At ABC Action News, we know it's the combination of all the communities that make Tampa Bay great to live in. That's why we've started a new series of reporting highlighting good things happening around town, discovering cool gems you may not know about, and uncovering the big news events impacting those areas.
On Friday, the Good Morning Tampa Bay team focused on Brandon.
Complete Coverage: GMTB Local Spotlight
Brandon's Moreno Bakery is a 10,000-square-foot foodie paradise that must be seen to be believed.
Married owners Susan and Jose Moreno pride themselves on making everything in-house, from the pumpkin whoopie pies to the all-natural Cuban bread baked with palmetto leaves.
Moreno Bakery is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and early dinner. It gets crowded and hectic, so brace yourself for an experience.
Brandon nonprofit sends angels into the community to help families in need
When it comes to a life-threatening illness or catastrophic events, families are forced to set aside those daily, mundane tasks, and focus on what’s important. However, the little things like cutting the grass or painting the house don’t just disappear. That’s where the Angel Foundation swoops in.
Heather and Chris Brightwell never thought they would have to ask for help until they were both diagnosed with cancer within a two-year span.
ECHO of Brandon helps Hillsborough County families in need
"They need someone, they need that support, and we are that support for them," Iris Thurman, Director of Advocacy ECHO Brandon, said.
ECHO of Brandon, Emergency Care Help Organization, is helping families in Hillsborough County that are in need of help.
Thurman said to her, and the entire organization, the people they're helping are neighbors.
Tampa Bay Heat offers sports, activities for homeschooled kids
A longstanding home school group in Brandon is one of only three home school groups in the state that are part of the Florida High School Athletic Association.
The Tampa Bay Heat offers sports and other activities for kids who are home-schooled. They also provide other resources and classes for students.
The group, which is a nonprofit, start in 2010 and has grown over the years but especially in the last year during the pandemic.
TGH Ice Plex second home to Tampa Bay Lightning for 24 years
Just shy of the Brandon border you'll find the second home of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The TGH Ice Plex has been serving the community and the Bolts for 24 years.
"They've been training here for 24 years, we've served as the official training facility. We're here to support you know, their endeavors. Their continued growth is our continued growth you know, just them being here in the building, you know, gets people excited," said Wes Reid, Director of the TGH Ice Plex.
Brandon nonprofit High 5 is pillar in community
A nonprofit in Brandon has been in the community for nearly 60 years and it's committed to helping families with everything from swimming to education.
High 5 Inc., formerly known as the Brandon Aquatic Center, operates on five pillars that "create meaningful and lasting impacts on behalf of others, contributing to the physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing of the region at large," according to the group's website.
The pillars are after-school programs, water safety, special needs education, sports and recreation programs, and community partnership.
Westfield Brandon gears up for holiday shopping season
Westfield Brandon is gearing up early for this year's holiday shopping season.
Experts tell ABC Action News you're going to get the best selection this year if you start early. Buy what you see now because it may not be there in a week or two.
"With all the fall, new fall merchandise and holiday merchandise hitting the shelves now. We're just seeing people coming out to get the best selection of what we have available and an early start in October believe that," said Dawn Arvidson, Marketing Director at Westfield Brandon.
Late Nites on Westfield Street brings Carnevil
Westfield Brandon recently added a few new retailers, including the area's only Hijab store.
But, they're also adding Late Nites on Westfield Street with Carnevil.
Sonya Bradley, Owner of Simply Events and Promotions said, "We wanted to do something spooky that also families could relate to so an evil circus carnival-style was the closest thing we could kind of come up with. Also, we didn't have anybody in the area at the time doing any kind of evil circus acts."
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue building modern, safer station for firefighters in Brandon
A Hillsborough County Fire Station is under construction in Brandon. The new building will not only help with response times but also help reduce cancer exposure in firefighters.
ABC Action News got an inside look as the construction was underway at the location right off West Brandon Boulevard on Pauls Drive.
Firefighters are subject to cancer 20-30% more than the general public.
The new building aims to help with that, taking prime concern with what happens after rescuers respond to a fire.
"The features of this station include a decon area so when they return from a fire, they can quickly decon. We have a rule in the fire services shower within the hour after the fire. So they can come back, they can get off the apparatus, go straight into a shower, take off their bunker gear, take off their uniforms, and get that all cleaned up before they go into any other part of the station," explained Hillsborough County Fire Chief Dennis Jones.
Brandon Regional Chamber of Commerce helps link businesses to community
Brandon is one of the largest unincorporated cities in the whole country — and it continues to grow.
Every single day there's growth in this area from new businesses to new housing developments.
The Brandon Regional Chamber of Commerce continues to be part of the growth and the issues that come with that.
Campbell's Dairyland a staple in Brandon for more than 36 years
For more than 36 years, there's been a constant in Brandon.
Campbell's Dairyland serves ice cream and their famous chili dog off Parson's Avenue.
"Brandon started off just a little sleepy cow town basically, orange groves and cow pastures. So it started off as a close-knit family, people knew each other. And then it just kind of grew and grew. And then about 15-20 years ago, it exploded. And it's still keeping that small-town community, at least everybody's trying to," said James Lee, Co-Owner of Campbell's Dairyland.
Local woman fighting breast cancer advocates for funding
Lavita Rodriguez is a ray of sunshine. She's bound to put a smile on your face within just minutes of meeting her.
But inside, she's fighting a battle.
We'll start back in 2008. At the age of 23, she was paralyzed from a car crash.
"A decade later, I received a breast cancer diagnosis in 2018, where I had a lymph node swell in my left underarm," explained Rodriguez.
After a mammogram, doctors found a 5.1cm tumor. She was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer.
"Which is a small subset of breast cancer that is aggressive, and extremely difficult to treat. I don't have access to hormonal therapies because my cancer is not triggered by hormones. So all three of the hormones are negative. I've gone through numerous treatments. So the first round, whenever I was first diagnosed, I received eight rounds of chemotherapy, I did radiation, I also did cold cap therapy, I did, you know, just there were so many parts of treatment," explained Rodriguez.
Moseley Homestead, right in the heart of Brandon, will take you back in time
You may have driven past an old homestead a hundred, maybe even a thousand times in Brandon and never even knew it was there.
It's not what you'd expect. An old dirt road. An old house. It fit in the late 1800s but the modernization and expansion of the area didn't bother it.
"The feeling never goes away when I turn down the little lane off of Highway 60 and feel like you're going back in time. And it's a magical feeling," explained John Dingfelder, a board member of the Timberley Trust.
The Moseley Homestead is made up of 15 acres, right in the heart of Limona. It truly is like going back in time.
Sugar Rush: Why a Canadian restaurant owner closed up shop and headed to Florida during pandemic
Hal Roback owned and operated a successful all-you-can-eat Italian buffet in Ontario for 25 years.
Then COVID-19 hit, forcing him to close. His next move might surprise you.
Roback now owns and operates Fluffy's Cotton Candy Creations.
Intersection improvements at Lithia Pinecrest and Lumsden improve safety and traffic flow
Road improvements at a busy South Hillsborough County intersection are now complete, improving safety and traffic flow at Lithia Pinecrest and Lumsden Roads. This directly impacts people who live and work in the Brandon, Fishhawk and Valrico communities.
