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Raymond James Financial

Explore the ways of The West

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The West isn’t nearly as far away as you think.

Spend a few hours in St. Petersburg, at The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art and you’ll feel like you’ve landed in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and other western lands.

‘An Honest Day’s Work,’ by Fred Fellows, depicts a man who makes his living in the American West, where the work ethic still exists. (Courtesy of the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art)

You’ll see paintings, life-size sculptures, sketches, jewelry, photographs and etchings depicting Native Americans, cowboys – and cowgirls. You’ll see vast, sultry landscapes, stampeding horses, and life as it was, and still is, in the West.

You’ll see wildlife art, too, in a museum building that is artistic itself, with mesa-like sandstone walls inside and out evoking the western landscapes. No one would guess that the building was once a plain-Jane parking garage.

Featuring 350 artworks and 100 pieces of jewelry, the permanent collection is one of the largest of its kind on exhibit in the country – in and beyond the American West.

Museum cofounders and sole supporters, Tom and Mary James, fell in love with Western art and began collecting 50 years ago. The art in the museum is just a sampling of their 3,000 pieces.

An exterior view of the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg.

For years, some of their art was exhibited at Raymond James Financial headquarters in St. Petersburg, where Tom James, a St. Petersburg native, served as CEO for 40 years and is now chairman emeritus.

Now, the art is available for all to see in the 84,000-square-foot museum that opened in April, 2018, thanks to the James’s’ $75-million initial investment.

On the first floor, guests are greeted by larger-than-life sculptures. “Honeymoon at Crow Fair” features a newlywed Crow couple riding a horse in front of a two-story waterfall, the groom clutching a parasol. John Coleman, one of the museum’s stars, created it and other sculptures on the second floor.

Nearby, a Native American warrior sculpture by Dave McGary wears a bear headdress and a bear claw necklace, and wields a feathered shield.

A staircase leads to a second floor of more art of western peoples, landscapes, frontier life and a world of natural beauty. Visitors are lured up the stairs by a bronze sculpture called “The Wild’’ of frontiersmen Kit Carson and John Fremont riding a canoe through roiling waves.

This museum favorite, a neo-surrealistic painting by Paul Pletka, is called ‘Red Talkers.’ It depicts Cheyenne men taking part in their Bull Society Dance.

Vast galleries feature paintings by the famous Taos Society of Artists — Ernest Blumenschein and others — who painted in the New Mexico town from 1915 to 1927.

There is priceless art by Charles Russell and Frederic Remington; Native American pottery, paintings and sculptures; contemporary Western paintings, and so much more.

Wooden benches allow visitors to sit quietly to contemplate the artworks and dream of another time, another place.

A museum favorite, a neo-surrealistic painting by Paul Pletka called “Red Talkers,” depicts Cheyenne men taking part in their Bull Society Dance. Some are painted with red and white stripes, their hands way larger than normal. One man clutches an American flag, while another’s stomach transforms into a swarm of bees swirling around a honeycomb.

This Butterfly Squash Blossom necklace, by Navajo designer Ernest Benally, is among 100 pieces of jewelry on display at the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg.

A glass, octagonal room called The Jewel Box features Mary James’ Native American concho belts, rings, necklaces and bracelets. Some of the pieces are old, but most were created by living artists.

Another gallery is filled with wildlife paintings and sculptures of animals from around the world.

There’s a gallery for temporary exhibits, too.

A current exhibit showcases copper plate etchings by Santa Clara Pueblo artist Helen Hardin, which will be featured through March 1; and, a coming attraction features Blake Little’s photos of the gay rodeo circuit from 1988 to 1992, which will be on display from March 28 to June 20.

The museum also has a gift shop selling books, jewelry and other items. The Canyon Cafe, dazzling with an 1880s bar from San Francisco, offers a menu featuring a Bill Cody’s club wrap, a Hatch Chile cheeseburger and Red Rock donut bread pudding, among other Western-themed items.

Admission includes free, 45-minute tours. The “Highlights of the Collection” tour is offered Tuesday through Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The “Silver & Bold: The Art of Native American Jewelry” tour is Friday and Saturday at 11 a.m. To reserve a slot, get free tickets at the admission desk or gift shop on the day of your visit.

Group tours also are available, and a large events space can be rented for weddings, holiday parties, board meetings, conferences and other gatherings.

The museum also offers programs and events, such as live music, cooking classes, art talks, a book club, movies, kids’ playdates, sketch groups, art workshops — all described on the museum’s website.

A founding member of the Taos Society of Artists, Joseph Henry Sharp specialized in portraits of Indians and larger paintings of Indian life.

Museum memberships offer all sorts of special rewards, too.

The biggest reward of all, though, is being able to see some of the best of The West, slightly more than an arrow shot away from Tampa Bay.

Tips for the Trip
The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art is at 150 Central Ave., in downtown St. Petersburg.

Parking is on Levels 3 and 4 of the South Core Parking Garage at 101 First Ave., S. The first hour is free and the charge is $1 an hour after that.

Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except Tuesdays, when the hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Admission is $10 on Tuesdays. Other days, it is $20 for general admission; $15 for seniors over 65, military and students; and, $10 for those ages 7 to 18. Admission is free for children age 6 and younger.

Tickets can be purchased online at TheJamesMuseum.org.

To contact the museum, call (727) 892-4200, or email .

By Karen Haymon Long

Published January 15, 2020

2016 marked by rapid growth, touching moments

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The national election captured headlines and attention, but 2016 was an eventful year in many other ways, as well, across The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

The big story is the region’s growth.

Eighty-eight-year-old Angel Torres, center, a veteran from Puerto Rico and a resident of the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home, is being positioned to have his photograph taken by Mark Fosket, of Valrico, during the ‘Honor Flight’ ceremony at the nursing home. Gabrielle Perrella, a volunteer from Baltimore, Maryland, who is dressed in a uniform costume, posed with each veteran for their portrait.
(File Photos)

New houses are popping up all over the place, with developments such as Long Lake Ranch, Estancia at Wiregrass Ranch, Connerton, Bexley and Asturia, just some of the residential communities beckoning to buyers.

Pasco County is on the move in many other ways, too.

A futuristic, technology-based network of communities across 7,800 acres in northeast Pasco County is in its planning stages.

Raymond James Financial has closed on a deal to buy 65 acres across from Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, with the financial services giant expected to have hundreds of workers in Pasco County at some point.

Florida Hospital Center Ice — a new 150,000-square-foot hockey arena and sports complex — is nearly set to open, and that is expected to be a big draw for both tournaments and tourists.

And then, there’s the commercial development that continues to transform the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor, especially near the Interstate75/State Road 56 interchange.

Just in that vicinity alone, there’s Tampa Premium Outlets, Longhorn Steakhouse, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Chick-fil-A and Culver’s.

A 186,000-square-foot Costco Wholesale is expected to open in February, with an estimated 200 employees.

A historic photo of a baptism of members of the First Baptist Church of Lutz.

Just across the road, on the north side of State Road 56, Cypress Creek Town Center — another shopping development — is being built.

There are also plans for a new cinema, grocery store, apartments, shops and restaurants next to The Shops at Wiregrass, off State Road 56.

Of course, all of this growth is compounding traffic problems on area roads — and numerous projects are underway or are expected to begin work in coming years.

Improvements are expected to begin near the I-75/State Road 56 interchange. Wesley Chapel Boulevard is slated to be widened. An extension of State Road 56 is planned between Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills, and discussion continues about the best solution for reducing congestion at U.S. 41 and State Road 54.

Growth is putting the squeeze on schools, too.

Pasco County Schools can’t keep pace with growing enrollments.

The district opened Wiregrass Elementary School, in Wesley Chapel, in August, to reduce crowding at area schools.

In the coming school year, it plans to open Bexley Elementary and Cypress Creek Middle/High.

Bexley is being built in a new subdivision off State Road 54. Cypress Creek Middle/High is going up on Old Pasco Road.

School board members gave preliminary approval for boundaries for Bexley and Cypress Creek at a contentious public hearing on Dec. 20. A final vote is expected on Jan. 17.

But, school board members and Superintendent Kurt Browning said the new schools fall far short of addressing district needs. They want the Pasco County Commission to require new residential construction to pay higher impact fees to support school construction.

Paramedic John Ward helps Sister Helen Lange blow out the candles that lit up her 103rd birthday cake at a party at Heritage Park in Dade City.

While growth and its ripple effects clearly dominated the news, there were plenty of other notable moments within the region during 2016.

For instance, there were heroics in everyday life.

On June 3, a fire claimed the life of a tiny black Chihuahua named Peanut, but not until after the dog’s persistent barking saved the life of three generations of a Lutz family.

Later that same week, quick actions by a student at Saddlebrook Preparatory School in Wesley Chapel averted potential tragedy at the international boarding school for aspiring golf and tennis players.

A student smelled smoke, investigated, pulled the alarm and help to ensure that all 28 students and two adults got out of the dorm safely.

It took 55 firefighters more than 1 ½ hours to put out the blaze.

This past year also was one of milestones and celebrations.

The First Baptist Church in Lutz celebrated its 75th anniversary, The San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival turned a half-century, Cox Elementary School turned 90 and the Town of St. Leo marked its 125th anniversary.

On a more personal note, Sister Helen Lange, of Dade City, received a surprise cake to mark her 103rd year on Sept. 28 in Dade City, and Nellie and Gain Hughs Bailey Sr., of Lutz, celebrated 70 years of married life on March 31.

There were inspiring moments, too.

Hundreds of people turned out for the “Honor Flight” celebration on Aug. 20, at the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Home in Land O’ Lakes. The event provided a virtual tour of the nation’s war monuments because these veterans are unable to make the trip to Washington D.C.

The stands were also filled at Ron Allen Field at Gaither High School, in North Tampa, to attend the June 15 vigil to honor Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, one of 49 people killed during a mass shooting on June 12 at Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

There was the inspiring message, too, from Immaculee Ilibagiza, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, who spoke at two days of gatherings at St. Timothy Catholic Church in Lutz.

Ilibagiza’s family, friends and other members of her tribe were brutally murdered in Rwanda, but through her faith, she was able to forgive the killers.

Forgiveness, the genocide survivor said, brings freedom.

Published December 28, 2016

Wiregrass Ranch names COO

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Scott Sheridan is a familiar face at Wiregrass Ranch.

As senior vice president of King Engineering Associates Inc., he has been involved from the start in the master-planned community’s development. Since 2004, he has taken on various roles with the planning, engineering and permitting of the project.

Sheridan now is putting on a new hat for the Wiregrass Ranch development company Locust Branch LLC.

Scott Sheridan is the new chief operating officer for Locust Branch LLC, the development company for Wiregrass Ranch.
Courtesy of Locust Branch LLC                           Scott Sheridan is the new chief operating officer for Locust Branch LLC, the development company for Wiregrass Ranch.

He is the company’s first chief operating officer, according to a news release from the development company.

His goals as chief operating officer will be to oversee the upcoming growth at Wiregrass Ranch, as it moves into a new phase of development.

“Under (Scott’s) leadership and expertise, we are confident that Wiregrass Ranch will thrive as the region’s premier master-planned development,” Bill Porter, president of Wiregrass Ranch, said in the release.

The construction of the satellite campus of Raymond James Financial is among the future projects in the development of regional impact.

The financial services company closed on a land deal in September to buy 65 acres of ranch property from the Porter family.

The Fortune 500 financial giant could build as much as 1 million square feet of offices near State Road 56 at Mansfield Boulevard, and bring hundreds of jobs to Pasco County.

Wiregrass Ranch is a 5,100-acre mixed-use community in the Wesley Chapel area. It is home to The Shops at Wiregrass, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, Florida Medical Clinic, North Tampa Behavioral Health and the Porter Campus of the Pasco Hernando State College.

Sheridan is a Florida registered landscape architect and an active member of the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit research and education organization. ULI provides a forum for more than 40,000 members in the real estate and land use professions.

Sheridan shares his expertise with the ULI’s statewide Urban Development and Mixed Use Council.

In 2014, Governor Rick Scott appointed him to the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council for Hillsborough County.

Sheridan has a bachelor of science degree in urban and regional planning from Cook College at Rutgers University.

He worked for more than five years at Heidt Design as a landscape architect. He later worked in the land planning department at King Engineering for more than 14 years, and was a member of the board of directors.

Published Oct. 19, 2016

 

Raymond James closes land deal

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Raymond James Financial has purchased land from the Porter family, moving a step closer to building an office complex in Wesley Chapel.

The satellite campus could yield hundreds of new jobs for Pasco County.

The Fortune 500 financial company, with headquarters in St. Petersburg, could build as much as 1 million square feet of offices on about 65 acres near State Road 56 at Mansfield Boulevard, east of The Shops at Wiregrass.

J.D. Porter, an owner of Wiregrass Ranch, always knew that Raymond James Financial eventually would move forward with plans to build a satellite campus in Pasco County, across from Pasco-Hernando State College. The financial company bought about 65 acres for the project on Sept. 15. (File Photo)
J.D. Porter, an owner of Wiregrass Ranch, always knew that Raymond James Financial eventually would move forward with plans to build a satellite campus in Pasco County, across from Pasco-Hernando State College. The financial company bought about 65 acres for the project on Sept. 15.
(File Photo)

The land purchase had been anticipated since July, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved a permit for the project.

Over the years, there have been naysayers who never thought the project would get off the ground after the recession scuttled the project in 2011.

But, J.D. Porter, an owner of Wiregrass Ranch, never doubted that Raymond James believed in the project, and in Pasco.

In fact, Porter said, “Pasco County is in the best situation. It is a place that is built and made to grow in a big way. This really sets it up for leadership to take the bull by the horns. I feel a lot of people will follow suit.”

Nearly six years ago, the Pasco County Commission offered up about $10 million in roadwork and tax break incentives to lure Raymond James to the county. Raymond James had a target goal of bringing up to 750 new jobs to the county.

But by 2014, company officials said they would delay plans for up to five years. The land purchase is a project restart.

“Obviously, we don’t know when the project will go vertical,” said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore. “It will take some time. But, I think it’s going to be a trigger for other development. It’s going to be a draw and bring a lot of attention to our area.”

Wiregrass Ranch already is seeing new growth.

Forest City Enterprises plans to add more retail and residential next to The Shops at Wiregrass.

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, which opened in 2012, is already deep into an expansion, adding three floors and nearly 112,000 square feet of medical space.

Porter said patience paid off with Raymond James. Company officials, county staff and Will Weatherford, who was then Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, worked to make the project happen.

“This was truly a team effort to get the deal done,” Porter said.

Now Raymond James is arriving in the midst of a post-recession boom for Pasco County and Tampa Bay.

“This is great for the region (of Tampa Bay),” Porter said.

Published September 21, 2016

Porters give blood, sweat, tears to Wiregrass Ranch development

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Not too long ago, Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn called Pasco County a bedroom community, doing nothing more than supplement the economic engine of his county, Hillsborough.

Whether Buckhorn’s observation of Pasco is accurate or not now is not what J.D. Porter is focused on. Instead, he wants to make sure that’s not the Pasco County of tomorrow.

J.D. Porter, right, joins his late father, Don, in groundbreaking ceremonies that helped create what would become the Wiregrass Ranch development area in Pasco County. The Porter family has owned much of the land for decades. (File Photo)
J.D. Porter, right, joins his late father, Don, in groundbreaking ceremonies that helped create what would become the Wiregrass Ranch development area in Pasco County. The Porter family has owned much of the land for decades. (File Photo)

“Bedroom communities are not the future,” Porter recently told members of the Pasco Alliance for Community Associations.

Porter represents his family in the expansive Wiregrass Ranch project that is converting thousands of acres of grazing and agricultural land into sustainable residential neighborhoods and corporate parks in the greater Wesley Chapel area.

The land is part of more than 14,000 acres the Porter family picked up in 1941 at $1.73 an acre when their previous land holdings in Zephyrhills were grabbed to create what would become the municipal airport there.

Porter’s uncle would be the first to flip his land, doubling his money in just four years in what would later become Meadow Pointe. But J.D.’s grandfather James and father Don would hold on for decades.

“We could’ve easily sold out to a bunch of different developers, but none of them represented the legacy that my dad and my grandfather really embraced,” J.D. Porter said. “They wanted to do all the things they didn’t have growing up. That is why you see a college and a hospital, something other communities don’t have after 35 years. Here, you see them in before there is even a rooftop at Wiregrass.”

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel far exceeded any of the initial expectations, and already is running at capacity, Porter said.

Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch opened in 2013 already saw its enrollment jump more than 22 percent in its second year.

The Shops at Wiregrass, which opened in 2008 at the corner of State Road 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, makes more money per square foot — about $15 more — than Tampa’s International Mall, Porter said.

Property nearby along the east side of State Road 56 is planned for more of a mixed use, including the possibility of constructing apartments up to five stories tall.

“It would be for young professionals working at the hospital, at the college, or even with Raymond James, they might be able to catch some of those buyers,” Porter said. Rents there could run as high as $1.25 a square foot — or $1,375 for a 1,100-square-foot unit — well above some of the typical prices of about $1 per square foot.

Porter doesn’t want to just start and stop with young professionals, however. Instead, he envisions having a community that serves all walks of life, from birth to retirement. That’s why that particular area also includes plans for a 300-unit active adult community that could save families having to drive to places like Zephyrhills or the University of South Florida area to see older relatives.

Pasco has not had tremendous luck in attracting big-name employers to the county, but Raymond James Financial is still at the table, Porter said. The St. Petersburg-based financial company announced in 2011 plans to build two 100,000-square-foot buildings that could bring 750 jobs to the area by 2024. The county and state even kicked in $15 million in tax incentives to help make it happen.

Raymond James, however, missed its 2012 target date to start construction. Making matters worse, the company says it will likely delay that project up to five years simply because they’re not ready to expand.

“We think it’s a great site over time,” Raymond James’ chief executive Paul Reilly said during an October symposium. “But right now, we don’t need the space, and when we need the space, we’ll look at expansion there, or see what happens to our other facilities.”

But it’s just not the economy holding that project up, Porter said. It’s the federal government.

“We have all the permits from Pasco County, and all the permits from Swiftmud,” Porter said, referring to the Southwest Florida Water Management District. “What we’ve been waiting for over the past 16 months is the Army Corps of Engineers. There are a lot of things I’d rather do than deal with these people. It is disgusting.”

Although there are a lot of hands in the Wiregrass Ranch pot when it comes to development, Porter refuses to take a backseat.

“So much blood, sweat and tears go into this,” he said. “But you only get one shot to do it right.”

Published December 3, 2014

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Raymond James in Pasco: Don’t hold your breath

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Just months after T. Rowe Price decided not to open offices in Pasco County, it looks like Raymond James Financial will take a step back from its expansion north.

Paul Reilly, Raymond James’ chief executive, told reporters during a recent symposium that while the St. Petersburg-based financial company is delaying plans up to five years, Raymond James is still coming to Pasco.

“Our plan always been and will continue, we will close on the Pasco land,” Reilly said, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal. “We think it’s a great site over time, but right now, we don’t need the space, and when we need the space, we’ll look at expansion there or see what happens to our other facilities.”

Pasco County commissioners earmarked $10 million to lure Raymond James to the Wiregrass Ranch area, not far from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, which the company added to $5 million in state incentives. The plan was to build two 100,000-square-foot buildings on Wiregrass Ranch Boulevard, that would create 750 jobs in the county by 2024, and at least 100 by this year.

Two years ago, state Rep. Will Weatherford said he expected Raymond James to start construction by that fall, and eventually have up to 1 million square feet of space in Wesley Chapel.

“It’s going to change the game,” the Wesley Chapel Republican said at the time.

Once it was ready to start construction, Raymond James would close on 65 acres of vacant land. The company has had that land under contract since 2011.

 

Commissioners might tackle redevelopment without PEDC

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The Pasco Economic Development Council might have plans on how the county can spend new revenue from the Penny for Pasco tax. But the group itself might have to take a back seat in how that money is used.

Ted Schrader
Ted Schrader

“We’ve been entrusted by the public to spend $5 million a year over the next 10 years, and the Pasco Economic Development Council has asked to participate in that spend with us,” county administrator Michele Baker told Pasco County commissioners at a recent meeting. “Instead of being buried in planning and development, it needs to be in a place where it is clearly transparent. And nothing against PEDC, but I’m not comfortable with handing over that money. They are not subject to the same oversight as we are.”

The Pasco EDC, a private organization that works to market the county to businesses and industry, had proposed to the commission last April that it borrow against the Penny for Pasco tax. They could then use the funds for projects like assembling land, constructing offices and warehouses on speculation, and even possibly considering a convention center, all to help attract outside business to the county.

“We’d rather get some of that revenue upfront now, so that we can get more of an impact over the 10-year period, rather than wait,” Pasco EDC president and chief executive John Hagen told commissioners at the time. “We need jobs, and we need economic development now.”

Baker did agree with one of the primary recommendations Hagen made: the county needs to act sooner rather than later. Even with nearly $5 million sitting in the bank right now from projects yet to get underway like from Raymond James Financial and T. Rowe Price, those funds are for small players, Baker said, and not enough for something “big and impactful.”

For the county to take command, however, commissioners need to beef up the development staff, Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said. Melanie Kendrick has been a one-woman show when it has come to such projects in the past, but it’s too much for just a single person to handle.

“To me, this is one of the most important things we can do,” Starkey said. “This is how we lift our county up and become that premier county and be attractive to those kind of companies that we want to bring here.”

Money to add people to the payroll is going to have to come from somewhere, however, and commissioners may have to look at ways to accomplish it, either by raising development fees — which are by far some of the lowest in the state — or possibly even by raising taxes.

If property owners paid the same amount of taxes they did last year, the county would increase its overall revenue by $3.4 million — fueled primarily by new construction. If Pasco decided to keep the same millage as last year, at 7.3441 mills, taxes for typical homeowners could go up by as much as $12.40 each year. But it would generate an additional $5.87 million in revenue, with new construction once again contributing, as well as rising property values.

Even those dollars, however, might not be enough to pay for everything commissioners want to budget — like a 3 percent pay increase for county employees, across the board.

“We would like to have an increase in salary,” Commissioner Ted Schrader said. “But that is going to eat up the $5.8 million to get that done, so we know where we’re starting.”

With road improvements still needed, there’s a strong possibility that part of those funds will come from an additional increase in property taxes, something Schrader has said he opposes. If that were to happen, it would generate approximately $5 million in additional revenue, but cost typical homeowners an additional $24 in property taxes each year.

Commissioners have yet to be presented with next year’s budget, but could start seeing early drafts as soon as next month.

Published June 25, 2014

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