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- Issue #606: Pasco Schools Continue to Contract Despite Area Growth | Tampa Celebrates Innovation Leaders | Wesley Chapel Entrepreneurial Student Takes Top Prize | New Space Company Eyes Cape History
Issue #606: Pasco Schools Continue to Contract Despite Area Growth | Tampa Celebrates Innovation Leaders | Wesley Chapel Entrepreneurial Student Takes Top Prize | New Space Company Eyes Cape History
5/21/2026
Ted Grellner
21 May
In partnership with
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GOOD MORNING
You will probably notice that I had some fun with a couple of things in this issue. Enjoy
Dr Ted
USAF Retired
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In this issue of NewTampa | WesleyChapel Local Pulse
Our Event Calendar
Please post events of interest to our NT|WC Live Events Calendar; its easy to do.
Local News
— Why Pasco Schools Are Shrinking Despite Rapid Growth
— Tampa Event Will Celebrate Inventors Behind Major Global Advances
Of Interest
— Wesley Chapel Student Wins Entrepreneur Contest With ‘Bandit Blocker’
— New Rocket Company Aims to Make History at Cape Canaveral
Why Pasco Schools Are Shrinking Despite
Rapid Growth
Pasco County school leaders are facing a complicated challenge: rapid population growth paired with declining district enrollment.
While areas like Wesley Chapel continue to experience overcrowded schools, other parts of the county — especially west Pasco — are seeing major enrollment declines. District officials are now considering possible school consolidations, including plans to close Gulfside Elementary and merge students into nearby campuses.
At the same time, Pasco may still need to build two additional schools in the Wesley Chapel area to handle future growth. Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch high schools are already over capacity by more than 1,200 students combined, with thousands of additional homes planned nearby.
District leaders say charter schools, vouchers, and Florida’s declining birth rate are contributing to the enrollment shift. Officials plan to review updated student counts this fall before making long-term decisions on closures, expansions, or reconfigurations.
Tampa Event Will Celebrate Inventors Behind Major Global Advances
The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame has announced its 2026 class of inductees, honoring innovators whose breakthroughs have transformed fields ranging from medicine and artificial intelligence to aerospace and telecommunications.
Hosted by the University of South Florida, the Hall of Fame recognized ten inventors connected to Florida whose work has improved healthcare, strengthened national defense, advanced environmental sustainability, and helped shape modern technology.
Among the inductees are Moffitt Cancer Center President Dr. Patrick Hwu, recognized for pioneering cancer immunotherapy research tied to CAR T-cell therapies, and Donald Keck, co-inventor of low-loss optical fiber technology that helped make the modern internet possible.
Collectively, the 2026 inductees hold more than 300 U.S. patents. The formal induction ceremony and gala will take place Nov. 6 at the Tampa Marriott Water Street.
Wesley Chapel Student Wins Entrepreneur Contest With ‘Bandit Blocker’
A Pasco County freshman has turned a common neighborhood headache into an award-winning invention. Eva Livingston, a student at Angeline Academy of Innovation, created the “Bandit Blocker,” a weighted sleeve designed to keep raccoons and other wildlife from opening residential trash cans.
Livingston earned first place at the Pasco Young Entrepreneur Competition in April, winning prize money and a sponsored spot at this summer’s USF Bulls Startup Camp.
The reusable device slides over trash can lids and uses adjustable weight to prevent raccoons from lifting them open. Livingston said the idea came from her own family’s repeated battles with nighttime trash raids.
Her presentation stood out for its creativity, including an AI-generated commercial, a raccoon mascot named Randy, and a sanitation worker testimonial. Livingston now hopes to patent the invention and eventually place the product in major home improvement stores.
New Rocket Company Aims to Make History
at Cape Canaveral
Washington-based aerospace company Stoke Space is preparing to launch its new Nova reusable rocket later this year from the historic Space Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral.
The launch site holds a major place in American space history. It was the same pad that launched John Glenn’s Friendship 7 mission in 1962, making him the first American to orbit Earth, and later supported NASA’s Gemini program.
Stoke Space has spent the past year transforming the long-abandoned complex into a modern launch facility featuring a 100-foot launch tower and four massive lightning protection masts.
The company’s Nova rocket is designed with full reusability in mind. Both stages are intended to return to Earth, including the upper stage, which will attempt a controlled vertical landing using embedded thrusters and landing legs — a capability never demonstrated before in orbital flight.
Useful Arts & Entertainment Event Links
The Arts
- The Exhibiting Society of Artists (new)
- USF College of the Arts
- USF Steinway Piano Concert Series
Theater
- NTPAC - New Tampa Performing Arts Center
- New Tampa Players
- USF School of Theatre & Dance
- Wesley Chapel Theater Group
- Carrollwood Players Theatre
Misc
- Carrollwood Center Events
- Craft Festivals (new)
- Fall (Farmer’s) Market Guide for Tampa Bay (new)
- The Krate, WC
- The Shops at Wiregrass, WC
- visitflorida.com
For Kids
- Fun4TampaKids
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