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The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
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BayCare Health Systems

Families Will Soon Begin Moving Into Persimmon Park In Wesley Chapel

August 25, 2020 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Afrika and Dawvel Brooks researched just about every homebuilder in Tampa Bay before deciding ICI Homes was the best one for their family.

“We wanted the ability to move walls and customize our new home, and ICI Homes was the only builder to welcome structural changes, and to do so at an affordable cost,” said Afrika.

The Brooks family discovered ICI Homes in the Asturia community in Odessa, and learned that the builder had just opened a new community in Wesley Chapel called Persimmon Park.

“While we loved ICI Homes’ floor plans in Odessa, Wesley Chapel was a better location for my family,” said Afrika. “It is the middle of so many things — shopping, restaurants and entertainment, and also close to hospitals and health care services. Especially for our two teenage daughters, building our new home in Wesley Chapel was a huge draw.”

The Brooks family is one of the first homebuyers in the new Persimmon Park community in Wesley Chapel. Shown here are Afrika and Dawvel Brooks, and their 14-year-old daughter, Amaya. (Courtesy of Mercedes Brooks)

The Brooks family is one of the first to buy in Persimmon Park, which is located off Bruce B. Downs within the master-planned development of Wiregrass Ranch. The community is directly behind The Shops at Wiregrass and AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, and across the street from a new $200 million hospital and health care complex being built by BayCare Health Systems.

“My husband and I both work in the health care field, so being so close to two hospitals is very attractive,” said Afrika, who recently retired from the U.S. Air Force. (Dawvel is still active duty and based at MacDill Air Force Base.)

The family choose the two-story Primrose floor plan, which, at over 2,400 square feet, is the largest home ICI Homes builds in Persimmon Park. All homes in the community have two-car garages in the rear, which are accessed by private alleyways and provide ample parking.

Afrika loves that the master suite in her new home is downstairs, as is a second bedroom and adjacent bath that is ideal for an office. Her girls’ bedrooms are upstairs with a shared bath, along with a large game room.

“Because ICI Homes can make structural changes very affordably, we decided to add a studio/bonus room above our garage to give our family the additional space we desired,” said Afrika. “I’ve been told that our bonus room idea has worked out so well, that other buyers are adding it to their homes.”

The Brooks’ home is in the drywall stage of construction, and the family expects to move into their new home in November.

“The entire homebuilding experience with ICI Homes has been excellent,” said Afrika. “From our salesperson, Carmen Worrels, to the architects who added our bonus room, to our project manager and customer service team. Everyone has been so helpful, nice and responsive.”

“In addition to Persimmon Park’s desirable location, buyers are excited that the community’s amenities will be completed in late November,” adds Greg Jones, Tampa Division Manager for ICI Homes.

Amenities include a unique, T-shaped luxury pool with cabanas and grilling area. Coming soon are dog parks for small and large breeds, and trails that wind through the community and connect to the Wiregrass Ranch trail system.

In Persimmon Park’s first phase, ICI Homes is building 40 homes; at build out, 97 homes. Prices begin in the high $200s, and buyers can choose from two, one-story and four, two-story homes, with more plans coming soon. There are four inventory homes available for families needing to move quickly.

“Our cottage-style floor plans feel open and airy with lots of windows, and exemplify Florida’s casual lifestyle,” says Jones. “Our homes are designed for people wanting to simplify their life, who want less square footage to clean and maintain, yet want all the upscale finishes and details offered by ICI Homes.”

Jones adds that many builder upgrades are standard features for ICI Homes, including 6-foot windows, 8-foot doors and energy-efficient construction that boasts a 50-SEER rating. Persimmon Park offers low CDD fees at less than $2,000 a year, and its affordable HOA fee includes internet and cable television for just $90/month.

Families with school-age children are drawn to Persimmon Park because the community is zoned to the area’s highest-rated schools —Wiregrass Elementary, Dr. John Long Middle and Wiregrass Ranch High.

ICI Homes is currently offering an exceptionally low interest rate of just 2.75% on 30-year mortgages, when using the builder’s preferred lenders. A lower interest rate increases a buyer’s spending power and allows them to more quickly build equity in their home.

Persimmon Park is the first Wesley Chapel community for ICI Homes, which is celebrating 40 years of business. Based in Daytona Beach, the company is family owned and managed, and is proud of its very personalized, no-pressure approach to sales.

Published August 26, 2020

Filed Under: Home Section Tagged With: AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, Afrika Brooks, Asturia, BayCare Health Systems, Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Dawvel Brooks, Dr. John Long Middle, Greg Jones, ICI Homes, MacDill Air Force Base, Persimmon Park, The Shops at Wiregrass, U.S. Air Force, Wesley Chapel, Wiregrass Elementary, Wiregrass Ranch, Wiregrass Ranch High School

BayCare continues quest for Wesley Chapel hospital

February 13, 2019 By B.C. Manion

BayCare Health Systems is pushing forward in its quest to open a new hospital in Wesley Chapel, despite a challenge filed by AdventHealth’s hospitals in Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills and Dade City.

Speaking on BayCare’s behalf, Todd Jones recently outlined the health care system’s plans for a 60-bed hospital that would be built on a 111-acre site at the northeast quadrant of Interstate 75 and Overpass Road.

He shared BayCare’s vision for the hospital with about 120 businessmen and businesswomen at the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce’s monthly breakfast, at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch in Wesley Chapel.

BayCare wants to put a new hospital along the I-75 corridor because of the dramatic population growth, and an increased demand for health services, said Jones, who is vice president of ambulatory experience and operations for BayCare Health System.

Todd Jones, vice president of ambulatory experience and operations for BayCare Health System, outlined the provider’s vision for a new hospital in Wesley Chapel during a breakfast meeting of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce. (B.C. Manion)

“Anytime you have population growth, there is going to be an increased demand for health services,” he said.

“We want to recruit new primary care and specialty providers to the community.

“One of things that’s frustrating for patients — and this is the thing that affects your health — is when you can’t gain access to the care that you need in some way.”

Beyond recruiting the professionals to work at the hospital, there will be a ripple effect — with providers opening up offices nearby, Jones predicted.

BayCare also wants to provide additional services that would not be based at the hospital, Jones added.

BayCare also plans to do community outreach, and to provide wellness and education activities, Jones said.

It plans to partner with education providers to help provide a path forward for both high school and college students, Jones added.

The construction of the hospital is expected to create 300 jobs, and once it becomes fully operational, BayCare anticipates needing about 300 team members, Jones said.

The proposed services at the hospital include:

  • Emergency services for adults and children
  • Intensive care unit
  • Obstetrical care services
  • Diagnostic lab imaging
  • Physical rehabilitation
  • Behavioral support services

Jones told the audience, people often want to know: “What’s it going to look like? How’s it going to function?”

It will be similar in appearance to BayCare’s St. Joseph’s Hospital-South, which opened in Riverview in 2015. That hospital used the template from St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, which opened in Lutz in 2010.

“We will use the same architects,” Jones said, using whatever was learned during the St. Joseph’s Hospital-South project, much like that project used what was learned at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North.

“The goal is, you  always want to improve upon yourself,” he said.

It typically takes about three years from the time a hospital is approved, until the physical structure is operating.

The hospital has received preliminary approval from the state for a Certificate of Need, but that has been challenged, so the process will take some time to work through.

BayCare has received word that a hearing is scheduled Aug. 13 through Aug. 22, according to Tiffany Scalone, media relations coordinator for St. Joseph’s Hospitals.

Jones told the North Tampa Bay Chamber crowd: “We will work through the process for the Certificate of Need. We anticipate it will be resolved by October.”

BayCare understands the value of the state Certificate of Need process, Jones said, noting it is intended “to protect the community, so that you don’t overbuild services and you do something the community actually can afford.

“We support that process. We feel like it challenges us to make sure that all of the things that we thought through actually do support the community,” Jones said.

Beyond its plans for the hospital, BayCare also anticipates bringing in some other services.

“We feel like we can get to the community faster with some of the diagnostic services that are needed in the community,” he said. “We’re looking at another location for our outpatient services. Right now, the things that we have identified immediately are around laboratory and imaging, and also urgent care.”

Licia Tavalaiccio, a real estate broker who lives in the area, said she’s excited about the prospect of the hospital coming into the area.

But, she noted: “My concern is traffic. Do we have a plan?””

Jones said the hospital will reach out in the community to involve them, as the hospital planning progresses.

“We would like you to participate. We want you to have input,” Jones said, noting that community participation also extends to helping to identify the community’s needs.

“We try to provide service for the patients where they need it,” Jones said. “We come to you.”

Published February 13, 2019

Filed Under: Health, Local News, Wesley Chapel/New Tampa News Tagged With: AdventHealth, BayCare Health Systems, I-75, Licia Tavalaiccio, Lutz, North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, Pasco-Hernando State College, Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, Riverview, St. Joseph's Hospital-North, St. Joseph's Hospital-South, Tiffany Scalone, Todd Jones, Wesley Chapel

BayCare wants to build new hospital in Pasco

December 19, 2018 By B.C. Manion

BayCare has received preliminary approval of an application to build a new 60-bed hospital on a 111-acre site, at the northeast quadrant of Interstate 75 and Overpass Road.

The Agency for Health Care Administration on Dec. 10 announced preliminary approval of the hospital’s application for a Certificate of Need.

Tommy Inzina, president/CEO of BayCare (Courtesy of BayCare)

As part of its application, BayCare outlined plans that include:
• Construction of the hospital
• Recruitment of primary care practitioners
• Implementation of additional behavioral health services
• A commitment to community outreach, wellness and education activities
• An investment in training and education for Pasco County school students interested in health care careers.

Tommy Inzina, president/CEO of BayCare, said the new hospital would provide medical services in a growing area of Pasco County.

The proposed site meshes well with the hospital’s need to take the long view, Inzina said, noting, “hospitals have to have a plan for 50 or 100 years.”

When BayCare was considering locating a hospital in Pasco, it began looking north of Wesley Chapel, to meet the growing need moving north along the Interstate 75 corridor, the hospital executive said.

BayCare wanted a site near Interstate 75, to make the site easily accessible, and it wanted 50 acres or more of land, Inzina said.

“There’s just not an infinite number of sites that would meet that definition,” Inzina said.

The property at I-75 and Overpass Road fit the bill.

Inzina noted the property is “a large enough piece of property to not only accommodate the hospital needs today, but what the needs might look like 30, 40, 50 years into the future.”

There are plans to create an interchange at I-75 and Overpass Road, and the area is poised for considerable growth, as new developments occur in the state-approved Connected City corridor, which covers about 7,800 acres in northeast Pasco County, bordered by I-75, State Road 52, and Curley and Overpass roads.

The timing for construction of the new hospital is unclear at this point, Inzina said.

Adventist Health, which operates Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills and Florida Hospital Dade City in Pasco County, has raised objections to BayCare’s application.

Inzina said BayCare expects to know by early January whether Adventist Health will appeal.

Inzina said the state was aware of the objections that were raised and BayCare’s responses, when it issued its preliminary approval for the Certificate of Need.

“If they (Adventist Health) appeal this, it could take perhaps up to a year to work through the appeals process,” Inzina said.

Meanwhile, BayCare will continue preparing for the new hospital, Inzina said.

“You can’t begin construction without a Certificate of Need, but we can do all of the planning we want to,” he said. For example, the hospital can work to secure the proper zoning for the land.

Typically, it takes 3 ½ to 4 years for a hospital project to be completed, including design, permitting and construction, Inzina said.

No specific figures are available for the project’s cost, but Inzina offered a rough estimate ranging from $250 million to $300 million.

BayCare expects hospital construction to bring hundreds of jobs to the area. It also expects about 300 permanent positions at the hospital by the second year of hospital operations.

Additionally, BayCare expects the hospital’s economic impact to include surrounding growth, including medical offices and other businesses.

BayCare Health System operates 15 hospitals in the Tampa Bay and Central Florida regions.

Published December 19, 2018

Filed Under: Health, Local News, Wesley Chapel/New Tampa News Tagged With: Adventist Health, Agency for Health Care Administration, BayCare Health Systems, Connected City, Curley Road, Florida Hospital Dade City, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, Interstate 75, Overpass Road, State Road 52, Tommy Inzina, Wesley Chapel

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Avalon Applauds… Norah Catlin

February 23, 2021 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

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‘Aladdin jr.’

Live Oak Theatre is now selling tickets for its Acorn Theatre production of “Aladdin jr.” Performances will be March 18 through March 28, at the Carol and Frank Morsani Center for the Arts, 21030 Cortez Blvd., in Brooksville. Seats are $15 for adults and $8 for children ages 13 and younger, when accompanied by an adult. For show times and tickets, visit LiveOakTheatre.square.site, email , or call 352-593-0027. … [Read More...] about ‘Aladdin jr.’

03/05/2021 – Apple Pie Bombs

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will offer “Foodie Feast: Apple Pie Bombs” on March 5. Participants can learn how to make tasty, apple pie bombs. Watch the prerecorded video between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., online at Facebook.com/hughembrylibrary or Facebook.com/newriverlibrary. For information, call 352-567-3576, or email Danielle Lee at . … [Read More...] about 03/05/2021 – Apple Pie Bombs

03/06/2021 – Bridal Trunk Show

The Gulfside Hospice New Port Richey Thrift Shoppe, 6117 State Road 54, will host a Bridal Trunk Show on March 6 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. There will be more than 250 dresses to choose from, starting at $29.99 and many brand new. Admission is free, but limited spots are available to allow for social distancing. Brides must register online in advance, by March 3, at bit.ly/NPR-Bridal-Trunk-Show. All proceeds from the shop go to help hospice patients in Pasco County. For questions, contact Jeremi Sliger at , or call 727-842-7262. … [Read More...] about 03/06/2021 – Bridal Trunk Show

03/11/2021 – Economic security

The Pasco Unit of the League of Women Voters of Hillsborough County will sponsor a panel discussion on “Economic Security in Pasco County During the COVID Outbreak” on March 11 at 7 p.m. Panelists will include Brian Hoben, community services director, Pasco County Public Services; Marcy Esbjerg, director of community development, Pasco County Public Services; Don Anderson, CEO, Pasco Homeless Coalition; and, Mike Bishop, director, Stakeholder Engagement, Pasco Economic Development Council. For information on how to register, email . … [Read More...] about 03/11/2021 – Economic security

03/13/2021 – ‘Grease’ event

T-Mobile will sponsor “Grease is the Word” on March 13 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. There will be a sing-along contest pitting Pasco County Fire Rescue against the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, a free movie “under the stars,” and a classic car show with prizes. There also will be food trucks and games. Admission is free. … [Read More...] about 03/13/2021 – ‘Grease’ event

03/13/2021 – Exhibitors needed

Demene Benjamin and UrEsteem will host “UrSelf: A Dabble in Self-Care” on March 13 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. Exhibitors can be anyone who has a product or service to promote physical, mental and social health, including physical and massage therapists; counselors; churches; nail techs/hairstylists; yoga/pilates/exercise; or natural products. For information, call 813-334-6006, or email . … [Read More...] about 03/13/2021 – Exhibitors needed

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