Good morning, East of Tampa family.
Five o’clock today. That’s the deadline to name a $72 million middle school that still doesn’t have one. It’s officially “Middle School VV” right now, 87 acres in Wimauma, opening August 2027 for 1,600 kids. The school board votes September 1, but they can’t pick a name nobody submitted. Two minutes on SurveyMonkey, then it’s out of your hands.
The #1 Meat Man | We’re doing the meat box again. Our freezer never fully recovered from the first order.
Shawn McCranie spent years on the wholesale side of the Tampa meat business, running product with his dad before it ever reached a retail case. Now he’s cutting the middleman out of his own industry and selling that same quality direct to your door.
The Premium Family Meat Box is $220: 24 steak burgers (12 lbs), 24 all-natural chicken breasts (9 lbs, individually packaged), and a 10-lb box of Duroc pork tenderloins. That’s 31-plus pounds, about $7 a pound, delivered frozen and portioned, free within Tampa and Hillsborough County.
No money up front. Reserve a box and Shawn follows up with a delivery window and sorts payment then. Eleven days until the school year eats your weeknights. Fill the freezer while you still have the bandwidth to care about dinner.
Locals doing business with locals.
☀️ Friday: 95°, 20% chance of an afternoon storm. Mornings are your window, storms build after 2 p.m.
⛅ Saturday: 95°, 30% chance of scattered storms. Same play as Friday, mornings are clear, afternoons cloud up.
🌦️ Sunday: 94°, 40% chance of storms, the muggiest of the three. Front-load anything outside before the afternoon.
🥵 Heat index runs 105 to 108 all three days. Water breaks aren’t optional.
(Source: National Weather Service Tampa Bay)
Back 2 School Bash, presented by ECHO. Saturday, August 1, 9 a.m. to noon, Hillsborough County Fairgrounds, 215 Sydney Washer Road, Dover. Free backpacks and school supplies, walk-up only, while supplies last, plus 100-plus vendor booths and bounce houses. Go early, 9 means 9. ECHO still needs about 10 volunteers, arrive by 8 a.m., day wraps around 2 p.m. with cleanup. Details and volunteer info
Keel Farms SummerFest, final weekend. Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., 5202 Thonotosassa Road, Plant City. Free water slides and bounce houses, wraps for the season after Sunday. Bring a towel and more sunscreen than you think you need.
Oklahoma!, closing weekend, at Plant City Entertainment. Final performances Friday through Sunday, 101 N. Thomas St., Plant City. Local cast, live orchestra, third and last weekend to catch it. Call 813-752-8728 for showtimes.
Rays vs. White Sox, home all weekend at the Trop. Rays sit atop the AL East heading into Monday’s trade deadline, so this is a good weekend to watch the roster before it maybe changes.
Boyette Road at Hammock Crest is now a construction zone, not just a slow spot. Crews mobilized July 27 for South Hillsborough Pipeline work on the south side of the road, Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with cranes, excavators, and pumps running around the clock.
No long closures expected, but build extra time in for equipment deliveries, including Saturday morning if you’re headed that way for the Back 2 School Bash.
Stoner’s Pizza Joint, Bloomingdale. Allison and Kevin run it. Thin crust is the move, buffalo chicken is the specific order, and half baked cookies (we had this last night…FOR REAL!) 813-436-0016
Hillsborough County commissioners approved up to $650 million in utility revenue notes this week for the One Water Campus, an advanced wastewater treatment plant meant to serve South County, including Brandon, Riverview, and Ruskin, through 2050. It’s part of a $1.6 billion countywide infrastructure push and includes a new Balm Road pump station built to handle 56 million gallons a day.
The new Wimauma middle school still doesn’t have a name, and today’s the last day to change that. The $72 million, 87-acre school opens August 2027 for 1,600 students and is currently just “Middle School VV.” Submit a name by 5 p.m. today, the school board votes September 1.
The businesses that keep this free.
Roof Rejuvenate SH. Veteran-owned, southern Hillsborough only. Jeff’s treatment can add 5 to 15 years to a qualifying roof, three applications with a 5-year warranty each, and the free 21-point inspection tells you where you stand before you spend a dime. 813-652-2777
Ivy Plumbing. Johnathan Ivy, Riverview, licensed (CFC1430034), 20-plus years in the trade. Nextdoor’s 2024 Neighborhood Favorite and 2025 People’s Choice Best, and still the guy who picks up the phone. 813-590-1443
Maid Pure Cleaning. Dionne Cona was a teacher before she was a business owner, raising four kids across Brandon, Riverview, and Valrico. Bonded, insured, background-checked, eco-friendly, pet-safe, and 250-plus local families trust her crew already. 813-670-2004
Integrity Seawalls. Seawalls, docks, boat lifts, boardwalks, Apollo Beach to Bradenton. Henry Spoly publishes his pricing right on the site, vinyl seawalls from $450 a linear foot, and every review lands on the same word: fair. 813-535-1634
Tampa Bay Pro Services. Gregory Dunn does exceptional lawn and property work and, get this, shows up when he says he will. That’s rarer than it should be. 813-770-8721
K&D Law. Kou Jacobo, Riverview, general practice with a focus on immigration and asylum, FL licensed since 2019 and in good standing. 786-496-2918
Action Karate. Paul and Gina Kuzemka, 4365 Lynx Paw Trail, Valrico, 5.0 across 55 Google reviews. Back-to-school special: 2 weeks of classes plus a free uniform for $29, normally $109. 813-535-4191
Trinity Junk Removal. Hayley and Alberto Anaya, Riverview. Over 800 five-star reviews, same-day and next-day service, upfront pricing before anyone touches a thing. 813-426-9257
Riverview Towing. Owner-operator, standard local tow around $100, checks your insurance coverage before anything else. Save the number before you need it. 813-405-5973
Team Plumstead Real Estate. Danielle Plumstead, Red Sash Realty, FL licenses SL3649778 and SL3655402. FishHawk locals who answer their phone. 813-495-2136
Glaros Law. Steve Glaros answers his own phone, which after you’ve tried to reach most attorneys, you’ll understand is not nothing. Accident, injury, or a legal mess you didn’t see coming. 813-854-1234
Hitched by Hendrix. Sharon Hendrix is a veteran and a mobile officiant who builds the ceremony around the couple instead of the other way around. Cool-weather dates are booking now.
Madison Patron, FRG Tampa. Former local teacher who knows which house feeds which school, which matters more every year around here. 813-955-9092
Brandon Crossroads Bowl. 40 lanes, 609 Crater Lane, and air conditioning that has never once let this community down. Robert Suess is building a scholarship-based Saturday Morning Youth League for fall. 813-621-2363
Forward this to whoever’s still deciding if it’s too hot to go outside this weekend. It is, until about 8.
See you Tuesday.
John
The East of Tampa Guy
Leadership Brandon Riverview has built this county’s civic leaders since 1985. Nine months, September through May, one day a month plus a trip to Tallahassee. Applications close August 9. I did it. You should too: apply here
