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Winn-Dixie

Pasco keeps growing, despite COVID-19

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Business in Pasco County is coming back to life as residents, weary of a pandemic-enforced lockdown, venture back to the world of shopping and dining.

There are hopeful signs for commercial rebirth.

Continued residential growth in Bexley by Newland Communities generates foot traffic for nearby shops, restaurants, grocery stores and other small businesses. (B.C. Manion)

Neon “open” signs are visible in storefronts.

Banners planted at the roadside’s edge wave at passing motorists.

Parking lots at malls and shopping centers are filling up again.

But, it’s not just the established businesses that are reviving Pasco’s economy. Business owners and developers continue to invest in new retail especially along one of the county’s busiest east/west corridors – State Road 54 and State Road 56.

On State Road 54, west of U.S. 41, The Preserve Marketplace and two retail centers at Starkey Ranch are adding shops, restaurants, health care services, and offices.

At Bexley Ranch, in Land O’ Lakes, land is being cleared and leveled on Lot A for the Bexley South Office Park, off Bexley Village Drive, near Springhill Suites.

A Crunch Fitness is scheduled to open Aug. 25, off State Road 54 in Trinity.

This sign signals future plans for a car wash, just south of the new Aldi that opened at Cypress Creek Town Center. (B.C. Manion)

Meanwhile, on the State Road 54/56 corridor east of U.S. 41, there are new developments, too.

Near the juncture of State Road 56 and Interstate 75, a banner announces that Tidal Wave Auto Spa is coming to an outparcel at Tampa Premium Outlets.

In the same general area, Main Event, a 50,000-square-foot entertainment venue, celebrated its grand opening less than two weeks ago.

And, another Crunch Fitness is planning to open in October in the old Winn-Dixie location, off Collier Parkway and State Road 54, in Land O’ Lakes.

The Collier Parkway location is a great choice for a fitness gym because it’s along a high traffic corridor, said Geoff Dyer, president of Crunch Fitness. “It’s in the heart of the (Land O’ Lakes) neighborhood,” he said.

Crunch Fitness is planning to open a gym in October in the former Winn-Dixie grocery store, at State Road 54 and Collier Parkway. An employee manned a display outside the site to take membership applications. Another Crunch Fitness is opening Aug. 25, off State Road 54, in Trinity. (Kathy Steele)

During the COVID-19 shutdown, work continued on the Trinity and Land O’ Lakes locations, Dyer said, adding, “for all intents and purposes, we haven’t seen any slow-down in our developments.”

He noted that Crunch Fitness gyms shut down for about two months at the start of the pandemic, but now the gyms are open and adhering to safety guidelines of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Membership has returned to about 95% of what it was pre-shutdown,” Dyer said.

While activity, in general, appears to be picking up and new construction continues to kick up dirt — a cloud hovers over business decisions due to the uncertain nature of COVID-19.

Ralph Santell and his family moved to Starkey Ranch and began plans to open Santelli Pizza & Pasta nearly three years ago. They saw the growth happening in Pasco.

His storefront is at Starkey Ranch Town Square, a plaza located at State Road 54 and Gunn Highway. A few tenants in the center, including J. Joseph Salon, are open.

Santelli Pizza & Pasta will open around September at Starkey Ranch Town Square, at State Road 54 and Gunn Highway. (Kathy Steele)

Santell plans to open by September, possibly with outdoor dining and takeout. He said he’ll decide closer to opening whether he’ll initially offer indoor dining.

“That (COVID-19) has been an extra challenge that influences things on a daily basis,” Santell said. “It’s been hard to navigate the whole COVID-19 situation. We take it one day at a time.”

Santell also owns a restaurant in the Westchase subdivision in Hillsborough County. That restaurant closed, then reopened, but is now closed again — except for takeout.

Another Starkey Ranch retail center at State Road 54 and Heart Pine Avenue – Starkey Ranch Business Park – also has a roster of tenants slated to open, including The Wicked Pour, Tropical Smoothie Café and Hungry Greek.

The pandemic slowed opening plans, but construction on the retail park is nearly finished.

“All of these are coming along,” said Matt Call, project director for Starkey Ranch. “With COVID-19, things take a bit longer.”

Additional outparcels at both retail centers are available for development — though it could take longer to get projects going, Call added.

Typically, residential construction is a key to spurring on new retail, Call said.

He said Starkey Ranch and Bexley by Newland are the top residential sellers in the Tampa Bay area. Together, they add about 800 residential units annually to Pasco, he said.

Work is underway on the Bainbridge Sunlake, an upscale apartment development, being built at Mentmore Boulevard and State Road 54, next to The Shoppes at Sunlake Centre. (B.C. Manion)

Pasco also is on an apartment building spree with about nine complexes planned or under construction.

Near the Tampa Premium Outlets and Cypress Creek Town Center, Brightwork Crossing apartment complex is attracting new renters to the commercial epicenter of the Wesley Chapel area.

Two Altis apartment complexes, one by Wiregrass Ranch on State Road 56 and a second on South Branch Boulevard at Starkey Ranch, are adding to Pasco tenant population.

Bainbridge Sunlake is an upscale apartment complex being built at State Road 54, and Mentmore Boulevard, next to The Shoppes at Sunlake Centre.

A new standalone Starbucks is coming soon to the Sunlake shopping center, as well.

Retail developments, including The Preserve Marketplace, are adding new tenants, including the recently opened anchor store – Greenwise. Majik Touch Cleaners is open, too.

Other tenants with plans to open include Chipotle, Heartland Dental and CVS Pharmacy.

“It’s going to be a cool little plaza when it’s done,” Call said. “I think Pasco is going to continue to grow. There’s no doubt in my mind.”

What’s happening along State Road 54
Here are some of the office, retail or residential developments that have opened or are in progress along State Road 54.

Construction on a dental office is nearing completion at Starkey Ranch Town Square, at State Road 54 and Gunn Highway. (Kathy Steele)

The Preserve Marketplace (State Road 54 and the Suncoast Parkway)

  • Greenwise Market, owned by Publix, is a specialty grocery store offering an array of organic and natural food products.
  • TouchPoint Medical manufactures medical dispensing equipment, including high-tech carts.
  • Organic Nails offers nail art and design services.
  • Heartland Dental provides administrative support and career development services among a network of dental partnerships
  • CVS Pharmacy is a national chain of drugstores.
  • Majik Touch Cleaners provides laundry and dry-cleaning services in Pasco and the Tampa Bay area.
  • Sport Clips provides haircuts for men and boys.
  • Panera Bread is a national chain that serves sandwiches, salads and pastries.
  • Chipotle Mexican Grill is a national chain restaurant serving made-to-order burritos, tacos, wraps and salads.
The Wicked Pour and Hungry Greek will open soon at Starkey Ranch Business Park, at State Road 54 and Heart Pine Avenue. (Kathy Steele)

Starkey Ranch Business Park (State Road 54 and Heart Pine Avenue)

  • The Wicked Pour is a craft beer, wine and taproom with board games, giant Jenga and cornhole.
  • Hungry Greek is a casual restaurant chain offering fast Greek food.
  • Urgent Vet offers after-hours care for pet illnesses and emergencies.
  • Abela Story, a women’s boutique, offers trendy styles for all tastes, and accessories.
  • Encore Nail Salon provides nail art and design, and other services.
  • Chase Bank is a full-service bank.
  • YogaSix is a hot yoga-style studio.
E sushi and Grill, a Japanese restaurant, is expected to open soon at Starkey Ranch Town Square, at State Road 54 and Gunn Highway. (Kathy Steele)

Starkey Ranch Town Square (State Road 54 and Gunn Highway)

  • Santelli Pizza & Pasta is a family-owned Italian restaurant with pizzas and pasta dishes.
  • E sushi & Grill is a Japanese restaurant.
  • J. Joseph Salon is a luxury hair salon.
  • Great Clips is a discount, walk-in hair salon.
  • Quality Plus Cleaners provides laundry and dry-cleaning services.
  • The UPS Store offers mailing, printing and mailbox services.
  • A dental office, which has not yet been identified, is on the outparcel across from Santelli Pizza.

Published July 29, 2020

Specialty grocers sprouting up in Pasco

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A national trend for smaller, specialty grocery stores is taking hold in Pasco County.

Within the next year, Earth Fare, Sprouts Farmers Market, and possibly Lucky’s Market will open grocery stores that specialize in natural, organic and fresh foods.

Aldi is planning to open its no-frills, discount grocery stores in Zephyrhills and New Port Richey in 2019. Also, a new store is coming to the southeast corner of State Road 54 and Wesley Chapel Boulevard, on a parcel owned by developers of the Cypress Creek Town Center.

South Branch Ranch developers submitted plans to the county that include a “prototype” grocery store within a mix of commercial, office and retail. The approximately 25,000-square-foot store, on State Road 54 at Suncoast Parkway, would fit within the size range for boutique-style grocery shopping.

These new foodie arrivals on the retail scene follows an explosion of growth all over Pasco of more shops, restaurants and residential development.

Activity centers include Cypress Creek Town Center, the Village at Mitchell Ranch, Starkey Ranch and Wiregrass Ranch.

Rooftops and retail are two major parts of getting development started, and making them profitable, said Bill Cronin, executive director of the Pasco Economic Development Council Inc.

“Some of the developments now are coming to fruition with their plans,” Cronin said.

Grocery stores are one part of that development pattern.

As 2019 unfolds, Pasco residents can anticipate a buffet line of new grocery options in addition to the traditional brand names, such as Publix and Winn Dixie.

According to the U.S. Grocery Store Trends 2018, consumers continue to prize high-quality fruits and vegetables, low prices, and great product selection and variety.

Currently, the new trend in groceries is for smaller stores that offer organic, natural and local foods. In addition, consumers are looking for something extra – a food “experience.”

“Everybody is looking for that food experience, whether its ethnic sourcing or that new product,” said David Fikes, vice president of communications and community/consumer affairs director for the Food Marketing Institute. “It’s not (about) giving people 11 varieties of ketchup in the store.

The digital age is ushering in coupons and social connectivity via mobile applications. Online grocery shopping is gaining in popularity, especially with millennials, according to the survey.

Baby boomers, though, are showing keen interest, as well.

Experiences are shared on Facebook, or other social media, as if saying “I discovered this, and you’re the foodie among your group,” Fikes said.

Prior generations would shop to stock the pantry in order to have enough food on hand, Fikes said. That evolved later to a desire for nutritional, healthy food, he added.

Now, a third factor is a desire for discovery, engagement and connection, according to the FMI survey.

“We are moving away from stocking up our pantry to what’s the next meal,” Fikes said.

The specialty grocery stores coming to Pasco include:

Earth Fare is an organic-based grocery store that boasts that its shoppers don’t need to read labels to know its products are healthy. (Courtesy of earthfare.com)

Earth Fare
The store will open at Cypress Creek Town Center, at 25535 Sierra Center Blvd. The organic-based grocery store boasts that shoppers don’t need to read labels to know its products are healthy.

Its food is free of added hormones, artificial anything, and, according to Earth Fare’s website, the store sells “100 percent clean food for your family.”

Earth Fare began in Asheville, North Carolina, as a health food store before it enlarged and, in 1994, became a full-service grocery store. Its stores are built to be energy efficient, with skylights and LED light bulbs. Biodegradable to-go containers are used, and recycling is encouraged in the store.

Among its features is the Heirloom Juice Bar.

Aldi
Aldi is in the permitting phase for a store at 2215 Sun Vista Drive, which is near the Tampa Premium Outlets, off State Road 56. The store is expected to open in fall 2019, according to email responses from Matt Thon, Haines City Division vice president for Aldi.

Aldi is planning new stores in Pasco County, one near Tampa Premium Outlets and the other in Zephyrhills. (Courtesy of Aldi)

Thon also confirmed in the email that an Aldi will open in Zephyrhills, but no other details are available.

The location under discussion is off Pretty Pond Road, at U.S. 301. One issue nearing resolution at the site is the relocation of a traffic signal to that intersection.

The traffic signal “is under design review and engineering,” said Todd Vande Berg, Zephyrhills’s planning director.

Plans are to remove the existing signal at the main entrance to the shopping plaza, but to have traffic signals at the north and south ends of the plaza.

No construction date is set, but Vande Berg anticipates Aldi will open in 2019.

Lucky’s Market
Lucky’s is eyeing an approximately $1.5 million renovation to the former Winn Dixie grocery store at Collier Parkway and State Road 54, according to county records.

A pre-application meeting with county planners was held in November.

The Lucky’s option isn’t a done deal, but is the latest grocery to show interest in the site. Previously, representatives for Sprouts Farmers Market made inquiries and submitted a plan for a grocery store, as well as retail and a restaurant.

Nothing came of the proposal.

Now, Lucky’s is exploring options, though a spokeswoman for Lucky’s said no contract is signed.

The pre-application included demographics suggesting why the site has potential.

Average daily vehicle trips within 3 miles of the site, on State Road 54, total nearly 40,000; within 7 miles, more than 173,000 vehicle trips are charted.

About 14,770 households are within 3 miles of the proposed Lucky’s, and about 66,000 within 7 miles. Average household income ranges from about $87,000 to $94,000.

Lucky’s began in 2003 with inspiration from two chefs.

The store highlights local, organic and natural foods. Customers can sip glasses of wine or beer at an in-store café, or as they stroll along the aisles and fill their carts.

Lucky’s also has a juice bar, hot-ramen bar, a bulk foods section, and specialty foods, including house-made sausage and in-house smoked bacon.

Sprouts Farmer’s Market
Pasco’s first Sprouts Farmers Market will be one of three anchor stores at the 165,000-square-foot shopping center, The Village at Mitchell Ranch, according to a Dec. 13 press release from The Shopping Center Group.

Other anchors will be HomeGoods and Michaels. The shopping center is in Trinity, at Little Road and State Road 54.

The Arizona-based chain opened its first store in 2002. Its roots, however, date to 1943 and a fruit stand operated by Henry Boney in San Diego.

Sprouts features natural foods at affordable prices. Its motto is “eating clean and living healthy.” Today, the chain has about 300 stores and 28,000 employees.

By Kathy Steele

Published December 19, 2018

Seeking to stop illegal dumping

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The collection bins that people fill with donations of shoes and clothes are a familiar sight around the community.

For the most part, they help local charities that operate thrift stores or have giveaway programs to benefit low-income individuals and families.

In most cases, they’re clean, well marked and routinely emptied.

An unmarked donation bin in a parking lot near Sam’s Club on State Road 56 became a dumping ground for furniture and appliances. (Courtesy of Mike Moore)
An unmarked donation bin in a parking lot near Sam’s Club on State Road 56 became a dumping ground for furniture and appliances.
(Courtesy of Mike Moore)

But, not always. And now, the Pasco County Commission and the Zephyrhills City Council are ready to clamp down on those bins that quickly become illegal dumpsites, and eyesores for the community.

Many of the bins that become dump sites appear to be operated by organizations seeking clothing items to sell.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore came to a February commission meeting with photographic proof of the problem.

“What happens is a lot of organizations will collect items and sell them on the open market,” Moore said. “You’ll see people abandon the bins at times, and at times they don’t make regular collections.”

Pasco County staff members are reviewing ordinances from Deerfield Beach, Jacksonville, Tampa and Manatee County as models for a local draft ordinance to bring to county commissioners.

The city of Zephyrhills also is considering an ordinance to curb similar illegal dumping issues at bins within city limits. City Councilman Lance Smith put the topic on the council’s March 14 agenda.

Within the next month a draft ordinance should be ready for the city council’s review.

Smith’s first encounter with the issue came about two years ago when he spotted a rusty looking donation bin in the right of way by Woodland Elementary School. Code enforcement removed it.

Not every clothing bin is creating eyesores, but Smith said, “When someone leaves a mattress, the next thing it’s a television. It becomes a dumping ground.”

With Pasco County poised to adopt an ordinance, Smith said it makes sense for Zephyrhills to do the same.

Mike-Moore crop
Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore would like Pasco County to crack down on illegal dumping near donation bins. (File Photo)

Recently, code enforcement investigated a complaint about illegal dumping at a bin at the Winn-Dixie shopping center on County Road 54. The property owner was notified, said Bill Burgess, Zephyrhills’ building code administrator.

“They had it cleaned up and, I believe, thereafter removed,” Burgess said.

He recalled another bin that from a distance looked legitimate. On closer inspection, it was made of plywood and hand-painted. It had no contact or identifying information.

Draft ordinances for Pasco and Zephyrhills likely would require registration and set standards for maintenance and operation.

Moore said Pasco’s ordinance could require that the bins be clearly marked with a business name, a contact phone number and rules on keeping areas around the bins cleared. Written permission from property owners also should be required, he said.

Moore said he heard from one landowner who told him that over the past years he has had to remove bins and illegally dumped materials from his properties, at a cost of hundreds of dollars.

The ordinance isn’t meant to make money for the county or to hamper businesses, property owners and agencies that act responsibly, Moore said.

“The last thing we want to do is hurt legitimate charities,” Moore said. “We want them to keep doing what they’re doing.”

Published March 23, 2016

Former Lutz Guv’na is now Saucy Queen

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It all began with a carrot.

Well, a basket of carrots, actually.

Carrots were the vegetable of the week at Learning Gate Community School in Lutz, and everyone was encouraged to come up with an idea to make vegetables more enticing for kids.

Michele Northrup poses near her gourmet hot sauces, now available on the shelves of some Winn-Dixie stores in Florida. (Photos courtesy of Michele Northrup)
Michele Northrup poses near her gourmet hot sauces, now available on the shelves of some Winn-Dixie stores in Florida.
(Photos courtesy of Michele Northrup)

Michele Northrup, who works at the charter school, decided to combine the sweetness of carrots with the heat of peppers to concoct a gourmet hot sauce.

People said the sauce tasted so good, she should bottle it.

So, she did.

Since then, she launched a business named Intensity Academy and has branched out to have a product line including sauces, dry rubs and dips.

Her company’s gourmet sauces also have garnered 57 national awards.

Last year, Northrup and her husband, Tom Was, joined forces with a partner to open their own bottling plant, The Sauceology Group, in Clearwater.

Intensity Academy also was selected by Winn-Dixie to stock its product in about 150 Winn-Dixie stores across Florida.

“In the middle of the summer, Winn-Dixie did a really big, grassroots search for local, quality products,” Northrup said. “They put the word out through all festivals and markets that they were looking for products to showcase their Winn-Local program.

“So, we did a pitch, very similar to a ‘Shark Tank’ pitch,” Northrup said, referring to the television program which gives product inventors a chance to win backing from potential investors.

“We did samples of foods with all of our sauces, and we presented it to them, and we had little cheat sheets, so they knew what sauces they were eating with what foods.

“We had to talk about our fan bases and our social media, and how we built our businesses from the ground up.

“From that selection process, they narrowed it down to a few key products for the state of Florida,” Northrup said.

The rollout began around Thanksgiving and is occurring gradually.

The fun part, Northrup said, is finding out from fans where her sauces are showing up in other parts of the state. They’ll pose in front of a shelf and take a “Saucy Selfie” to send to her, Northrup said.

One of the five artisanal hot sauce developed by Intensity Academy for The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg.
One of the five artisanal hot sauce developed by Intensity Academy for The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg.

Northrup was also notified last week that she is one of five finalists in the first annual “That Business Show Awards” selected by Jamie Meloni, host of the iheartradio show.

Northrup is thrilled by the achievement of a business she has built from, literally, the ground up.

She launched Intensity Academy in 2007, the same year she was making her run for Lutz Guv’na.

The honorary title is won by raising the most cash, and proceeds from the race go to local organizations and charities.

Northrup raised $16,912, setting a record for the race.

Throughout her bid, she was introducing her sauce and using proceeds from their sales to fill her campaign coffers.

Her Guv’na bid helped groups in Lutz, but also helped Northrup get her fledgling business off the ground.

People who had tasted her sauces during the campaign wanted to buy more, she said.

Now, Northrup’s sauces are sold at specialty markets, and dozens of festivals and fresh markets each year.

She also delivers. She tools around the area, making stops in Zephyrhills, Wesley Chapel, Land O’ Lakes, Trinity, Citrus Park, Carrollwood and other spots to drop off orders.

Now, she’s transitioning the business. Her sons Christian, Sebastian and Tommy, and their girlfriends, now handle the events and markets.

She’s focusing on product development and marketing, and her husband is in charge of the Clearwater warehouse.

“I do all of the artwork for the labels. I draw all of the designs.”

She’s still developing new sauce flavors, too.

“Our newest sauce is a mustard. It’s MustThai. MustThai is a must try. It’s a spicy mustard,” she said.

The bottling plant provides services for 11 brands on a regular basis and about 20 others, periodically, she said.

At Sauceology, she helps new companies get their grassroots marketing going.

“Really, for me, the marketing and the branding, and the social media — I love that.  I love the connection side of it, too,” she said, noting she has about 10,000 combined followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The common question she gets is: “How did you get started?”

Another popular query is: “How do you take an idea and actually make it into something? That’s why I ended up branching off into Sauceology, because I was giving everybody advice all of the time,” she said.

When she meets someone who has an idea and a passion for it, she tells them: “Take the chance. Take the leap. That’s the difference right there.”

It’s not necessary to know all the answers, or how it will all play out, she said.

Just get started and don’t be intimidated, she advised.

“The first step makes all of the difference,” she said.

“You don’t always have to know how you’re going to finish it, or how you’re going to do the whole thing,” Northrup said.

“I would have never thought that I’d have my own manufacturing plant — from just that little idea from a carrot in a garden,” she said.

To learn more about her business, search Intensity Academy on Facebook or visit www.intensityacademy.com.

Published January 20, 2016

Wesley Chapel company expects to expand to new markets

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KeriCure Inc., a Wesley Chapel company, has secured a patent that is expected to open new doors for partnerships with pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

“Our foundation of the company was actually built around this nanoparticle drug delivery technology that I helped to create at the University of South Florida,” said Kerriann Greenhalgh, who operates the company from her Wesley Chapel home.

Kerriann Greenhalgh shows off the products her company has developed which are sold online and in stores. She expects a much broader array of uses for her product, now that she has secured a new patent. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Kerriann Greenhalgh shows off the products her company has developed which are sold online and in stores. She expects a much broader array of uses for her product, now that she has secured a new patent.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

The company, which launched in 2011, has been offering consumer products to help promote the healing of cuts and wounds on people and pets, through liquid bandages sprayed on the skin.

The polymer retains its elasticity, protecting the wound and allowing the cut to heal.

The products for people are sold under the names Natural Seal Liquid Bandage, Natural Seal and Natural Seal on the Go, and are available at Publix, Kroger, Price Choppers, Marsh and Meijer, and in natural product stores throughout the United States.

The pet products are known as Tough Seal for Pets and Champion Seal, and are available online and at some feed stores.

The company also has a professional line of liquid bandage products, under the name of KeriCure’s Advanced Seal — Rx for Medical Use. That formulation is used by physicians in various cosmetic, dermatological, burn, wound care and post-surgical applications.

With a patent granted in June, Greenhalgh expects her unique polymer to be used in a much broader array of applications.

The patent “gives us the opportunity to talk to larger pharmaceutical companies — who have products, drugs, bioactives that they want to deliver topically — and tell them we have a great, FDA-cleared system in place now, and that we can incorporate their drug into and provide very sustained release with our product,” Greenhalgh explained.

“One area that we’re looking at is in the anti-cancer area,” she said.

“We would incorporate a very well-known anti-cancer drug into our polymer system,” she said. Or, her product could be used to apply radiation seeds topically.

Patients could benefit from her company’s product, she said.

“The beauty of this is that they wouldn’t have to be getting exposed to massive amounts of radiation. It would be extremely targeted,” she said. “So, you would get rid of a lot of the side effects that happen with radiation.

“That is a very serious opportunity,” she said.

KeriCure is currently talking to various companies that have an interest in its technology, Greenhalgh said, including 3M. “They have a couple of projects that they’re interested in having us collaborate on.”

Greenhalgh said she launched the company as a consumer products company because it was the smoothest way to raise revenue.

“We really want to grow in the biotech space and create products for advanced wound care, like chronic wounds and burn wounds,” Greenhalgh said. “We’re actually in talks with a couple of large wound care companies, as a private label. We do have a very interesting opportunity in front of us right now.”

“We’ve just been asked to go to CVS and present to its private label group of buyers, so they’re interested in bringing the product on as a CVS product,” she said.

“We just got picked up by Cardinal Health. They’re the largest medical product distributor in the U.S.,” she said, adding her company will be attending Cardinal Health’s trade show in Las Vegas this month.

It also is presenting at Winn-Dixie’s local buyer division this week.

Greenhalgh grew up in New Tampa and graduated from Wharton High School before obtaining her bachelor’s degree and doctorate from USF.

The scientist lives with her husband, Daniel Opp, and their son, Nolan Opp, near Quail Hollow.

Published July 15, 2015

Another winning lottery ticket sold locally

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Just days after a Lutz woman claimed a $1 million prize from a grocery store in Lutz, a Publix Super Market near Sunlake High School is boasting an even bigger lottery prize.

A Riverview man purchased a Flamingo Fortune scratch-off game ticket from the Publix, located at 18901 State Road 54 in Lutz, and won $3 million.

John Opliger, 35, chose to receive a one-time lump-sum payment of $2.3 million, while Publix earned a $6,000 bonus commission for selling the ticket.

Tickets for Flamingo Fortune cost $20, and offers more than $150 million in total cash prizes, Florida Lottery officials said. That includes six $3 million prizes, with five of them now claimed.

Last week, a Lutz woman won a $1 million prize from a scratch-off ticket she purchased at the Winn-Dixie at 18407 U.S. 41 in Lutz. Yu Lin said she won the prize just in time to celebrate her birthday.

Scratch-off games account for nearly 64 percent of overall lottery ticket sales, officials said. It generated more than $640 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund in the past year.

Lutz woman wins $1 million prize in Lottery scratch-off

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Yu Lin of Lutz said she got an early birthday present after she claimed a $1 million prize from The Florida Lottery thanks to a lucky scratch-off ticket she bought from a local grocery store.

Lin, 36, chose to receive a one-time, lump sum payment of $721,400 in exchange for the 100X The Cash Scratch-Off ticket she bought at Winn-Dixie, 18407 U.S. 41, in Lutz. The store will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the ticket.

“When I realized that I had won, I was completely shocked,” Lin said in a release. “What are the odds that not only would I win, but that I would win so close to my birthday?”

The scratch-off game was launched in February that range in price from $1 to $25 a ticket, and offers millions of dollars in instant prizes, lottery officials said.

Games like this are an important part of the Lottery’s portfolio of games, officials said. It comprises nearly 64 percent of ticket sales, and generates more than $640 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund this past year..

Dairy Queen, Tuffy land sold in Wesley Chapel

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The land under a Dairy Queen and a Tuffy Service Center in Wesley Chapel has a new owner from Kentucky.

An acre of land at 27329 Wesley Chapel Blvd., sold last week for $2.35 million to Monticello Properties LLC. That company is connected to Kentucky real estate developer and bank chairman Jack Sheidler. Its previous owner, J & J Wesley Chapel LLC, had originally bought the land in 2006 for $1.8 million. The buildings, according to county property records, were built in 2002.

Monticello purchased the property using a $1.5 million loan from BB&T.

The land is an outparcel of the former Sweetbay supermarket location in Wesley Chapel, which has since converted to Winn-Dixie.

Sheidler has developed real estate since 1984, according to published reports. He is the chair of Citizens First Bank Inc., which operates primarily in the Bowling Green area of Kentucky.

This is the 15th land sale in Pasco County this year above $1 million, accounting for $71.8 million in land sales this year, according to county property records. However, that is off pace from last year when 58 land deals were completed in the county above $1 million, totaling $204.8 million.

Sweetbay set to change its name … again

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Life has not been good for a supermarket chain with roots in Tampa, as it prepares for its third name in the past 10 years.

Sweetbay Supermarket will soon become Winn-Dixie, a brand that has also struggled in the region under the dominance of both Publix Super Markets, and later Walmart. The name change will mark the end of the Sweetbay brand, which was  introduced in 2004 as a way to refresh stores that had been known as Kash n’ Karry since 1962.

The move was not unexpected after Sweetbay’s parent, Delhaize Group, sold the regional chain to Bi-Lo Holdings LLC in May for $265 million.

Don’t get too used to seeing the Sweetbay name on storefronts, like this one in Wesley Chapel. The incoming new owner of the chain, Bi-Lo Holdings LLC, announced last week it would rebrand Sweetbay to Winn-Dixie, based on the larger grocery chain Bi-Lo purchased in 2011. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
Don’t get too used to seeing the Sweetbay name on storefronts, like this one in Wesley Chapel. The incoming new owner of the chain, Bi-Lo Holdings LLC, announced last week it would rebrand Sweetbay to Winn-Dixie, based on the larger grocery chain Bi-Lo purchased in 2011. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

Bi-Lo had already purchased Winn-Dixie in 2011 for $530 million, and with more than 600 stores already — including three in this area — it easily trumped the 72 remaining Sweetbay stores in Florida.

Signs aren’t coming down just yet. Bi-Lo says it’s waiting for its deal to acquire Sweetbay and two other regional supermarket chains to close before starting rebranding efforts. Sweetbay has four locations locally, including on State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel, on County Line Road in Tampa, on Gunn Highway in Odessa, and on North Dale Mabry Highway. Once the rebranding takes place, Winn-Dixie will have seven locations, including the ones already owned on Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes, U.S. 41 in Lutz, and on State Road 54 in Zephyrhills.

At this point, Bi-Lo says it has no plans to close any of the stores, or lay off any workers. Local stores should be fully rebranded by the end of spring next year.

Even with a familiar rebrand, the new Winn-Dixie will have a ways to go to catch its local competitors. Publix is the nation’s largest employee-owned company, and had sales of $27.5 billion last year, according to Forbes magazine.

The chain’s primary competition is Walmart, not Winn-Dixie or any other grocery chain in the state. Both Publix and Walmart have been focused on an advertising battle against each other in recent years, with Publix still holding on to the state lead.

Sweetbay started as a fruits and vegetable stand on the streets of Tampa in 1914 by Salvatore Greco. With his wife Giuseppina, the Grecos would open their first store in Plant City in 1947 under the name Big Barn, and would grow to nine stores by 1960.