New hotel coming to Wiregrass Ranch
Developers at Wiregrass Ranch want to build a 92-room Fairfield Inn & Suites on State Road 56, on a 91-acre parcel east of The Shops at Wiregrass.
It would be located less than a mile off Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, and be close not only to the mall, but also to Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel and Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch.
Pasco County officials will meet with developers in a non-public meeting this week to hash out some details of the project, but it will be located on land that has been used for decades for grazing at Wiregrass Ranch.
It’s not clear if developers plan to subdivide the tract of land on State Road 56, or to provide other outparcel amenities, since 91 acres is far more than the typical 2 acres or so a hotel of this size would need.
The developer, who was not identified in documents filed with the county, has hired Hardeman-Kempton & Associates of Tampa to manage the project, which will include 54,500 square feet of commercial space.
It would be just the second Fairfield Inn in Pasco County, joining a 78-room hotel in Holiday. The chain is considered one of the lower-cost brands operated by the Marriott chain, and locations typically are franchised out.
Chamber business breakfast
The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce will host a business breakfast Oct. 21 at 7 a.m., in the Hornbuckle Room of the Dade City Business Center, 15486 U.S. 301, in Dade City.
Guest speaker is Danielle Albritton, and is sponsored by Florida Hospital Zephyrhills.
Cost is $5.
PHHCC Business & Career Expo
The Pasco Hernando Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is hosting its annual Business & Career Expo featuring the Taste of the Chapel Oct. 17 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Wesley Chapel Toyota, 5300 Eagleston Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.
It will feature business exhibitors, live entertainment, free food samples and door prizes. It’s free and open to the public.
For information on attending or sponsoring a booth, visit PHHChamber.com.
HCA donates to help Ebola fight
HCA, which operates 164 hospitals and 114 surgery centers across the nation — including Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point and Medical Center of Trinity — has donated $1 million to the CDC Foundation to help support international Ebola epidemic response efforts.
The funds will help the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its work with other groups on the ground in West Africa.
Since the CDC ramped up its Ebola response in early July, more than 700 staff members from the organization have provided logistics, staffing, communication, analytics, management and other support functions, according to a release.
The number of people infected with the Ebola virus doubles approximately every three weeks, officials said, with more than 5,800 cases. The number of deaths has increased as well, from 1,500 to more than 2,800 in the same period.
Samaritan Project Harvest Festival and Business Expo
The Harvest Festival and Business Expo will take place Nov. 1 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Zephyr Park on Fifth Avenue in Zephyrhills.
The event — presented by The Samaritan Project, Zephyrhills-Wesley Chapel Ministerial Association and Florida Hospital Zephyrhills — will feature live entertainment, business exhibitors, community yard sale, car show, crafts and more.
Proceeds from the event support The Samaritan Project, which works to prevent homelessness.
Admission is free.
For information, call (813) 810-8670, or visit SamaritanProject.net.
Grand opening for bariatric surgeon
The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce and Bayfront Health Dade City recently hosted a grand opening and ribbon cutting for Dr. Naga Thatimatla in his new practice location at 13993 17th St., Suite 200 in Dade City.
Thatimatla is a general and bariatric surgeon who also offers services like anti-reflux surgery, endoscopy, gall bladder removal, and more.
For information on the practice, call (352) 437-5971.
Dade City business expo
The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce will host its 2014 Community & Business Expo Nov. 13 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Pasco County Fairground’s Dan Cannon Auditorium, on State Road 52, in Dade City.
For information, call John Moors at (352) 567-3769, or email him at .
Open house for Restored Hope
Restored Hope will host a community open house Nov. 14 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at 13703 17th St., in Dade City.
Restored Hope is a Christian organization that helps people in need or at risk in the community by providing food, and the means to become self-sufficient.
To RSVP, call (325) 437-4815.
