Tyler Norman (photo) was riding east on County Line Rd., the road still quiet in the early morning hours, and the hum of his motorcycle steady beneath him as he approached the signal for the intersection of County Line Rd. and Grand Hampton Dr.
It was the kind of ride that feels routine — familiar roads, familiar turns — until, suddenly, it wasn’t. Tyler’s life was cut short at age 19.
Five months later, two small matching roadside signs now stand along that same stretch of asphalt. Simple, temporary, easy to miss if you’re not looking. But, for those who know, it marks something permanent.
May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in Florida, and this year, those signs and their familiar message have taken on a deeper meaning across Wesley Chapel, New Tampa, and the surrounding areas.
As part of a statewide effort, Florida’s Motorcycle Safety Coalition — also known as “RideSMART Florida” — and its partners announced the following at the end of April:
“RideSMART Florida and our statewide partners will begin placing hundreds of “Watch for Motorcycles!” signs throughout the state at the sites of 2025 motorcyclist fatalities. This powerful visual tribute aims to honor fallen riders and raise driver awareness leading up to the start of Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month [which started] on May 1.”
After the initiative began, those signs (paid for by the Florida Department of Transportation, or FDOT) appeared locally — including the one placed along County Line Rd., in front of Grand Hampton (photo, right) — each one tied to a real story, a real life lost.
One of those lives lost was 19-year-old Tyler Norman.
According to investigators, Tyler was riding a 2012 Kawasaki motorcycle eastbound around 2:30 a.m., on Dec. 6, 2025, when a Nissan Rogue traveling westbound attempted to turn left onto Grand Hampton Dr. Authorities say the driver, 50-year-old Mauricus “Rico” Labron Green, turned directly into Tyler’s path, violating his right of way. The motorcycle struck the front of the SUV.
Tyler (who was wearing a helmet) was transported to a nearby hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Green remained at the scene and was arrested, as police reported signs of impairment. Court records show he was charged with DUI manslaughter and refusal to submit to testing, along with a citation for an improper left turn. His case remains open and is scheduled to continue later this year. Records also indicate a prior DUI arrest in Lakeland in 2017.
Behind the legal process, though, is the reality those roadside signs are meant to convey.
Tyler’s family, like too many others, was devastated by the loss. And, across Florida, similar signs now stand for other riders — each representing family and friends navigating the same kind of grief, the same unanswered questions, the same sudden absence.
The goal of the campaign is not only remembrance, but prevention.
Above graphic source: RideSMART Florida
Motorcycle crashes often come down to a narrow margin — visibility, timing and judgment. In many cases, including this one, right-of-way violations and impairment play a role.
But, safety officials emphasize that responsibility for these crashes is shared. Drivers are urged to double-check intersections, especially before turning left, always use their turn signals, even if they think no one is nearby, and to remain alert for motorcycles — which can be harder to see and judge in distance.
Riders, in turn, are encouraged to stay visible, ride predictably and anticipate potential hazards at every intersection.
Those small signs along the roadside are easy to pass by without a second thought. But they are placed with intention — at the exact locations where moments like Tyler’s unfolded.
They are reminders that every commute, every late-night drive and every routine ride carry weight. And, that looking out for one another on the road isn’t just a slogan — it’s what may one day separate a close call from a devastating loss.
State officials stated that due to safety and maintenance reasons, the temporary signs would only be placed on local roads, not interstates or limited access roadways.
Obviously, AI (Artificial Intelligence) is the wave of the future, but if you’re old school like me, it’s probably been hard for you to embrace.
However, although I still find errors when I use Google AI to do research for stories, I am now a lot more interested in the other ways that AI can help my business — thanks to the husband-&-wife team of Josh and Michelle Stanaland of Shark Branding Solutions.
In addition to Michelle and Josh, the Shark Branding Solutions team includes chief operating officer Tiffany Fancher (at left in photo, with Michelle and Josh), “who makes sure everything runs smoothly,” Michelle said. “We couldn’t do this without her.”
Michelle, Shark Branding’s CEO, invited the Neighborhood News team to the company’s first-ever in-person “Hackathon” on May 26 (at Philena Worthington’s Worthington Agency, a AAA insurance office at 35366 Pure Water Way, Zephyrhills) — which wasn’t at all what it sounded like, at least not to me.
Josh, the company’s chief technology officer, created a simulation of the websites of each of the six businesses who attended the Hackathon. Each website was outfitted with an AI “employee” (“not a ChatBot,” Michelle emphasized) who served as each company’s receptionist.
In other words, when you logged onto your own simulated website, your AI receptionist (ours was named Nora) popped up to answer any and all questions about your business that someone visiting your website might have.
“I don’t know about you,” Michelle said, “but as a business owner, I love creating websites and helping companies build their brands. I don’t like having to answer the phone. But, I also know that I have lost potential clients because I didn’t answer the phone or get back to the person soon enough.
“If you hire a receptionist, which can cost you $40,000 a year, you have to train them, hope they will handle your customers as you would and that they will be reliable. Your AI receptionist is ‘trained’ by being programmed with all of the info about your business and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
She added, however, “That the goal is not to replace your employees, but to allow your entire team to avoid having to handle those customer inquiries so they can each do their actual jobs.”
At any rate, the idea of the Hackathon was for each of us to hack, or basically break, our own AI receptionist.
But, guess what? Without ever having to be trained by myself or Jannah, Nora answered every possible question anyone visiting our website could possibly ask — including about our editorial content, and especially, about advertising in the Neighborhood News.
In other words, Josh and Michelle, who have not yet rolled out their AI receptionist “package” to the public, are onto something big. And, you should definitely give them a call — and please tell them I sent you.
For Shark Branding Solutions, call (727) 269-7009 or visit SharkBrandingSolutions.com. For the Worthington Agency, call (813) 454-7388. — GN, photos by Charmaine George
You long-time readers know how much I love finding — and telling you about — new restaurants that open (or will open) in our area, especially when they’re hidden Mom-&-Pop gems that I think deserve to build a following.
Although I liked Mpanitas, the Venezuelan empanada & arepa spot previously located in the building behind the Mobil gas station at 10865 Cross Creek Blvd., the new Pasta Flame restaurant that has been open in Mpanitas’ old spot for only a few weeks definitely has my attention.
The halal pasta place, which looks from the outside like it could be a chain (but is just the first link of a possible future chain), owned by my new friend Saif (pronounced “Safe”), offers truly delicious-looking burgers and other sandwiches, but the stars of this show are Chef Muhammad (who previously cooked at Marriott and Hilton hotels) and his excellent al denté pastas, like the creamy tomato rosé pasta shown here (right), which has fresh tomatoes, onions and yellow peppers. I added grilled chicken to it and made it a combo with fresh, warm sliced ciabatta bread.
I definitely need to try the truffle chicken Alfredo pasta next time. It’s actually made tableside (left photo) in a wheel of parmesan cheese, like a cacio e pepe at a fancy Italian place, with chicken, sautéed mushrooms and rich truffle cream sauce. The place itself isn’t fancy, but the food is delicious, so please visit Pasta Flame ASAP!
For more info, visit PastaFlame.com or call (813) 599-3310 & tell Saif I sent you! — GN
Checking Out The Changes Since Mast Capital’s $92-Million Investment To Return The Resort To Its Former Glory
Gary & Jannah Nager started off a short staycation at the all-new Saddlebrook Resort with a glass of champagne in their recently redecorated two-room suite overlooking one of the completely revamped Saddlebrook golf courses. (Photos by Charmaine George & GN)
Pyramid Global corporate chef James Messinger (left) and Saddlebrook GM Jeff Mayers at GOAT.
The last time Jannah and I stayed at Saddlebrook Resort was the night we got engaged back in 2015. Our room was big, but dated and musty. The restaurants we both loved — especially Dempsey’s Steak House — were either gone or no longer worth the money. We didn’t tell anyone at the resort, but we did tell each other that this would probably be the last time we would visit Saddlebrook unless we had a very good reason to do so.
A little more than a decade later, the resort’s new ownership group — Mast Capital — has largely completed its $92-million revamping of Saddlebrook, and has finally given us that very good reason to return.
The delicious grilled grouper at GOAT Kitchen & Bar.
Although Jannah and I had already visited (and I reported about it in these pages more than once) the new RARE 1981 steak house multiple times, there was so much other new “stuff” to do that we decided to take a short “staycation” in one of Saddlebrook’s recently revamped rooms to check out the upgrades to the legendary Superpool and Palmhaus pool bar & restaurant, and watch a Tampa Bay Lightning game at the new GOAT (aka “Greatest Of All Time”) Kitchen & Bar, which definitely has an upscale sports bar feel but with better food than any of the chain restaurants in Wesley Chapel.
Lorena the bartender making specialty drinks at the Palmhaus pool bar.
The only things we didn’t get to enjoy were the resort’s now-27 holes of true championship golf — since neither of us still plays at all; I was terrible when I did play — or the new eight beautiful, new pickleball courts or the European-style Esthetics813 “The Spa at Saddlebrook.”
The good news is that everything we did do was so impressive that we surely will be back!
In the meantime, you can check out everything we enjoyed during our return trip and all of the tasting and indulging we shared.
The bottom line is that the new Saddlebrook Resort is now well worth your time and money. If you haven’t been there recently, you honestly haven’t been there at all!
All of the carpeting & furnishings in every guest room at Saddlebrook have been updated. The Superpool now has a large number of cabanas & umbrellas.
Gary & Jannah Return To Saddlebrook — & Love Everything About It!
After experiencing the RARE 1981 steak house media preview and the separate Saddlebrook Media Day, both back in Nov. 2025 (both of which I reported about extensively in our Dec. 23 issue, so you won’t see RARE photos in this feature), and the much more recent media preview of the new GOAT Kitchen & Bar, Jannah and I decided to reserve one of the resort’s fully redesigned hotel suites because we wanted to experience as much of the all-new Saddlebrook as possible for this story about everything new.
GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) Kitchen & Bar! (Top to bottom & l.-r.) The GOAT Kitchen & Bar is all-new and features great elevated sports bar fare like fish & chips, double smash burger, Hall of Fame short rib nachos and a decadent bananas Foster cheesecake.
I then interviewed Saddlebrook general manager Jeff Mayers to make sure I wasn’t missing anything that the resort’s new owner Mast Capital had redone as part of its $92 million makeover. Bottom line? Although you can’t really do all there is to do at Saddlebrook in one day or even an entire weekend, you can get a pretty good taste of what was once a worn out “old lady “of a resort returned to her “Grand Dame” former glory.
Fully Renovated Hotel Rooms!
On these pages, I hope you’ll get enough of a feel for all there is for couples and families to savor at the all-new Saddlebrook to want to stay there yourselves, or at least have a great meal. Want more good news? If you do visit just to dine at RARE 1981, GOAT or the also-new Palmhaus pool bar, ask your server to validate your valet parking ticket (there is no more self-parking at the resort) and Mayers says your $30 valet charge will be waived!
“We have had much higher engagement and better response from both our members and the local community regarding all of the improvements,” Mayers says. “RARE 1981, in particular, has seen tremendous turnout for member events and from local residents, although GOAT and Palmhaus also have gotten great reviews.” He also told me that the number of memberships has increased significantly since the improvements have been open.
On a recent Friday afternoon, Jannah and I checked in to our completely overhauled two-bedroom, two-bath suite (one of 451 rooms at the resort) — which is bigger than some of my previous apartments. It not only had all-new carpeting and furnishings, but also new fixtures in the bathrooms, and the kitchen was full-sized, with a new freezer and ice maker, plus a full oven and four-burner cooktop, as well as a full coffeemaker (although there is also the BREW lobby café for artisanal coffee drinks and on-the-go bites). Unlike when we last stayed at the resort, everything smelled as clean and fresh as it looked. The bed was super-comfy and there were also bedside connections for electronic devices.
27 Holes Of Championship Golf!
Our patio looked out onto the 9th hole of the newly revamped 9-hole Oak golf course, one of three 9-hole Rees Jones-designed layouts (left photo) that have replaced the two 18-hole Arnold Palmer-designed original courses. The former driving range, located just inside Saddlebrook’s front gate, is gone and has been replaced by a much better driving range and putting green using some of the former golf course space.
I was told by a guy at the golf and racquet sports pro shop that both the Oak and Pine courses are completely redone and together are now about a 7,000-yard, par-72 track. The Cypress, the third nine-hole course, is still having its renovations finalized. And yes, you can still play golf (as well as tennis and pickleball) at Saddlebrook without having a membership (see info below), whether you stay over at the resort or not.
27 Holes Of Championship Golf!
You also don’t have to be a member to play on Saddlebrook’s fabled 41 tennis courts that include every championship surface (even Wimbledon-style grass) or its eight gorgeous, new pickleball courts. You might, however, get to see some current and future tennis or golf pros training at the Saddlebrook Golf Academy, Happy Hopman Tennis Academy and Saddlebrook Preparatory School, all of which train at the resort, which also is the home of both the Professional Tennis and Professional Pickleball Registries. There’s also an amazing fitness center that resort guests can use as part of their $28 per night (per room, not per person) resort fee. And of course, there’s also the renowned Saddlebrook Superpool, now made even better by the addition of the Palmhaus Pool Bar, which also features live entertainment on the weekends. Don’t want to deal with kids running around? The resort also has an adults-only pool.
Palmhaus Pool Bar!
(Top-bottom & l.-r.) The Palmhaus Pool Bar also features delicious food, like the ahi tuna poké bowl, a poolside burger, grilled mahi-mahi tacos and a variety of frozen drinks.
“The Superpool now offers DJ music on the weekends,” Mayers says, “and there are sound system enhancements being added out there.”
He adds that there already are new sound systems installed inside GOAT and RARE that have outdoor patio broadcast capabilities, “even for sporting events.”
You also don’t have to be a member or even a resort guest to indulge yourself at the Spa at Saddlebrook, also known as Esthetics813, operated by Kyymara Rose Wickiser, an Aveda Spa alum and long-time aesthetician in the Wesley Chapel area.
Kyymara says, “Esthetics813 is a premier holistic wellness and spa program. We are proud to be among only two resorts in Florida offering a fully curated, comprehensive wellness program that goes far beyond traditional spa services.” She adds that the Spa’s philosophy is “Bare-Faced Naked, which has nothing to do with the absence of makeup. It is the courageous, beautiful act of being fully comfortable and confident in who you are.”
Spa services include customized facials, therapeutic massages, body treatments, manicures and pedicures, yoga, stretch and aqua classes, guided meditation and more.
Memberships & Club
Saddlebrook offers a variety of memberships, from social to racquet sports to golf, and each membership type comes with its own set of privileges.
Mayers says that although there have been ongoing discussions about converting or replacing the building that formerly housed Dempsey’s Steak House as a private club for Saddlebrook members, “nothing has been finalized yet. But, we will provide updates as those plans solidify.”
In other words, if you last visited Saddlebrook before all of these improvements came online, you owe it to yourself to visit again. Don’t expect anything to be “cheap,” but I believe it is now well worth the money you’ll spend.
For reservations and more info about Saddlebrook Resort (5700 Saddlebrook Way), call (813) 973-1111 or visit Saddlebrook.com. To book services at Esthetics813, visit Esthetics813TheSpaatSaddlebrook.com or call (813) 474-4486. Or, see the ad below. — GN
Wiregrass Ranch High School — Graduation Ceremony: Saturday, June 6, at USF Yuengling Center
1. Gavin Sawall, Valedictorian
GPA: 4.7368
Clubs/Activities: NHS, Science NHS, Alpha Theta, Senior Research Officer of Research Club
College planning to attend: University of Florida
Planned major or future career: Mechanical Engineering
Best thing about high school: Hanging out with friends & engaging in new opportunities.
2. Vaishnavi Panchavati, Salutatorian
GPA: 4.73
Clubs/Activities: HOSA, FBLA, Indian classical dancer
College planning to attend: University of Florida Honors Program
Planned major or future career: Microbiology & Cell Science
Best thing about high school: Meeting my closest friends and enjoying every single day with them in class.
3. Nathan Finkel
GPA: 4.0/4.7077
Clubs/Activities: SADD chapter president, varsity boys basketball manager & statistician, SAC chairman, FTSDC teen ambassador board member, District Student Congress Representative, girls flag football announcer, NHS, basketball summer camp counselor, Culver’s Crew member
College planning to attend: Univ. of Florida
Planned major or future career: Sports Management/Sports & Media Journalism
Best thing about high school: Assisting the coaching staff & recording stats for the basketball team as we won four consecutive District championships.
4. Sarah Khatib
GPA: 4.67
Clubs/Activities: Student Council President, Moffitt Cancer Center Intern (Fall 2024), HOSA member & State competitor, Founder of World Matters Human Rights Club, Associate of Arts Degree at PHSC through Dual Enrollment
College Planning to Attend: University of South Florida Honors College
Planned major or future career: Physician Assistant specializing in neurology
Best Thing about High School: The supportive community & the meaningful connections you build along the way!
5. Carson West
GPA: 4.0/4.49
Clubs/Activities: Varsity cross country, FBLA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter treasurer, varsity lacrosse offensive captain & starter, varsity golf starter, Teen Court Regionally Celebrated Attorney, Class of 2026 Treasurer& volunteer coordinator, NHS Service Group member, SADD, Rho Kappa HS, Bulls Nation spirit leader & pep rally lead, Intl. Science & Engineering Fair finalist, Science Research Club co-founder & senior research lead, Red Shift robotics club CAD design team, Stockholm Jr. Water Prize State competitor & honoree, Chemathon chemistry competition selected representative
College planning to attend: Vanderbilt Univ.
Planned major or future career: Biomedical Eng. & Human & Organizational Development
Best thing about high school: Learning more about yourself, your interests & who you want to become in the future. Research, where I developed & tested my own project which ended up leading me to International Science Fair my junior & senior years.
6. Sophia Zhang
GPA: 4.68
Clubs/Activities: Crochet Club (among other things)
College planning to attend: Yale Univ.
Planned major or future career: Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology
Best thing about high school: The wonderful people & teachers I got to meet!
7. Bomin Kwon
GPA: 3.98/4.66
Clubs/Activities: Tampa Museum of Art Youth Council member (pd. internship), Green Club (co-founder), piano study (10 years)
College planning to attend: Univ. of California at Berkeley
Planned major or future career: Chemistry
Best thing about high school: Collectively stressing out about school with friends.
8. (tie) Kylie Glatfelter
GPA: 3.98/4.66
Clubs/Activities: Varsity softball 3 years, Student Council, Mu Alpha Theta, Teen Court, Key Club, Red Cross
College planning to attend: Univ. of Tampa
Planned major or future career: Major in Business Management, Minor in Law, Justice, & Advocacy in hopes to be a corporate attorney
Best thing about high school: The support system my teachers & guidance counselor has given me to achieve my goals & succeed in the future.
8. (Tie) Karl Bufe
GPA: 4.6604
Clubs/Activities: President of Spanish NHS, President of English NHS, Co-President of Book Club, secretary of Rho Kappa Social Studies NHS, volunteer at St. Joseph’s Hospital & concessions at Dr. John Long Middle School
College planning to attend: University of Florida Honors Program
Planned major or future career: Psychology, Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience specialization
Best thing about high school: Meeting the absolutely amazing people — staff, teacher & friends — who have supported me & helped me get where I am today.
10. Isabella Stevenson
GPA: 4.63
Clubs/Activities: Club ECNLR soccer, varsity soccer, varsity flag football, volunteer with Feeding Tampa Bay & Grace Family Church
