The Official Unofficial Seminole Heights Blog

From the Tampa Tribune:

SEMINOLE HEIGHTS - Construction on Sangria’s Spanish Tapas Bar & Restaurant got under way last week.

A goal of opening in March was delayed until May at the earliest, but a second restaurant on the Hillsborough Avenue parcel, LeRoy’s Gastro Pub, might opener sooner.

Sangria’s owners spoke to about 30 people Feb. 12 at the quarterly meeting of the Business Guild of Seminole Heights, known as B’Gosh.

James Canter, former chef of the MFA Cafe at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, will be chef at the pub. The menu will feature locally harvested and organic foods, as well as in-house cured meats including ham.

Canter said fish will be bought from local fisheries with environmentally friendly harvesting practices.

“It’s a lofty endeavor,” he said.

Sangria’s owners last year bought LeRoy’s 4×4 Auto Service, at 512 E. Hillsborough Ave., after losing their South Howard Avenue location in a dispute with their landlord.

They are remodeling the Seminole Heights property to open Sangria’s, the pub and Myoumi Sushi Bar. There is additional retail space for lease on the site.

Another restaurant, Ella’s, is under construction at 5119 N. Nebraska Ave. Chef Ernie Locke told B’Gosh members that construction should be complete by the end of March.

The American folk art cafe will serve a varied menu of American, Middle Eastern and Asian foods. A Sunday brunch will feature Kansas-style barbecue and live music, Locke said.

Last week the city council voted to approve beer, wine and liquor sales at the restaurant. Council also agreed to a parking space reduction from 22 to 17, and set alcohol sales to end no later than midnight on Sunday through Wednesday and no later than 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Live music must end one hour before closing.

Owner Melissa Deming’s wet-zone application received support from about 100 residents who signed a petition, three Seminole Heights neighborhood and civic associations, and a joint land-use committee of the associations.

“They’re real caring people. I think it’s going to be a high-class place,” said Sherry Genovar-Simons, president of the Southeast Seminole Heights Civic Association.

A final vote on alcohol sales will be March 5.

Reporter Kathy Steele can be reached at (813) 259-7652.

From Feb 25th.    

http://centraltampa2.tbo.com/content/2009/feb/25/st-sangrias-construction-in-progress/news/

From the St. Petersburg Times; This will be in tomorrows papers.

SEMINOLE HEIGHTS — Four years ago, Veronica and John Vellines opened a small pub just off Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg, creating an instant buzz by serving handcrafted beer and wine for connoisseurs and the curious.

They’ve had their eye on Tampa a while and have settled on a former gas station dating to 1935 for a second location of the Independent. They have a contract to buy the building at 5016 N Florida Ave. in Seminole Heights, which now houses a graphic design studio.

Closing is scheduled for next month. The Vellines and the building’s current owner are scheduled to go before the City Council next Thursday in hopes of changing the zoning to allow alcohol sales.

The Vellines gained the support of the three area neighborhood associations, after meeting last week to discuss operating hours (to midnight on weeknights and 1 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays) and the couple’s business plan. The bar will sell Belgian and German beers, along with specialty microbrews and wines produced from small, independent wineries.

“As of now, we don’t know of any opposition,” Veronica Vellines said last week. “We’re going to try our best to see if there is any before the hearing. … We have e-mails from a lot of people who are very excited.

“We have wanted to expand to Tampa and noticed that the neighborhood didn’t really have a neighborhood spot with good beers. We heard through the grapevine that that was something on the top of people’s lists.”

The St. Petersburg location of the Independent doesn’t serve food, but that will not be the case in Seminole Heights. Vellines said she and her husband have even considered opening for lunch on weekends. At 2,700 square feet, the new Independent will be twice the size of the other one.

“It’s going to be a neighborhood gathering place,” she said. “We picture people showing up with dogs and kids on the weekend, having a couple of really nice beers, a sandwich. No television; it (will be) more of a meeting and discussion place.

“Our mantra is ‘Beer, Wine, Music, Thought.’ In this case there will be food, too.”

If the zoning change is successful and the purchase goes through, Vellines said she aims for the Independent to open by late summer.

Pizzaiolo Bavaro hopes for Super Bowl start

Dan Bavaro is frantically working to get his new high-end pizza restaurant up and running by Super Bowl Sunday.

He plans to open Pizzaiolo Bavaro at 514 N Franklin St. during the last week of January. The handcrafted custom brick oven, dough mixer, floor tiles and tableware were due to arrive from Naples, Italy, this week.

“We’re pushing really hard,” said Bavaro, who recently moved to Tampa from New York. “It’s a three-month buildout project, and (the contractors) are trying to do it in a month and a half.”

Bavaro aims to offer authentic Naples-style pizza to sit-down diners in a 1,200-square-foot space (no slices, no delivery).

Downtown salon will consolidate, update

Kendra and Co., a salon that Kendra Herrington York opened downtown eight years ago, is getting a facelift and a new name.

The salon at 403 W Grand Central Ave. is scheduled to close today for almost two weeks for remodeling. When it reopens it will be known as Kendra Diaz, A Salon on Grand Central. York has partnered with her friend of 23 years, Ronnie Diaz, who has spent 17 years at Styles and Co. on W Cypress Street.

“With this economy, we’re merging together and looking to build a great salon,” York said. “A lot of salons are folding.”

Do you know something that should be everybody’s business? Call (813) 226-3394 or e-mail sharonlginn@yahoo.com. By Sharon Ginn, Times Correspondent

As another year comes to a close, it’s time to review what made the biggest news in 2008 for our neighborhood. While the year seemed to fly by at warp speed, many historical and changing events occurred for our nation and our neighborhood. Nationally, the election of 2008 will reshape our nation’s future, locally; our 2008 election will be long remembered. Neighbors spoke out and their voice reflected a want for change. For those neighbors living along the
Nebraska Ave corridor, the long awaited repaving and re-striping finally became reality. 2008 also saw more commercial redevelopment throughout all of our neighborhoods. From the many bars and restaurants, neighbors now have a choice when dining out and entertainment. While we did gain many new dining places, we did also lose a valued friend and restaurant Merino’s. We hold out hope that he will return. Neighbors continued to make the trek down to City Hall to show support for neighborhood friendly businesses.  For a while, the entire city and neighborhood sat, watched and waited as Seminole Heights neighbors waited for the word… Would Seminole Height lure Whaley’s back to our area. While the timing did not play in our favor, we have high hopes that our time will come. Neighbors, tired of prostitution, stood up again and screamed for change. As a result, their efforts prompted changes within TPD. We were able to enjoy an award winning movie where Seminole Heights was the star! We have celebrated many new neighbors moving into our neighborhood while the economic climate has made our centralized living much more appealing and lowered prices to more enticing level. At the same time, we are sad to lose many of our friends as their situations cause them to move on as well. Finally, we saw the creation of the Official, Unofficial Blog. Since July 1^st, we have been fortunate to continue to cover the Seminole Heights news. For your continued comments, visits and words of encouragement, we thank each and every one of you. We are hoping for a great 2009 and look forward to sharing and discussing more news with you!

While it is impossible to list an entire year worth of memories in one single posts, I have tried to highlight many of the events that have stood out in my mind. Knowing I have missed many things, I welcome you to leave your comments to add to this list.

The email below is from a neighbor asking that the following comment be posted as a suggestion to our association leaders. Reading the comment, I find it a very viable and interesting take on how our neighborhood may evolve to the next phase in our revitalization process. When I speak to friends about our area, most are amazed that our area can have so many new businesses opening while other areas see closings. To ensure their success, I think this idea may need to be given more consideration and possibly an implementation plan outlined. As we experience a “rebirth”, we have so much to offer. Close proximity to downtown (Have we marketed to the downtown professionals) Affordable housing and low taxes (Has this been marketed to the first time home buyer looking for the “
Hyde Park” style home?)  and yes, we can soon say, NIGHTLIFE. (Do we have a plan to promote all of the new establishment?) As for promoting the homes and encouraging relocation to our area, couldn’t we tap into some of the realtors in the area to help fund and promote our area. Or, as an association, isn’t it our job to help promote our neighborhood? What else are the 10’s of thousands of dollars doing in our bank account? Please read the email below and share your ideas and thoughts.

FROM AN EMAIL:

Dear Blog, if possible, please post my email to your site. Thanks for sharing. In recent weeks, there has been much buzz about all of the new restaurants and bars that will be opening in the coming months. (Greg’s, The Independent, Ella’s, Reservations, Gastro’s Pub, Sangria’s and Myoumi Sushi) With the addition of all of these, Seminole Heights will truly become a place to live and play. If you recall, over the past 5-10 years, South Tampa, Howard Avenue to be specific, has experienced similar transformation. As a result, Howard has also seen many new businesses and shops open up along the corridor. It is surprising to see this many new restaurants and clubs open in a stressed economy. This economic slump is evident with the high number of vacant homes, for sale/rent signs and foreclosures. As a long-term resident of SH, I have been thinking. Now is the perfect opportunity for our neighborhood leaders to work as one to promote our neighborhood. Our goal should be long term. How can we better our neighborhood, attract new residents and businesses? Yes, I know, we have BGoSH who does a great job of promoting our businesses. But, if we want our businesses to survive, we must attract residents to fill the homes throughout our neighborhood. What are our leaders doing to promote SH as a livable, safe neighborhood? Has any thought gone into what our associations can do to promote relocation to Seminole Heights. Over the weekend, we visited Davis Island. It was very enjoyable to park the car and walk the commercial corridor, eat lunch, etc. In talking to many of the people, they are looking to leave due to the rising taxes. They are seeking other area that offer the “neighborhood” quality of life. For many years, SH has received a bad reputation for being unsafe, having no neighborhood serving restaurants, etc. However, this is quickly changing. For the long timers, you may recall how our neighborhood looked years ago. Most homes were in shambles. Now, you drive down most streets and there are more nice homes than the ugly homes. (Notice I said most streets.) I drove down Nebraska Avenue on Sunday and could not help but notice the new restaurant “Reservations.” The space had been cleaned, renovated and most importantly, LIT UP! It was actually very attractive. It showcased the beautiful architecture of the building. As with the homes of years ago, all it took was one home to start a transformation of an entire street. Can this restaurant do the same for South Nebraska Ave. Can The Bungalow Bistro do it for South Florida, etc? My biggest concern is with all the new establishments opening, will we support, do we have the population to support, and how can we ensure their success. I would love to see an aggressive campaign from our neighborhood leaders to market our neighborhood to new residents and businesses alike. I can name at least 5-10 advertising/marketing/creative/printing professionals that live within the boundaries, or have offices within our boundaries. Can these people be tapped as a resource to create the most brilliant marketing campaign our city has ever seen? As a homeowner, it behooves us all to make sure our neighborhood continues to improve and grow.

Thanks for posting, Diane

TAMPA — A Tampa attorney was Tasered by police Wednesday afternoon during a meeting of the Tampa Code Enforcement Board. Carl Roland Hayes, 53, was addressing the board at 12:40 p.m. Wednesday about the aluminum windows he’d installed at his Seminole Heights home, when police say he became visibly upset and agitated. Tampa Police Lt. Ronald McMullen said officials asked Hayes to leave the meeting. As Officer Don Miller escorted Hayes from the meeting, Hayes slapped the officer in the face, McMullen said. Miller deployed his Taser gun on Hayes with no effect, he said. So, Miller “drive stunned” Hayes, placing the stun gun against Hayes’ skin, then he and another officer took the man to the ground, handcuffing him as he struggled, McMullen said. According to records, Hayes had been cited for installing aluminum windows at his home, 5115 N Branch Ave., rather than the wood windows required under historic preservation codes. He has been being fined $60 per day since Oct. 24 for not having the right windows. Hayes told the officials that replacing 19 windows with wood would cost $300 to $400 a piece. He hasn’t worked most of the year due to brain surgery and has lost half of his income as a result. “I am not wealthy and could only afford the aluminum windows for the back of my house, which are safer, more affordable and more efficient,” he wrote in an Oct. 31 letter to the Code Enforcement board. Hayes is being charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence and trespassing after warning, McMullen said. He was booked into Orient Road Jail at 2:15 p.m.Wednesday. Years ago, Hillsborough Circuit Judge Daniel Perry recused himself from all of Hayes’ cases after Hayes accused the judge and his bailiffs of treating him differently than others because of his skin color.

From TCPalm: http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/nov/27/tampa-attorney-tasered-during-code-enforcement-mee/

EAST TAMPA - Despite gloomy economic trends, groundbreakings for a bank and office building are good news in one of the city’s redevelopment areas.

A Fifth Third Bank branch is under construction on East Hillsborough Avenue in front of the Meridian Pointe Apartments. An April opening is scheduled.

On Taliaferro Avenue, off Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Pro-Fit Development has started construction of the two-story Seminole Heights Professional Center, which is set to open in July. Both projects held kickoff ceremonies Nov. 12, each attended by about 40 people, including Mayor Pam Iorio, bank officials, Pro-Fit owners, East Tampa redevelopment staff and board members of the East Tampa Community Revitalization Partnership.

“We think it’s good business to be in East Tampa,” said Brian Keenan, president of Fifth Third Bank Tampa Bay. A full-service commercial bank has not opened in East Tampa in 30 years, city officials said. The bank is a vital link in reaching out to residents about “common sense reinvestment, doing things the old-fashioned way,” Iorio said. “How do you do that if there is no bank in your community? That is one of the keys to financial success.” The not-for-profit Corporation to Develop Communities in Tampa is a project partner.

“We want to make sure people who live in the area can get jobs,” said Ernest Coney Jr., the corporation’s chief operating officer. The corporation provides counseling, job training and placement, business planning, youth services and home ownership programs. It also builds housing in East Tampa.

One of its programs focuses on former convicts, seeking to place them in construction jobs. Coney said a few might find jobs on the bank’s construction crew. Pro-Fit’s groundbreaking was a family affair, with owner Terrance Bradford, his wife, Precious, brother Stanley Bradford Jr. as well as parents and friends in the audience. Bradford founded Pro-Fit more than five years ago and with partner John Dixon provides contracting, roofing, consulting and design services. “You truly represent the spirit of entrepreneurship in our country,” Iorio said. The 7,000-square-foot building, at 4007 Taliaferro Ave., is expected to create as many as 30 jobs when completed and will be Pro-Fit’s headquarters. The company plans an eco-friendly design and will seek certification from the Florida Green Building Certification Agency.

Space could be leased to businesses such as law firms, a fine art gallery or a title company.

http://southtampa2.tbo.com/content/2008/nov/19/st-something-to-bank-on/

 

Jim Kwid has graciously offered to host a TPD Roll Call on Monday, December 1, 2008. Jim’s address is 1230 E. Comanche Avenue.
 
There actually will be two roll calls on this date at this location, 2pm & 7pm.
 
Either one of these roll calls will provide you some insight into how the police officers begin their day. Please feel free to ask the officers any questions you might have concerning crime in our neighborhood. You might also take this opportunity to express your appreciation for their dedication to protect and serve our neighborhood.
 
Jim is also hosting a potluck to coincide with the 7pm roll call. Don’t know what to do with the leftover Thanksgiving fixings, bring them to Jim’s.

This article is from yesterday’s Tampa Tribune.

By CHRISTIAN M. WADE | The Tampa Tribune Published: November 20, 2008 TAMPA - The Tampa City Council today gave a tentative nod to Mayor Pam Iorio’s plan to use $13.6 million in federal funding to buy foreclosed and abandoned homes — but not without criticizing the administration for keeping the council out of the loop. Councilman John Dingfelder said he has a lot of unanswered questions about how Tampa’s portion of $3.92 billion in neighborhood stabilization money will be used. “We haven’t had any input into this,” he said. Iorio’s plan calls for buying about 80 foreclosed homes that will be fixed up or torn down and resold. An additional 30 foreclosed properties will be bought with the money and rehabilitated as rental properties, requirements of the federal grant. Sulphur Springs, North Tampa and Old West Tampa have been identified as target areas based on the high rates of subprime mortgages, mortgage defaults and delinquencies. The city plans to work with nonprofit groups and charitable organizations to find eligible buyers. However, the money will not be available to homeowners facing foreclosure. The city’s plan for using the money must be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by Dec.1. Cynthia Miller, the city’s growth management and development services director, said the council will have input as the program gets under way. “It can be modified in the future,” she said. “You all get to make the final call.” Council members plan to hold a workshop and public hearing on the plan in January. “I’m not convinced we’re using the money in the right way,” Councilwoman Mary Mulhern said. “Demolishing houses doesn’t sound like what the government intended.” http://centraltampa2.tbo.com/content/2008/nov/20/council-oks-iorios-plan-foreclosed-abandoned-homes/news/

From Today’s Tampa Tribune:

TAMPA - A taste of eclectic Americana is coming to Seminole Heights. A new restaurant – Ella’s – is under construction at Shadowlawn and Nebraska avenues. Its tentative opening is in March. Owners Melissa Deming and Ernie Locke this week served up side dishes for the annual “eatin’ ” meeting of the Southeast Seminole Heights Civic Association. When the restaurant opens, the Tuesday-through-Saturday, dinner-only menu will be a melting pot of American, Middle Eastern and Asian. Lunches might be added later. On Sundays, there will be Kansas-style barbecue and live blues music for brunch. The downturn in the economy doesn’t give the owners pause. It might be different if Seminole Heights was saturated with restaurants, Deming said. The two-story restaurant will have seating for about 50, including an outdoor patio. A second-floor loft could be opened for dining in the future. “We also want to have a strong art element,” Deming said. There will be a rotating art wall featuring American folk art. “I’ve been tapping into those kinds of resources.” The restaurant is named for her grandmother, Ella Hull, who grew up on a Kansas farm during the Depression.