Best/work retirement places
Ready to retire?
Do go to Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale or Miami.
Stay away from Newark, New Jersey.
According to a survey from WalletHub, Florida cities are good retirement choices in 2018.
Orlando ranked No. 1 on a survey of the best and worst places in the country to retire.
Tampa came in third, with Fort Lauderdale claiming fifth and Miami placing seventh.
Newark came in at the very bottom spot — as the worst place to retire. There were 182 cities included in the survey.
WalletHub is a personal/financial website. For the survey, 46 key measures were reviewed, including affordability, quality of life, health care and availability of recreational activities.
Cost of living, retired taxpayer-friendliness and the percentage of population aged 65 and older also were considered.
New shops at Cypress Creek
Pearle Vision, Sweetea Cafe and Verizon are new retail coming to Cypress Creek Town Center, according to Pasco County permit records.
Other businesses under construction include Burlington, a 20,000-square-foot HomeGoods, Five Below, and Blaze Pizza.
General membership luncheon
The Center Pasco Chamber of Commerce will have its general membership meeting Sept. 11 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Hilton Garden Tampa Suncoast Parkway, 2155 Northpointe Parkway, off State Road 54, in Lutz.
Guest speaker will be Lourdes Bahr, of the U.S. Department of Labor.
The cost is $20 for members only, if RSVP is by Thursday before the meeting. Afterward, the cost is $25 for members and non-members.
For information, call the chamber at (813) 909-2722, or email .
Monthly membership luncheon
The North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce will have its monthly membership luncheon Sept. 12 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Fox Hollow Golf Club, 10050 Robert Trent Jones Parkway in Trinity.
The cost is $20, but please RSVP.
For information, call the chamber at (813) 994-8534, or email .
North Tampa luncheon
The North Tampa Chamber of Commerce will have its September Momentum Thursday on Sept. 13 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Atria Lutz, at 414 E. Chapman Road in Lutz.
Guest speaker is Carole Sanek, owner of Butterfly Boom Productions. She is a ghost writer, social media content creator and podcaster.
For early bird registration, RSVP online with credit card at NorthTampaChamber.com or by email to by 5 p.m., on the Wednesday before the meeting, at the discounted rate of $15 (whether you eat or not).
After that date, the cost is $20 (whether you eat or not), payable at the door by cash, check or credit card.
For information, call the chamber at (813) 563-0180.
Business seminar
SCORE will host a free seminar on “Game Changing Tactics of Small Businesses” on Sept. 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at Residence Inn Marriot, 2102 Northpointe Parkway, off State Road 54.
The seminar is designed to enhance and grow existing small businesses. Learn from experienced executives and entrepreneurs who have built successful companies.
Seating is limited.
Registration deadline is Sept. 7.
Continental breakfast will be provided.
For information, contact PascoHernando.score.org.
Volunteers needed
The North Tampa Chamber of Commerce is seeking volunteers to help the residents of Knight Homes, a part of the Sunrise Community Homes.
The chamber is sponsoring a day of community service to help residents by painting and doing basic landscaping.
The event will be on Sept. 15 at 9 a.m., at 7809 N. Glen Ave., in Tampa.
Cash, checks, gift cards, movie tickets and event tickets also are needed.
Drop-off sites for donations will be at Uncle Maddios, 3949 Van Dyke Road in Lutz; U.S. Renal, 3421 N. Lakeview Drive in Tampa; and Subway, 13032 Race Track Road in Tampa.
This also would be an opportunity for children who need to fulfill community service hours for school.
Donations being sought include bed linens for twin and full size beds; washcloths, hand and bath towels; toiletries for travel or full size; and drapes for eight bedrooms.
For information, email Jody Fowler at .
Coffee social
The North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce will have its Monthly Coffee Social on September 18 at 8 a.m., at Buttermilk Provisions, 2653 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.
This is a “no agenda” event with time for social networking.
For information, call Grace Martin at (813) 994-8534, or visit NorthTampaBayChamber.com.
