The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
Proud to be independently owned.

Arrowgrass Drive

Florida Avenue Brewing ready to begin pouring

By

Craft beer lovers get ready for the taste of some new brews in Pasco County.

Florida Avenue Brewing Co., anticipates opening by the end of July, possibly as soon as July 15.

“We’re super excited about it,” said Anthony Derby, chief executive officer of Florida Avenue Brewing.

“This project is bigger than what I imagined it to be – in a good way,” said Derby, who also is a founder and CEO of Brew Bus Brewing in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa.

Anthony Derby, chief executive officer of Florida Avenue Brewing (Courtesy of Florida Avenue Brewing)

When Florida Avenue Brewing opens in Wesley Chapel, Derby anticipates it will be able to produce 60,000 barrels a year, and claim its place as the largest locally owned brewery in Florida.

A grain silo will allow storage of grain in bulk.

The brewery will have about 14 distributors selling its craft beers statewide, from Tallahassee to Key West.

The Pasco County Commission recently approved an economic incentive payment of about $253,000. In return, Florida Brewing will create at least 42 jobs related to the manufacturing activities of the brewery, according to the county’s agreement.

The payment also will fund an employee training grant for Pasco-based employees, and reimbursement of county utility service connection fees.

Derby anticipates that as many as 150 jobs in manufacturing and retail, including restaurant positions, will be created over time.

The brewery will open in the former Sports + Field, at 2029 Arrowgrass Drive.

Florida Avenue Brewing will open in July at the former Sports + Field in Wesley Chapel. Remodeling of the building is nearing completion.

Construction work on a major remodel of the building is nearly complete.

Florida Brewing will have a full restaurant, a 3,500-square-foot outdoor beer garden, a private beer garden for special events, an open kitchen, and a large closed kitchen.

Patrons will have an open view through glass into the brewery from inside the dining room, as well as from the outside.

Derby envisions Florida Brewing as a community gathering place to enjoy craft beers, family and friends, sports on television, dining, music, and games such as corn hole and bocce.

In the midst of COVID-19, there were a few delays in construction. But, everything is coming together, Derby said.

The cannery line, for example, came from Italy, a hot spot for COVID-19. Brewing equipment from Washington State, also a COVID-19 hot spot, will be shipped shortly, Derby said.

Patrons’ safety is foremost, so Derby said Florida Brewing is closely watching changing guidelines on opening for business, including social distancing and allowable capacity.

Florida Brewing will be ready for everything, said Derby.

“We’re preparing disposable menus,” he added.

Florida Avenue Brewing will sell its craft beer to distributors across the state.

The Wesley Chapel site eventually will produce about 80% of the company’s beer products, and will be the company’s flagship location, Derby said.

Brew Bus Brewing and Florida Avenue Brewing are affiliated, but Florida Avenue Brewing is the company’s flagship brand.

Operations will continue in Seminole Heights at Brew Bus Brewing, a popular Tampa and Seminole Heights destination, and a starting point for public and private beer tours throughout Tampa Bay.

Florida Brewing is making an investment of about $12 million at its new location, including renovations to the building.

County officials estimate Florida Brewing Bus will contribute an average of $15.7 million to the Gross County Product.

Pasco’s economic potential is well-known to Derby, whose mother-in-law lives in Wesley Chapel.

Before settling on the Arrowgrass site, the company looked at a vacant 15-acre site near the Tampa Premium Outlets.

“It just wasn’t right for us,” Derby said.

The former Sports + Field building — with its large size and prime location near ongoing development off State Road 56 — felt like the perfect fit.

“I’ve seen this area grow,” he said.

For information and job opportunities, visit FloridaAveBrewing.com.

Published June 17, 2020

Brewery aims to become Wesley Chapel ‘gem’

By

If all goes according to plan, Florida Avenue Brewing will open in Wesley Chapel by next spring.

It aims to become “a destination, a gem,” said Anthony Derby, the Founder and CEO of Brew Bus Brewing, located in Seminole Heights.

Brew Bus Brewing and Florida Avenue Brewing are affiliated, but Florida Avenue Brewing is considered to be the company’s flagship brand.

Anthony Derby is the founder and CEO of Brew Bus Brewing. (File)

And, while operations will continue in Seminole Heights, the Wesley Chapel location will be called Florida Avenue Brewing and will be known as the company’s flagship location.

The goal for the new Pasco County location is to create a place that people refer to as “a cool brewery,” Derby told those attending the North Tampa Bay Chamber economic development luncheon last week.

“The project that we’re building now is going to be able to do 60,000 barrels (a year). It will be the largest locally owned brewery in the state of Florida,” Darby said.

The brewery wants to be a place where people gather to drink , to eat, to play games — such as  bocce ball and cornhole — to listen to music, to watch sports, to celebrate special events, or to just hang out in the beer garden, he added.

He’s excited about the possibilities.

The brewery will operate in a 32,000-square-foot building, formerly known as Sports + Field, at 2029 Arrowgrass Drive.

“For us, it’s kind of a blank slate. We’re going to be able to do a lot of really cool things,” Derby said, noting he wants to incorporate the best elements of what he’s seen at breweries across the United States.

The company is making a sizable investment.

“Before we open the doors, we’ll have spent about $10 million on the project,” Derby said. That includes land acquisition, new equipment and building improvements. Over the course of the next five years, he expects the company to invest another $2 million to $3 million.

There will be an open kitchen, and also a larger closed kitchen.

Part of the brewery will have community seating, on a first-come, first-served basis — promoting a come-and-go vibe. And, a small space will be devoted to a more formal dining setting.

There will be a private event space, too, accommodating about 100 seated guests, or between 150 to 200 standing, Derby said. That area will have three huge sliders that open to a private beer garden.

Plus, a 3,500-square-foot outdoor beer garden is planned, too.

“We’re not building any new structures, but a lot of internal modifications need to happen,” Derby said.

“We are painting the entire façade, almost a whitewash brick with a gray metal roof and then some red or burnt orange accents.”

The entrance to the building will be moved.

Glass is being installed, so guests will be able to see into the brewery from the outside, and also from the dining room.

“We’re upgrading our water line from a 2-inch to a 4-inch,” he said, to support brewing operations. Additional power is needed, too, so an additional transformer is being added.

To preserve parking, they’re paving a roadway to enable valet parking for the special events area.

On the brewery side, all of the equipment will be new, including its canning line, which will be imported from Italy. It will be able to do about 250 cans a minute, compared to the company’s current canning line that does 50 cans a minute.

A grain silo is planned, on the State Road 56 side, to allow the brewery to buy grain in bulk.

Besides getting the site ready for the business, the company also will be hiring about 50 employees. That’s in addition to its 53 current employees in Seminole Heights, Derby said.

Jobs will include such roles as a lab manager, a general manager, an assistant general manager, an event coordinator and hourly employees, such as bartenders and servers.

Plans call for being open daily, with doors opening at 11 a.m. Closing times will be set, as the business dictates.

Published October 30, 2019

New brewery coming to Wesley Chapel

By

A new brewery, restaurant and beer garden will be setting up shop at a former fitness facility in Wesley Chapel — with an expected opening in the first quarter of 2020.

Anthony Derby, CEO of Brew Bus Brewing and the Florida Avenue Brewing Co., located in Tampa’s Seminole Heights, said the planned additional location for his company is ideal for its needs.

Derby said the brewery is one company, but owns two different brands: Brew Bus Brewing and Florida Avenue Brewing Co.

Anthony Derber, CEO of Brew Bus Brewing and Florida Avenue Brewing Co., said his company was attracted to Wesley Chapel because of its growth. The company plans to open a brewery, beer garden and restaurant, off State Road 56, in the first quarter of 2020. (Courtesy of Brew Bus Brewing)

“We’re not sure which brand we’re going to put up there (in Wesley Chapel) yet,” Derby said.

If it hadn’t been for a relative, Derby said he may not have become aware of Wesley Chapel’s potential.

“My mother-in-law lives up there. I’ve been visiting up there, probably for the past three years, on and off, on weekends,” he explained.

During those visits, he noticed the area’s rapid growth and was attracted to it.

The new brewery will operate out of a 34,000-square-foot building at 2029 Arrowgrass Drive.

The building, previously Sports + Field, is off State Road 56 and near Interstate 75.

“We were working with a few other county economic development companies to be able to look at sites,” Derby said.

“Finding a property that big, that was well-suited, that was close to the interstate, was a challenge, as well,” said Derby, who had been looking in other parts of the state.

So, when they saw the Wesley Chapel site, it “kind of screamed at us,” he said.

“We’re extremely happy with the building,” he said, noting the brick building was built in 2005 and has modern features that are needed, including fire sprinklers.

“The building is awesome from a utilities standpoint. It has plenty of power.

“Being a gym, with showers and saunas in its previous use — the water line is massive. All of the drainage and stuff is great. And, usually, that’s the biggest issue for a brewery —  the utility aspect of things,” Derby explained.

“We looked at some vacant land, as well. But, to build something, like what is already there, would be kind of out of our budget,” Derby said.

Some modifications will be needed.

“We will have to cut up the floors and put some drainage in,” he said.

An interior look at the tasting room at the brewery’s Seminole Heights location.

Some more paved driveways will be needed. A chiller will be installed and air conditioners repaired, he added.

“We want to change the façade, maybe add some more glass. We’re really big on getting as much natural light into the building as possible,” he added.

A landscaping crew already has been at the site.

“It took them six days to cut back all of (the) brush and overgrown trees,” Derby said.

When the brewery opens, it will have a production space, offices, a full kitchen, a beer garden, and bar.

“In the restaurant, there will be a mixture of seated, served meals; and, we’ll have community tables,” he said.

The beer garden will have open-air and covered seating.

The company expects to have at least 46 to 50 employees to start, Derby said.

“We’re probably going to add more after that, once we’re able to judge the demand for the retail component,” he said.

“We’re in our design phase right now, with our architect. Once we have that nailed down, we’ll see what kind of equipment will fit. The size of the equipment is going to determine how much labor we would need.

“A lot of the jobs we would be bringing up there would be high-paying. We’ll have a full-blown lab up there, which will require a master’s in biology,” he said.

The company has been working with the Pasco Economic Development Council Inc., and expects to qualify for some economic incentives from Pasco County.

The company has received support from the Pasco EDC, from the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, from government officials and from the brewery’s vendors.

While the Seminole Heights location operates buses that travel to breweries throughout the Tampa Bay area, there are no plans to house buses at the Wesley Chapel location, Derby said. However, it will be possible to make arrangements to use buses that operate out of the Seminole Heights location, to make it convenient for people who would want to enjoy the bus experience, he added.

The Wesley Chapel operation represents more than $8.7 million in new capital investment in Pasco County, according to a news release from the Pasco EDC. The location will be used for brewing, canning and distribution of the company’s craft beers.

“It’s great to reactivate a dormant property with high-paying manufacturing jobs in a unique industry,” Bill Cronin, president/CEO of Pasco EDC, said, in the release.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore also shared his thoughts, in the release.

“Not only are they creating jobs, but their new tasting room and restaurant will be a great destination for residents and tourists alike. Breweries are a huge part of the tourism market,” said Moore, whose district includes the site.

For more information about Brew Bus Brewing Inc., visit BrewBusUSA.com.

Published June 12, 2019

Charter school finds a home

By

Garden Montessori Charter School has signed a five-year lease on a new 22,000-square-foot home in a former fitness facility in Wesley Chapel.

“It’s a beautiful property,” John Selover, a consultant for the charter school said. “We’re really excited about it.”

Garden Montessori Charter School has signed a five-year lease on the property now known as Sports and Field, at 2029 Arrowgrass Drive. (Photos courtesy of Garden Montessori Charter School)
Garden Montessori Charter School has signed a five-year lease on the property now known as Sports and Field, at 2029 Arrowgrass Drive.
(Photos courtesy of Garden Montessori Charter School)

In addition to the building at the Sports and Field Inc. location, at 2029 Arrowgrass Drive, there’s a large fenced play area, Selover said.

“When we move in there this year, we’ll have temporary walls and partitions, with the idea that we’ll make that more permanent down the road,” he said.

The school is opening this fall with an enrollment of around 215 children, in kindergarten through second grade.

Selover said many people believe that Montessori education is a private-school only type of situation.

But Garden Montessori School is a charter school, meaning there’s no tuition for children attending the school.

The Sports and Field building, which has been leased to Garden Montessori Charter School, has an exterior rock wall.
The Sports and Field building, which has been leased to Garden Montessori Charter School, has an exterior rock wall.

The same is true for Countryside Montessori Charter School, which is located in Land O’ Lakes.

Garden Montessori School has its roots in a private preschool and kindergarten that has been offering the Montessori approach to education since 2009.

Parents of some of those children were interested in continuing to pursue that type of education in elementary school, and the school sought permission from Pasco County to open a charter elementary school.

There are still some seats available at Garden Montessori Charter School.

General information and enrollment details can be found at GMCSWC.weebly.com.

Published July 1, 2015