Osprey Observer » Development

Eye On Business Riverview/Apollo Beach/Ruskin

Jennifer Silverstein — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:44:20 +0000

Norgard Insurance Holds Ribbon Cutting
In early March, Norgard Insurance Group, located at 809 E. Bloomingdale Ave. # 387, hosted a Ribbon Cutting at the Brandon Chamber of Commerce.
Norgard Insurance Group offers its clients a variety of benefits the not limited to medical benefits for a group or individual, pre-paid legal, supplemental benefits, life and disability insurance and retirement planning.
For more information, please contact Dwayne Lewis at 928-4508 or via e-mail at dwayne@norgardinsurancegroup.com or Chad Norgard at 454-5072 or via e-mail at chad@norgardinsurancegroup.com
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Tampa Bay Printing Grand Opening
Now located at 501 S. Falkenburg Rd. in Tampa with Tampa Centre, Unit C-7, Tampa Printing will be hosting its Grand Opening with specials from Precision Car Audio (PCA) and The Glass Bandits including full feature car alarms installed for $125 and free windshield installation with full coverage insurance.
It is also offering 35 percent window tint for $100 on any vehicle with a life time warrantee and a free power window motor and regulator diagnostic, a $25 value.
It is also offering 10 percent of your next order of $100 or more from Tampa Printing.
For more information, call 230-9890 or visit www.813TampaPrinting.com.

New Yogurt Shop Open In Brandon
Feel good about supporting a healthier world. Relax your mind, body and soul by escaping to your nearest DJ’s yogurt stop, located at 2946 Providence Lakes Blvd. in Brandon.
The yogurt shop is a self-serve style of natural frozen yogurt in 12 flavors with 33 varieties of toppings and fresh seasonal fruits. It has zero grams trans fat, is low in calories and carbs. Any flavor with unlimited toppings is 0.39 cents an ounce.
It is having a grand opening special of 50 percent off all purchases.
It will be having a raffle drawing giveaway for DJ’s yogurt stop customers, which includes a three gigabyte laptop, two eight gigabyte digital cameras, two eight gigabyte Mp3 players and two $50 gift cards. The final drawing will be March 31 at 6 p.m.
DJ’s Yogurt Shop is located on the corner of Providence Lakes and Causeway, next to Starbucks. It is open Monday – Sunday from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
For more information, call the shop at 655-9808.

Chick-fil-A goes WiFi
Join the Honorary Mayor Tammy Holmberg at 9 a.m., on Wednesday, March 25 at Chick-fil-A Lake Brandon Village, located at 11325 Causeway Blvd. in Brandon.
Celebrate with owner Paul Holmberg and his staff as they cut the wire for a special ribbon cutting ceremony.
Bring your laptop and try out the WiFi, while enjoying free coffee and breakfast.
For more information, call 655-1237 or visit www.Chick-fil-A.com.

Biker’s Bay
Lenny and Nora Gillespie, owners of the franchise Biker’s Bay, a motorcycle repair shop, are celebrating the business’ one year anniversary. It is the only Ride In/Ride out bike shop in the Brandon area.
They are also members of the Faith Riders at Bell Shoals Baptist Church, 2102 Bell Shoals Rd. in Brandon.
It is located at 9520 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., by the Sheriff’s Department, three blocks west of Falkenburg Rd. For more information, please call 740-2453 or e-mail noraandlenny@earthlink.com

Computer Help
Providence PC Consulting provides in-house computer, network and application support for all your residential or small business needs.
Owner Jay Drennan started the company after 25 years of experience with computers and related technology. Providence PC Consulting offers a wide variety of solutions, including website design and hosting, data backup and recovery, audio/visual and video production, software training, virus and spyware removal, high speed router set-up and various troubleshooting and repair needs.
For more information, visit its Website at www.ProvidencePCC.com, e-mail Drennan at jay@ProvidencePCC.com or call 393-9495.

Title Company Receives Award
All American Title is proud to announce that it has been notified by its underwriter Stewart Title Guaranty Co. that it was one of its top 10 agents in the entire state of Florida for 2008.
All American Title Company has two offices, one in Brandon at 679 W. Lumsden Rd. and one in the South Shore area at 609 18th Street S.E. in Ruskin.
For more information, call 684-3330 or 649-9740. More information is also available on its Website at www.allamtitle.com.

Liberty Tax Is Just What The Doctor Ordered; Free Tax Preparation for Hospital and EMT Employees
To honor these often unsung heroes, Liberty Tax Service is offering free tax preparation for all emergency medical technicians and hospital employees during the week of March 2-6. The company will offer this service at their Brandon offices located at 231 W. Brandon Blvd. and 10827 Bloomingdale Ave. for first-time customers.
“EMT and medical professionals work selflessly each and every day, saving lives and making friends and family comfortable through times of stress and pain. It’s our pleasure to be able to give back just a little to these individuals who perform life-saving miracles every day,” said Stephanie Nussbaum, general manager and owner of Liberty Tax Service.
Call Liberty Tax Service at 681-5358 if you’re eligible for this promotion, and you’d like more details.

Planet Smoothie Has New Owner, Outlook
Planet Smoothie in Brandon has been in operation for nine years. Eight months ago, Tony Menendez opened Planet Smoothie by University of South Florida (USF) and has enjoyed running this store and seeing it grow. In December of 2008, he was presented with the opportunity to take over the Planet Smoothie Brandon location and was not very familiar with the area. “In taking a good look I immediately fell in love with Brandon,” he said.
Menendez said he is trying to build a new customer base to go on top of the great loyal customer base that Planet Smoothie already has and is actively looking for events, parties and meetings to cater.
He is also trying to educate potential customers out there about Planet Smoothie and its great products. Planet Smoothie uses all fresh fruit in its smoothies and no preservatives. “This is what I feel makes our smoothie such a great tasting product,” Menendez said. “We also have very unique names for our smoothies that stick with you like the ‘Chocolate Elvis’ and ‘Yo’ Adrian’ to name a few.”
Menendez said the USF store is very involved with the community and Planet Smoothie Brandon will be no different.
Planet Smoothie Brandon is located at 11391 Causeway Blvd. in Brandon.
For more information, call the store at 653-9515 or visit www.planetsmoothie.com.

Cuenelli’s Peruvian Chicken
Mayla Cuevas recently opened Cuenelli’s Peruvian Style Rotisserie Chicken with the support of her husband Erick and her sons Kito and Daniel and her daughter Gabriela, who work in the restaurant with her. The Peruvian restaurant first opened in October and offers authentic Peruvian food, cooked from scratch. The 1,200 sq. ft. storefront is complete with an oven that was shipped from Peru. It cooks on charcoal only, using no electricity or gas. “That’s what gets us the great taste of the chicken and is what we are known for,” said Mayla.
Cuenelli’s other popular dishes include Bisteck a lo Pobre, a sirloin steak served with white rice, beans, fried egg, French fries and plantains; Lomo Saltado, a grilled sirloin with onions and tomatoes served with white rice and French fries and Papa a la Huancaina, boiled potatoes topped with spicy creamy cheese sauce. It also serves some traditional Peruvian desserts including Alfajores or Peruvian cookies, flan and cuatro leches or four milk cookies.
The restaurant can seat 40 people inside, with room for approximately 35 on its patio area.
Mayla said that she has been getting requests for Peruvian ceviche and will begin to serve it on the weekends. Cuenelli’s is available for dine in, take out and also does catering.
The Cuevas’ have been local Riverview residents for six years and say they plan on participating in local Winthrop events with the other tenants.
Cuenelli’s Peruvian Style Rotisserie Chicken is located at 6260 Winthrop Town Centre Ave. in Riverview within the Winthrop Town Centre. It is open Tuesday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Sunday 12 Noon – 8 p.m. and is closed on Monday. For more information or to place a takeout or catering order, call 681-7773.

Kiddie Kat’s Childcare
A new business recently came to the area, Kiddie Kat’s Childcare, located at 1109 E. Camellia Drive in Brandon
Kiddie Kat’s is a licensed family childcare home and is looking to fill all current openings. The business was opened for two reasons. First, to help parents afford quality childcare at a reasonable price and second, to assist in teaching a strong foundation to our future. “Nurturing Our Future,” is the motto of Kiddie Kat’s, according to its owner and provider Kathi Collins.
The rates are very competitive, and the quality of care is extraordinary due to a low class size.
The following services are offered: structured environment; healthy, nutritious, tasty snacks and meals provided; diapers provided; indoor/outdoor activities; north Brandon/Seffner area, educational development based; daily workout video with Bert, Ernie and Big Bird; infant/toddler CPR and first aid certified; early childhood development certified and babysitting Available.
For more information, call 571-7085 or 918-7772 Collins is also available via e-mail at kathi@kiddiekats.net. Kiddie Kat’s also has a Website at www.kiddiekats.net.

Women’s Care Offers Extended Hours
To make those well women’s visits and paps a little easier for its patients, Women’s Care is staying open late on Tuesday nights in the Brandon office for those ladies who need evening appointments. One Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) will be on-site until 7:30 p.m. seeing patients in May, every Tuesday.
Also, Women’s Care is starting to perform in-house surgeries such as NovaSure and Essure procedures in the office.
Women’s Care of Brandon is located at 731 S. Parsons Ave. in Brandon. For more information, call 681-9171.

The Salon at Remington Provides Professional Services
The Salon at Remington, a Cosmetology program part of Remington College recently opened and held a ribbon cutting at its location at 6302 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Ste. # 400 in Tampa.
The Salon at Remington is a MATRIX signature school. It uses professional products from Matrix, Design Essentials, Pevonia and OPI.
All services are performed by students under the strict supervision of a licensed instructor. The salon functions and provides all services of a full service salon and spa including manicures, pedicures, facials and waxing. Hair services include cuts, color, perms, relaxers, up do’s, braids, hair extensions and many more services.
If you’re interested in starting a cosmetology program, please come and take a tour of Remington’s campus. It has classes starting monthly. Remington also has many other diploma and degree programs. You can reach the admissions department at 935-5700.
The salon is open Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. and Friday, 9 a.m. -3:30 p.m., appointments are recommended but walk-ins are welcome.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 316-4470.

Public Hearing For Expansion of Valrico Rec Center

Marie Gilmore — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:02:44 +0000

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE USE
March 5, 2009
Public Meeting Scheduled to Discuss the Proposed
Phase II of the Development of the Valrico Recreation Center
Hillsborough County will hold a public meeting to discuss Phase II of the Development of the Valrico Recreation Center.
The proposed project includes adding a football field, along with an irrigation system and lights. In addition, parking will be expanded. Phase II is budgeted at $250,000 through CIP (Capital Improvement Program) funds.
The park currently has a recreation building that houses the after-school and summer playground program, walking trail, basketball court, playground, parking and landscaping.
The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the details of the project and receive public input. County staff will be at the meeting to answer any questions residents may have.
Please attend, we welcome your input.
* Date: Tuesday, March 10
* Time: 6:30 p.m.
* Place: Valrico Recreation Center, 707 S. Miller Road, Valrico, FL 33594

All meeting facilities are ADA compliant. For additional assistance, please call us.

For more information, residents should call Steve Valdez, Public Works Department – Quality Assurance Section, at 813-272-5275 (TTY: 813-301-7172)

YMCA Names Miller Dowdy For Campo Award

Jennifer Silverstein — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:32:46 +0000

Longtime community advocate and developer Miller Dowdy, of Trinity Advisory Group, recently won the YMCA’s Ray Campo Leadership Award, named after Ray Campo, a developer who donated the land for it and two other YMCA facilities. Campo served on the YMCA’s board of directors and, upon his death, also donated more than $1 million toward the Valrico Y and Camp Cristina, a YMCA facility in Riverview.
Dowdy is a board member at the Campo Family YMCA and led the Family Fun Pool project.
Dowdy said that he feels completely humbled by receiving the award. “Just to know the history behind who the award is named after, Ray Campo, and all the major impacts he accomplished for this community makes this award a genuine honor,” he said.
The Campo family continues to make large impacts on the greater Brandon community with their continued time and monetary donations. Dowdy said, “I am particularly pleased that the recently finished YMCA Campo Family Fun Pool project was a joint project donation of the Campo Family and Hillsborough County.”
It took thousands of volunteer hours to accomplish the Family Fun Pool project over the past two years, and it was led by individuals such as Cindy Sofarelli, Lance Cohn, Tom Nicholson and John Sullivan as well as the leadership of the YMCA Campo Board of Directors.
Mags Oldman, Development Coordinator for the Campo YMCA, said, “We have been incredibly blessed and very proud to have Miller Dowdy as part of volunteer team for the past few years.”
“He sets a very high standard of leadership and advocacy for our organization, and has contributed countless hours of dedicated service to the YMCA. Miller’s affiliation with our organization has been nothing but a bonus to us, and to the thousands of children and families we serve,” she said. “His passion and commitment are truly a gift to us, matched only by his integrity and genuine thoughtfulness as an advocate for our mission, a volunteer leader and friend.”
Dowdy said, “It was also a pleasure to work with Mark Thornton of the Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation Department for his department’s involvement in this project. And, ultimately, the project could not have been completed without the support and guidance of Commissioner Al Higginbotham.”
Currently, the YMCA is in the process of its Annual Giving Campaign for the year, a giving effort of local businesses and the community’s citizens.
“Most people think of the Y as just another gym alternative, and they could not be more incorrect,” Dowdy said. “Your community YMCA supports many local community programs that stretch your charity giving dollars to the maximum. Many of these programs would not be possible for the community to have if it were not for the amount of volunteers it takes to properly run these programs. This is even truer today in these tough economic times.”
“It is these very programs that need your support more than ever. It takes more than just the regular membership dues to bring these programs to the community,” Dowdy said. “I would ask our community to care for others even less fortunate than them this year and give to your local YMCA or even better…come and be a volunteer!”
Dowdy is the managing partner for a group of commercial real estate professionals that have combined 55-plus years of experience and over $3 billion in closed real estate transactions. Dowdy has also won the YMCA Bullard Family Super Hero Award, the Brandon Chamber Chairman’s LIGHT Award and Hillsborough County Planning Commission Community Design Award of Merit for Institutional Projects (The Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce Building).
Dowdy is also involved in the Hillsborough County Planning Commission, the Hillsborough County Citizens Advisory Committee, the Brandon Community Master Plan Committee and the Lithia-Pinecrest Road Planning Committee.
For more information on the Campo YMCA, call 684-1371 or visit http://tampaymca.com. Campo Family YMCA is located at 3414 Culbreath Rd. in Valrico.

Lithia Pinecrest Road Widening Public Meeting Draws Crowds

Tamas Mondovics — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:17:29 +0000

Hundreds attended a recent public meeting concerning the proposed widening of approximately an 11 mile section of Lithia Pinecrest Rd. from its current two travel lane roadway to a six travel lane roadway, affecting the Brandon, Bloomingdale and Lithia communities from S.R. 60 in Brandon to C.R. 39. Local residents who showed up at the Palmetto Club at FishHawk Ranch to hear more extensively about the project had the opportunity to view maps, elevations, a video presentation of the proposed change, as well as talk to county officials on-hand to address questions and concerns. Hillsborough County, in cooperation with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), has been working on preparing a Project Development and Environment (PDE) Study to consider the proposed widening of Lithia Pinecrest Rd., which according to county officials and many local residents, at this point, is simply not sufficient to handle the traffic. “Portions of this roadway currently operate below the county’s adopted minimum acceptable level-of-service standard,” said Hillsborough County Engineering Division Public Works Center Project Manager William Alford. Alford explained that the meeting was strictly about gathering information and that the improvements are intended to accommodate both existing and future traffic volumes as well as enhance motorist safety and reduce emergency response times. But while area residents in general agree that something needs to be done, just as many were unsatisfied due to the lack of information offered by the county. For starters, county officials were faced with complaints that the video presentation of the project seemed to be short on facts. The hot topic that seemed to concern most included the lack of traffic lights planned for the Valrico portion of the project. “I don’t see how they can talk about safety. It is difficult to turn onto Lithia Pinecrest going north now. How is that going to be better trying to cross three lanes and then merge in to three lanes of traffic without a traffic light,” said Gene Will of Valrico, who has lived on Hummingbird Ln. for the past 40 years and is very concerned about being able to turn northbound onto Lithia Pinecrest once the six lane road project is completed. For many residents the small but problematic as well as infamous, Bell Shoals Road and Lithia Pinecrest intersection just a few yards south of Lumsden was the worry of the day-although not on the agenda for the meeting-the proposed road widening plan will include the turning Bell Shoals Road, into a cul-de-sac, cutting traffic flow from it to merge onto Lithia Pinecrest. That is a big problem for Sue Curd with Curd and Associates who feels that the change would choke or at least alter the volume that her business generates. “I will lose business,” she said. Jim Barfield, also a Valrico resident for the past four decades whose wife Jean became Honorary Mayor of Brandon in1996, was disturbed by the fact that the County took this long to decide on thinking about the roads. “The County has been passing out building permits to developers for years. Now they have a problem on their hands and rightly; nobody is happy,” Barfield said. Good, bad or ugly, the meeting seemed to have accomplished its purpose and as expected could and would not please everyone while provided an opportunity to hear or to be heard. One thing is sure. This project will be done and Lithia Pinecrest Road will be a six lane major artery for commuters even if its success remains to be seen. For ore information about the project or for project updates, public comments and concerns please visit www.lpcstudy.com.

Public Meeting To Discuss Lithia Pinecrest Road Project Development & Environmental (PD&E) Study

Marie Gilmore — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:27:51 +0000

Public Meeting To Discuss Lithia Pinecrest Road Project Development & Environmental (PD&E) Study

Hillsborough County, in cooperation with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), will hold a public meeting to discuss the Project Development and Environmental Study for Lithia Pinecrest Road in the Brandon area.

The Study evaluates the proposed widening of Lithia Pinecrest Road from SR 60 (Brandon Boulevard) to CR 39. The study length is approximately 10.95 miles.
The meeting is being held to obtain your input regarding the location, conceptual design and environmental effects of the alternatives for the proposed project’s needed improvements.

County Staff and representatives from FDOT will be at the meeting to discuss the details of the project and answer any questions residents may have. Please attend, we welcome your input.

Date: Tuesday, Nov. 18
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Place: Palmetto Club, 17004 Dorman Road
All meeting facilities are ADA compliant. For additional assistance, please call us.
For more information, please call Steve Valdez, Public Works Department, at 272-5275 (TTY: 301-7172).
Visit us on the Web at – www.hillsboroughcounty.org.