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- Issue #375: Hospital Rebranded in Wesley Chapel • 22-Mile Bike Loop Breaks Ground • Gulfport’s Book Sculptor Shines • USF Lands ESPN Opener
Issue #375: Hospital Rebranded in Wesley Chapel • 22-Mile Bike Loop Breaks Ground • Gulfport’s Book Sculptor Shines • USF Lands ESPN Opener
5/14/2025
Ted Grellner
14 May
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Dr Ted
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In this issue of NewTampa | WesleyChapel
Local Pulse
Our Event Calendar - currently “under the weather”
Local News
— Wesley Chapel’s Giant Hospital Gets a Name to Match
Of Interest
— Tampa Breaks Ground on 22-Mile Bike and Pedestrian Loop
— From Pages to Portraits: Gulfport Artist Carves Art from Books
Sports
— USF to Open 2025 Season vs. Boise State in ESPN Primetime
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Wesley Chapel’s Giant Hospital Gets a Name
to Match
Wesley Chapel's newest hospital finally has a name—and it’s a long one: Florida Medical Clinic Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital. Set to open in spring 2026, it will feature 102 rooms, with plans to expand to 300 beds, making it the community’s largest hospital.
The facility will offer nine operating rooms, advanced robotics, and a hybrid OR with real-time imaging capabilities. Local physicians, including Florida Medical Clinic’s 350+ providers, played a major role in designing the hospital’s layout and selecting its tech.
CEO Joe Delatorre calls it the most exciting healthcare project Wesley Chapel has seen. The hospital is part of the broader Legacy downtown development, integrating retail, housing, and healthcare.
It joins two existing Wesley Chapel hospitals and precedes a new Johns Hopkins pediatric hospital expected by 2027. Orlando Health also plans new hospitals in Lakeland, plus emergency rooms in Lutz and North Lakeland.
Tampa Breaks Ground on 22-Mile Bike and Pedestrian Loop
Construction has officially begun on Tampa’s long-anticipated 22-mile pedestrian and bicycle loop, known as the Green ARTery. The route will stretch from downtown Tampa’s bayfront, follow the Hillsborough River, and loop through Seminole Heights and East Tampa, forming a major recreational artery across the city.
The first construction phase focuses on two segments in Old Seminole Heights and Lowry Park, costing $1.7 million—more than half of which is funded by FDOT grants, with the rest covered by multimodal impact fees from new developments.
Launched as a grassroots initiative in 2010, the project aims to link green spaces and neighborhoods while promoting safer, more sustainable transit. Residents can expect new and wider sidewalks, lower speed limits, solar-powered crosswalk signals, and enhanced road markings.
The initial segment is set to finish by mid-August, and the full loop is projected to be complete within five years.
From Pages to Portraits: Gulfport Artist Carves Art from Books
Bay Area artist Ted Wray has transformed his love of books into a meticulous art form—“book sculpting.” The former musician now spends anywhere from 8 to 80 hours hand-cutting each book, crafting layered, three-dimensional works that preserve and elevate the content within.
Wray describes his process as intuitive, allowing each book to “reveal” what it wants to become. Using discarded or older books, he cuts through one page at a time, turning the cover into a frame and the internal pages into a cascade of shapes, colors, and textures.
Importantly, Wray never adds color—the vibrant visuals emerge entirely from the original book’s imagery, as seen in works like his sculpture of Iman’s The Beauty of Color. He then bends pages to give his work a dynamic, sculptural feel.
Over 50 of his creations are currently in progress, with many on display at Brenda McMahon Gallery in Gulfport, FL.
Read More: fox13news.com — get a closer look at his artwork
USF to Open 2025 Season vs. Boise State in
ESPN Primetime
USF Football will open its 2025 season with a high-profile clash against Boise State at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 28, in Raymond James Stadium, airing nationally on ESPN. This marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Boise State is coming off a 12-2 season, a Mountain West title, and a berth in the College Football Playoff.
The Bulls face one of their toughest non-conference schedules ever, also taking on No. 11 Florida (Sept. 6) and No. 15 Miami (Sept. 13), before returning home to face South Carolina State (Sept. 20).
Head Coach Alex Golesh enters his third season, with four nationally televised weeknight games on the schedule. USF opens AAC play against Charlotte on Friday, Oct. 3 at home.
Season ticket deposits are now being accepted. The Bulls will host six home games this year at Raymond James Stadium.
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Useful Arts & Entertainment Event Links
The Arts
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Theater
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