If youโre looking for a quick, casual Italian meal, whether for sit-down dining or quick drive-through to-go service, you should definitely give the new Fazoliโs, located at 24791 S.R. 54 in Lutz (less than a half-mile west of the Tampa Premium Outlets), a try.
Fazoliโs is sort of like an Olive Gardenย (but with no alcohol sales) in a family-friendly environment, and also serves its own unlimited garlic breadsticks when you dine inside.
Jannah, photographer Charmaine George and I attended Fazoliโs pre-opening ribbon-cutting event on May 20 with other North Tampa Bay Chamber members and had the opportunity to meet franchisee Carlos Saenz and his family. Saenz, who also has owned Dairy Queen franchises in the Tampa Bay area, welcomed everyone to what is now the only Fazoliโs in the Tampa Bay area (the location on Busch Blvd. in Tampa closed a few months ago; the next nearest location is in Plant City).
We serve Fast, Fresh Italian,โ Saenz said. โWe have people who live in this area who have been anxiously waiting for this location to open, as they have been driving to Plant City for our breadsticks and Italian specialties.โ
Jannah, Charmaine and I sampled a few items from the Fazoliโs menu, including slices of cheese and pepperoni pizza, baked lasagna, a Classic Sampler (fettuccine Alfredo, lasagna with meat sauce and spaghetti marinara with meatballs) and my favorite so far, the meatball sub. Among the other items on the Fazoliโs menu include fried mozzarella bites, pepperoni pizza breadsticks, baked ziti or spaghetti, chicken fettuccine Alfredo and more โ all fairly priced. Another plus is that Fazoliโs sells Cheesecake Factory cheesecake slices for dessert. As I said…it may not be fine Italian dining, but it is worth a visit.
For more info, visit Fazolis.com, call (813) 803-3231 or stop in and tell general manager Nicole Taylor, operations director (and Wesley Chapel resident) David Ginsberg and crew I sent you!
(Above, l.-r.) Carter, Ryan, Leeann and Rylee Sack. The Team Sack real estate team of Future Home Realty is most definitely a family business. The Sacks want to help you & your family buy or sell a home. (Photo by Charmaine George)ย
Buying or selling a home is generally one of the biggest and most expensive projects most people will undertake. The journey is almost always filled with a lot of both emotions and important decisions.
How can you have peace of mind when faced with such a daunting task? Aligning yourself with the right people who have experience and can walk you through the entire process is an important first step.
Long-time local Realtorsยฎ Leeann and Ryan Sack with Future Home Realty, Inc., are the married team calling themselves Team Sack. They have an ongoing business relationship with mortgage broker Patrick Monteau of Great Western Home Loans, which makes the combination a one-stop shop for home buyers.
Leeann has been a Realtor for 19 years. Prior to joining Future Home Realty, she worked for a home builder selling newly built homes and still has contacts in the new home construction industry.
Although it wasnโt yet called Team Sack at that time, Ryan got his real estate license 15 years ago, โand we joined forces right away,โ says Leeann, who brings her vast array of insider knowledge of the business to the table for every potential home buyer, whether youโre looking for new construction, a resale or arenโt sure which type of home is right for you.
Leeann says that wherever you go in and around Wesley Chapel these days, you will find new construction. An important Team Sack strategy is always having information about what each of the new home builders are offering, so they know how to market a seller trying to resell an older home in order to be able to compete with all of that new home construction.
As for Team Sackโs philosophy when working with clients seeking to buy a home, Leeann says, โCompetition is always a factor when purchasing a home, especially when inventory is low. Speed is of the essence in order to be able to secure the home of your dreams, and prompt action can make all the difference.โ
Ryan adds, โWhether buying or selling, you need to be educated and Team Sack believes in educating our clients. Potential buyers and sellers want to feel comfortable with the information you provide. Every client will have questions and we are always going to answer the phone and get you through the process.โ
The Right Lender, Too!
Leeann and Ryan met Patrick about 10 years ago and they have been working together ever since. Patrick started his career working in foreclosures in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. He worked for Bank of America underwriting and processing mortgages in their operations department. Then, about 15 years ago, Patrick decided to start his career as a loan originator.
Today, Patrick is the branch manager with Great Western Home Loans, a company with 40 years in the business that is headquartered in Texas. His office is located off of W. Kennedy Blvd. Although he is open from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Patrick offers flexible meeting times and provides his mobile number to all of his clients.
He says that although he is willing to meet with his clients, most of the work in his business these days is done online. He is very proud to say that his is the only Great Western branch in Florida.
โCertified Divorce Specialistsโ
Ryan and Leeann call Team Sack, โCertified Divorce Specialists,โ because they often help couples going through a divorce who have decided to sell their home. Team Sack is able to work together to help both parties.
โEach of us will represent one of the people going through the divorce as their Realtor,โ says Leeann, โand we also will work with the attorneys. This makes it a seamless process for everyone.โ
Leeann and Ryan say their favorite part of working in real estate is helping their clients achieve one of their goals โ whether buying or selling.
What About This Market?ย
(l.-r.) Millie, Patrick, Stacy and Mollie Monteau. Patrick, the branch manager at Great Western Home Loans, works with Team Sack to get you the lowest possible interest rate. (Photo provided by Patrick Monteau)ย
Leeann, Ryan and Patrick all agree that whether buying or selling, โYou shouldnโt be scared of the current market,โ Leeann says.
Based on the fact that throughout the history of the real estate business, home values always will trend upwards long-term, even though there may be short-term corrections. In other words, โItโs always a good time to purchase a home,โ Ryan says, โand when you are ready, please give us a call!โ
He adds, โThe local market has stayed strong, but the inventory is still low.โ โThere is still high demand for homes here.โ
Leeann says Florida has many things to offer and our area โchecks a lot of those boxes.โ With about 1,200 people relocating to Florida each day, the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area offers small city feel with big city amenities, plus miles of beaches not very far away on one side and Orlando on the other.
She also notes that one of the big advantages of working with a Realtor who so often partners up with a great mortgage broker (like Patrick) is that, โWe can often get you a lower interest rate,โ even though rates are definitely higher now than they were even a year ago.
In fact, the Team Sack/Great Western ad below says that not only can you get a lower interest rate, Ryan and Leeann are currently offering a $500 credit (at closing) towards a buyerโs home inspection fee and Patrick is offering an additional $500 credit towards the buyerโs appraisal fee (also at closing).ย
And, $till More Help!ย
To help home buyers have an additional edge, Patrick says he will often use what is known in the mortgage business as a โ2-1 Buydown.โ
โA 2-1 Buydown lowers the interest rate for the first two years before it rises to the regular and permanent rate,โ he says. โThe rate is usually 2 percentage points lower the first year and one percentage point lower the second year. This is a great deal for homebuyers, as long as they know they can afford the regular interest rate starting with the third year.
He adds that this 2-1 Buydown is available when the seller offers money towards the mortgage. โFor example,โ Patrick says, โyou may see an ad where a home price was reduced by $10,000. Instead of reducing the initial price,ย the seller will contribute $10,000 towards the mortgage and the buyer will receive the lower rate for the first two years. This is a win-win for both the buyer and the seller.โย
He also says, โPrograms like this will help get that house sold that may have been sitting on the market for a while. It may also get the buyer to say yes when the hesitation was the interest rate.โ
Patrick also offers additional financial solutions and options to help clients save money in the long run โ including Federal Housing Administration (FHA),Veterans Administration (VA), U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), jumbo and Non-Qualified (Non- QM) mortgages. He says itโs this commitment to financial wellness that sets him apart.
Leeann, Ryan and Patrick not only work together they also vacation together and are good friends. Patrick and his wife Stacy have two little girls โ 2-1/2-year-old Millie and Mollie, who is seven months old (photo above). Leeann and Ryanโs son Carter is 12 and attends Cypress Creek Middle School and their daughter Rylee is 9 and attends Quail Hollow Elementary.
For more information about Team Sack, call Leeann at (813) 351-9599 or Ryan at (813) 351-9598 or email them at info@SellandBuyFL.com. For Patrick Monteau, call (813) 927-7806 or email him at pmonteau@gwloans.com.
ย Dozens Of Units Of Blood Were Donated To Honor The Wharton Grad Who Died From Leukemiaย
Sophia, Mahmoud & Lily Carolyn Hassan, with Gabrielโs Boy Scout uniform at the OneBlood drive on May 10.ย (Photos by Charmaine George)ย
ย A little more than three months after he passed away from leukemia caused by a rare ailment he had from birth called Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome (or SDS), the family of Wharton High graduate Gabriel โGabeโ Hassan held a community blood drive on what would have been Gabeโs 18th birthday โ May 10 โ at the Islamic Society of New Tampaโs Masjid Daarusalam on Morris Bridge Rd., just north of Cross Creek Blvd.ย
Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera (above) & Florida House Minority leader Fentrice Driskell (right) at the blood drive.(Photos from Luis Vieraโs Facebook page)ย
There were three OneBlood Bloodmobiles on hand (photo) at the blood drive, which began a few hours before the regular services at the New Tampa Mosque.ย
Dozens of Muslim worshipers, plus members of Gabeโs Boy Scout Troop 148 and fellow Wharton students, as well as District 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera and District 67 State Rep. (and House Minority Leader) Fentrice Driskell donated blood in Gabeโs honor and memory on his birthday.ย
Gabeโs mom Lily Carolyn (below left photo) and dad, Mahmoud (right photo), were among the 65 people who donated blood on their sonโs birthday. Lily Carolyn, who shared her private writings about Gabe and his favorite things with us (see below), said it was the first time she had ever donated blood.ย
Lily Carolyn was appreciative of all of the support the blood drive received. โItโs been really difficult with the loss of Gabe,โ she told me. โHe was the little guy that knew how to light up the room.โ
She noted that the Wharton High PTSA also previously held its own OneBlood drive, where 40 units were donated.
โMy wish for his birthday was to equal or best it,โ Lily Carolyn said. โGod is great. We beat it by 25 units.โ She also noted that the 65 units of blood collected could help save 195 adults or 390 babies.
โI also ordered 18 mini red velvet bundt cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes for those who came early to the blood drive to celebrate Gabeโs birthday. It was his favorite.โ
Speaking Of Favorites…ย
The first page of the journal Lily Carolyn has been keeping in memory of her son and his favorite things.ย
Since the day he passed, Lily Carolyn has been making entries in a journal to keep the memory of Gabe alive. โThis journal has all your loves and dislikes,โ she wrote. โYou were supposed to bury me. You were becoming the young man your daddy and I were starting to see. You wanted to go to USF and go into the field of biomedical engineering and help daddy with billing on the side.โ
The next several pages are filled with Gabeโs loves and dislikes, including:
Favorite Foods โ Pad Thai noodles, sweet sticky rice, sushi and pokรฉ bowls (especially from Bonefish), Fordโs Garage mushroom burger w/onion rings, calzones from Anthonyโs NY Pizza, Panera tomato soup, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Chick-fil-A spicy chicken sandwich, cinnamon bun w/ vanilla glaze, Momโs pancet w/mushrooms, Star Wars edge of the galaxy green shakes from Lukeโs aunt…and many more.ย
Favorite Movie He Can Watch Over & Over Again โ โMario Bros. 2023โ
Something He Has Done With The Hassan Family That He Will Never Do Again โ Scuba divingย
Other Favorites โ Hanging with family & friends, eating at restaurants, hanging with his birds (Georgio, or โGremlin,โ Sim Sim & Flappy), going to Best Buy and going to movies with Popa Greg. He loved the Boy Scouts and hanging with his fellow Scouts, helping with service projects, food pantry/distribution… Gabe loved learning and was curious of the world. He loved life & his family.
Least Liked Merit Badge He Completed โ Fishing, โWhich is funny, as he loves eating fish. He just didnโt like the process of gutting & cleaning it out.โ
Lily Carolyn also shared that SDS, which ultimately caused Gabeโs leukemia, afflicts only one person in 80,000. It also stunts normal growth as its victims age, โEven before he died, Gabe was only 4โ-10โ tall, shorter than his sister Sophia (Gabe called her โSoph Sophโ), who is 5โ-4โ at only 12 years old.โ
She also noted that in the photo above she sent me, Gabe and Sophia volunteered at Ronald McDonald House, โNot knowing we were going to be on the other side…the recipients. We taught them young the important value of giving back to the community.โย
Instead of calling a 1-800 number, if you need almost any kind of insurance, walk into the GEICO local office owned by Jaime Bryant (in blue in front) in the Super Target-anchored Northwoods Plaza on BBD Blvd. at County Line Rd. to meet with a live agent. (Photos by Charmaine George)ย
It seems that these days, whenever you go on social media, you find someone saying, โMy insurance rates have gone up!โ But, in our all-electronic, virtual world, being able to go to a physical location to speak with an insurance expert can make a big difference.
In case you still didnโt know it, sitting in the Super Target-anchored Northwoods Plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., at County Line Rd., is a team of insurance experts. Just walk into the Wesley Chapel local office of GEICO Insurance, where actual live people can help you with a wide variety of insurance needs.
Owner and long-time Wesley Chapel resident Jaime Bryant opened the office in December of 2020, but he began working for GEICO in 2004, after earning his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of South Florida. He also received his Florida 2-20 Resident General Lines License (which allows him to provide property, casualty, surety, marine, health and miscellaneous insurance lines, including auto, motorcycle, boats/watercraft, homes, condos, RVs, renters and even pet insurance) to ensure that his local GEICO office can provide you with virtually any type of insurance you may need.
Jaime says his GEICO local office can write policies for your โhome, auto, commercial auto, motorcycle, condo, rental apartment, boat/watercraft, jewelry, flood mobile homes/RVs and umbrella policies.โ
An umbrella policy provides added protection beyond your existing limits and coverages of other policies. Jaime says, โUmbrella policies are good for someone who has a lot of assets.โ
When you call or walk into Jaimeโs local GEICO office, an agent can take your information, which is then used to customize whatever policies you may want to your specific needs.
As for GEICOโs rates, although thereโs been a lot of discussion these days about rising insurance rates, especially here in Florida, Jaime says, โWhile everyone has seen some increases in their premiums, the market now appears to be stabilizing, with most (but not all) insurance premiums staying about the same.โ
Help For Home & Condo Owners
If you need home or condominium insurance, dates may come into play. In most cases, a condo or townhome can be any age. But, for homes, mobile homes and RVs, GEICO can issue you a policy, as long as your home was built in 1995 or later.ย
Jaime, Elliot and Shannon Bryant hope you will visit their GEICO local office for your insurance needs!ย
Homeowner policies will cover not just the home itself, but also attached structures such as garages, lanais and even fences, as well as any personal property inside the home. These policies, in most cases, also will include liability coverage, which will protect you in the event someone gets injured in your home, although additional liability insurance is sometimes required. Jaime says your GEICO agent can assist you with finding all of the requirements for your perfect policy.
โFor example,โ he says, โYour homeowners insurance will usually have hurricane coverage. In the state of Florida, GEICO requires policies to have hurricane coverage, which will include damage caused by tropical storms. In order for this coverage to kick in, the storm causing the damage has to beย a named storm. For non-named storms, the claim would be under โwind damage.โโย
With hurricane season now just a few days away from starting, Jaime says this is a good time to visit the GEICO local office to see what he and his staff can do for you.
In addition, while Wesley Chapel is not in a major flood zone, Jaime and his crew can still provide you with flood insurance.
He says, โJust because flood insurance isnโt required here, that doesnโt mean you shouldnโt have it. Flood insurance will cover water that is coming into your home from your property โ for example, from rain that is not from a hurricane, a sewer, or an overflowing pond.โ
He adds, โPeople donโt think they will find themselves in these situations, but when they do, they wish they would have had the insurance. Plus, flood insurance is not very expensive to add to your homeowners policy.โ
The Buying Power Of โBundlingโ
Jaime says that GEICOโs rates are very competitive and your live agent will always check for all possible discounts. As one of the largest insurance companies in the U.S., GEICO also offers discounts for โbundlingโ different policies together.
For example, Jaime says that bundling your home and auto policies together will qualify you for discounts on both policies. โIt doesnโt always end up costing you less than buying them separately,โ he says, โbut it usually does.โ
He adds, โBut, when you bundle multiple GEICO policies together though, because GEICO (which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway) is such a large company, at least you donโt have to worry about us leaving the state (as so many other insurance companies have over the past few years).โ He also notes that auto and renters insurance also are often bundled, โbecause the renters insurance will then either be free or cost pennies on the dollar, which is probably the biggest savings you get by bundling.โ
When you own a boat, Jaime says that whether you bundle it with your homeowners policy or not, โBoat/watercraft insurance is one of our most competitively priced products on the market.โ Other GEICO policies with competitive rates include for recreation vehicles (RVs), travel trailers and mobile/manufactured homes.
For the best possible information, Jaime says itโs always a good idea to, โStop by and speak to one of our agents, rather than calling the GEICO 1-800 number. Our people can help you find the policy (or policies) you need at the best possible rates.โ
In addition, Jaime says that if you or your family members or friends who need insurance would prefer to speak to someone in Spanish, he has bilingual agents who can assist them with that, too.
Giving Back…
Jaime gives back to our community and to some organizations that he says are near and dear to his heart. The office will be sponsoring a golf tournament for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. This nonprofit organization has made a promise to the children of fallen U.S. Special Operations personnel and the children of all service members awarded the Medal of Honor by providing full education and additional opportunities for them.
Jaime, who lives with his wife Shannon and their two-year-old son Elliot in Wesley Chapel, says he also will sponsor the Air Force Reserve Officersโ Training Corps (ROTC) at Wharton High next year. He also sponsors the sports tickets for Wiregrass Ranch High and has provided folders for Double Branch, New River and Watergrass elementaries in Wesley Chapel.
The GEICO Wesley Chapel local office is located at 1227 BBD Blvd. The office is open Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.- 6:30 p.m., and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sat. For more information, call (813) 953- 4200 or feel free to stop by the office in person. You also can visit GEICO.com/insurance-agents/florida/tampa/ jaime-bryant/
The end of the 2023-24 school year brings not only separate graduation events for each of Wesley Chapelโs three local public high schools, but also the start of the Summer of 2024 for all local students.
Youโd think that the calendar of events for our area would slow down as the summer kicks off, but there is still plenty to do in and around Wesley Chapel.
Saturday, May 25, 7 p.m.-11 p.m. โ Jazz Night at The KRATE at The Grove Container Park. ย
Friday, May 31, 4 p.m.-6 p.m.. โ The North Tampa Bay Chamber presents โFinal Friday.โ This free networking event will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa- Wesley Chapel (26640 Silver Maple Pkwy.).ย
Friday, May 31, 4 p.m. โ Cypress Creek High Graduation Ceremony. At the USF Yuengling Center.ย
Friday, May 31, 7 p.m.-11 p.m. โ R&B Night at The KRATE at The Grove Container Park. See story on next page.
Saturday, June 1, 5 p.m. โ Wesley Chapel High Graduation Ceremony. At the USF Yuengling Center.
Monday, June 3, 5 p.m. โ Wiregrass Ranch High Graduation Ceremony. At the USF Yuengling Center.
Friday, June 7, 5:30-9:30 p.m. โ The Market Elaine. At the Village at The Grove, with 150+ vendors, free admission & free parking. For info, visit TheMarketElaine.com.ย
