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WESLEY CHAPEL – Lewis VanDercar spent decades transforming his Wesley Chapel property into an unusual world of sculpture, statuary, artwork, unconventional architecture, gardens and peculiar creations. 

VanDercar was once known locally as the “Warlock of Wesley Chapel.” Halloween was part of family life at The Warlock House Enchantment during the 1970s, with costumes, tricks, treats and playful surprises. 

The family is opening the gates to a new generation, beginning with its first-ever Spookfest on Oct. 3 and continuing with statuary tours on Tuesdays and Fridays in October at 7 and 10 p.m.

Warlock Family Spookfest is a whimsical, family-friendly Halloween adventure at the historic property. Families will explore magical villages; meet playful characters; enjoy games, crafts, live entertainment, food and vendors; and discover art and local history.

Children will carry Warlock Apprentice Passports, collecting stamps through themed experiences including pirates, mermaids, herbology, bubbles, carnival games, broom decorating and storytelling. They can earn a special prize when they complete their adventure. 

Warlock Family Spookfest takes place from 2 to 6 p.m. Oct. 3 at The Warlock House Enchantment, 25950 Queen Sago Place, Wesley Chapel. 

Admission costs $15 for adults, $10 for children 10 and older, and free for children younger than 10. 

Costumes are encouraged. The experience is playful rather than scary.

Learn more at thewarlockhouse.com.

TAMPA – AR Homes by Custom Craft is expanding its presence in Tampa Bay.

The custom homebuilder is taking a different approach to sales through a series of model and inventory homes designed to meet demand for high-end luxury homes. Included in the projects is a model storm-ready home in South Tampa that is designed for coastal and flood-prone areas.

The projects are being financed by American Momentum Bank. The bank has provided over $3.27 million in loans to finance the projects, which include a 4,068-square-foot inventory home in Odessa, a 3,824-square-foot inventory home in Lutz and a 4,785-square-foot model home in Tampa.

“Despite what’s happening in the overall market, the luxury home market in Tampa is strong,” said Adam Smith, president of Custom Craft Homes. “While it’s not common for custom homebuilders to be investing in inventory and model homes, it’s part of our overall growth strategy and will allow us to cater to our high-end clientele and deliver luxury homes quickly.”

Custom Craft Homes specializes in “on-your-lot” custom luxury homes in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties. It has built homes in the Avila Golf & Country Club subdivision in North Tampa, and the Skylake and Victoria Lakes communities in Lutz and Odessa, respectively.

Model homes are uncommon among custom builders, but leaders at Custom Craft Homes believe they play an important role in helping luxury buyers understand a home’s design, finishes, sight lines and livability before making a purchase decision.

“We believe that when people can see and touch a home and get a sense of your architectural style, they become more comfortable in their buying decisions,” Smith said. “This has been proven by the bigger builders, and it’s the reason we feel strongly about building a model luxury home.”

Custom Craft Homes was founded in 1988 and self-funded all projects, until it established a relationship with American Momentum Bank in 2025. The first loan was to build a four-bedroom, four-bathroom home in Odessa – the “Grandview” model in Victoria Lakes – which now serves as a model home open to the public seven days a week between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

“American Momentum Bank has deep experience working with homebuilders in the Tampa Bay area, having financed the construction of hundreds of new homes across West Central Florida, including townhome, infill spec homes, and horizontal and vertical construction within small to mid-sized subdivisions,” said Valerie Girrens, senior vice president, senior commercial relationship manager at American Momentum Bank. “We remain committed to residential construction throughout various market cycles.”

The storm-ready model home, located at 210 S. Occident Street in Tampa’s Beach Park neighborhood, will be an elevated three-story residence that combines AR Homes’ architectural style with enhanced protection from potential flood risks. The first floor will feature a six-plus-car garage, with living spaces on the second and third floors.

The “Westshore” model is a four-bedroom, four-bathroom home with an elevator, a gourmet kitchen with Gaggenau appliances, 90-degree sliding glass doors that open to the outdoor living space, a pool, a sunken fire pit and a floating staircase. The home features impact windows and doors and a whole-home generator. Construction is underway and is expected to be completed in spring 2027.

Construction is also underway on the “Grayton” model in the Skylake community in Lutz. The four-bedroom, four-bathroom home includes a club room that can be used for recreation or a media room. The outdoor space also includes a custom-designed outdoor kitchen, pool and spa and a 659-square-foot cabana providing covered outdoor space for indoor-outdoor living. The home is available for purchase and expected to be completed in February 2027.

“What we are finding is that people want something they can move into within 90 days, whether they are relocating or just looking to upgrade their home,” Smith said. “Custom homes have a lengthy planning and completion process, so having inventory available gives buyers a faster path to ownership while still delivering the design, quality and craftsmanship they expect from us.” 

Doctor performs 1,000th robotic surgery

LUTZ – Dr. Louis Matherne IV, a general surgeon at Lutz’s St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, recently performed his 1,000th robotic surgery.

A surgeon guides and controls the robot’s mechanical arms and surgical instruments from a console with a high-resolution 3-D screen. When the surgeon moves, the robotic arms respond precisely to those movements in real time. The instruments work identically to the movement of a surgeon’s arm, elbow and wrist, however with an enhanced range of motion. 

Matherne performs surgeries on the gallbladder, appendix, colon, small bowel and hernias. Robotic surgery can offer patients smaller, more precise incisions, faster recoveries, shorter hospital stays and outpatient surgery options. 

AdventHealth Wesley Chapel expands stroke treatment

WESLEY CHAPEL – AdventHealth Wesley Chapel has added a biplane neurointerventional suite designed to provide advanced treatment for severe strokes.

The technology allows physicians to perform minimally invasive procedures including mechanical thrombectomy, which removes blood clots from the brain and restores blood flow in patients experiencing severe ischemic strokes.

“Having the ability to provide advanced stroke intervention on our campus means patients can receive critical treatment faster, which can lead to better outcomes and improved recovery,” said Dr. Jason Maljaar, medical director of neurology.

The hospital has also added specialized neurointerventional physicians, allowing more patients to receive treatment in Pasco County without being transferred to another facility.

The suite can also be used to treat brain aneurysms, perform diagnostic cerebral angiograms and provide other emergency and elective neurovascular procedures.

AdventHealth Wesley Chapel is a Primary Stroke Center and is pursuing Comprehensive Stroke Center designation.

BayCare names first support services VP

CLEARWATER – BayCare has hired Lawrence “Wren” Roberts as its first vice president of support services.

Roberts brings more than 30 years of support services leadership experience, including nearly 20 years overseeing health care operations across multiple facilities.

He joins BayCare from Centra Health in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he most recently served as senior director of support services. He oversaw food and nutrition, environmental services, security, emergency management and life safety across the health system’s campuses.

Roberts previously worked for Marriott and Sodexo. He also managed food production for South Florida Baptist Hospital in Plant City from 1992 to 1995.

AdventHealth Heart of Florida earns safe sleep designation

DAVENPORT – AdventHealth Heart of Florida has received the Gold Level Safe Sleep Hospital designation from the Cribs for Kids National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program.

The designation is the program’s highest level of recognition for hospitals providing infant safe sleep education, staff training and community outreach.

AdventHealth Heart of Florida provides safe sleep training for care teams, educates parents and caregivers before discharge and connects families in need with safe sleep spaces for newborns. 

“Every family deserves access to the information and resources that can help keep their baby safe,” said Janell Chyle, director of women’s services at AdventHealth Heart of Florida.

Quick Hits

• September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and Tuesday, Sept. 8, is 988 Day. The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay answers local calls to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It also provides suicide prevention care coordination services. On the web: crisiscenter.com

TAMPA – The kitchen at Whiskey Joe’s thaws frozen food as part of its daily routine. Now, it’s doing so more quickly while using significantly less water.

The waterfront restaurant is the first business to receive a Tampa Bay Water Wise rebate for a commercial food-defrosting technology. The rebate helps offset the cost of the new CNSRV system, which is expected to save about 2,000 gallons of water every day. 

Whiskey Joe’s defrosts nearly one ton of product each week.

Rather than continuously using and wasting drinking water throughout the thawing process, the system recirculates the water. It can also be used to quickly cool large quantities of hot food, giving the kitchen another opportunity to cut down on water use.

“We’re always looking for ways to make our kitchen run better, and this was a change that made sense for us,” said Martin Duffany, brand manager at Whiskey Joe’s. “We can keep doing what we need to do in the kitchen while using a lot less water, and the rebate helped make the decision easy.”

The project comes as the Tampa Bay region remains under a Stage 3 Regional Water Supply Shortage.

“Saving 2,000 gallons of water a day with one piece of equipment is pretty significant,” said Amelia Brown, demand management program manager at Tampa Bay Water. “We know the upfront cost could make it harder for businesses to make these kinds of changes. This rebate helps make this investment a little easier for Whiskey Joe’s, and now that change is making a difference every day.”

Tampa Bay Water Wise helps businesses make water-saving improvements by offering rebates that can offset some of the upfront cost. Whiskey Joe’s received a $1,000 rebate toward the food-defrosting system, which costs approximately $3,600 without a rebate.

Larger projects may qualify for customizable rebates covering up to 50% of eligible project costs. Restaurants can also receive up to $200 for qualifying WaterSense toilets and half-gallon urinals.

“We know businesses are looking at their bottom line, too,” Brown said. “If you can save water and lower your utility costs at the same time, that’s a win for the business and for Tampa Bay.”

On the web: tampabaywater.org/conservation/tampa-bay-water-wise/

WESLEY CHAPEL – After opening their first Cinnaholic location in South Tampa, Thiago and Juliana Mendes took their time finding the right opportunity for their second bakery. They chose the Hub at Lexington.

“This location puts us in the middle of a growing area with so much energy and activity,” Thiago said. “We’re excited to bring Cinnaholic to even more customers throughout Wesley Chapel and the surrounding communities.”

Originally from Brazil, the Mendes family dreamed of living in the United States and building a business together. With backgrounds in business and complementary strengths, they found a natural fit in Cinnaholic. 

Thiago, who has a passion for baking and cooking, takes a hands-on approach to the bakery’s operations. Juliana brings her background in human resources and love of customer service to the front of the house. 

The couple liked Cinnaholic’s approach to plant-based desserts and saw an opportunity to build a business they could truly be a part of. 

“We fell in love with Cinnaholic the first time we tried it,” Juliana said. “Everything is completely plant-based, but you don’t have to be vegan or vegetarian to love it. We’ve loved being hands-on owners at our South Tampa location, and we’re excited to bring that same experience to our new bakery in Wesley Chapel.”

Having recently moved to Wesley Chapel, the couple is looking forward to growing their business in the community. They celebrated the shop’s opening on Aug. 21. 

The gourmet vegan bakery is known for its customizable cinnamon rolls and plant-based treats. Customers can customize their cinnamon rolls with more than 20 frosting flavors and 20 topping choices.

In addition to cinnamon rolls, Cinnaholic offers baby buns, cookies, brownies, soft serve and cinnamon roll cakes.

Want to go?

Cinnaholic Wesley Chapel is located at 27145 Halter Loop, Wesley Chapel. Cinnaholic also offers catering for events, such as weddings, conferences and conventions.

On the web: cinnaholic.com 

TAMPA – The Tampa Bay Area Chiefs of Police Foundation will recognize exceptional law enforcement officers Aug. 29 during its 11th annual gala. 

The event is open to the public for the first time, giving the community an opportunity to join law enforcement officials, business leaders and supporters in celebrating those who have made Tampa Bay safer.

Several officers will be honored: 

• Detective Aaron Smith, of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office Digital Forensics Unit, will be recognized as Deputy of the Year. His expertise in digital forensics has helped solve complex criminal investigations, identify dozens of child exploitation victims and bring offenders to justice. His work was instrumental in helping the FBI dismantle a multi-state child exploitation case involving a Tampa Bay-area doctor.

• 

  The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Strategic Gun Intelligence Unit won Task Force of the Year for its efforts to combat gun violence through intelligence-driven investigations and proactive enforcement. Since launching in 2025, the unit has arrested more than 100 violent offenders, seized 132 illegal firearms, recovered more than $100,000 in criminal proceeds and helped reduce gun violence across Hillsborough County.

• Officer Andrew Billups, of the Clearwater Police Department, won Officer of the Year. In separate incidents, Billups rescued a missing 8-year-old autistic girl in danger of being swept into the Gulf. Weeks later, he talked a woman in crisis to safety from the Memorial Causeway Bridge.
• Aby George, of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, earned Agent of the Year honors. George led an investigation that dismantled a major international child pornography ring operating across multiple countries. His work resulted in numerous arrests, the seizure of a website distributing child sexual abuse material including more than one million explicit videos and the identification of about 50 child victims.
• Master Patrol Officer Chrisie Lopez, of the St. Petersburg Police Department, will be highlighted as Unsung Hero. From helping a suicidal teenager to de-escalating an armed man experiencing a mental health crisis, her ability to calmly defuse dangerous situations has saved lives while connecting people in crisis to the help they need.

The gala, which includes a cocktail reception and dinner, takes place Aug. 29 at Opal Sol Resort, 400 Coronado Drive, Clearwater. Visit ChiefsFoundation.org/AnnualGala to buy tickets or donate to the gala auction.

The gala supports the foundation’s mission of strengthening partnerships between law enforcement and the community. Since 2020, the foundation has invested more than $750,000 in officers’ advanced training as well as educational and police academy scholarships.