09-10 NTNN 1-60 web

hoods, endanger pedestrians, causenoise and air pollution and disrupt theirquality of life.

City officials, on the other hand,contend that the bridge is a necessarycomponent of the planned transporta-tion system for the New Tampa area,and further, that they are required tobuild it because it was paid for, at leastin part, by developers who wererequired to contribute money for thelocal road network in their developmentagreements with the city.

In 2008, the EPC issued a permitto the city allowing the removal of asmall patch of wetlands in West Mead-ows as part of the construction of thebridge, but West Meadows residentEvelyn Romano filed an appeal of thatpermit last year. The appeal waspresided over by a hearing officer

appointed by the EPC and, earlier thisyear, he ruled that the appeal was with-out merit and that the project should beallowed to more forward.

However, it is the EPC Board thatmakes the final decision in such casesand, after hearing testimony from a half-dozen concerned residents from bothcommunities, the EPC Board votedunanimously, 4-0 (commissioners RoseFerlita, Mark Sharpe and Jim Normanwere absent from the meeting), that thecase should be re-heard.

“This (bridge) is going to be atremendous impact to our community,”

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 18, Issue 9 • April 24, 2010 • www.NTNeighborhoodNews.com 1

Volume 18Issue 9

April 24, 2010

The Direct-Mail Newspaper Serving New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Since 1993!

NEW TAMPA: Arbor Greene • Cory Lake Isles • Cross Creek • Grand Hampton • Heritage Isles • Hunter’s Green • Hunter’s Key • K-Bar Ranch • Lake Forest • Live Oak Preserve • Pebble Creek • Richmond Place • Tampa Palms • West Meadows

WESLEY CHAPEL: Aberdeen • Belle Chase • Brookside • Chapel Pines • Country Walk • Lexington Oaks • Meadow Pointe • New River • Northwood • Pinewalk • Pine Ridge • Saddlebrook • Saddleridge Estates • Saddlewood • Seven Oaks • Lakes at Northwood • The Villages of Wesley Chapel • Wesley Pointe • Westbrook Estates • Williamsburg

THIS INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER IS DIRECTLY MAILED TO:

LOCAL NEWS, BUSINESS,SPORTS & EDUCATION An Update On Segment A Of The

BBD Widening, A Way To Give Your KidsThe Academic Edge & Wharton High’s

Best Buddies Program!

See pages 3-46!

NEIGHBORHOOD MAGAZINE!

Saddlebrook Resort Hosts ‘BroadwayComes To Tampa’ (And, While You’re

There, Try Out The New Tropics Menu),Big Burritos At Machismo & Much More!

See pages 47-60!

Also Inside This Issue!

ECRWSSPostal Customer

Dated MaterialPlease Rush!

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDTAMPA FL

PERMIT 2801

Inside:Broadway Comes Back To

Tampa!See Neighborhood Magazine!

See “Bridge” on page 15.

EPC Board Sends Bridge Lawsuit Back For A Second Hearing

job and myclass schedule,so we drove allthrough thenight. One byone, we passedAtlanta, Chat-tanooga,Nashville andthen Louisville.Then, at 9 a.m.the next morn-ing, we hadfinally arrived atour hotel, locat-ed 20 miles

south of Indianapolis. The road trip pretty much mir-

rored the journey Shawn had over-come. By no means does it compare tothe hardships he had to endure to getwhere he is today, but it definitelydemonstrated the power of family.

When Butler beat Kansas State 63-56 in the NCAA Regional Final game

the week before, we realized that theBulldogs were headed to the NCAAFinal Four for the first time in schoolhistory. My family also knew that, oneway or another, we would be at thegame for Shawn. No matter what ittook, no matter how far we had todrive, we would be there.

This mentality was at least partiallyderived from the unselfishness Shawnhas demonstrated since we took him in.He has never once complained aboutthe cards he has been dealt and hasovercome every obstacle placed beforehim. He has never wilted in the pres-ence of adversity.

When Shawn signed his letter ofintent during his senior year at Whartonto play for Butler, he knew he would beplaying most of his games in Indi-anapolis. But, what he didn’t know wasthat two of those games would be justmiles south of the Bulldogs’ HinkleFieldhouse at Lucas-Oil Stadium for the

Former Wharton Star A Hero On & Off The Court For ButlerBy Joshua Litton

As my father, brother and I fin-ished loading up the truck and pulledout of our New Tampa home on ourway to Indianapolis for the NCAA FinalFour, I began to reflect on all of thelessons my brother Shawn Vanzantalmost inadvertently had taught me.

Shawn, who is now a junior pointguard for Butler University in Indiana,joined our family back in 2006 after hisfather had fallen ill. My family had justmoved to Tampa from Winter Springs,FL, and my younger brother, Zach, wasa freshman on Wharton’s junior varsityteam when he met Shawn. CoachTommy Tonelli had developed a systemwhereby veteran players would mentorincoming players and the two werepaired together.

Over the course of the 2005-06season, Zach and Shawn became veryclose. When my parents were contactedby Coach Tonelli regarding Shawn’s

questionableparental status,they agreed tothe temporaryarrangementbecause of thefriendshipShawn andZach haddeveloped.

Not longthereafter, that“temporary”situationturned perma-nent and afriendship blossomed into a brother-hood. Suddenly, Zach, Chase and I hadanother brother. Whether it was a 2-on-2 game of Nerf basketball or watchingmovies together, Shawn became one ofthe boys.

Our 16-hour road trip to Indybegan promptly at 6 p.m. We couldn’tleave any earlier because of my dad’s See “Vanzant” on page 38.

By Michael Smith

The Hillsborough County Boardof County Commissioners (BOCC),acting as the Board of the county’sEnvironmental Protection Commission(EPC), voted April 15 for the lawsuitthat was filed by a West Meadows resi-dent against the City of Tampa’s pro-posed bridge over I-75 to be sent back

for another hearing, rejecting the previ-ous hearing officer’s order allowing theproject to move forward.

The bridge, which would link NewTampa Blvd. in West Meadows withCommerce Park Blvd. in Tampa Palms,has long been a sore point for manyresidents of both communities, who saythat if it is built, it will bring large vol-umes of traffic into their neighbor-

Shawn Vanzant (third from left), with hisextended family (l.-r.): Chase, Lisa, Zach,

Jeff and Joshua Litton.

2 For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 18, Issue 9 • April 24, 2010 • www.NTNeighborhoodNews.com

Live Oak Preserve $209,000Gated Community 2 story home w/designer up-grades, 4BR, 2.5BA, 2,454 sf, conservation, zodiac counters, 42” cabs, formal dining & living rooms. Call Team Bohannon 979-4963 MLS# T2411451

VIRTUAL

Foxwood Condos $70,000-

ing, lanai w/ fantastic views, spacious family room, across street from private airport & golf course.Call Team Bohannon 979-4963 MLS# T2398322

VIRTUAL

Hunter’s Green $200,000Pre-Inspected, Move-in Ready! Corner lot w/ 3BR, 2BA, 2CG & 1,837 sf. Fireplace, formal areas, hard-Call Team Bohannon 979-4963 MLS# T2386365

VIRTUAL

Seven Oaks $289,900Model perfect! Stunning pond views in gated community. 4BR, 3BA, 3 CG & 2,445 sf. granite, Call Team Bohannon 979-4963 MLS# T2412479

VIRTUAL

Arbor Greene $335,0004BR, 3BA home w/ 2,249 sf. Gas appliances, for-garden tub, heated pool/spa, and screened lanaiCall Team Bohannon 979-4963 MLS# T2397052

VIRTUAL

Cory Lake Isles $624,999Formal areas, granite, stainless steel, soaring ceil-Call Team Bohannon 979-4963 MLS# T2408730

VIRTUAL

Hunter’s Green $295,000

décor, dining-living room combo, spacious rooms.Call Team Bohannon 979-4963 MLS# T2403150

VIRTUAL

Hunter’s Green $38,000

Call Team Bohannon 979-4963 MLS# T2357426

VIRTUAL

Island Club $72,000Resort Style, maintenance-free condo offering countertops, inside utility room, spacious rooms. Call Team Bohannon 979-4963 MLS# T2379229

VIRTUAL

Pasco County $185,0005 acre parcel of land in country setting w/ natural vegetation, trees & private pond. Sturdy mobile home w/3BR, 2BA, 1,440 sf, formal dining areaCall Team Bohannon 979-4963 MLS# T2414038

VIRTUAL

Meadow Pointe $155,000Maintenance-free villa in gated community offers

Call Team Bohannon 979-4963 MLS# T2412050

VIRTUAL

Carrollwood Village $125,0001,374 sf. Tranquil pond views, screened lanai, Call Team Bohannon 979-4963 MLS# T2335745

VIRTUAL

Long-time readers ofthis publication knowhow much I love my job,

even though there are times when Ifind it challenging to juggle my busi-ness, family and personal lives when I'mon deadline with a New Tampa issue.

For example, I am writing thiseditorial from the Marriott PittsburghAirport hotel sometime around mid-night on Saturday, April 17. I was in theSteel City all week watching my sonJake and his buddy Jake Kools play forTeam Florida in the “America's Show-case” High School Ice Hockey tourna-ment, where scouts from college andJunior ice hockey programs checked outthe action and offered opportunities forhigh school players from across thecountry to play at the next level.

It was an awesome week, as TeamFlorida, composed primarily of kidsfrom South Florida, with a few kidsfrom the Tampa Bay area on the 20-man roster, finished the tourney with awin, a loss and two ties. And, althoughit didn’t advance to the quarterfinals,Team Florida was never embarrassed(the one loss was by a single goal toTeam Indiana) and both Jakes wereapproached by at least three Juniorscouts each. (Note-Since there is anextremely limited number of collegehockey teams, Junior programs allowtheir players to attend any college whilecontinuing to play competitive hockey;many of today’s NHL players playedJuniors.)

Jake Kools’ father Joe and I wereexcited to see our kids compete againstthe best players from Indiana, Kentucky,West Virginia, Washington state, Utah,Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and Alaskaand to consider the possibilities of oursons continuing to play hockey nat ahigh level, regardless of where they endup going to college.

I knew going in that I wasn'tgoing to be able to spend too muchtime with Jake, who had a nightly cur-few and stayed at a separate hotel withhis team from me and the rest of theTeam Florida parents. Even so, I want-ed to be there -- and not just becausethere were no guarantees that thiswouldn't be the last time I'd see my sonplay a sport competitively.

There's no doubt that being near-ly 1,000 miles from home during aNew Tampa deadline week did notmake things any easier for me or mystaff. I had to write my stories, sendthem over the internet and read mycorrections over the phone to the 60pages in this issue to my art directorTony Sica and managing editor MichaelSmith. We all worked into the weehours of Saturday night as it becameSunday morning in order to get thisissue to the printer on time before I wasable to get on a plane back to TampaSunday afternoon. I have to thank themboth again for their dedication to theirjobs. Thankfully, my hotel had a 24-hour business center that allowed me toprint out the pages and edit them the

New Tampa Neighborhood News15345 Amberly Dr., Tampa, FL 33647Phone: (813) 910-2575 Fax: 910-2483

Adv. E-mail: Ads@NTNeighborhoodNews.comEditorial E-mail: NTNNEdit@yahoo.com

Publisher & Editor Gary Nager

Managing EditorMichael SmithCorrespondentMelissa O’Brien

Art Director Billing ManagerTony Sica Ashley KnoblachAdvertising Customer Service Managers

David Zacharia • Nikki BennettOffice & Marketing Assistant

Karen Glenn Nothing that appears in New Tampa Neighbor-

hood News may be reproduced, whether wholly or inpart, without permission. Opinions expressed by NewTampa Neighborhood News writers are their own and donot reflect the publisher’s opinion.

The deadline for outside editorial submis-sions and advertisements for Volume 18, Issue 11, of New Tampa Neighborhood News is Friday, April 30 , 2010.

New Tampa Neighborhood News will considerpreviously non-published outside editorial submissionsif they are double spaced, typed and less than 500words. New Tampa Neighborhood News reserves theright to edit and/or reject all outside editorial submis-sions and makes no guarantees regarding publicationdates. New Tampa Neighborhood News will not returnunsolicited editorial materials.

New Tampa Neighborhood News reserves the rightto edit &/or reject any advertising. New Tampa Neigh-borhood News is not responsible for errors in advertisingbeyond the actual cost of the advertising space itself, notfor the validity of any claims made by its advertisers. ©2010 JM2 Communications, Inc.

Table of ContentsLOCAL NEWS, BUSINESS & SPORTS UPDATES...............................................Pages 1-31

Bridge (cont. from page 1)..........................................6New Tampa News Briefs........................................8

Skeletal Remains Found On I-75 Identified, Gas Station Robbed At Gunpoint, Home Burglarized In Midday, Local Woman Killed In Accident, Fire Threatens Apartment Complex, Pharmacy Hold-up Suspect Caught On Video

County Considering Options For BBD...............10-11Mayor Iorio Delivers ‘State Of The City’ Address......12New Tampa Community Calendar..................14-15New Tampa Chamber Of Commerce News..........16New Tampa Business News.....................18-28Academic Edge Learning Center..........................18-19Florida Hospital Zephyrhills Heart Institute.........22-23Dr. Albert Boholst, DMD....................................26-27You Do The Dishes....................................................28

New Tampa Education News..................32-35WHS Program Creates ‘Best Buddies’.......................32Education Briefs..................................................35New Tampa Sports Updates...................38-43Vanzant (cont. from page 1).....................................38New Tampa Sports Briefs....................................40New Freedom Coach Plans To Build Patriot Pride...43

Neighborhood MagazineBroadway Comes Back To Tampa.................................47Saddlebrook’s Tropics Menu Gets A Makeover.............50Neighborhood Nibbles..............................................53Are You Macho Enough For Machismo?..............54-55

NEW TAMPA COLOR CLASSFIEDS...............58

The Things We Do For Our Families! An editorial by Gary Nager old-fashioned way — by hand.

Pittsburgh is a cool (make thatCOLD) city with nice restaurants, a fundowntown area and of course, it's also agreat sports town. In fact, Jake and Igot to see first-hand how fanatic thelocals are about their defending StanleyCup champion Penguins, who hostedthe first two games of their openinground playoff series against the OttawaSenators while we were in town.

But, despite the fun we all hadand the challenges my stay in Pitts-burgh presented for me professionally,the most difficult thing about the visitwas that I knew up front that I was

going to miss the Taste of New Tampafor the first time in at least a decade.Like my recently departed friend FrankMargarella, I have always felt a sense ofownership of the Taste, having helpedas much as I could again this year (as Ihave every year since 1994) to getrestaurants committed to participatingin New Tampa's best-attended single-day event, so missing the Taste was par-ticularly hard for me.

I congratulate the two Jakes andTeam Florida and I enjoyed getting tobe on-hand to watch the festivities allweek, but I hope to not have to missthe Taste again next year.

said West Meadows resident Brad VanRooyen, who told the commissionersthat he is the president of the home-owners association of The Promenade,a neighborhood that he said is directlyadjacent to where the bridge isplanned to be built.

“This bridge is going to be builtin a very small area that is one of thefew remaining wetlands in our com-munity,” Van Rooyen said. “It’s oneof the few places you can take yourchildren to see deer and wild pigs andcoyotes walking around in theevening. I bought into this communi-ty because of the environment...and apart of that is going to be taken awayfrom us. So, as a representative of thecommunity, I strongly encourage youto reconsider this order today.”

Van Rooyen and several of theother residents who spoke also told thecommissioners that if the hearing hadnot been held in the middle of a week-day, there would have been many moreresidents there to voice their oppositionto the project.

That point, and the fact that thehearings and the appeals process werecarried out without the public beingnoticed, to give them an opportunity toparticipate in the process, seemed to be

a major concern for CommissionerKevin White.

“I think the city should have beenmore proactive, knowing that this wasgoing through such a major neighbor-hood and should have publicly noticedthe community to begin with to avoidwhere we are here today,” White said.

With that, White moved that thecase be remanded back for anotherhearing, and the motion was secondedby Commissioner Ken Hagan, a formerNew Tampa resident whose parents livein West Meadows.

“I know first-hand the problemsassociated with this road and how itnegatively affects your community,”Hagan said, noting that his parentsactually signed a petition opposing theproject back in 2008. He secondedWhite’s motion, and Board chairman AlHigginbotham and Kevin Beckner fol-lowed suit.

The decision was a victory forTampa Palms resident Warren Dixon,who represented Romano in theappeals process. Dixon says he hopesthat the new hearing will give him thechance to introduce some of the evi-dence that was excluded the first timearound. He says that the new hearingdate has not been set yet, because it willbe determined by the hearing officerwho is assigned to the case.

We will keep you posted as newdevelopments occur.

“Bridge”Continued from page 1

News BriefsNEW TAMPA

Investigation Shows WomanWho Was Found On I-75Was Murdered

Investigators with the Hillsbor-ough County Medical Examiner’sOffice have determined that the womanwhose remains were found alongside I-75 last month was murdered.

As we told you inour last issue, the skele-tal remains were foundon March 16 by a pairof travelers who hap-pened to stop on theside of the interstatejust north of the BruceB. Downs Blvd. inter-change after experienc-ing car trouble.

Although the identity of the bodyinitially was a mystery, the remains wereeventually identified as those of aTampa resident, Lisa Ann Mowrey, whowas 18 years old when she was reportedmissing by her family in February 2004.A TPD spokesperson said that Mowreywas last seen when she left home on themorning of February 6, 2004, toattend classes at a local beauty college.

Mowrey’s identity was confirmedthrough dental records and, on April 8,the Medical Examiner’s Office issued anofficial death certificate where the causeof her death was given as “homicidalviolence to include head trauma.”

The investigation is continuing.

Cross Creek Gas StationRobbed At Gunpoint

It was no April Fool’s Day jokewhen an armed suspect held up the BPgas station at 10865 Cross Creek Blvd.April 1, but fortunately no one wasinjured in the incident.

According to a Tampa PoliceDepartment (TPD) report, the suspect,who was described as a heavyset blackmale, entered the gas station/conve-nience store at around 12:30 a.m.,wearing black clothing, including along-sleeve black hooded sweatshirt,red-and-white Nike sneakers and awhite mask, and carrying a black semi-automatic handgun.

The report says that after beinggiven cash from the store’s registers, thesuspect fled from the store, at whichtime the clerk activated the store’salarm. However, there was no video ofthe robbery.

Although a number of units fromTPD and the Hillsborough CountySheriff’s Office were dispatched to thescene, including Air Service and K9officers, the trail went cold a short dis-

tance from the store, where the suspectapparently escaped on a bicycle. Nearbyapartment complexes were searched,but the suspect managed to elude cap-ture.

Anyone who may have seen thesuspect or who has any informationabout this crime is asked to callTPD or the Hillsborough CountyCrime Stoppers tip line at (800)873-TIPS.

Tampa Palms Home Burglarized In Midday

A home in the Ashington Estatessubdivision in Tampa Palms was bur-glarized in broad daylight on March 31,with the suspect(s) escaping with thou-sands of dollars in property.

A Tampa Police Department(TPD) report says that the burglarytook place between 10:15 a.m. and3:30 p.m. The burglar(s) first got intothe screened pool enclosure in the rearof the home and then broke a windowto get inside the house itself. Onceinside, the suspects ransacked the houseand made off with property valued atmore than $4,000, including jewelryand a pair of laptop computers.

The report states that the homedoes have an alarm system, but the resi-dents told investigators that they forgotto activate the alarm when they left thatmorning. A witness reported seeing ared, older model four-door vehicleparked in the driveway of the homeduring the time the burglary tookplace, but was unable to provide adescription of the vehicle’s occupantsbecause it had dark tinted windows.

Anyone who may have seenanything or who has any informa-tion about this crime is asked to callTPD or the Hillsborough CountyCrime Stoppers tip line at (800)873-TIPS.

Wesley Chapel Woman Dies In Interstate Accident

A 29-year-old Wesley Chapelwoman was killed April 7 in a single-vehicle accident that took place on I-275 just north of Bearss Ave.

According to a Florida HighwayPatrol report, Bettina M. Carroccettowas traveling northbound on the inter-state just before 2 p.m. when she appar-ently lost control of her vehicle.

The 2000 Isuzu SUV left theroadway and overturned several timeson the eastern shoulder of the highway.Carroccetto, who was wearing a seat-belt, was partially ejected from the vehi-cle, the report says, and was pro-nounced dead at the scene of the crash.

No other vehicles were involved, andtoxicology studies are being performedto determine if alcohol was a factor inthe crash.

Fire Threatens Tampa PalmsApartment Complex

Investigators say that a brush firethat broke out in a wooded area adja-cent to a Tampa Palms apartment com-plex was apparently started by someone,but the fire was quickly brought undercontrol. No injuries were reported andnone of the buildings in the complexwere damaged.

“The fire officer in charge of thescene stated the flames were in thewoods only 40 or 50 feet away fromthe apartments, and in a few moremoments the fire would have quicklyspread along the tree line and wouldhave been threatening the apartmentbuildings,” TFR spokesman Capt. BillWade said in a press release.

The fire was first reported at 7:30p.m. on April 7, when firefighters fromTFR Station #21 on Bruce B. DownsBlvd. were deployed to a densely wood-ed area near 15419 Plantation Oaks Dr.in the Camden Live Oaks apartmentcomplex on Amberly Dr.

When they reached the scene, thefirefighters found a small but rapidlygrowing fire and quickly called for assis-tance in battling the flames. Wade saysthat an estimated 26 units responded tothe scene, and the fire was broughtunder control within 20 minutes.

Wade added that the fire couldhave been much worse than it was,however, because the wooded areacomes very close to the apartmentbuildings, and the ground was coveredwith dry leaves that helped to fuel theflames.

He said that the exact cause of thefire is undetermined, but it seems likelythat it was the result of an act of a per-son because there were no natural caus-es in the area.

”The fire may have started fromsomething as simple as a dropped ciga-

rette that was left to smolder,” Wadesays, but, at this time there is no evi-dence to indicate this fire was intention-ally set.”

Firefighters spoke with several resi-dents and cautioned them to be wary ofanyone smoking or of suspicious per-sons loitering in the wooded area, andthey were advised to call the police orapartment management if they see any-thing out of the ordinary.

CVS Holdup SuspectCaught On Videotape

Hoping that someone will be ableto identify the suspect, the Pasco Coun-ty Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) has releasedvideo from an armed robbery thatoccurred at a CVS pharmacy in WesleyChapel.

According to PCSO spokesmanDoug Tobin, the robbery took placebetween 4:29 p.m.-4:35 p.m. on April3, at the CVS store located at 30050County Line Rd. in the Meadow Pointesubdivision.

The video shows the suspect— awhite male about 5 feet 4 inches to 5feet 8 inches tall weighing approximately140-150 pounds and wearing blue jeans,a blue shirt, a dark-colored jacket and ablack Chicago White Sox baseball cap,entering the store, walking around for afew moments and then approaching thecheckout counter. He put a candy bar onthe counter and gave the cashier money,but when the cashier opened the cashregister, the suspect pulled a folding knifefrom his pants pocket and demanded themoney in the drawer. He then left thestore with an undisclosed amount ofmoney and fled in an older-model goldFord Taurus station wagon with a dent-ed rear hatch door.

The video can be seen on thePCSO channel on Youtube, labeled ascase #10-18767 in the “Caught onCamera” section.

Anyone who may have witnessedthis crime or who has any informa-tion is asked to call the PCSO Tip-sline at (800) 706-2488.

Lisa AnnMowrey

County Considering Options For Southern Leg Of BBDBy Michael Smith

Now that the widening of the mid-dle two sections of Bruce B. Downs(BBD) Blvd. is under way, Hillsbor-ough County officials are turning theirattention to the southernmost segmentof the project, between Bearss Ave. andPalm Springs Blvd. (known as SegmentA), where the questions of whether towiden that stretch of roadway to six oreight lanes and where to leave room formass transit (as well as what kind oftransit to leave room for) have yet to beanswered.

In order to try to determine whatresidents want, county officials held apair of public meetings in Tampa Palmsin March, at which they presented thedifferent possible configurations for theroadway and the pros and cons of each.

The meeting that was held atTampa Palms Elementary on April 1was well attended, with dozens of resi-dents filling the TPE cafeteria to over-flowing (the second meeting was heldat Chiles Elementary on April 19, afterthis newspaper went to press), but itwas hard to tell which of the optionswas most popular, because many of theattendees who spoke and asked ques-tions seemed to have differing concernsand opinions about how the projectshould be carried out.

Thomas Fass, a member of thecounty’s public works department, out-lined the history of the planning forthat section of the roadway. Fass saidthat the design work began in 2003,when the Florida Department of Trans-portation completed a Project Designand Environmental (PD&E) studywhich determined that BBD needed toeventually be widened to eight lanesalong its entire length, in order toaccommodate the ever-increasing num-ber of commuters who travel the road-way on a daily basis. So, the countybegan to design the project for eight

lanes, with 20 feet of space set aside onthe eastern edge of the roadway forfuture mass transit— although, ofcourse at that time, there were no spe-cific plans for what type of mass transitthat would be.

Then, last year, although the eight-lane design was nearly complete andmost of the right-of-way along theroadway already had been acquired, thecounty decided to go back and reviewthe plans for the project to see if itwould be more cost effective to expandthe lower segment to six lanes, ratherthan eight. After all, the construction ofthat segment had no funding, and manyTampa Palms residents and communityofficials had voiced concerns that trafficconditions in Tampa Palms would bemade even worse if the middle two seg-ments were widened but not the lowersegment (which at that time was sched-uled to be the last to be widened).

Meanwhile, to further complicatematters, the plans for mass transit alsochanged. In 2006 the HillsboroughMetropolitan Planning Organization(MPO) recommended that the masstransit corridor be extended all the wayto the BBD/I-75 interchange, ratherthan only as far north as Skipper Rd.,which was the original idea, and thatconfiguration was supported by the planproposed by the Tampa Bay AreaRegional Transportation Authority(TBARTA), which calls for light rail tobe implemented in Hillsborough Coun-ty in the first stages of its multi-countyplan, with the BBD corridor to beamong the first to be outfitted withlight rail in order to improve inter-county connectivity between Hillsbor-ough and Pasco counties. So, last fall,the MPO altered its Long Range Trans-portation Plan, calling for six lanesinstead of eight on the lower segment,with room for light rail as far north asthe interstate.

Which brings us back to the public

meeting. Fass saidthat the cost dif-ference in buildingsix or eight lanes isonly about $3 mil-lion, but there areimplicationsbeyond the imme-diate cost. If theroadway is built tosix lanes now, hesaid, it will cost anestimated $20 mil-lion-plus to re-widen it to eightlanes in the future.At that price, he said that the countywould probably not have enoughmoney to pay for the re-widening, atleast not without funding from anothersource, such as the one-cent transporta-tion sales tax that county officials arehoping to put on a referendum ballotfor voters to decide upon this fall.

“The funding we have now is notenough even to maintain the roads thatwe have,” Fass said.

He explained that funding for roadprojects comes primarily from gas taxes,which is a limited revenue stream, andeven though there has been some feder-

al money allocated towards the BBDwidening, because it is a “high priorityproject,” there is no guarantee thatthere will be more.

Fass added, “If the referendumdoesn’t get onto the ballot and pass, wewon’t have the money to expand in thefuture.”

That sparked another round ofdebate on the pros and cons of the salestax referendum, which is proposed toraise money to pay for light rail,improved public transportation andother transit-related needs. But, mostpeople at the meeting didn’t seem to beprepared to ante up another penny in

Hillsborough County public works manager Thomas Fassdiscusses the BBD widening at a public meeting at TPE.

sales tax, at least not without morespecifics on how the money will bespent, or because they believe theywon’t see any benefit from it.

“Why should I pay for light railand public transportation when meand my family will probably never useit?,” one resident asked.

Fass pointed out, however, thateveryone would see some benefit,because of the number of cars thatwould be taken off the roads by peo-ple who did use the mass transit.

“Yes, the sales tax is money out ofyour pocket, but how much time andmoney is spent idling in traffic?,” heasked, quoting studies that estimate$30 million dollars per year is lostnationwide by vehicles that are idlingin traffic congestion.

Fass also mentioned one alarmingfact: even if Segment A of BBD iswidened to eight lanes, studies showthat the roadway will be overcrowdedto the point of failure (as it is now) by2025; if it is only widened to six, headded, “it would basically be failedwhen we opened it.”

That, in itself, seems to make thecase for light rail, or at least some typeof mass transit, as being necessary. Fassnoted that light rail could be imple-mented by as early as 2018, but only ifthe current studies being undertakenby HARTline support light rail onBBD in the first phase of construction,if the one-cent sales tax is passed and iffederal matching grants are received.

After the meeting, Steve Valdez,the customer service manager for the

county’s Public Works department,said that although the department has-n’t officially tabulated the numbers,the comments relayed to the depart-ment from residents are about evenlydivided between the various options,all of which remain on the table.

“The project is fully funded anddesigned as an eight-lane facility, andwe’re ready to proceed,” he said, not-ing that the current timetable calls forconstruction of Segment A to beginnext summer. “And, contrary to popu-lar belief, we don’t have a predeter-mined notion either way.”

He added, however, that it isimportant to make a decision on theconfiguration of the roadway soon, sothat the county can take advantage oflower bids for major projects, as it did

on the bidding for Segments B and Cof the widening project, which came inat half of the original cost estimates.

“We need to strike now, while theiron is hot,” Valdez said. “If we waituntil a year from now, we don’t knowhow the bids are going to be comingin. If the prices start to go back upagain, it’s very plausible that we could-n’t afford to build it.”

Although there won’t be anymore public meetings on the southernleg of the widening project, all of theplans are available on the HillsboroughCounty website at Hillsborough-County.org/public works. Click onthe link for “Major Community Proj-ects,” and there also is a form whereyou can submit your own commentsand suggestions.

These four illustrations show the different possible configurations for Segment A of BBD, which are (l.-r.) eight lanes with no transit corridor; eight lanes withtwo lanes dedicated to high-occupancy vehicles; six lanes with light rail corridor on the east edge of the roadway and six lanes with light rail in the median.

Iorio Delivers A Lighthearted ‘State Of The City’ AddressBy Michael Smith

In what has become an annualspringtime event, Tampa Mayor PamIorio brought many of her top staffmembers (several of whom are NewTampa residents) along with her whenshe visited Hunter’s Green Elementaryon March 31 for her “State of theCity” address and Town Hall meeting.

Iorio usually needs the back-up tohelp her field questions from the TownHall attendees, especially here in NewTampa, where similar meetings havebecome heated in the past but, perhapsbecause this was one of the last timesshe will be visiting this area as Mayor(since she has now begun the last yearof her second term in office), the tonethis time was pleasantly friendly.

The Mayor herself seemed relaxedas she opened up the meeting, asalways, with the “State of the City”video, and even a technical glitch thatended the presentation early didn’tdampen her mood.

“I can pretty much paraphrase therest of it for you,” she said, after tech-nicians were unable to get the videorestarted. “It was a pretty good year.”

Among the year’s highlights thatwere mentioned on the video before itbroke down were the opening of thenewly redesigned Tampa Museum ofArt, openings of major new businesseslike IKEA and Crate & Barrel, and thereceipt by the city of millions of dollarsin stimulus money from the AmericanRecovery & Reinvestment Act(ARRA), some of which will be used tobuild the city’s new Fire Station #22 onCross Creek Blvd. at Morris Bridge Rd.

The city also received funding forthe “Encore” project near downtownTampa, which is intended to redevelopblighted neighborhoods into a new res-idential, shopping, dining and enter-tainment district, and for the I-4 con-

nector, which is supposed to help trans-portation in the city by allowing trucksto access the Port of Tampa area moreefficiently.

(For those who are interested, theentire “State of the City” video, whichis about 10 minutes long, can beviewed on the city’s website, Tam-paGov.net).

After the meeting entered itsTown Hall phase, Iorio spent much ofher time answering questions fromsome of the several young studentswho were in attendance, including themembers of the HGE Student Council,Boy Scouts and others. She got a nicelaugh from the adults in the crowdafter she talked about what hadinspired her to want to become themayor.

“Usually that question is asked dif-ferently,” Iorio joked. “Usually, peopleask me, ‘How did YOU becomemayor?’”

On a more serious note, Iorio didcall on members of her staff to answerquestions about recreational opportuni-ties for children and teens, potholes onCross Creek Blvd., and the budgetissues facing the city. There also wassome discussion about the widening ofBruce B. Downs Blvd. and the poten-tial one-cent sales tax increase, eventhough the widening is a HillsboroughCounty project and the tax increasealso is being proposed by county offi-cials to raise money for transportationimprovements countywide.

City transportation manager JeanDorzback said that the potholes, whichhave begun to reappear on Cross CreekBlvd. in many of the same places wherethey were before the roadway wasrepaved, are the result of a faultypaving design.

“Potholes are a problem in theNew Tampa area,” Dorzback said.“The water table is to blame.”

Dorzbackalso confirmed astatement byTampa CityCouncil memberJoseph Caetano,who also was atthe meeting, thatportions of CrossCreek Blvd. in thearea near Fire Sta-tion #21, will haveto be torn up andreplaced. She saidthat city officialsare working withcounty officials and homeowners asso-ciations in the area to determine whowill be responsible for the work, sincemuch of the original paving was paidfor by developers.

And, in the other news of particu-lar interest to New Tampa residents,Tampa Fire Rescue Chief Dennis Jonestalked about the progress and plans forFire Station #22, which will be built at10871 Cross Creek Blvd. Jones saidthat the land for the new station waspurchased with Capital ImprovementTax money, and that would also havebeen the source of funding for the con-struction of the building itself, but thedepartment applied for and received$1.6 million in ARRA money to payfor its construction.

“If we had used CIT money, youwould have seen bricks and mortargoing up there already, but it takeslonger when you take [federal] govern-ment money,” Jones said.

As it stands, Jones said that con-struction of the new station, which willbe the first to be built in the city undernew “green” building standards, willbegin by the end of the summer andthe station should be operational byearly 2011.

In response to a question from an

audience member, Jones said that eventhough the new station seems to bepretty close to Station #21, it is actuallynearly 5 miles away from the older sta-tion, while the city’s preferred standardis to have fire stations no more thanthree miles apart from each other. Healso added that the new station is need-ed to serve the new neighborhoods inthe area, like Easton Park, which isnorth of Cross Creek Blvd. on MorrisBridge Rd.

For those homes, and “for newconstruction and growth in Cory LakeIsles, we need that station,” Jones said.

City of Tampa staffers joined Mayor Pam Iorio for herannual “State of the City” address.

• Cleanings(Ages 4 and up)

• Crowns, Bridgesand Implant Crowns

• Veneers• Zoom & Take

Home Whitening• Root Canals &

Extractions

FAMILY & COSMETIC DENTISTRY20441 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.

(across the street from Wharton H.S.,in front of Live Oak)

Dr. Neeraja Jasthi, DMD

WELCOME TOFAMILY & COSMETIC DENTISTRY

Dr. Neeraja Jasthi

866-9913“Let Our Family Be Here For Yours”

Community CalendarNEW TAMPA

Free Hearing ScreeningsIn support of Better Hearing &

Speech Month, which is observed inMay, Dr. Jody Pianin, Au.D., owner ofAdvanced Audiology of New Tampa(27511 Cashford Circle, Ste. 101, inWesley Chapel) will offer free hearingscreenings (by appointment) for anyoneages 5 and up throughout the month.For those who wear hearing aids, acomplimentary clean and check of theirhearing instruments will be available inlieu of a screening.

For more information, or tomake an appointment, call 973-8400.

Community Garage SaleSaturday, April 24 – The North-

wood of Pasco subdivision, located offCounty Line Rd. (west of the Super-Target Plaza), will hold its annual com-munity-wide Garage Sale, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.The public is invited to attend.

Used Book SaleSaturday, April 24 – The Bay

Horizons chapter of ORT America willhold a used book sale, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.,in front of the Publix supermarket atthe Shoppes of New Tampa at Wesley

Chapel plaza (at the intersection ofBruce B. Downs Blvd. and S.R. 56).The proceeds from the sale will benefitORT technical schools around theworld and also help the local groupprovide a scholarship for a student atErwin Technical Center in Tampa.

Call 907-8329 for additionalinformation.

Writers’ WorkshopSaturday, April 24 – Rev. Evelyn

J. Taylor of Good News Global Min-istries, a three-time published author,will host a writers’ workshop, 9:30a.m., at the Pebble Creek CommunityCenter (18715 Bent Tree Ln.). Theworkshop will feature information andadvice from publishing professionals onhow to get your own book published.

Call 977-7709 for more infor-mation.

Moms Club InternationalWednesday, April 28 – The New

Tampa Southeast chapter of MomsClub International, a non-profit groupthat helps stay-at-home mothers sup-port each other, will hold an OpenHouse, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at theNew Tampa Regional Library (10001

Cross Creek Blvd.).Send an e-mail to momsclub-

newtampa_southeast@yahoo.com formore information.

Noon Rotary ClubWednesday, April 28 – The New

Tampa Noon Rotary Club meets everyWednesday at noon at Circles NewTampa Bistro (19651 Bruce B. DownsBlvd. in the Pebble Creek Collectionshopping plaza).

New Tampa Kiwanis ClubWednesday, April 28 – The Kiwa-

nis Club of New Tampa meets everyWednesday at 11:45 am at the TampaPalms Golf and Country Club (5811Tampa Palms Blvd).

For more info, visit NewTam-paKiwanis.org or email info@New-TampaKiwanis.org.

Business Networking Int’lWednesday, April 28 – Business

Networking International (BNI), agroup of business professionals who arededicated to helping their businessesgrow through qualified referrals, meetsevery Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. at Her-itage Isles Clubhouse (18630 PlantationBay Dr.).

For more information, call JalIrani at 451-8229.

Civil Air PatrolWednesday, April 28 – A new

Civil Air Patrol squadron now meetsevery Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m., atTampa North Aero Park (4241 Bird-song Blvd.).

For more information, visit wes-leychapelcap.com or call CherylSpence at 973-7270.

Evening Rotary ClubThursday, April 29– The New

Tampa Evening Rotary Club meetsevery Thursday, 6:30 p.m., at Hunter’sGreen Country Club (18101 Longwa-ter Run Dr.). The club’s April 29meeting will feature club memberJoanne Pistorius, who will talk aboutthe Antique, Classic and Historic Auto-mobile Fellowship of Rotarians.

For more information, call Sher-ri Ferguson at 892-9782.

Computer WorkshopsThursday, April 29 – Every

Thursday, the New Tampa RegionalLibrary (10001 Cross Creek Blvd.)offers computer workshops for adults,beginning at 12:15 p.m. The work-shops focus on computer techniquesand a variety of software programs.Registration is required in person, noearlier than one hour before the begin-ning of the workshop.

Call 273-3652 for more infor-mation, or, for a complete list ofactivities offered at the library, visitHCPLC.org.

New Tampa Rotary ClubFriday, April 30 – The New

Tampa Rotary Club meets every Friday,7 a.m., at Tampa Palms Golf & Coun-try Club (TPG&CC, 5811 TampaPalms Blvd.). On April 30, the groupwill have a Club Assembly meeting, andthere will be no guest speaker. On May7 the group’s guest speaker will be SallyDePalma of “Special Connections.” Allclub members and their guests are invit-ed to attend.

For more information, visitNewTampaRotary.org or contactKaren Frashier at 375-2663.

Crime Watch Community Day

Sunday, May 2 - The LexingtonOaks Crime Watch Patrol will host aCommunity Day fund raiser, noon-4p.m., at the subdivision’s CommunityCenter (26304 Lexington OaksBlvd.). Everyone is welcome toattend and enjoy the food, fun andfestivities.

For more information, conactBill Weiland at 817-5449 orSharon Schoefield at 967-5677.

Women-N-ChargeFriday, May 7 – Women-N-

Charge, a group that offers educationand support for business women, meetson the first Friday of every month at11:30 a.m. at Pebble Creek Golf Club(10550 Regents Park Dr.).

For more information, visitWomen-n-Charge.com or call SueDavis at 435-5128.

Collective Soles Present‘Napoli’ & ‘Willy Wonka’

Saturday-Sunday, May 8-9 – TheCollective Soles Arts Group will presenta musical theatre and dance extravagan-za, beginning with Act III of the classi-cal ballet, “Napoli,” followed by a full-length, madcap tour of Willy Wonka’schocolate factory. The show will beginat 2 p.m. each day at Theater 1 on theUniversity of South Florida’s Tampacampus. Tickets cost from $10-$25(ages 3 and under are admitted free)and are available at the USF Box Officeand through Ticketmaster (287-8844).

Call 979-2222 for additionalinformation.

NE Tampa Women In Business

Thursday, May 13 – The NorthEast Tampa Women in Business meetson the second Thursday of every

month, 6 p.m., at Hunter’s GreenCounty Club (18101 Longwater RunDr.). Guests are welcome, but registra-tion is requested.

To register, or for more infor-mation, call president Kay Dunn at841-5932 or visit NETWIB.org.

Red Hat SocietyThursday, May 13 – A new chap-

ter of the Red Hat Society for ladiesover 50 meets on the second Thursdayof each month at different locations.

For more information, send ane-mail to livingood326@verizon.net.

New Tampa/Wesley

Chapel Health ExpoSaturday, May 15 – New Tampa

Marketing & Concierge Services willhost its 2010 New Tampa/WesleyChapel Health Expo, noon-3 p.m., atthe Holiday Inn Express & Suites(8310 Galbreath Rd.). The event willfeature dozens of local physicians andother health care professionals promot-ing their services. Free blood pressureand cholesterol checks will be available,and there will be a variety of door prizesawarded, too.

For more information, call 765-8113 or e-mail maryann@newtampa-marketing.com.

2009-10 NTCC Board of DirectorsPresident-Scott D. Estes

New TampaChamber of Commerce, Inc.

15310 Amberly Dr., Suite 250Tampa, FL 33647

Information: (813) 293-2464 Fax: (813) 973-8259

Website:NewTampaChamber.Org

Temple Ohev Shalomof New Tampa

6460 Tampa Palms Blvd. Tampa, Fl. 33647

813-632-9900

Somerset Professional Park - 15283 Amberly Dr., Tampa, FL 33647

James R. Kist, CPA, P.A.Accounting & Tax Services

Commerce Park Professional Center5301 Technology DriveTampa, FL 33647

Office: (813) 972-3033Fax: (813) 972-9033

James R. KistCertified Public Accountant

Rachel Haviland, VP

Matt Palmer, Treas.

Kristen Kipp-Palinsky, Secy.

Connie Bladon

Seema Jain

Regina Ramalheira

Lesley Zajac

Mailing Address:P.O. Box 46155

Tampa, Fl. 33647

Administrator: Karen Frashier

14201 Professional Plaza • 14201 Bruce B. Downs Blvd

(North Thirtieth Street) • Tampa, Florida 33613

Todd J. Wiener, DMD, PAGeneral Dentistry

Telephone (813) 977-6962

RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

BAY AREA REAL ESTATE & RENTALS

Serving New Tampa Since 1993

Mary Ann DiorioEmail: maryann@maryannrents.com

To View My Services and Available Rentals,please visit:

www.maryannrents.com

813-417-2164

Board Members:

The 17th Annual Taste of New Tampa is a Success!What makes New Tampa a great

place to live are the caring people thatmake it the thriving community it is.The New Tampa Chamber of Com-merce would like to thank the manypeople, organizations and volunteergroups that made the 17th AnnualTaste of New Tampa™ such a greatsuccess.

The 17th Taste of New Tampawas dedicated to the late Frank Mar-garella, who coined the name “NewTampa,” founded what has becomethe New Tampa Chamber and is thereason we have a Taste of New Tampatoday. Frank passed away suddenly lastmonth, but his memory will live onwithin the hearts of those who knewhim best, and all those who haveattended and enjoyed the event, inyears past, this year and in the years tocome.

We would like thank those organ-izations that sponsored the event:

Wesley Chapel Medical CenterSt. Petersburg TimesNew Tampa Neighborhood NewsRS Media ServicesGrow FinancialArdeman & AssociatesImage Depot

LifeSource Family ChiropracticSt. James United Methodist Ch.Kevin Ambler for State SenateHeritage FordCoca-Cola CompanyAnd a special thank you to all the

great restaurants that let us all samplethe best food in New Tampa:

Antonio’s Pasta GrillBruster’s Real Ice CreamCafé OléCiccio’s/The Lodge Cole’s BBQFive Guys Burgers and FriesKennedy Bar & GrillMarco’s PizzaMarriott Springhill SuitesMulligan’s Irish Pub Red LobsterTampa Palms Golf & Country ClubTexas RoadhouseTijuana Flats Burrito CompanyWe want to thank Freedom High,

the Hillsborough County School Dis-trict and the City of Tampa for host-ing us again this year. We loved themusic, artists and entertainment. Wegot to sample the wares of the manylocal businesses in and around NewTampa.

A few select Taste of New Tampa

You Can Get Involved With The New Tampa Chamber Of Commerce At These Monthly Events!

Chamber Luncheons - The 2nd Monday of each monthat Pebble Creek Golf Club. Registration opens at 11:30; lunch is served at noon.

Chamber Breakfasts - The 3rd Tuesday of each month at Tampa Palms Golf &Country Club. Registration at 7:30 a.m., breakfast is served at noon.

Networking On The 9s - The 3rd Wednesday of each month at 2:30 p.m.

Networking Happy Hours - The last Thursday of the monthat Stonewood Grill & Tavern, Tampa Palms at 5:30 p.m.

Please call the NTCC Hotline at 293-2464 for complete info.

attendees even received tickets to anexclusive pre-screening of JenniferLopez’s new movie, “The Back UpPlan.” Last but not least, we wouldlike to give a special thank you to thevolunteer organizations and the hun-dreds of volunteers who donated theirtime and effort. Our volunteers are thebackbone of the taste and workbehind the scenes to make it the suc-cess it is each and every year. The NewTampa Chamber of Commerce thanksyou and the New Tampa communitythanks you all. We’ll see you all againnext year.

Our membership ranks are grow-ing. Last month we welcomed Gunter& Gunter Insurance, Casa Fina Realtyand SpacePlus Storage (see photo).Nearly 20 new companies have joinedthe Chamber so far in April and wewill welcome them during our month-ly breakfast meeting on the thirdTuesday of the month, 8 a.m. atTampa Palms Golf & Country Club.

Join us on Monday, May 10, forour County Commission CandidateForum and Tuesday, May 18, to hearTerry Weaver, CEO of Wilson Tech-nology Group Inc, who will present“Sandwiched between my businessand my mom.”

Terry’s experiences as an exec inthe assisted living market and now inIT gives her a unique perspective otherexecutives will find useful to cope withhome issues while leading their busi-nesses. Please reserve your seat byemailinginfo@newtampachamber.org.

Academic Edge Learning Center Promotes Academic ExcellenceBy Melissa O’Brien

Every year around this time, highschool students anxiously await the mailcarrier hoping for that one letter thatsays they have been accepted to the col-lege of their choice. More than ever,the competition for acceptance at thebest colleges and universities is intenseand students need to have a competitiveand academic edge to be accepted.

Sohbat Jabbari, founder of theAcademic Edge Learning Center, Inc.,in the Tampa Palms Professional Centeroff Commerce Park Blvd., recognizesthe importance of this advantage andstrives to help students of any ageachieve all that they are capable ofaccomplishing.

“I love teaching,” says Jabbari,who has more than 25 years of experi-ence in education at both the highschool and university level. “I reallyenjoy helping kids and my greatestreward is when my students get accept-ed to top schools like Harvard or Geor-gia Tech.”

Jabbari opened Academic Edgetwo and a half years ago after workingfor many years at the SaddlebrookPrepatory School in Wesley Chapel. “AtSaddlebrook, I worked with students of

all ages – tennis players and golfers –preparing them for university,” says Jab-bari, who has worked with a number oftoday’s ranked professional tennis stars.“I always enjoyed tutoring and wantedto branch out and help everyone.”

Academic Edge Learning Centeroffers supplemental learning programsin virtually all subject areas to enhancethe overall educational experience ofstudents. Tutoring is offered by Jabbariand his staff of seven tutors in areassuch as mathematics, language develop-ment and enrichment, reading, scienceand foreign language. The center alsoprovides programs for SAT, ACT andother college-entrance test preparation.In addition, Academic Edge providestutoring for university students whoplan to take the GRE or other entranceexams necessary for graduate schooladmission.

“The mission of Academic Edge isto empower each student to maximizehis or her fullest potential throughhighly accurate assessment and focusedachievement development,” says Jab-bari. “Every student is given the oppor-tunity to excel beyond his or her cur-rent educational level of performance.”

Jabbari says that each student atAcademic Edge is initially given anassessment test to see how the tutor can

best help him or her. “We make indi-vidual assessments as to how best tohelp each person,” he says. “I first seewhat a student’s educational foundationis. Without a good foundation, theycan’t move forward. I have kids whocome to me taking calculus who don’tunderstand percentages and fractions.They first need to understand theseimportant elements before we moveforward. Since each student is an indi-vidual, every program is unique forevery student.”

Jabbari says that many tutoringprograms offered in the area are pre-scribed programs that may not assessthe individual needs of the student.“Our program is customized to fit indi-

vidual needs.” he says. “Students arriveat different levels of achievement, soyou cannot place everyone in the sameprogram.”

Jabbari says the key to his teachingmethod is to relate schoolwork to real-life situations. “In the public highschools and even in private schools,teachers often don’t get the chance tointeract with individual students,” hesays. “In my experience, students neverget the chance to explore concepts indepth. They are just memorizing abunch of formulas. I teach subjects in away that kids can relate to real-life situa-tions. This makes it easier for them tounderstand. When I teach science,physics or math, students are oftenamazed at what I show them and lovemy teaching methods. They end upretaining the information much better.”

Some of Jabbari’s students havetraveled miles just to take tutoring fromhim. “I have a student who drove allthe way from Orlando,” says Jabbari.“He had a good score on his SAT buthe wanted to improve it. After weworked together, his scores went upand he just got accepted to Rollins Col-lege, one of the best private colleges inFlorida, and was awarded a $50,000-per-year scholarship. He sent me a letterthat said, ‘I am where I am today

Sobhat Jabbari helps Freedom Highstudent Colton Rupke with a pre-

calculus assignment.

thanks to you andyour amazing work.’”

Jabbari grew upin Chicago and grad-uated from the Uni-versity of Illinois. Hethen earned his Mas-ter’s degree at theUniversity of SouthFlorida and beganteaching after intern-ing at an area highschool. He taughtphysics at USF for three years and atHillsborough Community College forten years before working at Saddle-brook Prep. Jabbari and his wife Ozra,who also teaches at the center, live inTampa Palms.

For Viral Patel, working with Jab-bari gave him an advantage when prac-ticing for his SATs. “I heard about Mr.Jabbari from a friend,” says Patel, whoattends King High School’s Interna-tional Baccalaureate program. “He is anexcellent teacher. He gives me a lot ofproblem-solving examples, which gaveme an advantage when taking the SAT.I did very well on my exams and I thinkhis real-world examples really helped.Working with him is not just for learn-ing, he also helps get you motivated.He has such enthusiasm and kept mewanting to understand what he was say-ing. Some teachers are not enthusiastic

and it is hard to be that way when theyare not. It was a great experience work-ing with him.”

Inez Muguruza has known Jabbarifor many years and highly recommendsAcademic Edge to other parents. “Wemet him in 2000 when he was theteacher of our youngest son,” she says.“He did fantastic work in math, calcu-lus, geometry, and trigonometry andAP calculus. He prepared our son forthe SAT and he got an almost perfectscore – a 780 in math. I really recom-mend him. He is a very good teacherand really loves all of his students.”

Jabbari wants parents to know thatwhat is taught in school nowadaysmight not be enough to prepare theirstudents for the real world and theglobal economy. “I want people to real-ize that what their children are learning

in school is not enough,” he says. “Wereally need to teach our children howto think and analyze, rather than justmemorize and give back information.Our goal is to help students achieve andget them ready for the challenges of arigorous university. I have provided thatfor many students who have gone on toHarvard, Stanford and other prestigiousuniversities.”

Academic Edge Learning Cen-ter, Inc., is located at 17419 BridgeHill Ct. The center is open Monday-Friday, 2 p.m. – 9 p.m., and 8 a.m. –4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Formore information, call 971-6500 orvisit AcademicEdgeCenter.com.

Jabbari & teacher Aimee Nadow with one of their starpupils, Viral Patel.

Florida Hospital Zephyrhills Heart Institute Earns More Accolades! By Gary Nager

If you and your loved ones havenever had to deal with a cardiac inci-dent, congratulations. Unfortunately, aswe age, the likelihood that you and/orsomeone you love will be dealing withsome sort of heart issues obviouslyincreases exponentially. The good news,however, is that the residents of WesleyChapel have an outstanding cardiac carehospital right here in their own back-yards.

In fact, while the Florida HospitalZephyrhills (FHZ) Heart Institute isn’tthe closest hospital to New Tampa(located just a few miles north of whereS.R. 54 meets U.S. Hwy. 301), it is anaward-winning cardiac care facility.

FHZ Heart Institute administrativedirector Gwen Alonso is proud toannounce that the hospital’s cardiaccare unit continues to garner somemajor honors, including (most recently)being the only recipient of the 2010HealthGrades Coronary InterventionAward of Excellence in Tampa Bayarea. (Note-Millions of consumers andhundreds of the nation’s largestemployers, healthcare plans and hospi-tals rely on HealthGrades’ independentratings of the nation’s 5,000 hospitals,consulting and products to make

healthcare decisions based on the quali-ty of care. HealthGrades currentlyworks with more than 400 hospitalsnationwide and produces well-respectedpublic studies of hospital quality in areasthat include clinical excellence, patientsafety and women’s health.)

The FHZ Heart Institute also ishome to the only fully accredited elec-trophysiology team in the state of Flori-da. In fact, Alonso says there are only10 Registered Cardiac Electrophysiolo-gy Specialists in all of Florida and“three work in FHZ’s electrophysiologylab!. FHZ also has the only accreditedheart failure institute and the onlychest-accredited hospital in easternPasco County.

FHZ is part of the Christian mis-sion-based Adventist Health Systems(the largest nonprofit hospital chain inthe U.S.). The FHZ Heart Institute,which was initiated in 2006 and earnedits national cardiac accreditation in May2009, provides comprehensive cardiacservices to adults suffering from cardiacor cardiovascular disease.

Heart Institute services includeopen heart surgery, coronary bypassgrafting, cardiac valve repair andreplacement, transmyocardial laserrevascularization, thoracic aneurysmrepair, electrophysiology (EP), ablation

& 3D mapping, cardiac catheterizationand cardiac diagnostics. The HeartInstitute’s dedicated team of highlytrained specialists includes Board-certi-fied cardiologists, electrophysiologists,cardiac surgeons and critical care nurses.

One of the leading cardiologists atFHZ, Sunil Gupta, MD, helped bringballoon angioplasty and cardiac stintingto the hospital. Dr. Gupta, whoreceived specialized cardiac training at

Jersey City Medical Center in JerseyCity, NJ, and at the University ofLouisville (KY), came to FHZ in 1999.

One of the patients he helped is68-year-old Phyllis Krieger, a NewTampa resident who had no idea herheart was working at only 20 percent ofits capability when she was complainingof fatigue and was referred to Dr.Gupta and Ketul Chauhan, MD,another FHZ cardiologist.

The Florida Hospital Zephyrhills Heart Institute is proud to be home to top pro-fessionals such as cardiologists Sunil Gupta, MD (front), and Ketul Chauhan,

MD (left in back), and the FHZ Cath Lab Staff. Photo by Alex Stafford.

“It was fur-ther away fromme than UCH(University Com-munity Hospital),but the trip waswell worth it,”says Krieger. “Myheart is now up tooperating at 40percent of itscapacity and I amgetting stringerevery day. My experience with FloridaHospital Zephyrhills was fabulous!”

Alonso says that perhaps the mostimportant thing she can tell our readersabout the FHZ Heart Institute is that itmeans that patients no longer have totravel to UCH, Tampa General Hospi-tal or other facilities to get top-qualitycardiac care.

“We are continuing to grow andour staff and equipment are all state-of-the-art, but we also are continuing toconstantly review our own performanceto make sure you get the best possiblecare every time you visit — and thatcommitment is from the hospitaladministration, doctors and staff! Thishelps us to always be accountable toour heart failure patients. Our goal isalways to reduce the time it takes to gofrom entering the emergency room toreceiving the treatment needed and to

reduce the number of times they haveto revisit the hospital.”

Dr. Gupta adds that before FHZreceived its chest accreditation, patientswho lived close to FHZ were having torisk being transported to another hospi-tal to get the kind of care you can findat FHZ today.

“And, with a heart attack or anycardiac incident, you don’t want tohave to wait for quality care,” he says.

Florida Hospital Zephyrhills is a154-bed, full-service, mission-basedfacility. As reported in other stories inprevious issues of this publication, thehospital’s still-ongoing transformationhas upgraded every aspect of FHZunder CEO John Harding.

Today, FHZ provides outstandinghealth care services that help to heal thewhole person – body, mind and spirit.Known for its compassion and expert-ise, the hospital’s clinical team of physi-cians, nurses, technologists and thera-pists deliver a full range of inpatient andoutpatient services. Patients are assuredof a true commitment to health careexcellence, in a compassionate, caringand expert setting.

Florida Hospital Zephyrhills islocated at 7050 Gall Blvd. (aka U.S.Hwy. 301). For additional informa-tion, call 788-0411 or visitFHZeph.org.

FHZ Heart Institute patient Phyllis Krieger.

Albert Boholst, DMD, Offers General, Cosmetic & Laser DentistryBy Melissa O’Brien

When Georgene Bender was toldby a dentist that her only option fortreating her periodontal disease was toremove all of her teeth and get den-tures, she thought, “There must be abetter way.”

Then, she read about a new, nearlypainless dental laser treatment thatoffered a solution for her condition thatwould allow her to keep her teeth.When she went online to find an areadentist who could perform the proce-dure, she found Albert Boholst, DMD(Doctor of Medical Dentistry) in theSummergate Professional Park, just offof S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel.

“I had not gone to my dentist fora couple of years and my gums wherebad,” says Bender, who lives in Seffner.“Since I have diabetes, implants are notan option and I was told that I wouldneed to have my teeth removed. Ialready had a procedure done for deeppockets [in my gums] that was verypainful, so I was looking for otheroptions. I found Dr. Boholst, who per-formed the laser procedure on me andit was very successful. Now, I seem tobe healthier, because my diabetes num-bers used to be elevated due to theinfection in my gums. The treatment

was painless and my gums have reced-ed. We are now looking at cosmeticprocedures and I am doing a better jobof taking care of my teeth.”

Dr. Boholst, who is one of the firstdentists in the Tampa Bay area to per-form laser dentistry, says, “There’s nocutting, no suturing and much less dis-comfort with the Laser Assisted NewAttachment Procedure (LANAP) thanwith standard gum surgery – both dur-ing and after the procedure. All it takesis two two-hour visits to the dentist andtwo follow-up visits. Traditional surgerymay require four sessions of about onehour each, with subsequent visits forsuture removal and additional check-ups. LANAP gives better, longer-lastingresults. In fact, studies show that 98percent of treated patients remain stableafter five years, while only five percentreportedly remain stable after traditionaloral surgery.”

Dr. Boholst says that people withdiabetes really need to stay on top oftheir oral health.

“Studies have shown that they aremore prone to getting periodontal dis-ease and it can make their diabetesmore problematic,” he says. “If theyhave diabetes and smoke, they are at aneven higher risk of getting [gum] dis-ease. I frequently see diabetic smokers

who have advancedperiodontal disease anddidn't even know it.”

Dr. Boholst notesthat the laser technolo-gy is not just for peri-odontal disease; it alsocan be used for cavities.

“While the laserdoes have some limita-tions — like if youalready have silver fill-ings on a tooth — itcan be used to removecavities,” says Dr.Boholst, who treatspatients from age threeto 90-plus years old. “Kids find thismore appealing because there is lessscraping and drilling involved.”

Dr. Boholst’s office, which offerspatients overhead TVs to help themrelax, also offers routine dental clean-ings and checkups, cosmetic dentistry,“no drill” veneers (porcelain veneersplaced directly over a person’s teethwithout having to drill down first) andtreatment for TMJ (temporomandibu-lar [jaw] joint) disorder. The office alsocan fit patients with the NociceptiveTrigeminal Inhibition Tension Suppres-sion System (NTI), a tiny mouthpiecethat hugs the two front teeth that may

bring relief to people who suffer frommigraine and tension headaches. It alsocan help people who have other TMJsymptoms such as popping or clickingin their jaws or excessive tooth wear.

Another new technology Dr.Boholst uses is an intraoral camera. Itallows the patient to see their teeth andgums up close and in real time.

“While treating the patient, I guidea camera around their mouth and weboth look up at the LCD monitor andsee the cracks, cavities, and gum infec-tions together,” he says. “It’s one thingfor me to say ‘You have a crack in thattooth’ and you having to take my word

General & cosmetic dentist Albert Boholst, DMD,specializes in the use of laser dentistry to treat peri-

odontal disease at his office in Wesley Chapel.

for it. It’s another for me to say, ‘Seethis dark crack that goes from the topto the bottom of your tooth, that’s whythe tooth needs treatment.’ The vastmajority of my patients tell me they’venever seen their teeth and gums likethat before. My philosophy is for thepatient and me to see the problemstogether and then I offer possible treat-ment options. I also like to educatepeople on how their oral health relatesto their overall health.”

Community Service, TooCommunity Service, TooDr. Boholst also gives back to his

community by offering free examina-tions to pregnant women.

“I have a great concern with howthe mouth relates to the body,” says Dr.Boholst. “I am part of the Close theGap Foundation, which conductsresearch to reduce infant mortality, andI offer assistance to expectant mothersto prevent pre-term or low-birth-weight babies. A published study statedthat women with periodontal diseaseare seven times more likely [than thosewith no evidence of periodontal dis-ease] to have a pre-term or low-birth-weight baby.”

He adds, “I also teach educationclasses and offer expectant women freegum examinations. In addition towomen of childbearing age, I also givefree consults to people who havemigraines, acid reflux and diabetes, as

well as to smokers and those with cos-metic concerns. I just like to give thepatient a chance to check us out with ano-obligation visit and let them see if Ican help them. We hold a couple ofspots open every day for these free con-sults, but they can fill up fast.”

Originally from Crystal River, FL,Dr. Boholst says he grew up in a med-ically-oriented family.

“My father was a general surgeonand my mother practiced Internal Med-icine,” he says. “I attended the Univer-sity of Florida and decided to practicedentistry instead because I knew fromwatching my dad that I wanted a differ-ent lifestyle. He was always on call and Iwanted my steady hours.”

After graduating from dentalschool, Dr. Boholst (who is a foundingmember of the Florida Academy ofCosmetic dentistry who also is a clinicalconsultant and lecturer for dental lasermanufacturers and has certifications forhis advanced training from the Acade-my of Laser Dentistry) practiced inJacksonville and then in SeminoleHeights in Tampa. He bought hisbuilding in the Summergate Profession-al Plaza and started practicing part-timein Wesley Chapel in 2007. He sold hisbuilding in the Seminole Heights areaof North Tampa in 2008 and startedpracticing full time in Wesley Chapel.

Patient Karen Normand, who livesin Riverview, says she gladly travels to

Wesley Chapel to see Dr. Boholst.“My husband and I moved from

Massachusetts in 2004 and I was look-ing for a dentist who offered periodon-tal services,” says Normand. “I havegenetic periodontal disease and need tosee a dentist every three months. Atfirst, I went to a doctor who suggesteddoing a major surgery that wouldinvolve a 10-12 month process. I justhappened to be watching Bay News 9and heard about the laser treatment. Idid some looking around and foundDr. Boholst.”

Normand went to see Dr. Boholst,who told her she was a good candidatefor the laser procedure. “I had laser sur-

gery in my whole mouth and I shouldhave sent Bay News 9 a thank-younote,” continues Normand. “Dr.Boholst did everything in one after-noon. The surgery did what it was sup-posed to do and I was able to avoid amore invasive surgery. Dr. Boholst is avery nice, gentle man who made every-thing easy for me.”

The General, Cosmetic andLaser Dentistry office of AlbertBoholst, DMD, is located at 27510Cashford Circle in Wesley Chapel(just outside of the Seven Oaks com-munity, behind Sam’s Club). Formore information, call 973-8555 orvisit TampaLaserDentist.com.

• Same Day Appointments

4444 E. Fletcher Ave., Suite B813-903-0060

Solo Practice!Practicing 14 years in TampaGraduate of UF & USFResidency All Children’s Hospital

Teena Hughes, M.D., P.A.Pediatrics

Board Certified

Most MedicalInsurance Plans

Accepted!

You Do The Dishes Celebrates 12 Years Of Creativity

For more than a decade, friends and families like this mom and her twodaughters have been exercising their creative passions at You Do The Dishes

paint-your-own pottery studio and coffeehouse in Tampa Palms. It’s been a dozen years since You

Do The Dishes (YDTD) paint-your-own pottery studio and coffeehouseopened at 15357 Amberly Dr. inTampa Palms, and, to help celebrate thestudio’s 12th anniversary, owner CindyKozlowski will hold a special celebra-tion, 1 p.m.-10 p.m., on Sunday, May2, where everyone can enjoy free paint-ing time, which normally costs $8 perhour (pottery and firing costs stillapply). There also will be free cake andother surprises, too, so come on by.

In addition to the anniversary cele-

bration, YDTD also has a variety ofother weekly specials, such as LadiesNight (Monday), College Night(Thursday) and Midnight Madness onthe first Saturday of every month. Forkids, YDTD offers a special summer artcamp during June, July and August.

And, be sure to try one of YDTD’sdelicious coffees, teas and other bever-ages, or have a sample of their new“Working Cow” brand ice cream whileyou paint.

For more information, call 975-1700 or visit youdothedishes.com.

Tampa Real Estate GuideFloridaExecutiveRealty.com

MarcStern

MARC@ FLORIDAEXECUTIVE.INFO WWW.FLORIDAEXECUTIVE.INFO DOUGMREALESTATE@AOL.COM

(813)760.0809

DougMuehl

(813)340.7939

CALL MARC STERN OR DOUG MUEHL FOR PRE-CONSTRUCTION INFORMATION.

Standard Pacifi c Homescoming to Tampa Palms

starting at $179,900!

BEAUTIFUL CONSERVATION AND ADDITIONAL FLOOR PLANS AVAILABLE.

Sedona B - 1,484 sq ft, 3bed/2bath/den/2car. Home site backsup to a privacy wall. Scheduledcompletion is late June. $199,900

Remington B - 1,810 sq ft, 4bed/2bath/loft/2car. Home site backs up to abeautiful conservation area. Scheduledcompletion is late June. $221,900

Aurora B - 2,423 sq ft, 3bed/2.5bath/gameroom/2car. 40’ wide x 125’ deephome site backs up to a beautifulconservation area. Available in lateJune. $247,900

Aurora C - 2,423 sq ft, 3bed/ 2.5bath/gameroom/2car. 40’ wide x 125’ deep andpies out in the back to 48’ home site whichbacks up to a beautiful conservation area.Available in late June. $248,900

TAMPA PALMS WEST MEADOWS

Lutz - This fabulous home is located in a small gated & private enclave of just 22 homes. Oversized homesite, long driveway, & grandfather oaks add to the charm of this home with 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, & bonus room. Most of the rooms overlook the large sparkling pool & spa with brick pavered pool deck & screen enclosure. Country setting, but still near the convenience of good schools, dining, hospitals, & major highways. No CDD fees and low HOA fees. $375,000

Tampa Palms - 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath Tampa Palms home with 2161 sq. ft. master suite is downstairs and family room has a wood burning fi replace. Hurry at this price it won’t last. $5,000 in closing costs with full price offer! $185,000

West Meadows - Absolutelybeautiful Southern Craftedhome in Hawthorne Estatesof West Meadows. Oversized,fenced corner home site lushlylandscaped. One of the few 4bedroom, 3 bath, den, pool homeswith 3 car garage available inNew Tampa. Call for more details.

WE CONTINUE TO NEED MORE LISTINGS!

• RESIDENTIAL LOANS • REFINANCE• 100% FINANCING • FHA • VA

Offi ce 813.961.3900Fax 813.676.1989www.dhmloans.com

JANE FLOYD (813) 961-3900

3325 W. Bearss AveTampa, FL 33618

DIANE ACKEN (813) 299-4758

15 minutes from New Tampa - 3/2on corner lot in Seffner. Clean &

updated w/ newer roof, A/C, doublepane windows, appliances. 5 minutesto I-4, convenient to Tampa, Orlando

and beaches/shopping. $140,000

• CLOSINGS • SHORT SALES• 1031 EXCHANGES • REFINANCES

Office 813.961.3391Fax 813.960.8959www.ETOTB.com

PHIL CLARK (813) 961-3391

5303 Technology Dr.Tampa, FL 33647

Tampa Palms - Four bedroom, twoand a half bath pool home overlookingpond & conservation. Tile roof. Wood

floors. Crown molding. Custombuilt-ins. Pavered pool deck. Gorgeous

upgrades. $315,000

Tampa Palms - Gorgeous four bedroom, three bath home overlooking pristine

conservation. Granite counters, stainless steel appliances, cherry cabinets, 18x18 ceramic tile. Upgrades galore. Enlarged

screened and pavered lanai. $282,500

Tampa Palms - Four bedroom, two and a half bath home on serene pond and lush conservation. Tile roof. Granite counters.

Wood floors. Crown molding. Newer appliances. Many upgrades. Huge screened

and tiled lanai. $295,000 FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO SEE THESE PROPERTIES CALL PETE RADEKA (813) 760-1979

DINA HUNTER (813) 404-7867

Are you a first time Homebuyer?Now, is a great time to buy your fi rsthome! If you have not owned a homein the past 3 years, you are eligible for

an $8,000 federal tax credit. But, time isrunning short, you must have a bindingsales contract in force by April 30, 2010

and close by June 30, 2010. Call Dina Hunter today tostart your new home search.

813.404.7867PETE RADEKA (813) 760-1979

Lutz - Three bedroom, three bathcustom built home on a lakefront

homesite. 1/3 acre. Hard wood fl oors.Fireplace. Also includes a 22x16

attached workshop. Great locationonly minutes to I-275. $249,000

FLORIDA EXECUTIVE PROPERTY SERVICES• 4/3/2, 2714 sq. ft. home, $2400• 3/2/2, 1387 sq. ft. home, $1300• 3/2.5/2, 2161 sq. ft. home, $1700

TAMPA• 2/2, 960 sq. ft. condo, $750 • 2/1.5/1, 1240 sq. ft. townhome, $1000

WESLEY CHAPEL LAND O’LAKES/LUTZ• 3/2/2, 1501 sq. ft. home, $1100 RIVERVIEW• 3/2/1, 1099 sq. ft. home, $ 800

RENTALSTo view our rentals onlineplease go to our website

www.ferleases.comor email to

Irene@ferleases.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT IRENE OCASIO AT (813) 632-9452

NEW TAMPA

We’ve Got You CoveredRELOCATING ACROSS TOWN

-OR-ACROSS THE WORLD...

YOUR LOCAL CONNECTIONWITH A NATIONAL PRESENCE.

Let me connect you to unmatched relocation services anywherein the world. I welcome the opportunity!

Jane Gowarty, RCC - Relocation Director1-888-200-6077 • 813-972-3430

Plantation Palms - Upgraded3/2/3 with golf course frontage.

Bamboo flooring, all new ceilingfans, upscale glass tile backsplash& Corian counters and more. Must

see to believe at $233,500!

Lake Bernadette - Lovely 2 story home perfectfor entertaining w/ huge screened patio, spaciousbedrooms, newer mahogany laminate fl ooring,

tile on the diagonal, warm color palette throughoutwith decorator niches leading you from the frontdoor into your new home. Short Sale. $195,000

Cory Lake Isles - Custom builder plans availablefrom David Weekley Homes incl. dock! Come live

the tropical lifestyle... corner vacant lot w/ direct accessto 165 acre ski lake located in beautiful Cory LakeIsles w/ many amenities. Easy access to shopping,USF, Moffit, VA, & all major highways. $149,000

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO SEE THESE PROPERTIES CALL JUDI BECK (813) 380-3866

LISTED JUS

LISTED

Wharton High Program Helps Bring ‘Best Buddies’ Together By Michael Smith

The friendships that are formed inhigh school can be among thestrongest and longest lasting ones weever have, but making new friends canbe challenging, especially for studentswith intellectual disabilities, who typi-cally have to attend special classes apartfrom the general student population.

That, however, is where the BestBuddies organization comes in, as itpairs middle, high school and collegestudents with and without disabilitiesfor friendship and activities both in andoutside of the school setting. Thisinternational organization also includescomponents for adults and job trainingand placement for those with intellectu-al disabilities.

Best Buddies was founded in 1989by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, and nowhas chapters in all 50 states and 42countries on six continents, with nearly50,000 participants in the state ofFlorida alone. In Hillsborough County,there are Best Buddies chapters at fivemiddle schools, 13 high schools(including both Wharton and Freedomin New Tampa) and five colleges,including the University of South Flori-da, the University of Tampa and others.

Special needs teacher Cheryl Har-rison is the faculty sponsor of the BestBuddies chapter at Wharton High,where there currently are about 20 par-ticipants. Under the program guide-lines, the intellectually disabled studentsand their “Buddies” take part in onegroup activity every month, such asbowling, and a recent field trip toLowry Park Zoo, as well as one activityon their own. They also keep in touchat other times through phone calls, textmessages and just talking to one anoth-er between classes.

The program participants also takepart in other special activities from timeto time, such as the drive that the WHS

group recentlyorganized togather schoolsupplies for theLove and HopeFoundation.The chapteralso is planningan Earth Dayevent at theschool in April,and they alsoare busy gettingready for theupcomingFriendship Ball,which is a spe-cial end-of-the-year dance for all of the program partic-ipants in the county.

“Students with intellectual disabili-ties can be very isolated, but Best Bud-dies really helps them expand their cir-cle of friends and exposes them toactivities that they normally wouldn’tparticipate in,” Harrison says.

That was demonstrated during arecent chapter meeting held on Whar-ton’s monthly Club Day, where the fea-tured activity was a game of charades.Although some of the intellectually dis-abled students were initially reluctant orshy about participating, soon everyonein the room was having a great timelaughing and calling out guesses as towhat the charades were portraying.

Harrison says that all of the non-diabled students who participate in BestBuddies are volunteers and they arematched with disabled students basedupon their personalities, common inter-ests, activities and other factors. Harri-son said that the regular students don’treceive any community service creditsfor their participation, because “wewant to be sure that they are doing itfor the right reason, which is the desireto build a real, long-lasting friendshipwith another student.”

The cur-rent presidentof Wharton’sBest Buddieschapter is jun-ior SofiaRattes, 17,who was firstexposed to theorganizationbecause herolder sisterEsther is intel-lectually dis-abled and hadbeen participat-ing while Sofiawas still in

middle school. Now, Sofia has a buddyof her own, junior Nikita Brown, andthe two of them often hang out withEsther and her Buddy from the pro-gram. The four of them went on thebowling and zoo trips, and Sofia andNikita also do lots of other things, too,like going to movies or out for coffeeafter class.

“She’s like a big sister to me,”Nikita says. “I like talking to her anddrawing pictures for her.”

Esther, meanwhile, has been par-ticipating in Best Buddies for the lasteight years, and she still keeps in touchwith several of her old Buddies, eventhough they are no longer at Wharton.She will be graduating this year, butsays she hopes to be able to continue inthe adult Buddies program after gradu-ation. Sofia says the Best Buddies pro-gram has really had a positive impact onher sister.

“She’s a lot more social than sheused to be, and she’s not afraid to goout and try new things,” Sofia says. “Itreally has helped her grow as a person.”

In addition, Sofia says that she alsogets something out of participating inthe program.

“It’s been a real learning experi-

ence for me, too,” she says. “It helpsgive me a different perspective onthings, and it makes me happy that Iam able to help make someone elsehappy.”

All of the girls are really lookingforward to the Friendship Ball, whichwill be held on May 2. Although theyprobably won’t be going to the regularWharton High prom, they all say theylove to dance, and Nikita was even cho-sen Queen of the ball last year.

Like many other groups, however,the Best Buddies organization coulduse some help from the community, inthe form of donations or sponsorships,to support some of the group’s out-standing activities.

Anyone who is interested inhelping out can contact Hillsbor-ough County program coordinatorKimberly Carter at 954-9025, ext.302, or by e-mail at kimberly-carter@bestbuddies.org. BestBud-dies.org also is where you can findout more about the organization andeven sign up to participate.

For more specific informationabout the program at WhartonHigh, call the school office at 631-4710.

Nikita Brown (left) and Sofia Rattes havebecome good friends through Wharton’s “Best

Buddies” program.

Some peoplemight frown atbringing a dog toschool, but ClarkElementary’s mediacenter is filled withnothing but smileson Tuesday andThursday after-noons, when DennisMosher brings Sadiethe Therapy Dog tojoin the studentreaders.

Sadie is a 2-year-old standardpoodle who issocially well-man-nered and loves chil-dren. Sadie’s ownerDennis, who is thegrandfather of aClark student, also isa volunteer for the Humane Society ofTampa’s “Pet-A-Pet” program.

Mosher bought Sadie when shewas 3 months old, and since then, shehas earned two different special certifi-cations: Canine Good Citizen andTherapy Dog International. The unlike-ly reading team participates in readinggroups at two other local schools in

addition to Clark. Mosher assists withthe reading, while Sadie “listens” andputs the students at ease.

Studies have shown that having anon-threatening presence like Sadiearound increases students’ learning andcomprehension, and the students atClark certainly love Sadie’s therapy ses-sions, and always try to read their bestto please her.

Education UpdatesNEW TAMPA

On April 10, a team of fourthand fifth graders from Lawton ChilesElementary was awarded fifth place atthe state Odyssey of the Mind compe-tition in Orlando.

Odyssey of the Mind is theworld’s largest creative problem solv-ing competition for children. Thefifth-place Chiles team, made up ofBen Bryant, Ryan DeLaMater, SahilDeschenes, Lamine Diagne, James Ro,Ben Sajan and Hishaam Shafiq,designed and built a human-poweredvehicle that navigated several obstaclesin a fictitious middle school. They alsocreated all their sets and costumes.

The team coaches were Chiles teach-ers Nancy Erickson and Shital Patel.

Two other teams from the schoolalso took part in the state competi-tion. One team, which created a playas well as balsa wood columns thatcould balance and support hundredsof pounds of weights, consisted ofScott Ferguson, Daniela Lopez, AaronMuench, Raja Muthalagappan, andJon Qian.

The third team’s members, LuisCuevas, Caitlin Dempsey, MayaGowda, Anjella Griffin, Eric Ho andLillian Rickert, put on a performancewhere foods were put on trial.

The Chiles Elementary Odyssey of the Mind team of (l.-r.) Lamine Diagne, BenBryant, coach Shital Patel, Hishaam Shafiq, Ryan DeLaMater, Ben Sajan,coach Nancy Erickson, Sahil Deschenes and James Ro show the creative spiritthat helped them win fifth place at the state Odyssey of the Mind competition.

Doggone It, These Kids Love To Read!

Dennis Mosher and his dog Sadie help students learn toread at Clark Elementary School.

Lawton Chiles ElementaryOdyssey Of The Mind Team

Places Fifth In State Competition

the NCAA Basketball Final Four.“It’s crazy,” Vanzant said, “70,000

[people] is a lot. It was almost toomuch.”

Then, when Shawn and his Bull-dogs knocked off Michigan State andlegendary coach Tom Izzo to advanceto the national title game against a per-haps even-better-known coach, MikeKryzewski, and his three-time nationalchampion Duke Blue Devils two nightslater, I looked to the rafters of the his-toric stadium and was forced to holdback tears. Unfortunately, the Bulldogsended up losing the title game in aheartbreaker to Duke by just twopoints, 61-59, when Butler’s GordonHayward heaved a half-court shot astime expired. The shot nearly went in,but banked off the backboard beforebouncing off the front of the rim.

A True Local HeroShawn’s career at Wharton will be

remembered for years to come. Graduating back in 2007, he was

the most valuable player for a team thatfinished the regular season as theregional runner-up with a remarkable29-2 record. The Wildcats’ two lossesthat season were to eventual national

champion Montverde Academy andeventual state champion Lake Howell.In the three contests against NewTampa rival Freedom High that season,the ‘Cats outscored the Patriots 222-89. Shawn even captured The TampaTribune’s Hillsborough County Playerof the Year award that year.

Shawn’s tenure at Butler may notbe quite as impressive as his highschool career, yet, but the 6-foot-1guard is arguably the Bulldogs’ mostathletic player.

His single-game career high inpoints at Butler is only 20 and came inhis sophomore season, when Butlertook on Milwaukee-Wisconsin in aHorizon League match-up. His per-formance was enough to help his teamget the “W” as well as snag an ESPN

“Vanzant”Continued from page 1

headline about his efforts. But, during the national semifinal

matchup against Izzo and his MichiganState Spartans, Vanzant would come up“big” once again.

Up 2 points with under a minuteto play, one of his teammates took ashot that rimmed out and bouncedhigh off the rim. Seemingly out ofnowhere, Shawn’s No. 2 Butler jersey-was seen soaring through the air tosnag the offensive rebound. On his wayout of bounds, he still had the where-withal to find his teammate under thebasket. Butler capitalized on the layupand ultimately clinched a spot in thenational title game.

To me, the journey of Shawn Van-zant and his “mid major” Butler Bull-dogs proves that even if “David” does-

n’t always knock off “Goliath,” amaz-ing things happen when you roll withthe punches and persevere.

Thank you, Shawn. I love you.

(Editor’s note - We first got toknow Joshua Litton when we foundhis impressive TheBlueCrew.Netwebsite while searching for infor-mation about this year’s Whartonbasketball team a couple of monthsago. He called to tell us he wasgoing to see his brother Shawn playin the Final Four and I was thrilledto let him write this exclusive corre-spondent piece for us about hisfamily’s journey to Indy.)

Shawn Vanzant in action against Kansas State during the NCAA tourney.

Sports BriefsNEW TAMPA

The North TampaStars, an age 14-and-under USA Volleyballtravel team made up often girls from NewTampa, Temple Ter-race, Brandon and Car-rollwood, won theirdivision at the BigSouth National Qualifi-er Tournament held inAtlanta, GA, April 2-4.

The win over 104other 14-year-old clubteams from around thecountry earned theStars a spot in the USA Jr. NationalChampionships (formerly known as theJunior Olympics) in Reno, NV, in June.

The team, which is coached byBob Schaller, along with assistantcoaches Allison Zak and Fiona Monday,and Fiona’s husband (and co-owner ofFit-4-Life Personal Training & PhysicalTherapy in Tampa Palms) Travis astrainer, first formed as a recreationalteam at the Temple Terrace RecreationCenter in the fall of 2006. The Starsstarted playing competitive volleyball in2008 as a 12-and-under club team.

“The girls on this team have beenpracticing since December with the goalin mind of making it to the JuniorNational Championships,” Schaller says.“They play so well together and reallyrespect one another both on and off thecourt. It is a thrill as coach to have suchgreat players and people on this team.”

The team is seeking sponsors tohelp defray the cost of traveling tothe Championships. So, if you areinterested in helping to sponsor thetrip, contact David Zimroth at 215-0148 or e-mail him at dzimroth@verizon.net.

We want to congratulate KellyHuseman, a freshman at FreedomHigh, who finished third in the all-around competition at the FloridaState gymnastics meet in Tampa inMarch, including a score of 9.5 on theuneven bars, which was good enoughto make her state champion on thatapparatus. Huseman went on to winsecond place at the Region 8 Level 9& 10 Championships in South Caroli-na April 9-11, competing against topgymnasts from eight southern states.

Now, Kelly, a Level 9 gymnastwho started her competitive gymnas-tics career while she was in the thirdgrade and who trains under AmandaStroud, Billy West and Jeff LaFleur atLafleur’s-Tampa, moves on to theUSA Gymnastic Junior Olympic East-ern National Championships inCharleston, WV, April 30-May 2. Wewish her the best of luck.

Local Gymnast Heading For JO Championships

Above, coach Jeff LaFleur celebratesas Kelly Huseman sticks a perfect

landing after her uneven bars rou-tine at the Region 8 competition.

North Tampa Stars Win A Bid ToUSA National Jr Championships

We also want to offer belated congratulations to the Freedom High cheer-leading squad (above) and their counterparts at Wharton High, both of

which finished third in their respective divisions at the FHSAA CompetitiveCheerleading Championships in February.

New Football Coach Aims To Instill ‘Patriot Pride’ At FHSBy Michael Smith

When the Freedom High Patriotsfootball team takesto the gridiron thisfall, fans will prob-ably notice somechanges in theteam, and, if allgoes according toplan, those changeswill lead to districtand state titles, andnational recognition for the program.

At least, that is the long-term planfor the Patriots’ new head coach,Tchecoy (pronounced “Sha-Koy”)Blount, who held a meet-and-greet ses-sion for players, parents and footballsupporters at the school on April 8.

Blount, a St. Petersburg native,has been with the Patriots since 2007,when he was hired by then-head foot-ball coach Marquel Blackwell, whomhe played with both in high school andat the University of South Florida.Blount was a defensive end in his play-ing days, and at Freedom, he hasworked his way up through the ranks,starting as co-defensive line coach, thenoffensive/defensive line coach and last

year as assistant head coach underJames Harrell, who resigned earlier thisyear to take the head football coachingjob at Jesuit High.

Blount was one of 22 applicantsfor the position. He said that whenHarrell announced his departure, hefelt it was time for both he and theprogram to advance to the next level.

“I am very excited about thisopportunity,” Blount said during themeeting. “We have the chance to dosomething that’s never been donebefore, to build this program and get itto district and state champion statuswithin 12 years.”

Blount told the parents at themeeting that the primary philosophyfor the program will be an emphasis on“Patriot P.R.I.D.E.,” for “Persistence,Resilience, Intensity, Dedication andEnergy,” which he said Freedom foot-ball players will be expected to demon-strate both on and off the field.

“We will hold each other account-able for having Patriot Pride,” he said.

To demonstrate that team unity,Blount uttered a sound similar to the“hoorah” battle cry used by the U.S.Marines, which all of the football teammembers immediately repeated. He

also had the players recite the “PatriotPride” pledge, which talks about whatit takes to be a good student, athleteand citizen.

Along those lines, Blount said thatanother part of the new tradition willbe that the Freedom football programwill attempt to achieve specific academ-ic goals, including maintaining a 3.0team GPA and a 100-percent gradua-tion rate for his student-athletes. That’sin addition to his high expectations forachievement on the field, which

include competing for a district titleevery year, having a state ranking andhaving nationally recognized playersevery year.

To help him achieve those goals,Blount has assembled what he called an“All-Star” coaching staff, whichincludes a number of former pro play-ers, such as ex-Tampa Bay BuccaneersIan Smart and Tony Mayberry andE.G. Green, a star wide receiver atFlorida State University who went onto play with the Indianapolis Colts.

Tchecoy Blount

New Freedom High head football coach Tchecoy Blount encourages teamspirit among his players by having them recite the “Patriot Pride” pledge.

Saddlebrook Resort Hosts ‘Broadway Comes To Tampa’By Michael Smith

How often do you get the oppor-tunity to see some of the best perform-ers performing some of the best num-bers from some of the greatest stageshows in Broadway history, all in oneplace in one evening, and also supportlocal theater at the same time?

The answer is easy: once a year,when the New Tampa Players (NTP)theatre troupe puts on their fund-raisinggala, “Broadway Comes To Tampa.”

This year marks the eleventh yearof the star-filled extravaganza, and NTPpresident Doug Wall, who also is theproducer of the show, says that thisyear’s event will be better than ever.

Not only does the line-up include abreathtaking array of talented perform-ers, but the show also is being hostedonce again (for the third year in a row)by the beautiful Saddlebrook Resort &Spa in Wesley Chapel.

“Some of our fans and supporterscome to the show year after year, so wedo our best to make it different andexciting every year,” Wall says.

While last year’s show included atroupe of professional dancers, Wall saysthat this year the event will go back toits Broadway roots, which means thatthe performers will sing about 25 differ-ent numbers over the course of twoacts, highlighting the songs for whichthey are best known.

The line-up includes: Stephanie J.

Block, who most recently wowed audi-ences in the “Wizard of Oz” adaptation,“Wicked;” Rita Harvey, star of “Phan-tom of the Opera” and “Fiddler on theRoof;” Capathia Jenkins, star of “Caro-line Or Change” and “Civil War;”Robert Cuccioli, star of “Jeckyll &Hyde;” and, making his triumphantreturn to the show, audience favoriteDanny Zolli, who has been the star of“Jesus Christ Superstar.”

“Danny is very popular with ouraudiences,” Wall says. “He has anextremely unique voice, with an almostunlimited range.”

Also scheduled to perform are jazzsaxophonist Greg Wall (Doug’s brother)and composer/lyricist Neil Berg.

In addition to the performances,the gala also will include dinner and asilent auction, with the opportunity tobid on a variety of great items, such assports and entertainment memorabilia,dinner packages, jewelry, tickets toTampa Bay Lightning games and more.

It all gets under way at 6 p.m. onSaturday, May 8, and tickets cost$175 per person, although SaddlebrookResort is offering a special overnightpackage which includes two tickets tothe show and a suite, for $399 per cou-ple. Tickets are limited, so reservationsare requested by Friday, May 1.

To purchase tickets, or for moreinformation, call 386-9333 or visitBroadwayComesToTampa.com. Formore information about the roompackage, visit saddlebrook.com.

Among the stars scheduled to perform at this year’s gala are (clockwise fromupper left): Stephanie J. Block, Danny Zolli, Rita Harvey, Greg Wall, and

Robert Cuccioli.

Congrations to Our “Broadway Comes To Tampa” Contest Winner!

Elsie Foley of Pebble Creek was selected in a random drawing as thelucky winner of two tickets to the show on May 8.

Please call our office at 910-2575 to claim your prize!

The Tropics At Saddlebrook Resort Gets A Delicious Makeover!

steaks available at the new Trop-ics — a traditional Steak Diane,a flame-broiled 10-oz. filetmignon and my fave, a 14-oz.New York strip available “aunaturel” or “au poivre.”

Fresh fish lovers will flip forthe teriyaki-basted Chilean seabass and the cedar-planksalmon. And, if you’re lookingfor an Italian twist, the newmenu also features a lasagnacasserole and a pasta Bolognese,made with Angus beef andtomato sauce.

In other words, I believe that it’salways worth a visit to The Tropics!

Saddlebrook Resort is located at

5700 Saddlebrook Way, off S.R. 54.The resort is open every day, butplease call 973-1111 or visit Saddle-brook.com for The Tropics’ hours ofoperation.

By Gary Nager

Long-time readers of this publica-tion know that I’ve always loved therestaurants at Saddlebrook Resort &Spa Tampa. Dempsey’s Steak House isone of my absolute favorite steakhousesin the entire Tampa Bay area and TheTropics, the other primary restaurant atthe resort — which is open for break-fast and lunch year-round, but closesfor dinner for a few months each year— has always been a place for greatseafood and other entrées and pastadishes you can’t get at Dempsey’s.

The Tropics is where SaddlebrookExecutive Chef Daniel Desmond andhis incredible staff basically get to tryout new concepts, although the latestincarnation of The Tropic is still a won-derful combination of delicious freshfish and seafood, Dempsey’s primesteaks and just a few other simple, butdelicious options. And now, Saddle-brook has reconfigured The Tropcs tonow include the beautiful adjacent bararea. And the change is working.

You can start with a roastedtomato soup or a “created” soup of theday, baked chicken wings or “shared”plates of olives, feta cheese and hum-mus or a “flight” of regional Americancheeses. There’s also “quick bites” like

a chicken Caesar salad, a margheritaflatbread, American Wagyu (beef) slid-ers and a spicy tuna crispy rice cake withedamame.

More “small plates” include anAmerican Wagyu flat iron steak, oven-roasted wild shrimp, a wonderfulsalmon in lemon brodetto and myabsolute favorite so far — an incrediblythick, tender and juicy lamb porter-house chop served with wild mush-room and fontina cheese-filled ravioliand covered in a savory Bordeaux winedemi. This one has to be tried to bebelieved, even if you really believe youdon’t like lamb! There’s also a mush-room baklava served with butternutsquash ravioli and a chicken Marengo,served with tomatoes and white beans.

There are three great Dempsey’s

This lamb porterhouse chop and mush-room-and-cheese-stuffed ravioli is oureditor’s new favorite at The Tropics.

Dempsey’s may have had it first, butThe Tropics does an equally great job

with this delicious New York strip.

The oven-roasted wild shrimp is oneof several new “small plates” at TheTropics restaurant at Saddlebrook.

The beautiful lobby bar at Saddlebrook is nowpart of The Tropics restaurant.

56) in the Publix-anchored Shoppesat New Tampa plaza. For orders andmore info, call 994-9797 or visitTasteOfBoston.net.

Super Buffet Pretty SuperSuper Buffet Pretty SuperI told you about the new buffet

Chinese/Japanese restaurant in TampaPalms a couple of issues ago and now,Wesley Chapel has its first free-standingAsian buffet restaurant, located in theformer Johnny’s Carino’s location (nextto Applebee’s) on S.R. 54, just east ofBruce B. Downs Blvd.

It’s called the Super Buffet SushiGrill and if you like to choose from avariety of offerings, you won’t findmore different dishes or cuisine typesthan you will at Super Buffet.

On my one visit so far, I have tosay that the red snapper sushi, the eggrolls, the chicken with broccoli and thebourbon chicken have been my favoriteof only about maybe 8 or 10 of thenearly 200 items (from you-peel-’emshrimp to pepperoni pizza) available atthe new Super Buffet, where lunch costsjust $7.69 per person ($5.20 for chil-dren 9-11) and dinner is $13.99 ($8.60for ages 9-11), but the dinner price alsoincludes crab legs.

Super Buffet is located at 28444Wesley Chapel Blvd. (S.R. 54). It isopen every day for lunch (or brunch

on weekends), 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. anddinner (Sunday-Thursday, 4 p.m.-10p.m., and until 11 p.m. on Friday-Saturday. Call 907-1168.

Mulligan’s Cinco de MayoYou might not expect an Irish pub

to celebrate a Mexican holiday, butMulligan’s Irish Pub in the PebbleCreek Golf Club will host a great Cincode Mayo event on Wednesday, May 5.

Beginning in the afternoon untillate, Mulligan’s will have live music andsalsa dancing, a taco bar and other Mex-ican cuisine and $3 margaritas andCorona “cervezas.”

So, no matter where you’re from,you can be Mexican for the day, too, atMulligan’s (10550 Regents Park Dr.,off Bruce B. Downs Blvd., at the Wal-Mart Supercenter light).

Call 973-3870, x225, or visitPebbleCreekClub.com.

By Gary Nager

Telling you about new restaurantsand dining events in our area has alwaysbeen one of my favorite parts of my joband I have to say that the new restau-rant action is still proceeding apace inWesley Chapel. Super Buffet and Tasteof Boston have opened recently in Wes-ley Chapel and Mulligan’s Irish Pub inPebble Creek is hosting a great Cincode Mayo Fiesta.

Taste Of Boston — WhatTaste Of Boston — WhatA Great Menu!A Great Menu!

Wesley Chapel’s new Taste ofBoston Seafood Restaurant was onlyopen for a few weeks before we went topress with this issue, so I’ve only beenable to sample it twice so far. The thingthat struck me right away about thiscomfortable, new sit-down restaurantlocated on the side of the plaza thatfaces the Wiregrass Mall was the hugemenu.

Boston native and owner GeorgeIllis has had a Taste of Boston on Inter-bay Blvd. in South Tampa for years andalthough his menu is loaded with tradi-tional New England fried seafood(including a delicious fried haddock),there’s certainly plenty of grilled andbroiled seafood dishes, too, plus

favorites like traditional steamers (clams,of course), a 1-1/4-lb. lobster bake,what George claims to be the “BestPhilly south of Philly,” plus freshgrouper (photo) and other sandwiches,great fries, steaks, Maryland crab cakesand so much more. There’s even a nicevariety of Edy’s gourmet ice cream fla-vors for dessert and domestic andimported bottled beers and house winesavailable.

Taste of Boston also offers greatdaily specials, like all-you-can-eat (big)shrimp for just $12.99, an all-you-can-eat fish fry featuring delicious fried (for$10.99) or blackened ($11.99) basa (aflaky, white freshwater fish, even milderthan tilapia) and all-you-can-eat friedhaddock for $14.99 on Friday. Youeven get a cup of New England (white)clam chowder to start for that price.

Taste of Boston is located at1944 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. (at S.R.

Neighborhood Nibbles—Taste Of Boston & Super Buffet Open!

Machismo Burrito Bar Takes The Fresh Burrito Concept To The Next LevelBy Gary Nager

Ma·chis·mo [mah-cheez-moh, -chiz-, muh-] noun

1. A strong (or exaggerated)sense of manliness.

2. A big, fat, fresh burritomade at Machismo Burrito Bar

When my friend John Armatas,who also is a co-owner of the ToastFine Wine & Cigar Bar in the sameOak Ramble Plaza (south of TampaPalms) on Bruce B. Downs (BBD)Blvd., told me that he was now theFlorida director of marketing involvedin opening a new burrito bar in theformer location of Avocado Latin Café,I have to admit I wasn’t overly excited.I’ve never been a huge fan of Moe’sSouthwest Grill, Tijuana Flats, Chipo-tle or any of the many other burritoconcept chain restaurants sprouting upeverywhere and the Machismo BurritoBar sounded like pretty much the samething.

Well, I was wrong. Not only doArmatas and New Tampa Machismofranchise owners Pinal Patel and WadeSexton offer many more fresh ingredi-ents with which to stuff your burrito,

the meats available – steak, chicken andpork (as well as a veggie/soy-basedBoca burger) – taste fresher and arespiced better than any of the otherburrito chains I’ve sampled. In otherwords, for the first time, my kids and Ican agree on a burrito place we bothcan enjoy for lunch and dinner. And,the price is right, too. Whether you getan overstuffed burrito, salad, rice bowlor quesadilla, it’ll only set you back $6(although guacamole or queso sauceare extra, unless you choose an all-veg-gie burrito or salad, when both areincluded for no additional charge).

“We think it’s the best deal intown,” says Armatas. “But, we hope

you’ll decide for yourself.” But,if that’s not a good enoughdeal for you, Armatas says therealso are some great daily spe-cials available on MachismoNew Tampa’s Facebook andTwitter pages (see below).“Sometimes, we offer a freecookie or free guacamole withyour burrito. I’m a big believerin the power of the social net-working sites.” He adds thatthe reviews on sites such asUrbanSpoon.com andYelp.com have been “outstand-

ing. We have gotten perfect 5 out of 5scores on 11 reviews on Urban Spoonso far.”

But, no matter how cost-effectiveit may be, I wouldn’t recommendMachismo if I didn’t believe it wassomething special – as well as some-thing a little different from the norm.For example, other burrito bars offerflour and some even have wheat tor-tillas, but where else can you also get achoice of spinach, sun-dried tomato,jalapeno and chipotle-flavored tortillas?

Likewise, the other places definite-ly all offer cold ingredients like salsa,onions, green peppers, sour cream and

guacamole, plus hot fillers like black orpinto beans and yellow (saffron) orbrown rice, but what happens if youask one of those other places for freshingredients like alfalfa sprouts, romainelettuce, baby spinach or vegan cheeseor sour cream? I’m guessing most willlook at you like you have two heads.

But, it’s no problem at Machismo,where you also can get black olives,yellow corn and hot, medium or mildsalsa. You can even top your burritowith any of 40 different hot sauces(with catchy names like “Pyromania”and “Death Wish”; Armatas says thesauces are “huge hits.”). Add chips or acookie or a side of guacamole or

John Armatas (left) and Pinal Patel inviteyou to sample any of 40 hot sauces with your

burrito at the Machismo Burrito Bar.

Fresh ingredients are the rule at Machismo.

chipotle or regular queso sauce andyou have an awesome meal at an out-standing price.

Machismo was founded in VirginiaBeach, VA, and its headquarters is in alittle town in Pennsylvania called Man-ayunk. There’s also a Machismo inBradenton and six locations overall.

Take The ‘El Gringo’ Challenge!

Of course, not everyone who eatsat Machismo is interested in “healthi-er” eating. So, if you’re up for a realchallenge, Machismo invites you totake the “El Gringo” challenge byreplacing the usual 1-1/2-2 lb. burritowith a 5-lb. monster. Finish it all in onesitting and your burrito is not onlyfree, you’ll get a free T-shirt, too! Todate, Armatas says 12 people havetaken the challenge and only one ofthose – USF student Matt Olah(photo, far right) – has successfullycompleted it to date – and he did it inonly 41 minutes!

By the way, Machismo’s Patel alsoowns the recently renamed JSpotLiquors in the same plaza. He’s got agreat selection of martini vodkas, singlemalt Scotches and even my favoriteBlanton’s bourbon, so check it out andplease tell him we sent you!

Machismo Burrito Bar is locatedat 14941 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., inthe Oak Ramble Plaza, just south ofTampa Palms. Delivery is availableto all of New Tampa, althoughArmatas says right now, with theconstruction on BBD, “We mighthave a problem with delivering toHunter’s Green between 5 p.m. and6 p.m. The burritos reheat just finein the microwave, but we don’t liketo take so long to get them to youthat they arrive cold.” For moreinformation, call 972-1888, visitMachismoBurritoBar.com or checkit out on Facebook at facebook.com/machismonewtampa or onTwitter at twitter.com/machimsobayarea. For J Spot Liquors (14919BBD), call 514-9494.

You can also get your burrito as asalad, without the wrapper.

T E L E P H O N E S E R V I C E

S E R V I C E S A V A I L A B L ETHE GAS DOCTOR. 24-HOUR EMER-GENCY SERVICE. Residential * Commercial* Industrial. * New Construction & Remodels* Natural & LP Gas Piping Systems. Gas Appli-ance Installation, Service & Repair. Providingconnections for: Gas Lights, Ranges, Dryers,Fireplaces, Furnaces, Generators, Grills, SpaceHeaters, Water Heaters, Pool Heaters, Firepits& Tankless Water Heaters. TECO Rebates onNatural Gas Appliances. 516-2927 or thegas-doctor.com. License # MG 24668

O F F I C E S P A C E 2 office + Reception and Cabinet Area. Loca-tion: 33647 zip in Commerce Park ProfessionalCenter. Estimated Cost $900/1000 per Month3yr/1yr. 10X15 =150 11x11 =121 14x16=224...Estimate Sq ft: 550 Sq Ft. Also Include 1closet and Unisex Bathroom. Available Jan 12010. Address: 5307 Technology Dr Tampa, Fl.33647. Contact: Bob Lamb 813.340.3000.

C H I L D C A R E Home day care in a loving home. 10 yearsexperience. We encourage social developmentactivities, games, play times & more. Infant &up. CPR & first aid. Reg. R23PA0154. CallHilda @ 388-9148.

B U Y I N G G O L D NEED EXTRA MONEY…We can turn yourunwanted, old or broken gold jewelry intoCASH! Take advantage of high gold priceswhich may not last long. Don’t sell to the fly bynight companies. Take it to Tampa PalmsHometown Jeweler. Jeweler on staff w/ 35 yrs.exp. Charles Jewelers, 972-4653 (next toStein Mart on Bruce B. Downs).

T A I C H I L E S S O N S

M A S S A G E LICENSED MOBILE MASSAGE THERA-PIST. 9am -9pm, Mon, Tues & Wed. $50 for 1hour! Types of massage available: Swedish, DeepTissue, Aroma Therapy, Hot Stone, CorporateSeated, Pregnancy, Sports & Injury Rehab. Refer-ences available. www.barkdollmassagetherapy.comCALL. 727-372-6389 Lic # MA47546.

These are the Color ClassifiedsYour Neighbors R E A D!Call Dave @ 910-2575 to

order your ad today!H E L P W A N T E D

Home Health Worker. New Tampa-Wesley Chapel-Zephyrhills. Reliable People W/Experience. Neededfor Various Hours. Call Mary M-F 9am to 4pmonly. 813.788.1717. Lic HHA 299992388

RN’s in Pasco for HHA - PT/Per Diem, Medicare- Assessment Experience a Plus - Call: 727.259.2337

C O M P U T E R S E R V I C E SProfessional Tech Support in your home orsmall business. A+ certified computer tech with 15years of exp. Maintenance & repairs, upgrades &tutoring. More affordable than the large chains!Friendly, personalized svc. Technical jargonexplained in plain English. References availableupon request. Call 957-8342 for free estimate.

H O M E I M P R O V E M E N T

Need home maintenance? Almost any job, largeor small, ext/int, fencing , screening, sm. concrete,sprinklers, painting, repairs, int. doors, locks, sheetrock, windows, paint, caulk, grout, trim, shelving,garages organized. Installations, removals, pressurewashing, wood restoration & more. Call Dale’sHome Maintenance @ 973-0194 or 727-2582.

Greg’s Paperhanging. For all of your wallpaperingneeds. Licensed & insured, clean, quick & reason-able. Call 973-2767 for free estimate.

C L E A N I N G S E R V I C E SD-ULTRA CLEANING SERVICE. We haveour own supplies & more than 200 clients in NewTampa! For more information, call 758-9710.

Isn’t life busy enough? Save time. We can help.Your satisfaction is our first priority. Guaranteed, af -ford able, reliable, quality domestic svcs. Free esti-mate: Chelsea Maid Com pany @ 994-6662.

L A N D S C A P I N G

L A W N M A I N T E N A N C E

NTLC Property Maintenance. Residential &Commercial lawn maintenance for New Tampa &Wesley Chapel. Sprinkler repair, tree trimming,mulching, landscaping & clean-ups also available.Licensed & Insured. Call Bill @ 973-3825.

P O O L S E R V I C E S

P E T S I T T I N G

New Tampa Pet Sitting Service. Lots of love &care for your pets. Great experience & references.Recommended by Angie’s List. Licensed, Insured &Red Cross Certified. Call Marina @ 416-5301.

W I N D O W C L E A N I N G

NEW TAMPA & WESLEY CHAPEL ClassifıedsJoin OrthoTechnology’s Winning Team!Ortho Technology, an international ortho-dontic supply distributor located in NewTampa, is seeking talented energetic candi-dates for the following full-time positions: Distribution Associate: High energy individ-ual needed to receive, restock, pull & pack cus-tomer orders. Fast paced environment. Basicmath & computer skills, ability to stand/walkfor entire shift & lift up to 50 pounds required.QC Inspector: Entry level position respon-sible for accuracy of outgoing orders. 1-2 yrsexp w/QC responsibilities. Ability tostand/walk for entire shift, close vision, basiccolor differentiation and basic math req’d.Small parts/med device experience a plus.We provide a great work environment, excellentbenefits package and growth potential. Submitresumes to careers@orthotechnology.com.

Professional Pet Care.Exp’d. Pet sitter. We walk, play,feed & administer medicine, all in the comfort of yourpet’s home. We also bring in mail, water plants & helpmaintain home security while you’re away. Bonded,insured & trained in Pet First-Aid & CPR. Call ForThe Love Of Pets at 545-8406 or 416-3126 orvisit www.FortheLoveOfPetsOnline.com.

WINDOW WASHING most windows $6.00incl. inside, outside & sills. “Make Your WholeHouse Shine” 10+ yrs. experience. Convenientappointments. A POINT OF VIEW WINDOWWASHING. Wesley Chapel. 813-973-1451.

Tranquility Pool Service. New Tampa Owned& Operated! Great pricing w/outstanding cus-tomer service. Relax & enjoy while we keep yourpool in pristine swimming condition! Licensed,Bonded & Insured. Call Chris today for a freequote @ 857-5400 or visit us at www.tranquil-itypoolservice.com to see why we are NewTampa’s #1 choice! New customers mentionthis ad & receive one month FREE!

Aquatec Pool Service **Special offer! New cus-tomers get 1 Month FREE!** We offer QUALI-TY weekly full service at an affordable price & fol-low strict National Swimming Pool Foundation(NSPF) standards. Licensed & insured. Call today780-8616 or visit our website www.aquate-cpool.com to see why you should choose us!

SPRING CLEANING TIME AGAIN! Isn’tit time to get YOUR windows cleaned? VERYcurrent references, serving New Tampa andWesley Chapel. Call Scott @ (813)957-3043

Enjoy your time & let A.T.B. Landscaping &Lawn Service do the work for you. We providelandscaping, lawn maintenance, clean-ups, tree &hedge trimming, sodding, sprinkler repair & fertil-ization. Other services also available. 907-LAWN

Bay Estates Landscaping And Lightings offers avariety of landscape design options from Tropicalto Freeze Tolerant. We also offer sod replacement,fertilization, clean ups and other services. Call813-997-5055

Tai Chi Classes open to the public at theClub Tampa Palms. Benefits: Strength, Flex-ibility, Balance, Focus. Classes Tues. 2:30-3:30 pm, Wed. 8-9 pm. New Beg. ClassTuesdays 7-8 pm. Cost-$10/class. Alsopersonal instruction in Tai Chi, Kempo,Fitness training and more. With morethen 28 years of teaching and training exp.Call Peter today #787-7560

Lawncare. Residential/Commercial We are aFather and Son Business. Licensed and Insured.Affordable pricing for all. Per cut or with a contractup to you.Call Patrick or Dora anytime.(813)907-1234 (Hauling Service too!)

TELEPHONE INSTALLATION & REPAIR• Commercial and Residential• Complete Systems.*****FREE ESTIMATES****

813-333-9644

Everyday Gardener’s Club. Full-serviceproperty maintenance available for residential& commercial. One-stop shopping withlicensed, insured professionals. Specializing inlandscape design with conceptional drawings& renderings available. Let your imagination& our professionals come together to createdreams that will last a lifetime. Call 933-1120or visit www.EverydayGardenersClub.com

Tampa Cat Lady Professional Cat-SittingService. You say goodbye - we say hello. Catsare happiest when in their own home, sur-rounded by familiar sights, sounds & smells.When you are away, we feed, cuddle & playwith your kitties & clean & dispose of litter. Wehelp deter crime by bringing newspaper/mail& rotating lights/blinds, giving your home thatlived-in look. Licensed, bonded & Red-Crosscertified in pet first aid/CPR. Call 994-9449or visit www.TampaCatLady.com.

RAYMOND PAINTING. Interior & exterior,pressure washing, paper hanging, plaster, stucco, tiles,concrete, clean & seal pavers. Licensed & Bonded.References available. Free estimates. YOURNEIGHBORHOOD ARBOR GREENE RES-IDENT. We Work 7 Days. Call 994-5124.

CLASSIFIED RATES1 issue...........................$352 issues..........................$506 issues........................$120

09-10 NTNN 1-60 web

Documents

Transcript of 09-10 NTNN 1-60 web

แนวความคิดและนโยบายในการ ......25/09/60 1 แนวความค ดและนโยบายในการ พ ฒนาประเทศ

09-26-11 Cayuga Collegian Vol. 60 Issue 1

€¦ · XLS file · Web view · 2016-06-2460 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 50 60 60 60 0 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60

0/60 Andries van Dam 2015 09/24/15. 1/60 Andries van Dam 2015 09/24/15 Review: Instance Variable Initialization ●Split up declaration and assignment.

bluemarlinhotel.co.zabluemarlinhotel.co.za/media/1184/bm-spa-menu.pdf · 2019-09-16 · BLUE MARLIN COLLE Full Body Swedish Massage, 60 min 60 min 60 min 60 min R 300 R 360 R 390

L30 - Main Menu...2019/09/05 · COFFEE & TEA Evian 60 Badoit 60 Perrier 60 Soft Drink 60 Pepsi, Pepsi Light, 7 Up, Soda Water, Ginger Ale Juice 60 Apple, Orange, Pineapple, Tomato

11-09 NTNN 1-48

Slbl Antn f M. lpr Cpld th prepository.ias.ac.in/85611/1/8-Pub.pdf · rprtn f lp. Unlllr l p r prprd fr lthn (4 AM, hltrl (4 MM, nd nl d ( tIvI n 2.0 l brtbffrd ln (0 M brt ntnn 60

No. 09-60, Carachuri-Rosendo v. Holder

CAP Regulation 60-6 - 09/01/2003

09 Advanced Process Panel 60

09 Foundation TESOL Certificate 60 Hours for Julie Annette Gipson

Obturation / régulation - SRTE Distributeur en … · 2016-06-09 · 59 SRTE - Le guide Document non contractuel RTS basse pression Présentation 60 Variantes 60 Destinations 60

13-10 NTNN 1-60 web

משרד הביטחון - דף בית...mnnn nnnL7 p ID .nnN IN D190)n lnL71eJl niYO DN ntnnv IN/I ntnn ñNnnnnu ntnn nnmn mnnn nnmn nn)on .nnup± Dlnnp DI-vnyn . T D'nl)on 4 DN nNnnnn

TS 60-72 Chevy Truck Cat 09

ht stage 60 100 handbook 18-11-09:Layout 1

Volume 60, Number 09 (September 1942)

Havis HID Collins Dynamics Series LightsCL-HID_NPR_11-09.pdfCD-FX^CL-HID_NPR_11-09 Reduce current draw by 60% The new CD-FX-HID-1 draws approximately 60% less current than comparable

LondonInfo #9 (60) 09-15 March 2012