Osprey Observer » S.R

Valrico January Business Column

Jennifer Silverstein — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:24:36 +0000

Storage facility opening soon
Budget Self Storage on S.R. 60 and Miller Rd. is nearing completion. According to its Website, the storage facility will be open in February. Budget Self Storage is located at 2504 S.R. 60 E. in Valrico, for more information call 657-7744, e-mail valrico@budgetselfstorage.bz or visit www.budgetselfstorage.bz.

CPA Opens New Office
Certified Public Accountant John C. Bailey recently expanded his team and moved to a new office at 12307 Boyette Rd., in the Clarkson Allstate building.
The new team member, Sue McCain, will assist Bailey with his growing business offering her wide variety of administrative and tax preparation experience.
“Documents and files of a confidential nature can be left with Sue with confidence as she will make sure they are properly delivered to me and stored in an appropriate manner,” says Bailey.
In addition to providing individual and business income tax preparation and planning services, Bailey provides tax preparation and consulting services for payroll, sales and use, and all state taxes.
For more information, contact Bailey at 672-9449 or cbailey@johncbaileycpa.com.

Marco’s Pizza now Open In Plaza, Offering Delivery
Marco’s Pizza, a franchise started in Ohio, recently opened in Valrico, located at 801 E. Brandon Blvd. The chain has been open for approximately three months, since October, said Manager Andy Dixon, a Lithia resident. What makes Marco’s Pizza different from other pizza places, Dixon said is that it uses better ingredients, everything is made fresh and nothing is frozen. “We make our dough daily,” he said.
Marco’s most popular pizza is its White Cheezy pizza, with four types of cheese including feta, bacon, onions, tomatoes and garlic butter sauce. Dixon said this pizza is “award-winning.”
Marco’s is offering limited delivery, within four miles of its storefront, and also offers take-out. You can also place you order online at www.marcos.com. Marco’s Pizza is open Sunday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. For more information or to place an order, call 643-9988.

East Meets West When Indian Cuisine Comes To Valrico
Tandoor Indian Cuisine, in the same plaza as Marco’s Pizza, at 805 E. Brandon Blvd. in Brandon, has been open for approximately two months, opening in November. The restaurant offers take out and catering, boasting “Catering is our specialty” in its menu. It will cater for weddings, conferences, birthdays, parties and special events. No occasion is too big or small, it says.
Kaustlubh Shiodkai, manager of Tandoor, said that it offers from dishes that other Indian restaurants don’t such as beef and pork, but it also has vegetarian dishes available. He also said their prices are about $1-$2 less than others.
Shiodkai said Tandoor’s most popular dishes are its appetizers, Gobni Manchurian and Lollipop chicken. The restaurant can hold about 40 people.
Tandoor has a lunch buffet from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., and is open for dinner Tuesday – Thursday, 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 5:30 p.m.- 10:30 p.m. For more information or to make a takeout order, call 654-7300 or visit it’s Website at www.tandoorbrandon.com

Marriott To Open Fairfield Inn & Suites Hotel in Plant City
New hotel is the first Fairfield inn in plant city
Marriott opened an 87-room Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in Plant City in early January. Located at 4307 Sterling Commerce Dr., the Fairfield Inn & Suites Lakeland/Plant City will operate as a Marriott franchise.
Whether you are traveling for business or for pleasure, the three-story hotel offers guests convenient access the Florida State Fairgrounds, the Sun ‘n Fun Air Museum, the Florida Strawberry Festival and Dinosaur World. Rates begin at $129 per night.
The hotel features a variety of enhancements to guest rooms and public areas, as well as the addition of distinctively designed suites. The signature king suite offers separate living and sleeping areas. In the living area, there’s a pantry with coffee maker, mini-refrigerator and microwave. A dividing wall separates the pantry and it features a 32-inch television and a stereo system. Additional in-room amenities include a desk chair, hair dryer and two phones with free local calls.
A complimentary continental breakfast is available each morning in the lobby area. Other hotel amenities include an outdoor heated swimming pool with whirlpool spa, exercise room, valet laundry service and free high-speed Internet and business center.
For more information or reservations, call the Fairfield Inn & Suites Lakeland/Plant City hotel directly at 757-6202, call the Fairfield Inn toll-free number at 800-228-2800, contact a travel agent or visit the Website at www.fairfieldinn.com.

New Businesses opening in Kingsway Plaza
A restaurant and credit union will soon be available to local residents at Kingsway Plaza, located at the corner of Kingsway and Windhorst roads.
Louie’s restaurant, a Latin/American café most popular sandwich is its Cuban and its most popular meal is its Picadillo, which is seasoned ground beef with diced potatoes and green olives. All of Louie’s meals are served with rice, beans and veggies. Owners and Brandon residents, Luis and Trini Simon, are both of Latin descent, Luis being Cuban and Trini being Puerto Rican. The 1,200 sq. ft. restaurant can hold up to 30 people and the Simon’s are planning on putting tables and chairs outside for patio seating.
Louie’s Latin/American Café is located at 1217 Kingsway Rd. in Brandon. Its hours are Tuesday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Saturday, 9:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Sunday, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. The café will be closed on Mondays. For more information or to place a take out order, call 315-9845.
The Railroad & Industrial Federal Credit Union Account Executive Humberto Bravo said that the credit union is aiming at a July opening date, but the Seffner and Brandon Chambers are hosting a ribbon cutting and ground breaking ceremony for Wednesday, January 14, at 1:30 and 2 p.m., respectively. The 2,500 sq. ft. credit union will feature safe deposit boxes and a drive thru, Bravo said. Its hours will be from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday- Thursday and 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Friday. Once the facility opens, Bravo said it will evaluate whether to open on Saturdays. For more information on the Railroad & Industrial Federal Credit Union, visit its Website at www.rifcu.org or call 621-6661.

County Celebrates Groundbreaking of U.S. Hwy. 301 Project

Tamas Mondovics — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:39:37 +0000

The northeast corner of U.S. Hwy. 301 and Big Bend Rd. in Riverview marked the site of the beginning of another long-awaited project, soon to alter the flow of traffic in Riverview.
Hillsborough County and Florida Department of Transportation officials, along with staff, local development representatives and community representatives, gathered together in October to celebrate the groundbreaking of the U.S. Hwy. 301 Improvement Project and to be first to put the shovel in the ground.
According to County Division Director of Transportation and Land Development Review Bob Campbell, work on the project itself, which is hoped to improve a six-mile segment of U.S. Hwy. 301 from Gibsonton Dr. to C.R. 672/Balm Rd., began in 2005 when the county approved an agreement with nine developers to provide partial funding for the widening U.S. Hwy. 301 to four lanes from Gibsonton Dr. to S.R. 674 (Sun City Center).
Campbell explained that additional funds were provided by a second group of developers in 2008 which allowed the county and Florida Department of Transportation to expand the design of the project to six lanes with a 22-ft. median. Pedestrian features will include a five-ft. sidewalk on the west side and a 12-ft. multi-use path on the east side.
The cost of the current phase is approximately $110 million, which includes construction, design, studies, acquisition and administrative costs. The state is contributing $47 million to the project. A portion of this amount, $32.9 million, is from a grant that the county received from the state in October of 2007, which is awarded to communities that have congested state roads. Developers are contributing about $42 million to the project, and the county will be contributing about $20 million.
But according to District Secretary Don Skelton, the best part of all of this is what the three parties involved were able to accomplish.
“The partnership between the state, the county and the developers alone is a tremendous accomplishment,” Skelton said.
FDOT spokesperson Marian Scorza agreed when she said “This construction project is simply unique. Due to the efforts of all involved, the project construction has advanced by almost 10 years,” she said.
Of course, this project will require the cooperation of all motorists as well before things will be smooth sailing on U.S. Hwy. 301. The project is to be completed and open to traffic in the summer of 2012.
For more information, residents may call the Florida Department of Transportation at 975-6060.

Where To Go To See The Lights In Brandon

Jennifer Silverstein — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:48:03 +0000

Looking for something to do with the family during the holidays? Take them out for a drive to the following neighborhoods for a look at some of the most extravagant Christmas lights and decorations. Bring along hot chocolate, blankets and maybe even some hay in the bed of a truck. Christmas Lane Christmas Lane, which is located at 2091 Wooten Rd. in Dover, is put on by Lane Wetherington along with a group of 20 volunteers, consisting of family and friends and offers something for every member of the family, including a visit from Santa himself. According to Wetherington, it takes him and the volunteers about a month and a half to put up the lights, displays and the small train that children ride. He began on November 1 and plans to work all the way up to opening day, December 1. “It would not happen without the help of the volunteers,” he said. “It started when I was a kid with a fascination for lights.” Wetherington, whose birthday is in November, says he would ask for Christmas lights as gifts. Later, he bought a company specializing in commercial lighting which added to the display. “We’ve been given some things and built others,” says Wetherington, who estimates that about 45,000 people toured the annual display last year. This year, he says they have added a Toy Store/Shop, where elves are hard at work making toys for good little girls and boys. Hot chocolate, popcorn, hot dogs and other foods are served throughout the display, served by the volunteers. According to Wetherington, his December electric bill is about $3,500. Rumors have circulated that TECO picks up the tab for Wetherington’s bill, but he said “the only help I get from them is a bill in the mail.” Admission is free, but donations are accepted. Christmas Lane is open from 6-10 p.m. every night through December 28, the Sunday after Christmas. Santa will be arriving on December 19 and will be at Christmas Lane until December 24. He will come out from 7-9 p.m. every night except Christmas Eve; he will be coming out for only one hour, from 6-7 p.m. Christmas Lane will close if it is raining. “We do it for the kids,” he says. Wetherington said he likes to emphasize that there is well-lit parking and off duty officers that volunteer their time to come out as security so it’s a safe place for moms to take their kids. To get to Christmas Lane, take S.R. 60 to Dover Rd., go north for about three miles and turn right on Wooten Rd. Barrington Oaks Barrington Oaks, located off of Lumsden Rd. in between Bryan and John Moore roads, consists of 51 homes, most of which decorate for the holidays. Decorations range from blowups to nativity scenes and more. Gates to the community open daily at 6 p.m. and stay open until 11 p.m., except on Christmas Eve and Christmas, where the lights stay on until 12:30 p.m. Cranberry Lane Another standout display in the area is at 407 Cranberry Ln., between Parsons Ave. and Kingsway Rd., just north of Clay Ave. The display includes 12,000 lights with snowmen playing in fake snow. Homemade wooden characters and houses display snowmen skiing on a slope, selling trees, riding in a sleigh and ice skating. In Santa’s workshop, reindeer learn to fly, and a train makes a delivery to the elves. Brandon Forest Brandon Forest is located in Seffner off of Parsons Ave. north of Windhorst Rd. and south of Wheeler Rd. From S.R. 60, travel north up Parsons Ave., go through the Windhorst Rd. light and make a right onto Forest Circle. A Brandon Forest resident for 20 years, Brenda Cannon said people come from all over to see them [the lights]. “Almost all the houses do the lights; I love it, being part kid. I have a talking snowman and people will yell out how much they like him and kids walk by and look at him,” she said. There are luminaries for a very nice glowing feel and people walk around and talk to neighbors. Some of the neighbors dress in elf costumes and green tights and hand out candy to kids she says. “I so love it, it is why I wanted to move in this neighborhood ever since I was a kid living in Mango and still love and I am almost 60,” she said. “It is the way things should be with all of us instead of holed up in our houses not caring about each other.” The busiest nights to see the lights are December 23 and 24, the two nights before Christmas. Cannon said that most families with small children come through before 9 p.m., but people can drive through before those days and after that time. Wexford Green Wexford Green, located right off of Valrico Rd. in between Durant Ave. and Lumsden Rd. is a community located on a dead-end road, Wexford Green Dr.

Stowers Honored With School Naming

Marie Gilmore — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:24:52 +0000

By Michelle Caceres
Hillsborough County School Board named the Lithia elementary school located adjacent to FishHawk Ranch after Richard “Dick” Stowers, 79, a local civic leader and businessman that revolutionized the funeral business in the Brandon area. Born in Hillsborough County, Stowers grew up in the Palm River area when Brandon was just a sleepy bedroom community. Ironically, Stowers fondly recalls his younger days of courting young ladies on the property where the elementary school now resides. He and his friends would swim in the lake and park their cars on its banks. “That area was a real lover’s lane,” he says. As an 8-year-old boy, Stowers attended the funeral of a young neighborhood girl, an experience that irrevocably altered the direction of his life. “I knew from that moment on that I wanted to be a funeral director,” he reflects. His big break came in 1960, when a friend loaned him the money to purchase the James Brandon Homestead located on S.R. 60. After remodeling the historic home, he opened Stowers Funeral Home in 1961. “Going into business for myself has given me a lot of opportunities to help other people and that’s a lot of fun,” said Stowers. Throughout his life, he has donated his time and money to many organizations, including the Brandon Kiwanis Club, Brandon Elks Club and Boys and Girls Club of Brandon. He was an active member of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce. Stowers and wife Raymetta have five daughters and one son. Raymetta said the naming is the perfect birthday gift (he’ll turn 80 on the 4th of July) for a man who never asks for anything. Friends signed petitions and wrote compelling letters to the school board in favor of using Stowers’ name. “It was wonderful to see so many people come out to support Dick and all he’s done for Brandon,” she says. Other schools receiving names in November include the middle school sharing the same campus, named in honor of the late Glenn Barrington, a long-time educator and school board member. Strawberry Crest High, located near Plant City and its adjacent elementary school, David E. Bailey Jr. Elementary, honoring a former educator and Plant City historian, were also named. Stowers says he hopes the children at his school will learn from his example to go after their dreams. “I hope each child at the school will have a vision to do something great,” he said. For more information about the schools named in November visit www.sdhc.k12.fl.us.

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.

Publix Transitions to South of S.R. 60

Carisa Biesecker — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:33:07 +0000

Publix of Valrico is moving, but no worries as the new facility will be just a hop, skip and a jump away across S.R. 60 on the south side, residing within Valrico Square, the former Winn Dixie-anchored plaza.
Sharing quarters with Applebee’s and Estrella Tropical, Publix will now reside within the plaza, absorbing a total of 54,000 sq. ft. in the process. The current space in which the Publix is housed, 1930 S.R. 60 E. in Valrico, also measures 54,000 sq. ft., but, according to Media and Community Relations spokesperson Shannon Patten, “This is the latest and greatest. It really gives us the option to expand our services.”
Here, the company will feature a spacious, open-air feel to its new floor plan with a fresh look and a vibrant color palate. New technologies will be incorporated alongside eco-friendly, energy saving components which encompass the entire store as well as an expansion of services already offered by the grocer. “It will have all the bells and whistles our customers would expect,” adds Patten. Although the facility will be made new, patrons will still see the same faces as the current staff will make the conversion as well.
This “new prototype” store has begun construction and is planned to be completed within the next nine months, making the store available to clientele in the spring of 2009. Patten comments, “You won’t have to go a day without your Publix,” as the current location will close at its regular operation hours and reopen the new Publix the following day.
“We are really looking forward to serving our customers in the Valrico area everything they ever wanted in a Publix,” concludes Patten.
Publix, whose mission “is to be the premier quality food retailer in the world,” according to its Website, was founded by the late Winter Haven resident George W. Jenkins in 1930. From its inception, it has grown greatly, totaling 948 supermarkets across the states of Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee and Florida which alone harbors the greatest number of stores at 678. Employing over 140,000, this locally known retailer acquired $23 billion in 2007, proving its popularity amongst residents.
For more information, visit www.publix.com.