Area drivers can expect some delays as Hernando County public works department crews carry out the resurfacing of some streets in Garden Grove and Ridge Manor.

Beginning on July 11, the roadwork is slated to take place on Tavern Road, Celia Avenue, Evening Star Avenue, Highbury Boulevard, Stromberg Avenue, and Spangler Avenue in Garden Grove, and on Cimmaron Way, Pocahontas Avenue, and Cassandra Way in the Ridge Manor area.

Senior project manager Troy McCain, Sr. said that the roads included in the project will remain open during the resurfacing and that area residents will be notified 48 hours in advance of work taking place on their streets.

The work will take place as weather permits and is expected to take four weeks to complete, McCain said.

BY HERNANDO COUNTY GOV

(Brooksville, FL) – Hernando County Animal Services has suspended the intake of cats and kittens on Wednesday, June 28, 2023 due to Feline Panleukopenia being detected amongst our kennel population. Hernando County Animal Services is following best practices and taking a proactive approach to protect the remaining shelter population. The suspension will allow the isolation of sick and exposed animals to allow the incubation period to pass. Panleukopenia presents the most danger to our kitten population as they are often too small for protective vaccination. The public will be notified when normal feline operations will resume after approval of Hernando County’s Staff Veterinarian.

“Our primary responsibilities are the health and safety of the animals and the citizens we serve,” mentioned Hernando County Animal Services Manager James Terry. “Although difficult, the decision to temporarily suspend feline intake services is the best way to meet those responsibilities. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work diligently to provide the best care and return to normal operations.”

The following steps and precautions will continue for our feline population: • Ongoing testing • Supportive care

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Hernando County Government is aware that Panleukopenia is present in our community. Please be cautious and contact your veterinarian if your feline shows signs of generalized depression, loss of appetite, high fever, lethargy, vomiting, severe diarrhea, nasal discharge, and dehydration. More information can be found at https://www.avma.org/resources tools/pet-owners/petcare/feline-panleukopenia Normal operations and hours will continue for all other Hernando County Animal Services.

For questions or more information, please contact Hernando County Animal Services at (352) 796-5062.

POLK COUNTY, Fla. — The first day of school arrived Friday in Polk County, and students, parents, and educators are all excited for what the new school year will bring.

“It’s exciting to get the school year started. It's great seeing all their smiling faces coming in,” said Dart Meyers, Principal of South Pointe Elementary.

About 115,000 students are enrolled in Polk County Public Schools. Meyers is the principal of the brand-new South Pointe Elementary. He said the new campus will help with crowded classrooms as the county sees a population boom.

“Chain of Lakes, Garden Grove, and Pinewood are already hitting capacity and over capacity, so it’s to alleviate those schools. That’s the reason why this school was built in this area because of the expected growth and the growth we are currently having,” Meyers said.

New this school year, the district is adding walk-through metal detectors on campuses to screen students for weapons.

Briana Derousse’s daughter is starting school for the first time. She said safety is top of mind.

“You never know what people bring onto campus, so the security checks, I think, are a good idea for the safety of our kids and students,” said Derousse.

Last year, several students were hit by vehicles, including one student who lost his life. “Extra care, getting there" is the district’s new initiative, focused on keeping kids safe as they travel to and from school.

“Our students throughout the year are going to have specific studies, classes, and lessons that will go into these types of tips. They’re age-appropriate, so for our young ones, there are very specific ways that we are going to teach them to be safe,” said Jason Geary, spokesperson for Polk County Public Schools.

The public safety campaign is also urging residents to drive slowly around and to be vigilant around school zones.

“Unfortunately, some adults don’t respect the road, especially when they see children walking, so it’s a necessity. I would prefer it if they had a cop at every corner during school hours if it were possible,” said Christina Narvaez.

The district’s transportation call center is now open. Parents with bus-related questions can call the center at 863-534-7300 from now until Friday, Aug. 18. The temporary call center will be staffed on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

From Palm Beach down to South Beach, these are the new restaurants, hotels, and hangouts that you can't miss.

Florida is experiencing a travel boom, having welcomed record-breaking numbers of tourists last year and at the start of 2023. And it is no wonder, as the state is home to gorgeous beaches, beloved theme parks, the incomparable Florida Keys, and more. In the buzzing seaside city that is Miami, plus South Florida hot spots like Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and Boca Raton, a grand hotel and culinary scene has become grander. Iconic hotels like Mayfair House Hotel and Garden in Coconut Grove, Pelican Hotel in South Beach, and The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach have been dusted off and sparkle once more. And brand-new hotels have debuted as well, proving that greater Miami's hospitality scene is as alive as it ever was — and thriving. Here's what's new in a few different must-visit corners of Miami and beyond.

Related: The 12 Best Places to Visit in Florida, According to a Lifelong Resident

What's New in South Beach

Originally opened in 1994, Pelican Hotel was designed by the Diesel creative team, attracting the likes of Ian Schrager, Gianni Versace, and Sylvester Stallone when it debuted. Recently renovated, the hotel boasts a fresh look with restored rooms and furnishings. At Pelican Cafe, which is helmed by chef Wendy Cacciatore of Miami Beach's Via Emilia 9 restaurant, morning espresso gives way to indulgent pasta dishes like wild salmon gnocchi topped with caviar. Upstairs, 28 rooms are themed after retro films, with none more in demand than the penthouse suite, which has an aquarium wall and terrace hot tub. It may look like a Bond villain’s lair, but it’s Diesel founder Renzo Rosso’s personal aesthetic — it’s his apartment when he’s in residence.

Around the corner from the Pelican, extending from Ocean Drive to Collins Avenue, is the new Tony Hotel South Beach, named for News Cafe founder and local real estate developer Tony Goldman. Previously the Hotel of South Beach, the structure is an art deco gem that maintains its 1930s charms, including its lighted spire, which lends its name to the new Spire Bar located beside the redesigned rooftop pool with cabanas overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile, the legendary 1980s News Cafe, which was once Versace’s daytime hangout spot, reopened earlier this year. After more than three decades of round-the-clock service, it closed amid the pandemic. Now, the new restaurant is open all day, beneath its same iconic awning, and ready to satisfy cravings for periodicals and piña colada pancakes.

If you want to take your throwback looks to the next level before hitting the town, head to the new Vintage Frames boutique at the entrance of Pharrell Williams’s The Goodtime Hotel. Here, celebrity sunglasses stylist Corey Shapiro offers new and loved frames, from retro brands like Jean Paul Gaultier and Matsuda, plus shop exclusives like this pair outfitted in 24k gold plated flamingos.

A night out in South Beach has long meant a trip to South of Fifth, a luxury neighborhood home to both old and new classics like Joe’s Stone Crab and Carbone. The latest outpost of Israeli chef Eyal Shani’s HaSalon is also here, and every night ends with diners dancing on tables to '90s hits while waiters tear up menus and throw them in the air like confetti.

Meanwhile, up the block is the new Queen Miami Beach, where Japanese steakhouse fare takes centerstage inside the restored art deco Paris Theater. Menu showstoppers include Wagyu tomahawks and whole Alaskan king crabs, served near a stage made famous by Madonna and Jennifer Lopez.

What's New in Coconut Grove

Restoration projects from Coconut Grove to Palm Beach have also wrapped up in recent months, including the Mayfair House Hotel and Garden, situated just off Biscayne Bay between The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, Miami and Cipriani hotel Mr. C Miami.

During a lengthy renovation, public and private spaces in the property (which was formerly known as Mayfair Hotel and Spa) were transformed into a timeless eden. Spacious guest rooms have prestige touches like clawfoot tubs and outdoor showers, and in the hotel’s sun-kissed inner courtyard, guests can gaze up at overgrown terraces brimming with perfectly manicured flora. The hotel’s new food and beverage program is equally inspiring; try wood-fired cooking from Mayfair Grill, and pair smoky sweet flatbreads and dips with classic Caribbean cocktails.

The hotel’s poolside daiquiri haven, SipSip Calypso Rum Bar, is manned by Lost Boy & Co, who know a thing or two about retro dining having recently reopened South Miami chophouse Fox’s Sherron Inn as Fox’s Lounge.

And for other great meals, you don’t have to travel too far from the Mayfair. Coconut Grove has always been a pedestrian paradise, and since the pandemic, more restaurants have opened here and with great acclaim. This includes New York bagel emporium Sadelle’s, where you can get luxe lox platters and caviar-dolloped latkes royale, and The Key Club, where dancing showgirls perform between tables every Thursday night. Such dalliances are a throwback experience from restaurateur David Grutman, who is also rethinking luxury for the future (he's adapting his menus for private space travel, set to launch later this year).

What's New in Miami and Beyond

The Arlo Wynwood has also arrived, and it's the first luxury boutique hotel in Miami’s buzziest and most eccentric neighborhood of the same name. Bar Kaiju is the new place for a creative cocktail, buried deep within a Little River foodhall, where local barmen Derek Stillman and Nate Capanos channel underground Tokyo while crafting drinks with Ginza-bar precision. Their only rival may be the new bespoke cocktail program in the Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club, in Surfside, where any bacchanalian fantasy might be satisfied via tableside trolley from 6 p.m. nightly at the Champagne Bar. There’s also a new wave of international omakase experiences in town, including Mila Omakase, serving Filipino fusion inside a speakeasy-like members' club near party spot Lincoln Road. And if you're heading north toward Fort Lauderdale, don't miss Oku, a private omakase room offering 15 courses accented with Korean fusion; Oku is set inside Takato, the sprawling kitchen that anchors the dining program at Conrad Fort Lauderdale.

In Boca Raton, The Boca Raton resort has emerged from a multimillion-dollar makeover. The resort includes five hotels, all restored in 1920s splendor and bolstered by the new Harborside Pool Club, with three pools, a floating river, cabanas, and more. It's an oasis that fits right into The Boca Raton's 200 acres of prime beachfront.

Then, finish your tour of South Florida luxury with a visit to Palm Beach’s most prestigious post-war landmark, The Colony Hotel. This pink hotel, built in 1947, reopened to guests earlier this year, celebrating its 75th birthday with rooms and suites redone to include dreamy hand-painted murals. This is classic Florida — still going strong after all these years.

BROOKSVILLE — It’s been a busy month at Garden Grove Baptist Church.

Last week, the church had a special service to recognize the 10th anniversary of James Caskey as the church’s 14th pastor. This weekend, the church will host a dedication service on U.S. 41, marking the site of the old Garden Grove Schoolhouse, where the church originally met, as a Florida Heritage Site.

The marker, placed near the current church building several weeks ago, was sponsored by the Historic Hernando Preservation Society and the Florida Department of State’s historical resources division.

Its wording traces the history of the property, from being home to the Upper Creek Nation and then to pioneering families such as the Hopes and Crums. Development began in the 1920s and ended in the 1950s, and the Crum family donated the land for the Garden Grove Baptist Church.

According to Jon Yeager, project coordinator for the marker and secretary of the society, the effort was a collaborative work by society members Roger Sherman, Deborah Charlow and Jo-Anne Peck. Charlow’s research for the text included interviews with Caskey and Elissa Crum.

The church congregation first met in 1956 in a schoolhouse that stood on the property. Its spiritual leader was the Rev. L. N. Smith, who was on a mission of the Hebron Baptist Church, where he pastored.

“There were four or five couples that met in the old schoolhouse on the historic property,” Caskey said. “The only source of heat was a pot-bellied stove. On Oct. 14, 1956, those families organized into the Garden Grove Mission. Eventually, as they called their first pastor (the Rev. Joseph Buice), it became the Garden Grove Baptist Church.”

Members broke ground on the church’s first sanctuary in 1957 nearby on Stromberg Avenue after the property was donated to the church. The current sanctuary was built in 1967; the original sanctuary now serves as a fellowship hall.

“This was a little sleepy church with 45 older folks when I came here 10 years ago,” Caskey said, noting that the church now has 130 members. “I came and shook things up. We started a children’s program and built a children’s park right behind us, which we keep unlocked (for the community). Families come and have barbeques and wedding receptions and family gatherings here on the property.”

The church also started an Awana program for children ages 2 through sixth grade on Wednesday evenings, which coincides with an adult Bible study.

“We’re very involved in the community,” Caskey said. “I’m serving this year as the president of the Hernando Christian Ministerial Association, and we are in the process of encouraging pastors to adopt schools as a prayer partner to help them.”

Garden Grove Baptist members “adopted” Chocachatti Elementary School and are offering practical help.

“We’ve pulled weeds and provided mulch all the way around,” Caskey said. “We give the teachers a free breakfast once a semester, and we help supply some socks and undies that the kids might need.”

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Caskey wants the church to grow along with the county. Plans include building a new sanctuary that will seat twice as many people on the historical property a block away, with the current buildings used as a preschool and day care.

“We want to serve the community here in Garden Grove to the best of our ability,” Caskey said. “Our vision is to be able to do that more so in the future.”

Services at Garden Grove Baptist Church include Sunday school for all ages at 9:45 a.m. and a blended worship service at 11 a.m., with junior church provided for children and a prayer service at 6 p.m. Sundays. Awana begins at 6:30 p.m. and adult Bible study at 7 p.m., both on Wednesdays. A food pantry is open from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays.

To go: A service celebrating the designation of Garden Grove Baptist Church property as a historic site will be presented by the church and the Historic Hernando Preservation Society at 10 a.m. Sept. 7 at the marker on U.S. 41 near the church at 18131 Stromberg Ave., Brooksville. Light refreshments will be served. Call (352) 796-2209.

On Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019, members of the First Baptist Church of Garden Grove unveiled a historic marker, commemorating the area of rich history whose surviving families first homesteaded the area in the late 1800s.

Garden Grove began as a planned development, whose growth was stunted in the 30s, when the housing market slowed.

Just a block north of the intersection of Highway 41 and Spring Hill Drive, is a plat of land on which a school was built. The school later became a polling precinct, and most recently the original Baptist church. The original buildings unfortunately burned down in the eighties.

The land belonged to Elisa and Elaine Crum’s family, whose father donated the land to the church.

The younger of the two sisters in attendance, Elaine Crum-Sullivan recalled how the one room schoolhouse was used as a polling precinct when she attended school in the city of Brooksville. Her older sister, Elisa Crum-Platt was a student at the school, and remembered how classes were held when it was grades 1-8, “Miss Lamar was our teacher, and she taught all of us. She would go to the older students first, and then they would get their job done, and they would come down and work with first and second grade.”

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She pointed to an area about 150 yards east of the highway, “Past that pine tree, is a concrete pad, that was our lunch room. We had a pot stove, which was also used for heat. The students would go out and chop wood. Can you imagine a child with an axe now? The older girls helped in the lunch room when they finished their assignments.”

Still vivid in her mind’s eye, she described the playground where the students played. “Outside, by ourselves. Teachers inside. We had all the big oaks to play on the trees, or swing. And no one ran away or hurt each other.”

The land in the area was largely used for cattle ranching, and Elaine recalled how her family drove cattle to “the sand hills,” which is modern-day Spring Hill for the winter months, and back to Garden Grove for the winter. “The grass was better (in Garden Grove) in the summer, and better out there in the winter.”

Current Pastor James Caskey began the formal ceremony with the short history of how Garden Grove came to be, and added, “We at Garden Grove Baptist Church have a vision, that right here, where the church was started, that one day, there will be a beautiful new church on this property.”

Pastor Caskey led a prayer to bless everyone involved with preserving Garden Grove’s history, and those that will see its future development.

The marker was sponsored by the late Roger Carlton Sherman. According to resident Mary Moses, Sherman sold possessions to raise money to have the marker erected. “These markers are not cheap. They’re not put out by the state. Everything is privately funded, and (Sherman) made sure we had the money to go forward.”

Sherman was a long time board member and Vice President of the Historic Hernando Preservation Society and resident of Garden Grove.

The complete inscription is as follows:

“Garden Grove was carved out of the Chocochatti Hammock, first inhabited by the Upper Creek Nation and then by pioneer families such as the Hopes and Crums. The area remained largely undeveloped up to the 1920s. By that time, the Florida Land Boom, which started up in West Palm Beach and Miami, had spread to the west coast of Florida. Many real estate companies were created and bought large tracts of land with the intention of luring new residents and businesses, along with investors interested in land speculation. Development such as Hickory Hill, Russell-Hale Heights, Mundon Hill Farms, Dixie Acres, Nobleton, Mountain Park, and Masaryktown sprang up from 1924 through 1926 in Hernando County. One such enterprise was Garden Grove, platted in 1924 and surveyed by G.D. and H.D. Mendenhall, Civil Engineers. Garden Grove originally contained some 13,000 acres with plans for over 1,600 residential, commercial, and small farm lots. It was bounded by the Tampa Northern Railroad on the east and bisected by a portion of the first state road, No. 5 (later US 41) on the west. Plans included a city square and lakeside park, as well as a grand main street called Station Boulevard leading to the train depot.

“Advertisements in newspapers promised a holiday atmosphere and described an idyllic environment. A mobile and newly affluent middle class with leisure time sought to speculate and turn investments into quick profit, often quadrupling them within a year. As a large influx of new residents was expected, the county built roads to Garden Grove from Spring Lake and Aripeka. A bus route from Tampa to Garden Grove began along with passenger train service. By 1926, some of the planned roads were laid out and a number of homes constructed. The Methodist-Episcopal Church South became the first house of worship. A one-room school was built, and operated until 1948. Such speculation, however, was unsustainable and the real estate bubble burst in the mid-1920, just as Garden Grove was beginning to grow. The company sold back some properties to their original owners for pennies on the dollar. The Garden Grove corporation became inactive in 1936. It was not until the 1950s that development in the area resumed with new home and road construction, along with the donation of land by the Crum family for the Garden Grove Baptist Church.”

In June 2016, the former Brooksville City Manager and Parks Department planned a Farmers Market in Downtown Brooksville. Unfortunately, it was July, very hot and did not attract many customers at the time. Michael DeFelice was asked if he would help. Excellent timing, since DeFelice was struggling with where to sell produce, and also still learning how to farm.

Brooksville was also looking for a car show, a motorcycle show, and other activities to attract visitors to the city. DeFelice put all the pieces together, and formed the Hernando Growers Association (HGA), a 501c(3) non-profit organization from which the Brooksville Farmers Market, Brooksville Bike Rally and Cruise-In were born.

HGA’s board members are: Membership Director Angela Okrasinski, Director of New Farmer Relations Paul Ramos and Neen DeFelice, Director of Marketing and Operations. DeFelice’s wife, Ginger is the Vice President. The leadership structure has been effective, as evidenced by the success of the events.

Beginning in 2018, the bikes and cars with some live music differentiated Brooksville’s own from other farmers markets. Today, the bike rally and car show are held on different days, and the HGA partners with Brooksville Main Street to host the Cruise-In.

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The main focus however is growing stable agriculture and providing everyone access to fresh local food.

The Little Rock Cannery, which was used by local residents and visitors, is equipped with a commercial-grade kitchen, complete with everything but the jars one would use to preserve their fruits, vegetables and sauces. The cannery closed in May of 2019, when it’s sole employee left for medical reasons.

Using the cannery will provide growers with another interface in distributing fresh local food to area schools, restaurants and other larger-scale venues, which will require logistics, storage and transfer. “It will give us a home to grow in,” said DeFelice.

DeFelice, a retired Army veteran came to Hernando County five years ago. He and his wife love the lifestyle, yet he speaks modestly of his talent for farming. “People ask me what I grow, I tell them we plant everything, and then … well…I don’t know about a full crop.”

HGA’s mission to provide fresh local food to everyone includes low-income seniors and those receiving assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The senior program hinges on program management in partnership with the state, and failed in the past. Under DeFelice’s direction, more farms have signed to be part of the program, which is expected to make a comeback next year.

The HGA also provides SNAP recipients with “Fresh Access Bucks,” which doubles the amount that can be purchased when buying produce from local growers.

More information and event calendar: www.hernandogrowers.org