Sun City Resident Honored
Senator Ronda Storms and Jeff Atwater, president of the Florida Senate, recently presented the Senate Medallion of Excellence Award for outstanding public service to Sun City Center resident Dave Brown for his public service on a number of issues including flood plains and back flow valves.
Brown’s attention to the flood plain issue was drawn by a map displayed by Hillsborough County showing that his home on Burlington Cir. was subject to flooding. Amazed, he pointed out that the map, based in part on FEMA studies, could only be valid if water flows uphill. After more than a year of detailed study, it was found that Brown was right, and the finding meant a re-drawing of flood plain maps for much of Hillsborough County.
Earlier this year, Brown was presented with a plaque by the Sun City Center Community Association showing its appreciation for his tireless efforts on these projects.
It has been estimated that Brown’s work has saved the residents of Sun City Center hundreds of thousands of dollars by not having to install unnecessary “backflow” equipment around their homes, and for savings on flood insurance premiums where no compelling need exists.
For more information on Brown, please visit his Website at www.suncitydave.info.
Doggie Day Care Voted Brandon’s Best
Canine Cabana, Riverview’s premier dog day care and boarding facility, has been voted Brandon’s Best Dog Kennel. Customers voted online and through paper ballots to choose their favorite local dog kennel.
Canine Cabana offers full-time and part-time dog day care as well as boarding. In order to ensure that your dog will have a fun and safe visit, staff trained in dog behavior and pack behavior have a constant physical presence with the dogs during group play. Your favorite four-legged friend can enjoy a run on Canine Cabana’s one-acre, tree-covered property, a refreshing dip in a pool, or relax in their air conditioned play area. You will have a well-exercised, happy dog that will be ready to head home and relax with you at the end of your busy day or vacation.
Every dog that plays at Canine Cabana goes through a one-day behavioral assessment conducted by owners, Angie Frazier and Kendall Duncan.
Frazier and Duncan are long-time residents of the Brandon area and have over 20 years of animal care and behavior experience. At Canine Cabana, its personal goal is to build relationships with owners and dogs that last a lifetime. Since dogs are part of the family, Canine Cabana wants to be sure that its customers and their pets always feel like part of the family…The Cabana Family.
Canine Cabana is conveniently located at 9708 Carr Rd. in Riverview, just off Boyette Rd., one mile west of Bell Shoals Rd.
For more information or to schedule your first day, call 672-WOOF (9663) or visit www.caninecabana.biz.
Winthrop Chocolate Shop Adds Treats
Bellafia Chocolate Boutique, located in Winthrop Town Centre, has expanded its gourmet product line by adding some scrumptious treats which include domestic and imported chocolates and nuts.
Domestic nuts include Indianola cinnamon pecans, Indianola Caribbean pecans and Indianola sea salt roasted pecans. Domestic chocolate includes Asher’s milk and dark chocolate assortment, Whetstone milk chocolate filled with raspberry or orange, Florida Gator Poop deluxe chocolate candy mix and Theo Organic Fair Trade Certified cherry and almond, dark and mint dark chocolate.
Chocolates available at the shop from Germany include Asbach Uralt Pralinen-Mischung (brandy filled), Fedora Gourmet Dark Chocolate, Schladerer Pralines filled with plum, cherry, raspberry and assorted liquor, milk or dark egg liquor filled Eierlikor Pralines, Hachez Talers in cherry, lemon and orange flavors, Hachez Shorts (55 percent and 77 percent) and Reber Latte Macchiato Schokies.
The Pernigotti small assortment of nougats is in from Italy, and from South Africa comes Fair Trade Certified Divine Chocolate in mint dark, fruit and nut dark, hazelnut, milk, white chocolate with strawberries and 70 percent dark chocolate.
Bellafia also offers sugar-free options including the Ritter Sports Diet in yogurt, nougat and milk chocolate from Germany, and Asher’s sugar free in solid milk chocolate, pecan and caramel and Asher’s milk and dark assortment.
Samples of gourmet chocolate and nut morsels greet every customer as they browse the variety of chocolates and nuts from all over the world.
Bellafia Chocolate Boutique is located at 6028 Winthrop Town Centre Ave. in Riverview. For more information, call 657-1218 or visit www.bellafia4chocolate.com.
Local Resident Opens Law Firm
Riverview resident Michael Eisenberg recently opened Eisenberg Law Firm in Tampa at 3111 W. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Ste. 100. He has lived in Florida his entire life and graduated from Barry University of Law in Orlando.
Staff of Eisenberg Law Firm practices law in the following areas: wills, trusts, mortgage foreclosures, debt collection, landlord/ tenant and insurance defense.
Eisenberg is a parishioner at Nativity Catholic Church and has two children, Nick, 4, and Isabel, 19 months, with his wife of 14 years, Alice.
For more information on Eisenberg Law Firm, please call 350-7800.
New Accessories Shop Now Open
If you’ve been needing a necklace to go with that little black dress or a great pair of earrings to show off your new haircut, then head on over to Winthrop Town Centre, where new accessories shop Blumchen just opened up.
It offers costume jewelry like necklaces, rings and bracelets. For an accessory set, price ranges from $10-$15. The store also offers purses, which range in price from $25-$40.
Blumchen is located at 6026 Winthrop Town Centre Ave. in Riverview. For more information, please call 470-9074.
Big Bend Preschool Welcomes New Director
Big Bend United Methodist Church Preschool is happy to introduce its highly-qualified and enthusiastic new director, Yvette Sasha Caballero.
Conveniently located in the Riverview Summerfield neighborhood, the preschool is a Christian-based educational institution that focuses on providing a safe and loving environment for nurturing children.
Caballero comes to the Big Bend school with 12 years prior experience in directing childcare centers. Now, she looks forward to meeting every child, parent, and teacher in the coming days at her new location.
She states, “I believe in open communication and working together as a team with parents and staff to motivate children and enrich them emotionally, intellectually, physically, socially and spiritually.”
At Big Bend, children are taught developmentally-appropriate games as well as instruction in the ABCs and 1, 2, 3s.
The curriculum is designed to meet the needs of infants, toddlers and each child at his level of development along the growth continuum. Guidance and activities in each classroom foster language, pre-reading, pre-writing, and other foundational skills.
The preschool is open to children from the ages of 6 weeks through 4 years old and offers free state-sanctioned voluntary pre-kindergarten (VPK) instruction. The center also provides after-school care for children through 12 years old. Hours of operation are from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday – Friday all year round. Some flex schedules are available, too, to accommodate various needs.
Nutritious and child-appealing breakfast, lunch and snack are served, included in the school’s affordable rates.
Enrollment is now open. For more information, please call 671-3515.
Regional Energy Conference Held at HCC Ruskin Campus
Florida Advanced Technological Education Center (FLATE), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Advanced Technological Education Center for Florida and Hillsborough Community College (HCC) jointly hosted the NSF sponsored Regional Energy Industry Forum recently.
This day-long event held at HCC’s SouthShore campus in Ruskin was targeted to identify and define new energy technologies and services in Florida.
Facilitated by the NSF Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center (ATEEC), the meeting of energy, industry and education experts was one of a series of eight energy-related nationwide forums to develop comprehensive regional snapshots of the emerging energy sector.
Cindy Amor, organizational effectiveness manager at TECO Energy in Tampa who also participated in the forum said, “The most valuable part of the forum is that it brought industry and education together to assess the future path of renewable energy in Florida, and determine strategies to prepare workers for the future direction of renewable energy.”
Amor says the biggest challenge is “interpreting the needs of the industry and integrating it into practical knowledge and skills.” She hopes education can meet those needs with better trained; better skilled workers that are prepared to meet the challenges of the future.
For more information about the Forum or ongoing renewable energy-related initiatives in Florida, contact Dr. Marilyn Barger at 259-6577 or via e-mail at barger@fl-ate.org.
PartyLite Fundraising Programs Net 50 Percent Profits
How would your organization like to earn 50 percent profit on the next fundraiser? That’s just one of the many benefits of participating in the PartyLite Fundraising Program.
For more than 35 years, PartyLite has offered quality candles, home accessories and exclusive fragrances and has helped millions of people transform their lives.
As an independent PartyLite Consultant, Deanna Stec of Riverview welcomes the opportunity to help you achieve your fundraising goals. In addition to receiving 50 percent profit on all that your organization sells, you’ll enjoy a program that is simple and stress free. PartyLite offers some of its most popular candle products in a variety of fragrances, and its candles are boxed for easy gift giving and delivery. Speaking of delivery, it ships the products directly to each seller to eliminate sorting, storing or distribution by your organization.
For more information, please contact Stec at 957-5670 or www.partylite.biz/deestec.
