlebrook Resort and the community that sprouted up around it became the first large-scale development in Wesley Chapel when owner and former Pendant Publishing founder Tom Dempsey developed it in the early 1980s.
More than 40 years later, Dempsey’s resort and the surrounding community had lost a lot of their lustre and the resort, in particular, had fallen into disarray.
A rendering of Mast Capital’s redevelopment plan for Saddlebrook Resort, which was approved by Pasco County in July of this year.
After multiple previous attempts to purchase and improve the 480-acre resort and surrounding community fell through, Mast Capital finally succeeded in not only purchasing the resort, but getting its $15-million redevelopment/rezoning plans approved by the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners, after making a number of concessions in order to come to an agreement with many existing Saddlebrook residents.
One of the big sticking points was that Mast planned to convert the two 18-hole, Arnold Palmer-designed championship golf courses into 27 holes of golf.
Another important aspect of Mast’s plan was a significant amount of new development, including multi-family units, along S.R. 54 both east and west of the community’s main entrance on Saddlebrook Way at 54.
The redevelopment of Saddlebrook should begin in earnest in 2024.
4. Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. Opens —
Normally, interior roadways primarily serving only one community would probably not qualify as one of the biggest news stories of the year, especially in an area still growing as quickly as is Wesley Chapel.
Wiregrass Ranch. Blvd. has been open from S.R. 56 all the way to S.R. 54 since August of 2023.
However, in the case of Wiregrass Ranch. Blvd., because the roadway itself had been paved for what seemed like more than a year and had people who were living in the Estancia and other Wiregrass Ranch subdivisions using the roadway illegally to go from S.R. 56 and Chancey Rd. to the Walmart on S.R. 54. for many months — moving and then replacing the barricades located next to Walmart — the official opening of the entire nearly four-mile length of Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. in Aug. 2023 certainly was big news.
Next up in Wiregrass Ranch is the eastward extension of Chancey Rd. (which runs east-west through the center of Wiregrass Ranch) all the way to Meadow Pointe Blvd.
5a. Downtown Avalon Park Begins Leasing —
The site plan for the new Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel.
More than just another commercial or multi-family development, the long-awaited Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel is the first in our area to combine both. Only a few of the retail tenants on the ground floor of the first “neotraditional” building in the downtown area have been announced since the Aug. 17 Open House that unveiled the construction of that new building — including Prime Barbershop, Rita’s Italian Ice, Rudraksh Indian Cuisine and ISI Elite Training. All of these businesses are expected to begin opening sometime in the first quarter of 2024.
5b. Wesley Chapel’s Contract Postal Unit Closes & Opens In New Location —
A lot of locals (us included) were sad when long-time Wesley Chapel Contract Postal Unit (CPU) contractor Kelly Rossi retired and closed her location on Boyette Rd. at the end of Jan.
The NTBC ribbon cutting for the relocated Wesley Chapel Contract Postal Unit.
Then, we were even sadder to see how long it took new contractors Jevon and Cindy Williams to reopen the Wesley Chapel CPU in its new location in the Freedom Plaza on S.R. 54 in September.
Hopefully, Jevon and Cindy are now recuperating from the CPU’s holiday rush.
We also considered for the top-5…The opening of Cooper’s Hawk, the takeover by Pasco County of the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus from RADDSports and the one-year anniversary of the KRATE Container Park. — GN
