Cheers & Jeers For Grand Hampton’s Main County Line Rd. Entrance Signal 

Grand Hampton residents hail the new traffic light as a much-needed safety improvement; while others complain about its timing. 

The map shows the new traffic signal at the main entrance to the Grand Hampton community on County Line Rd., the location of the Grand Hampton back gate & the existing traffic signals at Northwood Palms Blvd., Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., Imperial Oak (IO) Blvd. & Aronwood Blvd. (Google map modified by NN) 

Back in the spring of 2004, left and right turn lanes were constructed on County Line Rd, leading into the then-brand-new, 600-acre community of Grand Hampton. Even back then, news reports talked about the delays and “bothersome” lane closures along County Line Rd to accommodate these changes, and the “rapid growth” of the area was causing inconvenience for a few long-time locals. Sounds like some things never change, right? 

Well, some 20 years later, the residents of Grand Hampton (which today has a little more than 1,000 homes) got something new out front on County Line Rd. — a traffic signal. The signal was recently constructed, and then put into full operation on July 30. The county put it in “flash mode” for a week prior, and put up temporary electronic signs to alert motorists to the change in the traffic pattern. 

When the new signal became fully operational, some local residents on social media expressed their frustration with it — citing long initial backups. Others, especially people living in Grand Hampton, countered that they saw the new signal as a necessary safety improvement and defended the county’s decision to put one up at that location. 

Several local residents said that there have been serious crashes at that intersection over the years, and with the growing population in the new and existing communities along County Line Rd., including Woodside Trace and Belle Chase (see map), plus The Hammocks townhomes and the North Tampa Christian Academy and Creative Times Academy of Wesley Chapel, that risk would just continue to grow with an increasing number of cars passing the intersection everyday. 

Why NOW? 

A signal was first installed less than a mile down the street at Northwood Palms Blvd., at the entrance to the Northwood community (in early 2015), which helped in the interim, because when that signal turned green for the Northwood side street, it would create some gaps in the westbound traffic in front of Grand Hampton. 

That was important, because in order to find a gap to make a left turn out into traffic at the Grand Hampton Dr. entrance to the community, both the east and west approaches have to be clear at the same time, and that can be challenging and tricky for motorists to safely judge on a busy two-lane “rural” road. That’s why the engineering signal warrants for a two-lane undivided road are traditionally lower, than say for a four-lane divided road that might have a median opening cars can pull into, pause, and check if the other direction is clear is safely proceed. 

As more support businesses have been getting constructed to the west, including places like the Tampa Premium Outlets, Costco, Aldi, etc., residents began making more lefts out at Grand Hampton Dr. than they used to, gradually changing the traffic pattern over time, reducing the effectiveness of the “down stream” signal at Northwood Palms Dr. to provide relief. This also increased the through volumes on County Line Rd. 

Traffic does back up on County Line Rd. at the new Grand Hampton Signal. (Photo by Charmaine George)

In 2018, in an effort to try and help make it a little easier to get out of Grand Hampton, the county reduced the speed limit along the corridor from 55 miles per hour to 45 mph. This was around the same time that the North Tampa Christian Academy finished construction. 

But, even with those improvements, the corridor still retained its original high speed rural characteristic; as a two-lane undivided road with narrow lanes, no shoulders, no curb and gutter and, most critically, no sidewalks or bike lanes. Unfortunately, because the road still “felt” the same, speeds stayed on the higher side, and even though it’s been six years, some online commenters joked (at least we hope they were joking) that they didn’t even know the speed limit was ever reduced to 45 mph. 

Accordingly, those who live in Grand Hampton had been reaching out to Hillsborough County for years about adding a signal for themselves, due to growing and continual concerns. And in his June 10 town hall meeting at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center (as we reported in our June 25 New Tampa issue), County Commissioner Ken Hagan said he was pleased that he was able to get funding for that need and mentioned that construction (of the now active signal) would be completed at the end of June. 

Although County Line Rd. serves both Pasco County and Hillsborough, any issues or problems with the new signal can be reported to Hillsborough County, the entity that is responsible for monitoring and adjusting the signal’s timing and detection. 

Esthetics813 — The Spa At Saddlebrook — Is One-Of-A-Kind In Wesley Chapel! 

The friendly, professional staff at Esthetics813-The Spa at Saddlebrook Resort includes (l.-r) Gabi Diaz (guest relations), esthetician & brow artist Lorena Muñoz, esthetician Cassidy Sirmans, spa director & esthetician Kyymara Rosey Scott, esthetician Makya Kendrick & senior spa coordinator Valeria Medina. (Photo by Charmaine George)

There are only a handful of true resort spas in the Tampa Bay area, icons such as Safety Harbor Resort & Spa and Innisbrook. Guests staying at these spas are in for much more than a quick massage or facial at a strip mall. Instead, they experience a true resort where they can relax by the pool, eat lunch on the terrazzo and get away for complete rejuvenation. 

Now, Wesley Chapel’s only resort spa is open once again at Saddlebrook Resort, thanks to Kyymara Rosey Scott, owner of Esthetics813. 

After the Saddlebrook spa closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it sat motionless for almost four years. That was until September of last year, when Kyymara reopened the 7,000-sq.-ft.. space, now known as Esthetics813-The Spa at Saddlebrook, located at 5700 Saddlebrook Way, a short drive from S.R. 54 near Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. through the Saddlebrook neighborhood. 

Local residents and resort guests alike can experience a variety of luxurious spa services, including massages, facials, skin treatments, waxing, microdermabrasion, brow sculpting, spray tans and more in one of the spa’s 14 treatment rooms. 

Indulge yourself with a luxurious spa facial! 

“We’ve been able to make the spa super cozy and intimate,” says Kyymara. “Every person who works here knows the clients come first. We stay on top of our game as far as how we make people feel, helping them improve themselves esthetically, and how they feel inside.” 

She says that in addition to spa treatments, she also offers workshops and events to help people truly experience wellness. “It’s not just applying lipstick,” she says. “It’s everything, feeling whole on the inside and the outside.” 

Kyymara explains the spa’s slogan, “Look Great Bare-Faced Naked.” 

“When you’re not wearing makeup, you don’t have to put up walls and barriers and filters,” she says. “Who you are is enough to make you great.” 

Often, she says, guests look in the mirror after a treatment and say, “What did you do? I look so beautiful!” 

But Kyymara insists all she does at the spa is reveal someone’s natural beauty. “This is you,” she says. “That glow is your happiness.” 

The Move To A New Location 

Kyymara opening her original location of Esthetics813 in the Windfair Professional Center in Wesley Chapel in 2013. As her business grew, she needed a larger space and, in 2019, Esthetics813 moved to a storefront on BBD at County Line Rd. 

Just a few months later, she had to close the doors and wait out the pandemic. 

Although she was able to reopen Esthetics813, Saddlebrook struggled to do the same. Kyymara had had her eye on the resort and knew that if anyone could make the most of the spa’s potential, it was her. 

Walking into that long-dormant space was emotional for Kyymara. 

Relax with a glass of champagne at the spa’s outdoor area. 

“It was like going into a museum,” she explained. “Everything was the way it was when they told them to close. There were rooms with bowls set up for facials and manicure materials that had sat there for four years.” 

She was thrilled when she was able to come to an agreement with Saddlebrook to reopen Esthetics813 at the resort, which finally happened in September of last year, after months of updating and refreshing the space. 

Although Kyymara was originally hoping to keep the location on BBD open, she ended up closing it, acknowledging it was too hard for her personally to run both locations. 

She says the Saddlebrook location offers much more for her guests anyway. 

“In terms of space and privacy, it’s totally different,” Kyymara says. “We have different types of saunas and a wet room where we can do true body scrubs and wraps. I can give my guests everything they need in terms of wellness — massages, body scrubs, facials and more — whether they come in for an hour or the whole day. It’s so versatile.” 

The staff includes senior spa coordinator, Valeria Medina, and spa manager, Arely Rosas, plus four massage therapists, four estheticians — including one who specializes in both makeup and permanent brow makeup, a manicurist and a cosmetologist. 

While Kyymara’s husband, Kurt Wickiser, isn’t technically on staff, she says he is hugely supportive of the business, including serving as the de facto maintenance man, fixing anything that breaks or needs attention. 

Kyymara says that most of her clients from the previous location have moved with her to Saddlebrook. Although it’s a little harder to get to, they love it once they try it. 

Among the 14 treatment rooms at Esthetics813-The Spa at Saddlebrook are the infrared sauna (above) and the licensed massage room (Below)

“It’s a gorgeous drive,” she says. “You get through that gate and it’s a beautiful two and a half minutes until you get to the spa and hand over your keys.” 

The spa is valet only, with Esthetics813 paying for the valet service with any spa service of one hour or more. 

Once you enter the spa, your treatment begins with 30 minutes in the sauna to just relax. 

“Slow down, put on a robe, and sink in to the sauna,” she says, “then come in and get your service.” 

While this level of luxury may seem out-of-reach for some, clients say the prices are extremely reasonable. Kyymara offers discounts and contests for free services on social media, and also offers a program to give bonuses to guests who refer friends. 

Melissa D. is a client who started at Esthetics813 in 2015 and moved with Kyymara twice. 

“When I leave, I feel absolutely gorgeous,” Melissa says. “You feel like you’re in the lap of luxury for a reasonable price.” 

She says the drive is farther than the previous location, but it’s quicker than you think. 

“And then, when you get there, it’s just a beautiful place,” Melissa says. “You’re by the golf course, you can go swimming in the pool, you don’t have to worry about parking. You just go down the steps and it feels like a grand experience.” 

She says her facials are always customized just for her, with remarkable results. 

“When you feel good,” Melissa says, “it really does affect all of the areas of your life.” 

Nathan Erickson got his first facial when a girlfriend gave him a gift certificate as a gift. 

“Now I go every month,” he says. “It’s always a great experience. Kyymara is so easy to get along with, and the results are amazing!” 

In fact, he says, sometimes he doesn’t even book a specific facial. He comes in and lets Kyymara suggest the best treatment for his skin. 

“It was already awesome,” he says, “and the new location is even better.” 

Esthetics 813-The Spa at Saddlebrook Resort is open Mon., Wed., Thur. & Fri., 10 a.m. –6 p.m., and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sat. & and Sun. For more information, follow “Esthetics813 – The Spa at Saddlebrook Resort” on Facebook or Instagram, call (813) 474-4486, visit Esthetics813TheSpaAtSaddlebrook.com. 

Las Palmas Latin Grill Adds New Entrées, Cerveza & Sangria! 

The new whole, fried red snapper at Las Palmas Latin Grill on County Line Rd. is crispy outside, tender & flaky inside. (Photos by Charmaine George)

I have been a fan of Ramses Garcia’s authentic Cuban and Latin cuisine since he first took over the original Las Palmas in the Pebble Creek Collection more than a decade ago. 

Like so many of their loyal customers, Jannah and I followed Ramses and his wife Ana to the relocated Las Palmas in the plaza at the intersection of County Line Rd. and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. that also includes LA Fitness and Five Guys Burgers & Fries. 

And yes, we also frequently took out from the Las Palmas food truck in the same parking lot after the restaurant had to close following a major kitchen fire three years ago. 

You can now have a Presidente cerveza or house-made sangria with your meal at Las Palmas. 

But now, ten months after Ramses and Ana sold the food truck and reopened the new Las Palmas Latin Grill in the same space in the plaza last October, they are happy to announce that they are now also able to serve cerveza (beer) and homemade sangria and Ramses and many of his loyal customers couldn’t be more excited about it. 

“People have been asking me, ‘When are you going to serve alcohol?’ from the day we first opened,” Ramses says. “We would love to be able to sell full liquor, but we’re happy to have cerveza and sangria and believe it will help business.” 

The long-time local mom-&-pop favorite — which has consistently finished in the top three Favorite Latin Restaurants in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel in our annual Reader Dining Survey & Contest — should definitely get a boost from beer and wine. 

“Right now, we have Corona, Presidente, Coors Light and Heineken beer,” Ramses says, “but we will add more in the future. And, our customers tell me our sangria is pretty awesome, too.” 

And yes, yours truly agrees. 

New Entrées, Too! 

Although I still have some old favorites that I will order forever at Las Palmas (see below), Ramses has added a couple of new entrées that will now be in my regular rotation whenever we visit (or take out from) the restaurant. 

Although I know a lot of people (including Jannah) won’t eat anything that’s looking back at you, if you’re already a fan of whole snapper, you honestly can’t beat the crispy outside, flaky inside whole snapper at Las Palmas. 

The new churrasco steak entree at Las Palmas. 

I’m also a big fan of the recently re-added churrasco steak, served with Ramses’ homemade chimichurri sauce. The flank steak is tender, with just the right amount of garlic and the tangy chimichurri is a perfect complement. 

“We had to take the churrasco off the menu until I found the right supplier with the right steak,” Ramses says. “The new churrasco is fire.” 

And, like all of the entrées at Las Palmas, the whole snapper and churrasco are served with your choice of two delicious sides, from black or red beans, yellow or white rice, boiled yuca, French fries, sweet or savory plantains, green beans or salad with Las Palmas’ signature creamy herbal dressing. 

You can’t go wrong starting your meal with some empanadas. 

Start your meal with beef or chicken empanadas, deviled crab, ham croquettes, savory tostones bites (crispy green plantain bites stuffed with your choice of beef picadillo or mojo pork) or the “Fan Favorite” golden brown fried yuca sticks served with creamy, tangy cilantro sauce. 

Many of Ramses’ customers still come in for his award-winning pressed Tampa Cuban sandwich, with ham, Swiss cheese, roasted pork, salami, mustard-mayo sauce and pickles. Or, try the Miami Cubano (with no salami and mustard only), or the slow-roasted pork sandwich cooked with onions and garlic-lime mojo. 

My favorite entrées are still the merluza a la Rusa — a tender basa filet in panko-spiced blend and served with the traditional “Russian-style” sauce — and the vaca frita (tender beef, marinated in garlic and lime and “grilled-fried” until crispy). 

The new whole snapper is awesome, but so is Ramses’ merluza a la Rusa, shown here with a side of perfect black beans.

There’s also ropa vieja (Spanish for “old clothes), with shredded beef slow-cooked with tomatoes, bell peppers and onions; roasted chicken on rice (arroz con pollo), grilled pork chops (chuletas) and fried pork bites (masitas). Jannah also loved the huge “crumbed” pan-fried chicken breast coated with a seasoned panko-crumb mixture. and topped with sautéed onions (called pechuga empanizada). There’s also a golden seared chicken fillet with fresh herbs and spices if you’re looking for a delicious chicken dish that’s grilled. 

I also should not forget to mention to the slow-roasted “lechon asado” mojo pork. Yum! 

And, although I still can’t eat shrimp, Charmaine flipped for the shrimp in garlic sauce (gambas al ajillo) in a fragrant garlic-lime and butter sauce, with a touch of white wine and fresh herbs. 

The zesty shrimp with garlic sauce (shown with yellow rice and sweet plantains).

Your kids will love the chicken nuggets and fries, which are served with ketchup and savory dipping sauces. 

I also recommend saving room for coffee and dessert at Las Palmas. Try any of the flaky guava or guava and cheese pastries in the display case by the cash register. And, don’t forget to try the Cuban-style vanilla flan and Ana’s homemade tres leches cake — a delicious, light and airy sponge cake soaked in a luxurious blend of three milks. And, definitely enjoy any of these desserts with an authentic café con leché. 

Catering also is available from Las Palmas, which has an extensive catering menu, with many more available options than what’s on the restaurant menu, including a gourmet mixed seafood paella (minimum of 20 servings per order). 

Las Palmas Latin Grill (6431 E. County Line Rd., Suite 104) is open every day except Sunday for lunch and dinner. The hours are Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., and 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. on Friday & Saturday. For more info, visit LasPalmasLatinGrill.com, or follow them on Facebook or Instagram and please tell Ramses, Ana and their crew I sent you!


The award-winning Tampa Cuban. 

The “crumbed” pan-fried chicken fillet. All entrées at Las Palmas are served with your choice of two sides. 

When you taste his food, you’ll be smiling along with Las Palmas owner & chef Ramses Garcia. 

Business Briefs — Rise Dispensary, FiCare & Laceleaf Med Spa Cut Chamber Ribbons! 

Despite the fact that it’s been a long, hot summer, the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce (NTBC) stayed busy with several ribbon-cutting events in Wesley Chapel. 

The first (which we didn’t have room to write about in our July 23 issue) was held in June at Rise Dispensary (top photo), the second medical marijuana dispensary to open in Wesley Chapel. 

Located at 28053 Wesley Chapel Blvd. (in the former Russell’s Western Wear building), Rise (which has nearly 100 dispensaries in 14 U.S. states, including 18 in Florida) sells “flower,” edibles, vape cartridges and live resin in Indica, Sativa and Hybrid strains (and some CBD, too) for those ages 21 and older with valid medical cannabis cards and offers both in-store pickup and delivery. 

For more information about Rise Dispensary, visit RiseCannabis.com or call (813) 612-6120. 

Next up was the July 10 NTBC ribbon-cutting event at the new Wesley Chapel branch of FiCare Federal Credit Union, located at 26444 Silver Maple Pkwy. 

As explained by president and CEO Denelle Miller (with microphone in the left photo), FiCare started as the credit union for employees of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa 60 years ago. But today, FiCare also has branches serving health care professionals in Lutz, Clearwater and Gainesville, with standalone ATMs in hospitals in Dunedin, Clearwater, Bartow, Riverview, St. Petersburg and Safety Harbor. The credit union’s “Contact Center” for all of its branches is now at the Wesley Chapel location. 

“FiCare exists to serve our members,” Denelle said. “We are the credit union tailor-made for healthcare professionals nationwide. We serve you with complete financial services, competitive rates, and personal care extending beyond your financial health.” 

For more information about FiCare FCU, visit FiCareFCU.org or call (813) 600-5920. 

And, last but not least, was the NTBC ribbon-cutting at the beautiful new Laceleaf Med Spa on July 11. Owner Lisa Rezvan (photo right) and her staff (below) showed attendees how they can “Enhance (their) natural beauty” with aesthetic services like microdermabrasion and others that get rid of age spots and spider veins; a variety of injectables (Botox®, Dysport®, Juvéderm® and Restylane®); laser pigment removal, skin resurfacing and skin tightening; regenerative medicine such as peptide therapy, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and vitamin B12 injections; and skin treatments such as chemical peels, hydrafacials, RF microneedling and treatments for acne scars and sun damage. 

For more information about Laceleaf Med Spa, which is located behind (but in the same building as) the new Moe’s Southwest Grill (at 5490 Post Oak Blvd.), call (813) 705- 7277 or visit LaceleafMedSpa.com. 

PHSC Porter’s Campus Adds Nursing & Allied Health Advancement Institute 

The ribbon at the new Nursing & Allied Health Advancement Institute was cut by (l.-r., all holding scissors) PHSC Trustee & BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel president Becky Schulkowski, State Rep. Randy Maggard & Dr. Jesse Pisors. 

I was proud to attend the Nursing & Allied Health Advancement Institute’s Grand Opening and ribbon cutting on July 17 at Pasco Hernando State College (PHSC)’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch (where the Institute will be housed), where the room selected was so crowded (with probably in excess of 100 people in attendance) that I couldn’t get close enough to sit down and take notes (or record the proceedings). My story in the August 6 Wesley Chapel issue is therefore drastically different from what you’re reading, as I didn’t receive the video of the actual proceedings until after that Wesley Chapel issue went to press. 

At any rate, PHSC received $1.5 million in state appropriations in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ most recent state budget to fund the establishment of the new Nursing & Allied Health Advancement Institute and the event on July 17 brought together local healthcare leaders, community stakeholders and PHSC staff and faculty to celebrate the establishment of the Institute. 

Among those who spoke at the Grand Opening of the Nursing & Allied Health Advancement Institute at Pasco Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch on July 17 were (below right) PHSC President Dr. Jesse Pisors, (below left) State Senator Danny Burgess (who appeared via Zoom) and (above) Dr. Lisa Richardson, PHSC’s VP of Advancement, Innovation & Strategic Partnerships. 

According to Lisa Richardson, Ed.D., PHSC’s VP of Advancement, Innovation & Strategic Partnerships, this innovative and collaborative institute will address the well-documented allied healthcare and nursing shortage in the state of Florida and can be used as a model nationwide. 

“We are committed to building strong relationships, driving innovation and making a positive impact on the lives of those we serve,” Richardson said. 

Through a multi-pronged, comprehensive and collaborative approach, the institute will increase nursing and allied health pipelines on both sides of the equation — increasing the talent pipeline for faculty as well as for future nursing and allied health employees. 

Andrea Brvenik, PHSC’s General Counsel and VP of Government Relations, said that, “There really was a lack of harmony in trying to address our workforce issues. Synergy is what we hope to achieve with this Institute, with the idea of bringing funding to a problem that is needed. We do get state funding to buy equipment, but we don’t get state funding to truly address the workforce issues. But, this whole thing started to come together when (District 54) State Representative Randy Maggard called to ask me, ‘What are the things we can do here?’ And then, this whole thing started to come together.” 

Rep. Maggard said he was proud to get the ball rolling for the state appropriation for the new Nursing Institute at PHSC. 

“Well-trained nurses and medical staff are needed over the next several decades not only for our community, but for our entire state,” said Rep. Maggard. “I was honored to sponsor this funding request for my Alma Mater, so that we can ensure our best and brightest have the opportunity to study nursing right here in our community. Through this program, these future nurses and medical professionals will have the tools they need to prevent a crisis level nursing shortage in the future.” 

Rep. Maggard also noted that, “It’s no secret that this area is becoming the medical hub of the state. We have doctors calling us from Europe and Asia wanting to come here.” He added that he and District 20 State Senator Danny Burgess, who appeared at the meeting via Zoom, are committed to trying to get additional funding for the new Nursing & Allied Health Advancement Institute in next year’s budget, too. 

“We both asked, ‘What’s our next step to keep this growing and growing?,’” Maggard said. 

The Institute will be housed at the college’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch in Wesley Chapel. The first step in establishing the new institute will be to develop a strategic plan. 

“This isn’t going to be a new building,” PHSC President Jesse Pisors, Ed.D., said. “This is an effort to solve a problem. [This nursing shortage] is one of the major workforce problems our entire nation is facing and in the Tampa Bay area, with our growing and aging population, it is particularly acute.” 

Pisors pointed to PHSC’s 47-year history of adding nurses to the workforce — including more than 160 last year alone — “In fact,” he said, “NursingProgress.org listed PHSC as the best on-line and in-person LPN (Licensed Practical Nursing) program in the state of Florida, but the shortage has still grown, so we still need to do more.” 

He added, “Higher education institutions, including PHSC, desperately seek highly qualified faculty, and institutions of health services struggle with significant gaps in nursing and allied health employees. The circumstance is amplified because improved retention and development strategies are critically needed, and without a plan in place, a real threat exists in the health care system. The Nursing and Allied Health Advancement Institute will provide these plans and focus on solutions in collaboration with significant stakeholders.” 

Pisors also noted that the state budget was tight at the State level his year, “So I am grateful to Governor DeSantis for preserving this particular initiative. This wasn’t an easy year for him to do that, but I think this [allocation] is indicative of his commitment to workforce in the health care industry.” 

In addition to Dr. Pisors, Rep. Maggard, Dr. Richardson and Brvenik, other speakers at the event included PHSC Trustee Becky Schulkowski and Billie Gabbard, Ed.D., the Dean of Nursing & Allied Health Programs at PHSC. 

“I am here wearing two hats today,” Schulkowski said. “As a Trustee for the Board of PHSC and as a member of the health care community. As the president of BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel, I can tell you that this institute is greatly needed by our community and our entire state. Hiring and retaining qualified nurses and allied health care professionals is a top priority for not only our hospital but for hospitals across our entire state. We simply can not provide the quality of care that our patients deserve without a qualified pool of candidates from which to hire.” 

Schulkowski also noted that since so many nurses and allied health care workers left the workforce during the Covid-19 pandemic, “the industry has been slow to recover. But, through this new institute, we hope to find solutions to facilitate greater engagement among those who may be interested in pursuing a medical career and provide a clear pipeline from education to employment.” 

She added that it is estimated that Florida will need “an additional 59,000 nurses over the next ten years to meet [the state’s] demand. That is why this Institute is such an important need in this community and our state.” 

Meanwhile, Gabbard hailed the establishment of the new Institute as a “major accomplishment. This Institute will further strengthen the symbiotic relationships that already exists between PHSC and our community health care partners. Together, we can move forward and ensure that the health care needs of Pasco and Hernando counties are met. It is an honor to be part of such an innovative endeavor.” 

Among the many dignitaries who attended the Grand Opening event in person was County Commissioner Seth Weightman, whose District 2 includes the Porter Campus. 

The ribbon at the Grand Opening was cut by Schulkowski, Dr. Pisors and Rep. Maggard. 

For more information about the Pasco Hernando State College Nursing & Allied Health Advancement Institute, contact Lisa Richardson, Ed.D., VP of Advancement, Innovation & Strategic Partnerships, at (727) 816-3404. 

The room for the Grand Opening event was packed to standing room only.