WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — Cornelius Demps opened his law firm in Wesley Chapel and moved his family here from St. Petersburg.
“If you tell people you live in Wesley Chapel, you might as well tell them you live on Mars. They think it’s on the other side of the universe,” Demps said.
“People are surprised to see how much Wesley Chapel has grown and how it’s changed and how it’s continued to thrive economically,” Demps said.
Wesley Chapel is a lot of things.
“It’s booming. We are one of the fastest growing communities in all of Florida,” said Jamie Hess, a member of the North Tampa Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
But it’s not a city, and some are wondering if it’s time to change that.
“It does feel like a city. I mean people that are from here. They don’t say I’m from Zephyrhills. They say I’m from Wesley Chapel,” said financial advisor Ralph Sevelius.
The population has grown to more than 80,000.
There are huge housing developments, hospitals, and shopping.
The North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce wants to see if Wesley Chapel is finally ready to incorporate and become a city.
“We would have a governing body that would decide where our money is spent and where it isn’t spent. And all the tax dollars would stay in Wesley Chapel. The majority of them,” said Hess.
They are raising money for an economic study to see if it makes financial sense.
“There’s been enough talk in my 23 years of living in Wesley Chapel around this issue that I think it’s merited to gather the facts, gather the information, and then we can make our decision,” said Sevelius.
Those against the idea say it will bring more taxes and another layer of government.
“If it’s going to raise taxes, I’m a no-vote. I’m actually an anti-government growth, personally. But until we have the data, we don’t know,” said Hess.
If the studies show a benefit for the people of Wesley Chapel, the incorporation paperwork could go to the Florida legislature during next year’s legislative session.
We checked with Pasco County to see what they think about potentially losing millions in tax dollars if Wesley Chapel is incorporated.
A spokesperson said, “At this point, it's too early in the process for the county to comment on this.”
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