The Laker/Lutz News

Florida Medical Clinic

Floridians choose Trump, Biden in preference primary

By

Floridians went to the polls in the midst of a coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic — causing some disruptions, and requiring poll workers and election officials to take special precautions.

Lester and Bettie Coupland, both 84, wore surgical masks to their polling place at Pasco County’s Precinct 3, at Pasco-Hernando State College in Dade City.

Both favored Bernie Sanders.

Bettie said she supported Sanders because of his stand on health care. “That’s the main thing,” she said.

“I just think he’s the best candidate, to me, compared to all the others,” Lester said.

Judy and Glenn Alvarez said they went to their precinct in Lutz to vote because they consider it their civic duty. They weren’t worried about potential threats from coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) because they had done their due diligence, regarding keeping safe, and trusted that poll workers would do the same. (B.C. Manion)

Meanwhile, at Hillsborough County’s Precinct 595 at the Lutz Community Center, neither Judy Alvarez or her husband Glenn were worried about going to the polls, despite the pandemic.

Judy said she trusted the poll workers to do their due diligence.

“They were good in there, wiping everything down. No problem,” she said.

Glenn, agreed: “It was very good to see how courteous they were and how concerned they were.”

Both said they supported Biden.

“I always look forward to voting. It’s our civic duty,” Judy said. “I think we need a kinder, gentler time right now. Bernie is a little bit angry, for me.”

Glenn agreed: “I just wanted to vote in the primary election. He’s just a calmer influence. We need to have a united country. I think Joe will be able to unite us.”

Across the state, Floridians overwhelmingly chose Biden and Donald J. Trump as their preferred candidates.

Florida is a closed-primary state, meaning only registered Democrats and Republicans can vote to select their party’s nominee.

Turnout in Pasco was 29.78%, with 76,957 ballots cast. Hillsborough’s turnout was 31.73%, with 196,972 ballots cast.

In Pasco, Biden received 56.79% of the Democrats’ votes, while Bernie Sanders received 24.92%. Michael Bloomberg, who has dropped out of the race, received the next highest share of the vote, at 9.72%.

Trump received 94.59% of the Republican party’s votes.

In Hillsborough, Biden received 55.35% of the Democrats’ votes, while Bernie Sanders captured 26.71%. Michael Bloomberg received the next largest share of the vote, receiving 9.53%.

A sign asked voters to keep a safe distance from each other at Precinct 8, at Heritage Park Building A, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. The sign was to remind people to practice social distancing to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. (Christine Holtzman)

Trump received 92.94%.

Across the state, polling places that had been in nursing homes were moved because of state restrictions forbidding outside visitors to nursing homes. Some counties also reported that poll workers simply did not show up for duty.

Voter Mirta Villa, who cast her ballot at her precinct at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, said she supported Biden.

“He was the vice president. He has more experience. We should have somebody who can speak for us. We should have somebody who has experience,” Villa said.

In Zephyrhills, at Precinct 6 at Alice Hall Community Center, 29-year-old Brittni Manautou gave her support to Sanders.

“I just think from the beginning, he has always been on the same platform, whereas other candidates have changed with the times, as what they see fit, but he has run on the same thing and before he was radical for it, but now he’s right on point.

“He just has so many different things he runs on. Between that and him with his support with AOC (Democratic U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez), I just feel like he’s, aside from being consistent, the Medicare, he just doesn’t change. He cares for the students, the younger generation, whereas everybody else writes us off,” Manautou said.

Voters Joe and Charissa Garcia, of Zephyrhills, split their support.

Charissa supported Biden: “I believe he has the better chance beating Donald Trump.”

Joe voted for Sanders.

“The reason for that is because I’m going to vote for any Democrat come the general election, but right now I’m just voting with where my views align, regardless of whether they’re going to win or not, because it’s been so many years since I did that. It’s always the lesser of two evils, and I’m sick of that.

Mirta Villa, a voter who cast her ballot at her precinct at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, said she supported Joe Biden because of his experience as vice president. (B.C. Manion)

“So with Bernie, all of his ideas are great.

“We need a balance. We’ve gotten too capitalistic, and we kind of need the socialism to balance things out again. I think the way that we are today with capitalism, it’s way too much, like too overbearing on everything else, and there’s a good harmony when you have a bit of socialism mixed in with the capitalism. You know, I was a Republican before the last election. I’m fiscally conservative, but my social views are very liberal. There’s just not a place for me, there’s no centrists that I could fit into, and honestly that’s the real reason,” Joe said.

Blanca Roman, a 26-year-old medical assistant at Florida Medical Clinic, said she voted for Sanders because she supported his platform.

If Biden is elected, she said, “we’d probably just go back to the same way it was when (President Barack) Obama was in office.”

She said that wasn’t terrible, but she thinks “there were some things that could’ve been done differently, that Bernie would take and actually do differently. The whole Medicare for all thing, I’m down for it.”

Kevin Weiss contributed to this story

Published March 25, 2020

Community development grants on the way?

By

Talks are underway in Zephyrhills to offer a greater variety of business grants within the city’s CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) district.

At last month’s CRA board meeting, Zephyrhills CRA director Gail Hamilton pushed for a wider range of incentives to help encourage new business investment in the 500-plus acre district.

The district encompasses the center spine of the city, generally between Hercules Park to C Avenue, and from Zephyr Park to 17th Street. Within those boundaries are the following historic neighborhood districts: Hercules, Historic Jeffries, Historic Abbott, Moore’s Estate, Zephyr Lake, Oakside, and Plaza.

The Zephyrhills CRA district is roughly 500 acres, from Hercules Park to C Avenue, and from Zephyr Park to 17th Street. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

Hamilton referenced a 2019 market report from consultant GAI Community Solutions, which indicates that vacancy rates are down in the CRA district, but property values are dropping because older retail/office buildings are not being improved or rehabilitated.

Interestingly, however, Hamilton said rental rates in the district have increased because “there’s a short supply of those buildings that are habitable, that are in the right location, where somebody wants to be.”

The market report shows the majority of rentable office properties within the district were built prior to 1980, and the majority of retail properties built prior to 1990. Further, since 2011, no new office properties and just one new retail property have been built within the district.

The report showed the limited inventory will weigh on district activity in the face of a growing local economy, Hamilton told CRA board members.

“We need to address that we haven’t built any new buildings and what we have is old,” the CRA director said.

“We still have building stock that nobody wants to rent because of the issues with the building or where it’s located or how it’s chopped up, and so we might want to take a very focused look at some of those buildings and try to work with the property owners,” she suggested.

The city currently offers grants related to building exteriors, including a matching façade rehabilitation grant program of up to $2,500.

But, Hamilton thinks the program should be expanded to allows some grants related to interior projects, such as plumbing or electric improvements.

“I can do signage, I can help them with a window or door, but the grants don’t allow for anything in the interior of the building, so that’s something we may want to talk about,” she said.

Hamilton also suggested creating some type of kitchen remodeling grant, particularly for high-quality kitchen fire suppression systems that could be used for subsequent tenants, if needed.

The Zephyrhills CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) area is a dependent special district in which any future increases in property values are set aside in a trust fund to support economic development and redevelopment projects, within the designated district.

She put it like this: “If that restaurant goes out (of business), you still have a restaurant and that investment the CRA makes putting the money in the building, because the building will always be there.”

The CRA director added she’s seen high demand from retailers and restaurateurs looking to lease newer or updated building spaces, even as small as 1,000 square feet, in the downtown area.

“Not a day goes by that somebody doesn’t call the CRA office asking about space — and, I don’t have it,” she said.

The Zephyrhills CRA includes about 300 business, with the largest concentration of employment within retail trade, health care services, and accommodation and food services.

The district’s largest employer is AdventHealth Zephyrhills (1,100 employees), followed by Florida Medical Clinic (850), Nestle/Zephyrhills Bottled Water (325), City of Zephyrhills (180) and Morrow Steel (90).

Another issue, Hamilton said, is the limited supply of affordable housing for middle-income workers, close to their jobs.

Hamilton said she’s had ongoing discussions with AdventHealth Zephyrhills CEO Amanda Maggard about the issue, talking about creating some type of joint residential grants “so that that workforce group from the hospital has an opportunity to live and work here in the CRA district.”

The city offers a $5,000 residential ownership incentive grant to homebuyers who purchase a home in the CRA district, and maintain residency for five years. The CRA awarded five such grants last fiscal year, Hamilton said.

Published November 13, 2019

Development projects underway in Zephyrhills

By

Much development is on tap for the city of Zephyrhills — from new commercial and residential properties, to ongoing road construction projects.

Zephyrhills planning director Todd Vande Berg discussed a number of those projects as the guest speaker of the East Pasco Networking Group’s February breakfast meeting.

Among the most ballyhooed is the Sarah Vande Berg Memorial Tennis Center, which will be situated west of Simons Road.

Zephyrhills city planner Todd Vande Berg discussed several city development projects at a recent East Pasco Networking Group breakfast meeting at IHOP in Dade City. (Kevin Weiss)

The speaker said the $3.5 million project is expected to break ground in May or June: “We’re getting real close with the final engineered site plan, as well as the architect plans.”

The facility will include a mix of 11 full-size outdoor clay courts and hard courts, including an exhibition court to attract various United States Tennis Association (USTA) sanctioned tournaments.

It also will feature multiple pickleball and padel courts, racquet sports “becoming more and more popular,” Vande Berg said.

Meanwhile, the indoor portion of the center will include a lobby and seating area, community room, kid’s club room, fitness center, plus “other unique elements,” like cryotherapy and salt room chambers. Additionally, Wesley Chapel-based Buttermilk Provisions restaurant will have an in-house bakery and coffee shop with artisan offerings.

The project is a public-private partnership between the city and Tennis P.R.O and its owner, Pascal Collard, who will operate and manage the tennis facility.

The tennis center is named after Vande Berg’s daughter, a former Zephyrhills High School district champion, who died in an automobile accident at the age of 21 in October 2015.

Much of the project’s funding is being offset by various impact fees and grants, Vande Berg said.

The city planner believes the tennis center could have international draw.

He said the USTA recently inquired about having the facility someday host matches for the Fed Cup, regarded as the premier international team competition in women’s tennis.

“It’s going to be a unique opportunity for all Pasco County and the region,” Vande Berg said of the tennis facility. “It’s going to be a huge deal.”

The speaker also noted some indoor/covered tennis courts could potentially be phased in later, at the discretion of the facility’s management team.

“That would make us very unique in the state of Florida, because there’s only one other facility in the state that offers that,” he said.

Also in the arena of business development, Vande Berg mentioned the city is working on a master plan for its industrial corridor — which encompasses about 4,000 untapped acres of property along the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport — to create a regional hub for light manufacturing companies.

Vande Berg said the master plan ties in with the four-lane extension of State Road 56 to U.S. 301.

The speaker noted Zephyrhills is also pursuing an additional extension to State Road 56 that would link to State Road 39; the city received $1 million in the Florida 2019 budget to fund a planning study for the project.

“One thing that we’ve heard from some manufacturers was, ‘Well, we need access to a four-lane road,’” Vande Berg said, “so that’ll make a big difference.”

Aside from trying to expand its industrial footprint, other commercial projects are in the works in Zephyrhills.

The city is set to get a Chick-Fil-A, Aldi Supermarket, PetSmart, Marriott Fairfield Hotel and Dollar General, along with other businesses.

Florida Medical Clinic is also undergoing a major health care facility expansion along Eiland Boulevard and Simons Road, Vande Berg said.

“There’s a lot going on in Zephyrhills,” the city planner said.

Vande Berg also touched on the city’s residential development, noting thousands of new homes and apartments will be coming online in the next decade.

Some of the larger developments include The District at Abbott’s Square, Zephyr Lakes, Hidden River, and expansions to the Silver Oaks and Silverado communities, while Wire Ranch Apartments and Pretty Pond/Wire Road Apartments are some the larger multifamily units in the works.

“The residential housing is booming,” Vande Berg said. “We have a couple thousand units coming on board and they’re not all retirees. A lot of these homes are single-family, younger families with kids.”

Published March 06, 2019

Pasco County’s development ready to take off

By

Dreams and visions for the redevelopment of Pasco County began more than two decades ago. Today, homes, shops, hotels, offices and medical campuses are coming out of the ground and redrawing the county’s future.

On March 1, developers of four of Pasco’s master-planned communities updated more than 100 people who came to the annual Meet the Developers breakfast. The Pasco Economic Development Council sponsored the event at the Marriott Residence Inn, off State Road 54.

In closing remarks, Bill Cronin, president of Pasco EDC said, “this is the right time, the right place for Pasco County…If nothing else, I hope you have that ‘oh, wow’ effect. That’s not the Pasco I knew.”

Bill Cronin, president of the Pasco Economic Development Council, left, introduces developers who spoke at a ‘Meet the Developers’ breakfast. They are: Matt Call, project director of Starkey Ranch/Wheelock Communities; Tom Panaseny, vice president/general manager of Bexley by Newland Communities; J.D. Porter, president of sales and development of Wiregrass Ranch Inc.; and, Kartik Goyani, vice president of operations for Metro Development Group LLC.
(Courtesy of Pasco Economic Development Council)

Speakers at the breakfast were Matt Call, project director at Starkey Ranch, which is being developed by Wheelock Communities; Tom Panaseny, vice president and general manager for Bexley by Newland Communities; J.D. Porter, president of sales and development of Wiregrass Ranch Inc.; and, Kartik Goyani, vice president of operations for Metro Development Group Inc.

“We’re all selling this dream and vision of where Pasco can go,” Call said.

Three years ago, Starkey Ranch, about four miles west of the Suncoast Parkway, off State Road 54, was largely still on the drawing board.

Today, Starkey Ranch anticipates having more than 300 new homes under contract in a year, Call said. So far, there have been more than 150 closings, he added.

The average price of homes being sold there is in the low to mid-$400,000s. The most expensive home — at about 4,800 square feet – sold within the past two weeks for about $874,000.

“Most are not first-time homebuyers,” Call said. “Most are moving-up buyers.”

Upcoming projects included widening Gunn Highway and extending the road into Starkey Ranch.

About one-third of a 20-mile trail system is built and will eventually connect with Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Preserve and the Suncoast Trail.

A business park, fronting State Road 54, is in the works. A town square is planned for 2018.

While Newland Communities is new to Pasco, its track record in Tampa Bay includes master-planned communities in Hillsborough County, including FishHawk Ranch in Riverview and Westchase in Town ‘n Country.

Panaseny described Newland as the largest private developer of planned communities in the country, with projects in 19 states, stretching from coast to coast.

The homebuilder’s first Pasco community is Bexley Ranch, in an area encompassing about 1,700 acres. It is located also on State Road 54, east of Suncoast Parkway.

The Bexley family is developing another 5,000 adjacent acres still under their control.

The Newland project is zoned for more than 1,700 homes; about 95,000 square feet of retail; and, more than 560,000 square feet of office, though that could increase to as much as 1 million square feet.

About five miles of a planned 13-mile trail system is built.

An elementary school now under construction is scheduled to open in August.

About 400 lots are available, with 400 additional lots expected to be ready by the end of the year. Twelve model homes are open for viewing.

Bexley also is planned for offices, shops and a hotel, as well as apartments and single-family homes.

A groundbreaking is anticipated in March for more than 300 apartments.

Access to Bexley currently is through the Ballantrae community to the east. But, within 60 to 90 days, Panaseny said Bexley Village Drive should open, with access directly off State Road 54.

The average home price is about $350,000.

“It’s been a strong market,” Panaseny said.

Upcoming projects include a medical facility, a Race Trac gas station and convenience store, and a 7-acre shopping center.

“We’d love to have a grocery store anchor the center, or possibly restaurants,” Panaseny said.

A Marriott hotel is expected to break ground in July.

There also is about 32 acres available for offices. “We very much want to bring Class A office space here,” he said.

Wiregrass Ranch is rebranding itself, with a new logo and a re-energized focus as new developments in the master-planned community emerge.

Wiregrass is the fastest growing community in the Tampa Bay area, said Porter, of  Wiregrass Ranch Inc.

The property is zoned for 10,500 homes; 2.7 million square feet of retail; 2.6 million square feet of office; and 600 hotel beds. A middle school and a high school have been built. Additional retail and office space are planned.

Next to The Shops at Wiregrass, plans are underway for an expansion that will include high-end shops and boutiques, a cine bistro, a grocery store and apartments.

Raymond James Financial campus is expected to start construction later this year on a campus that could have about 1 million square feet of office space and an 1,800-space parking garage.

Medical facilities are filling up the surrounding area. They include Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, Florida Medical Clinic and North Tampa Behavioral Health.

Beach House is an upscale assisted living facility under construction.

“You’re going to continue to see good, smart growth because it’s an environment people want to be in,” said Porter.

Metro Development Group is building a master-planned community at Epperson Ranch, which is part of a state-approved pilot program to create a Connected City corridor built with technology innovations. At build out, Metro is projecting about 37,000 homes; 12 million square-feet of office, retail and technology manufacturing; 100 miles of traffic lanes for self-driving vehicles; and two Crystal Lagoons.

The first lagoon at Epperson Ranch is a 7-acre, manmade pool of crystal blue water under construction at Epperson Ranch, off State Road 52 at Overpass Road. To the north, a second community, known as Mirada, is also planned with a larger Crystal Lagoon.

Metro controls about 35 percent of land within Connected City, which sets aside about 7,800 acres in northeastern Pasco. Metro and other developers are expected to build master-planned communities embedded with cutting-edge technology, and focused on creating technology driven jobs and new businesses.

A groundbreaking for the Crystal Lagoon at Epperson happened in February. The lagoon is expected to be complete by the end of 2017. In the first weeks, 15 homes have sold, and there is a waiting list of more than 1,000 people who want to buy, said Kartik Goyani, vice president of operations for Metro.

Published March 8, 2017

Growth continues to transform Wiregrass Ranch

By

Once known for its cattle and citrus groves, the Wiregrass Ranch area of Wesley Chapel is now being viewed as a place where people can live, work, shop, learn and receive medical care.

During the past decade:

  • Pasco-Hernando State College opened Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, giving Wesley Chapel students their first opportunity to seek a four-year college degree in their own backyard.
  • Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel opened, and the demand was so great that the hospital expanded — well ahead of expectations.
  • Florida Medical Clinic opened, on land situated near the hospital.
  • North Tampa Behavioral Health opened, and has been so successful that it is already undergoing an expansion.
  • Financial services giant Raymond James closed on the purchase of 65 acres of land and is expected to break ground later this year on a satellite campus, across from the college.
J.D. Porter, president of sales and development for Wiregrass Ranch, talks over projects that have been completed, or are on the horizon — at Wiregrass Ranch, a development of regional impact that covers thousands of acres in Wesley Chapel.
(B.C. Manion)

And, that’s just part of the story, according to J.D. Porter, president of sales and development for Wiregrass Ranch, in Wesley Chapel.

Besides the health care, education and commercial projects, residential growth is going strong, too, Porter said.

Wiregrass Ranch — with 340 housing starts — was No. 1 in housing starts in the period ending Dec. 31, 2016, according to a report by MetroStudy.

FishHawk Ranch, in southern Hillsborough County, was second on the list with 324 starts.

Other Pasco County developments among the top five were Long Lake Ranch, at fourth place, with 227 starts; and, Starkey Ranch, at fifth place, with 219 starts.

Porter expects residential growth to continue to flourish in Wiregrass Ranch.

He pointed to a contract on a large tract of land for a new active adult community that’s expected to close this year.

The development, which will have around 1,000 units, will fill a niche in the market, Porter said. “Nowhere in Wesley Chapel is there really an age-restricted community,” he said.

It will be “highly amenitized,” he said, and will be designed for people who are 55 and older.

Another residential development will offer row houses, and will appeal to people who are looking for a maintenance-free lifestyle, he said.

More commercial growth is on the horizon, too, Porter said.

North Tampa Behavioral Health, on State Road 56, is in expansion mode.

A 15,000-square-foot medical office is going up next to Florida Medical Clinic, he said, noting the bottom floor will be occupied by an orthodontist.

He expects that to open within the next seven months to nine months.

“They’re turning dirt like crazy right now, which is fantastic,” Porter said.

The medical office market is hot, Porter added.

“We probably get five to 10 calls a day,” he said.

It’s possible that another 100,000 square feet to 150,000 square feet of medical office could be added, he said. “It’s going to be limited by size.”

Porter also noted that his family is actually doing a strip center of its own on State Road 54, which will include restaurants and businesses which cater to local needs.

And, while there’s been a considerable amount of interest about when Raymond James will break ground and bring new employment opportunities, Porter said other major players are also eyeing the Wiregrass Ranch area.

Wiregrass is also on the shortlist of a couple of other companies that have equal, if not greater, name recognition as Raymond James, Porter said.

“Now that we have these foundations, it just ramps up to a different level, which is exciting,” Porter said.

Published March 8, 2017

Wiregrass Ranch names COO

By

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

 

Florida Medical Clinic’s expansion story continues

By

 

Florida Medical Clinic is continuing to expand at a brisk pace, with an 85,000-square-foot facility expected to open near Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel in March 2016, and a 15,000-square-foot expansion at its facility on State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes now under way.

The new projects are part of a story that dates back to 1993, when four practices in Zephyrhills decided to merge to gain advantages they could not secure independently, said Chris Alvarez, the health care provider’s chief financial officer.

Florida Medical Clinic’s new 85,000-square-foot location in Wesley Chapel will be a three-story building. It is expected to open in March 2016. (Courtesy of Florida Medical Clinic)
Florida Medical Clinic’s new 85,000-square-foot location in Wesley Chapel will be a three-story building. It is expected to open in March 2016.
(Courtesy of Florida Medical Clinic)

Since then, Florida Medical Clinic has grown to have 43 locations totaling 550,000 square feet, with 750,000 patient encounters each year. It has 235 providers, representing 33 medical specialties, Alvarez said.

It also has ambitious plans.,

The five-year vision is to have 70 locations, with 1.3 million patient visits a year, Alvarez told those gathered at an economic development briefing organized by the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce. Alvarez spoke at a luncheon meeting at Hoosiers Grille at the Heritage Isles Golf and Country Club on April 23.

Florida Medical Clinic will be building the new 85,000-square-foot structure in Wesley Chapel at 2352 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., north of State Road 56.

“Obviously, the location is perfect for us. It’s very close to the hospital,” Alvarez said. “It’s a great location from a visibility standpoint.”

There will be 60 physicians and 200 employees in that building, Alvarez said.

“Everything we’re going to do at Wiregrass is going to be practices that already exist in the Wiregrass area or new providers that we’re going to bring in, or have already brought in, in anticipation of that opening,” Alvarez said.

The new facility will provide a convenient one-stop shop for patients, as patients will be able to see their doctor and pick up prescriptions at the same location, he added.

In Land O’ Lakes, Florida Medical Clinic is building a 15,000-square-foot addition, at a location it opened in 2009.

There’s room for another building there, which the clinic may construct sometime relatively soon, Alvarez said. When that occurs, Florida Medical Clinic’s total presence at that site will be 75,000 square feet.

Just two years ago, Florida Medical Clinic expanded its main campus in Zephyrhills at Market Square to open a new urgent care facility. It also built a 12,000-square-foot office on Eiland Boulevard that it shares with DaVita Healthcare Partners Inc.

Deciding when and where to build and consolidate is an organic process for Florida Medical Clinic, usually based on the number of doctors and specialists the company has partnered with, and where they are located, according to Alvarez.

“We’re always looking for opportunities to grow,” Alvarez added.

“We don’t really grow through acquisition,” Alvarez said. Instead, it grows as medical practices approach them with an interest to join.

“We just kind of merge their practice in. If you bring a practice, you become a shareholder.

“In a perfect world, we build one large building, based on primary care. We have some some specialists that are based and fixed at that building, others that rotate through a couple of days, as necessary, to provide support. And then we have the ancillary services, diagnostic imaging, potentially pharmacy, things of that nature.”

Florida Medical Clinic’s model for growth seems to be effective, Alvarez said.

“It’s been, obviously, quite successful,” he said.

Published April 29, 2015

New luxury apartment complex coming to Land O’ Lakes

By

Wood Partners is stepping in where another developer left off, resurrecting a 311-unit apartment complex that could add even more residents along State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes.

The Atlanta-based company announced the new project — called Alta Terra Bella — just off 20 Mile Level Road Monday, following a report on The Laker/Lutz News’ website, LakerLutzNews.com.

Developers of the new Alta Terra Bella apartments say the new Land O’ Lakes community will inject nearly $25 million into the local economy, and indirectly create nearly 400 jobs. (Michael Hinman/Staff photo)
Developers of the new Alta Terra Bella apartments say the new Land O’ Lakes community will inject nearly $25 million into the local economy, and indirectly create nearly 400 jobs. (Michael Hinman/Staff photo)

“As the Tampa Bay area continues to experience robust employment and income growth — especially in the hospitality, financial and business service industries — Pasco County will continue to grow,” said David Thompson, Wood Partners’ Florida development director, in a release. “Alta Terra Bella is ideally located near top schools, and provides convenient interstate access to employers throughout the Tampa area.”

Wood Partners closed on 52 acres of land through a subsidiary, Alta Terra Bella LP, last week. It’s located between Via Bella Boulevard and 20 Mile Level, just north of State Road 54. The developer paid Capstone Resdev LLC $4.2 million for the vacant land, according to county property records, using part of a $30 million mortgage the company received early last week from Synovus Bank.

Pasco County officials met with representatives from Wood Partners last June, where the developer shared plans to build 311 apartment units in 14 buildings. Also on the plans are a freestanding clubhouse and freestanding parking garages, with a complete build-out of more than 452,000 square feet.

The project was originally known as Viento at Terra Bella Apartments, according to documents filed with the county, with units averaging about 1,200 square feet. The parking garages would be individual, one-story units, each with six bays for vehicles or storage.

Wood Partners is not expected to waste much time in breaking ground and getting construction started. The company expects to start leasing next September through its Wood Residential Services subsidiary, according to a release, with a full completion date scheduled for May 2016.

A community like this could inject as much as $24.5 million into the local economy — including $2.5 million in taxes — that would ultimately create nearly 380 jobs, Wood Partners officials said, using a formula offered by the National Association of Home Builders.

The population within a five-mile radius of the proposed Land O’ Lakes development has exploded by 114 percent since 2000, compared to a smaller but still strong 20 percent for the rest of the Tampa Bay region, the developer said. At the same time, household incomes have risen 37 percent, with 64 percent of households generating income of more than $50,000 not far from the proposed complex.

The land for Alta Terra Bella was originally purchased in 2007 for $6.8 million by BSP/Pasco LLC, a company associated with Orlando-based developer Scott T. Boyd. However, PNC Bank filed foreclosure papers against the property in October 2011, according to county records, claiming they were owed nearly $6 million.

The bank won title to the property through is Capstone Resdev affiliate in August 2012, and the land has been on the market ever since.

The new community will be located in the same general area where Florida Medical Clinic operates its headquarters. It’s also close to 46 acres of land Academy at the Lakes purchased in August 2013 on 20 Mile Level for $2 million.

The Collier Parkway school purchased the former MacManus property for $44,000 an acre, while Wood Partners spent just under $81,000 an acre for its land. The developer plans to use just 19 acres of the site for the complex, slating the rest for conservation and other non-commercial uses.

Charlan Brock & Associates designed the community, according to a release. It will have a 9,000-square-foot clubhouse that will include a community room, fitness center, playroom, a Wi-Fi café, and a summer kitchen overlooking a swimming pool.

The community will have more than 630 surface parking lots, and 76 garage spaces for rent.

Biggest local real estate purchases of 2014

1. $36.1 million, Arlington at Northwood in Wesley Chapel
BES Northwood Fund IX LLC of Chicago purchased this 312-unit apartment complex in May and renamed it Enclave at Wiregrass.

2. $16 million, Wiregrass Ranch development in Wesley Chapel
Pasco County Associates II LLLP picked up more than 332 acres in May for a 550-home subdivision along the southern portion of State Road 56, not far from Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter at Wiregrass Ranch campus.

3. $10.2 million, West Winds Assisted Living Facility in Zephyrhills
Sabra Health Care Holdings III purchased the 75-bed nursing home on Eiland Boulevard in October.

4. $4.7 million, Creative World School in Land O’ Lakes
Emerald Holding and Investments LLC bought the 7-year-old building and 2 acres of land on Mentmore Boulevard from Ballantrae LLC in July.

5. $4.2 million, Alta Terra Bella in Land O’ Lakes
Alta Terra Bella LP, a subsidiary of Wood Partners, purchased 52 acres of land off State Road 54 to build a new 311-unit apartment complex.
Source: Pasco County Property Appraiser

See this story in print: Click Here

Wood Partners to build 300 apartments in Land O’ Lakes

By

Wood Partners is expected to officially announce Monday a new residential project that would bring more than 300 apartment units to the 20 Mile Level Road area of Land O’ Lakes.

Alta Terra Bella LP, a company associated with the Atlanta-based developer, closed on 52 acres of land last Tuesday, located between Via Bella Boulevard and 20 Mile, just north of State Road 54. The company paid Capstone Resdev LLC $4.2 million for the property, according to county property records, using part of a $30 million mortgage the company received earlier this week from Synovus Bank.

Representatives from Wood were scheduled to meet with Pasco County officials about the project last June, sharing plans to build 311 apartment units in 14 buildings, as well as a free-standing clubhouse and free-standing parking garages. It would have a total of more than 452,000 square feet.

The project was originally known as Viento at Terra Bella Apartments, according to documents filed with the county, with units averaging about 1,200 square feet. The parking garages would be individual, one-story units, that could hold up to six vehicles each.

The project will be called Alta Terra Bella, according to a Wood Partners spokeswoman.

The land was originally purchased in 2007 for $6.8 million by BSP/Pasco LLC, a company associated with Orlando-based developer Scott T. Boyd. However, PNC Bank filed foreclosure papers against the property in October 2011, claiming they were owed nearly $6 million. The bank won title to the property through its Capstone Resdev affiliate in August 2012, and had the land on the market ever since.

The new community will be located in the same general area of State Road 54 where Florida Medical Clinic maintains its headquarters.

Find out more about the development in the Nov. 26 print edition of The Laker/Lutz News.

Florida Medical Clinic preparing new facility for Wesley Chapel

By

An area Pasco County planners hoped would become an expansive medical park has moved a big step in that direction as Florida Medical Clinic prepares to start construction on an 85,000-square-foot facility near Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel.

Florida Medical Clinic’s Wesley Chapel location will be a three-story building with 85,000 square feet, and will be the group’s third-largest facility behind Zephyrhills and Land O’ Lakes. It’s expected to open next summer. (Courtesy of Florida Medical Clinic)
Florida Medical Clinic’s Wesley Chapel location will be a three-story building with 85,000 square feet, and will be the group’s third-largest facility behind Zephyrhills and Land O’ Lakes. It’s expected to open next summer.
(Courtesy of Florida Medical Clinic)

The new three-story building will offer a variety of medical services, the kind of one-stop shopping Florida Medical Clinic is known for in other parts of Pasco and Hillsborough counties. But this particular facility will have an extra emphasis on orthopedic care.

“We don’t have an orthopedic presence in Wesley Chapel right now,” said Gus Taylor, Florida Medical Clinic’s chief administrative officer. “We have some in Zephyrhills and Tampa, and some in the Carrollwood area, but this will help us bring all this to Wesley Chapel.”

The Wesley Chapel location will be built at 2352 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., just north of State Road 56 and the Wesley Chapel hospital. Florida Medical Clinic bought a little more than 10 acres of land there last October for $4 million, according to Pasco County property records. It was part of land owned by the Wiregrass Ranch development group since 1987.

This is the third major location Florida Medical Clinic has built in the past five years, beginning with its second-largest facility on State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes opened in 2009, and its new Carrollwood facility in a building that once housed a Borders book store on North Dale Mabry Highway, that opened last year.

And 2013 was a busy year for Florida Medical Clinic as the company focused a bit on Zephyrhills. It expanded its main campus at Market Square to open a new urgent care facility, and built a 12,000-square-foot office on Eiland Boulevard it shares with DaVita Healthcare Partners Inc.

Putting doctors of various specialties under a single roof has been a successful formula for Florida Medical Clinic in Zephyrhills, Land O’ Lakes and Carrollwood, and Taylor says he expects more success with the new Wesley Chapel facility.

“We have a lot of physicians in the Seven Oaks area that are in independent buildings,” he said. “This helps us provide more services for our patients. It’s extremely convenient when you can go to one location and see all of your doctors and primary doctors.”

And its proximity to Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel will provide even more benefits, similar to what happens at its main campus, located just blocks from Florida Hospital Zephyrhills.

Deciding when and where to build and consolidate is an organic process for Florida Medical Clinic, usually based on the number of doctors and specialists the company has partnered with, and where they are located. The Wesley Chapel facility might be the last one for a little while, at least.

“Currently, we don’t have that in any other locations in mind,” Taylor said. “But it wouldn’t surprise me if we didn’t put another building out there somewhere in the near future to create the same presence in that area, as we’re getting in some of our current ones.”

Florida Medical Clinic is still working on permits for its Wesley Chapel location as well as design, but the goal is to have the facility open by Summer 2015.

“It’s a great location,” Taylor said. “We all know the Wesley Chapel area is growing, and there are a lot of new neighborhoods and a lot of new businesses coming up there. With the new hospital there, this has become a great location for our patients.”

Published March 12, 2014