Compiled by Michelle Colesanti, Business Editor

Tampa Electric Completes Large-Scale Solar Array At Legoland® Florida Resort

Tampa Electric today unveiled a 1.8-megawatt solar canopy at LEGOLAND® Florida Resort that is producing electricity – and shade – for visitors at the popular Winter Haven vacation destination.

The 12 rows of solar panels over the resort’s preferred parking lot, adjacent to the iconic theme park entrance, can produce enough electricity to power more than 200 homes and enough shade for more than 600 vehicles. It’s Tampa Electric’s second large-scale, community-sited photovoltaic (PV) array to be installed in its territory, and its first large-scale array in Polk County.

“We are proud to be a partner with LEGOLAND Florida Resort on this project,” said Gordon Gillette, president and CEO of Tampa Electric.
“This is an exciting example of how community partners can work together to demonstrate the benefits of solar energy and the role it plays in our energy future.”

Tampa Electric owns the PV array, and the electricity it produces goes to the grid, benefiting the company’s 730,000 customers.  The solar array can generate enough electricity from the sun to power the resort’s 152-room LEGOLAND Hotel.

“We’re delighted to partner with Tampa Electric on this smart, innovative project,” said Adrian Jones, general manager of LEGOLAND Florida Resort. “It not only benefits guests with shade for their vehicles, but it’s also a terrific demonstration of what can be achieved when businesses combine their skills and resources.”

Visit www.legoland.com/florida/

Kids Raise $35,000 For Schools Nationwide

The Greater Brandon Area students in grades 2 to 5 put their math skills on display, earning money for local schools and winning prizes for themselves in the Mathnasium of Brandon 2016 TriMathlon math competition. By participating in the event, Mathnasium TriMathlon contestants nationwide raised a total of $35,000 to benefit schools across the country.

The top three Mathnasium of Brandon winners in each grade were:

Grade 5: Jackson Simoneau, Valrico Academy -1st Place; Christian Arango, Boyette Springs Elementary – 2nd Place, Meera Nair, Grace Christian School – 3rd Place.

Grade 4: Tyler Weeks, Valrico Academy – 1st Place, Arjun Ramachandran, Pride Elementary – 2nd Place, Ananda Ravinder, Heritage Elementary – 3rd Place.

Grade 3: Sebastian Koontz, Valrico Academy – 1st Place, Nathan Simoneau, Valrico Academy – 2nd Place, Rohan Dash, Turner Elementary – 3rd Place.

Grade 2: Brennen Osterberger, Valrico Academy – 1st Place, Jaiden Walton, Valrico Academy – 2nd Place, Chance Fowler, Valrico Academy – 3rd Place.

For more information on Mathnasium of Brandon, please contact Becky McDaniels at 655-6284) or brandon@mathnasium.com. Visit www.mathnasium.com/Brandon.

Hawthorne Hosts Parkinson’s Disease Support Group

Hawthorne Health & Rehabilitation Center hosts a monthly support group for those who are diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and their caregivers. The meetings are held on the third Wednesday of every month from 2-3 p.m. in Hawthorne Health & Rehabilitation’s Media Center, located at 851 W. Lumsden Rd. in Brandon.

Physical, speech and occupational therapists will discuss treatment for issues related to balance, swallowing, talking and other skills that can be affected by Parkinson’s Disease.

Hawthorne Health & Rehabilitation Center is a skilled nursing facility with inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation programs including speech, physical and occupational therapies. Hawthorne also hosts a dementia support group in their assisted living facility, as well as past meetings for those dealing with strokes, diabetes, low vision and other diseases.

Parkinson’s disease is a chronic and progressive movement disorder that affects nearly one million Americans. The disease, on average, appears around 60 years old, but 5-10 percent of cases are early-onset, beginning before age 50. As the disease progresses, it can severely affect balance, eating, talking, and most daily activities.

The Parkinson’s Disease support group is free of charge and open to those who have been diagnosed with the disease, their family members, caregivers and anyone with an interest in learning more about Parkinson’s. For more information or specific directions, call 661-8998 ext 204 on Monday to Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Holistic Medical Care Clinic Moves To New State Of The Art Location In Brandon

Holistic Medical Care Clinic LLC now has a new central location in Brandon, serving all of Tampa Bay.
Located at 205 W. Morgan St. in Brandon, Holistic Medical Care Clinic will still offer best of class, excellent medical care utilizing integrative medicine, a conventional/Western blend of medicine and complementary therapies. It is a healing-oriented medicine that considers the whole person, including all aspects of lifestyle and emphasizes natural healing methods vs. pharmaco/chemical-based, invasive treatment modality.

Alternative natural procedures include hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for wound care after plastic surgery or C-section scar recovery or brain neurogenesis; Prolozone/PRP therapy for quick back/shoulder or sports injury repair without the need for surgery; and Ultra-violet, intravenous (UV-IV) light therapy for hard to treat viral/bacterial infections; and Vit C IV ozone treatment as a complementary cancer treatment, among others.

Office Manager Sunny Sia said, “We’ve been successfully healing patients for the past three years at our Apollo Beach location and needed a bigger space to house our new state of the art ETC Bara-med XD hyperbaric oxygen chamber which will be on commission by the end of February.”

New patients are currently being accepted. Please call 398-0470 or visit http://holisticmedicalcare.net.


New Location For Tampa Bay Acu Health and Spine

Tampa Bay Acu Health and Spine is the acupuncture clinic of Stephen Dell-Jones, a Doctor of Oriental Medicine.  Dr. Steve has been serving the Valrico and Brandon area for three years, and has just moved to a new location:  Derm Aroma Spa on 1201 Oakfield Dr., Ste. 101 in Brandon. This acupuncture practice is devoted to helping rid you of pain naturally and quickly. The clinic treats sinusitis, neck and back injuries, arthritis, migraines, digestive disorders, GERD, fatigue, hypothyroid, neuropathy and other internal disorders.  Acupuncture, herbal medicine, point injection therapy (biopuncture) are used, and nutrition lab testing to provide customized alternative medicine to help you reach your health goals. You can reach the clinic at (727) 482-4942.  The clinic is open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by appointment.Visit www.tampabayacuhealthandspine.com.  Insurance accepted whenever possible. 

Dog Daycare Games – Fun Competition That Highlights Skills Used To Keep Dogs Safe

This winter, professional pet care businesses, like Canine Cabana, will show that certain skills used by excellent daycare facilities, including teaching dogs to sit, come, and wait at the gate, all within a controlled environment, can be accomplished without fear or intimidation and keep dogs safe while they play together. The Daycare Games, designed by Robin Bennett, and Susan Briggs, the co-founders of The Dog Gurus, is focused on proving who is best at providing these skills to the dogs in their care. “The dogs love to play these games and we wanted to recognize the handlers and facilities taking the best care of their pets by having a friendly competition,” explained Briggs.

“We’re hoping to take home the Gold, just like in the Olympics.” stated Angie Pickren, owner of locally owned, Canine Cabana.

Daycare has become a growing industry and Canine Cabana is dedicated to raising the bar of safety in off-leash play, teaching owners how to know when their dog is happy, and helping to reduce the number of dog fatalities that occur every year in dog daycares and dog parks.

Canine Cabana is a premium pet lodging facility providing award-winning, superior care and a state of the art facility including more than a half-acre of beautiful outdoor play yards.

Canine Cabana is located at 9708 Carr Rd. in Riverview. For more information,please contact Angie Pickren at 672-9663 or e-mail her at directly at angie@caninecabana.biz.

Community Affairs Dinner Hosted By The Community Roundtable

The Community Roundtable announces Jeff Eakins, Superintendent of Hillsborough County Schools, will be the keynote speaker at its Community Affairs Dinner, scheduled for Wednesday, February 22 at Center Place.

Seats are priced at $45 dollars or a table sponsorship is available. Cocktails begin at 6 p.m. and dinner starts promptly at 7 p.m.

In addition to the speaker, a Greater Brandon area resident, charity, and high school senior will each be honored. Presentations are in three categories:

Alice B. Tompkins Community Service Award – to a person providing exemplary service to the local community;

Non-Profit of the Year Award – to a charity having a positive impact in the Brandon area during the past year; and

Maureen Krzanowski Scholarship – presented to a graduating high school student dedicated to community service in addition to their academic accomplishments.Roundtable2008@aol.com or call 661-4350.  

Previous Award Banquet winners may be viewed at TheCommunityRoundtable.org.  

New Location For Tampa Bay Acu Health and Spine

Tampa Bay Acu Health and Spine is the acupuncture clinic of Stephen Dell-Jones, a Doctor of Oriental Medicine. Dr. Steve has been serving the Valrico and Brandon area for three years, and has just moved to a new location: Derm Aroma Spa on 1201 Oakfield Dr., Ste. 101 in Brandon. The clinic treats sinusitis, neck and back injuries, arthritis, migraines, digestive disorders, GERD and other internal disorders.

Acupuncture, herbal medicine, point injection therapy (biopuncture) are used, and nutrition lab testing to help you reach your health goals. You can reach the clinic at (727) 482-4942. Visit www.tampabayacuhealthandspine.com. Insurance accepted whenever possible.

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Michelle Colesanti
Michelle has been with the Osprey Observer for almost nine years, and her current position is Assignment Editor. She resides in Bloomingdale with her husband Phil, two sons, Philip and Matthew, and Tigger the cat.