Your top choice for compassionateIn-Home Care in Wesley Chapel, FL

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla., Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Crunch Franchise today announced the upcoming opening of Crunch Wesley Chapel, a $5 million, 30,537-square-foot fitness facility, with state-of-the-art equipment. Crunch Wesley Chapel is located in a newly renovated space in the Village Market Shopping Center at 5351 Village Market, previously occupied by Bealls Outlet.

Fusing fitness with entertainment to make serious exercise fun, Crunch Wesley Chapel will offer top-quality strength training equipment, an extensive selection of premier cardio equipment, Group Fitness Studio, the HIITZone™, Training Hub, a Cycling Studio, Dry Saunas, HydroMassage® Tanning, spacious locker rooms, and more. Members looking for assistance reaching their goals will have access to our staff of highly experienced personal trainers.

CR Fitness Holdings LLC. is operated by Vince Julien, Geoff Dyer, Tony Scrimale, and Jeff Dotson, who combined have more than 150 years of experience in the fitness industry. The CR Fitness team currently operates 58 locations in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. Crunch Wesley Chapel will be the 21^st location to open in the Tampa Bay region. CR Fitness currently has six more locations set to open in 2023, with a goal of reaching 100 clubs by 2026.

"We are looking forward to bringing the exciting and inclusive Crunch workout experience to the community surrounding our newest location in Wesley Chapel," says CR Fitness CEO Tony Scrimale. "With top-quality equipment, amazing group fitness classes and personal training, there is something for everyone at an unbeatable value."

Crunch is known for its innovative group fitness programming and will offer a wide range of classes every week, including BodyWeb with TRX®, Zumba®, Cardio Tai Box, Yoga Body Sculpt and Fat Burning Pilates. Members looking for additional guidance or motivation can utilize the HIITZone™, a proprietary high-intensity interval group training program.

Saturday, December 2^nd, prospective members can visit www.crunchwesleychapel.com for a one day, online only sale to join at discounted rates for memberships beginning at $9.99 per month, with $0 enrollment fees and ability to save $120 annually on membership options. The first 500 founding members will also receive a free t-shirt, discounts on both small group and personal training, and more.

Crunch is a gym that believes in making serious exercise fun by fusing fitness and entertainment and pioneering a philosophy of 'No Judgments.' Crunch serves a fitness community for all kinds of people with all types of goals, exercising all different ways, working it out at the same place together. Today, we are renowned for creating one-of-a-kind group fitness classes and unique programming for our wildly diverse members. Headquartered in New York City, Crunch serves two million members with over 445 gyms worldwide in 37 states, the District of Columbia, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Portugal, Puerto Rico, and Spain. Crunch is rapidly expanding across the U.S. and around the globe.

SOURCE Crunch

Publix Super Markets at Innovation Springs opened at Curley and Overpass roads last month.

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WESLEY CHAPEL — The Epperson Ranch area was the first to have a crystal-clear manmade lagoon built for residents, and now, it is one of the few areas with a new Publix prototype designed to elevate the shopping experience for customers.

Last month, Publix Super Markets at Innovation Springs opened at Curley and Overpass roads.

“We are excited to open our doors today at Innovation Springs,” said Hannah Herring, Publix media relations manager. “We look forward to introducing customers to an array of new offerings and providing them with the service and quality products they know and love.”

The 55,701-square-foot store is larger than your regular Publix and offers the usual offerings of dairy, frozen food, seafood, meat and fresh produce familiar to loyal customers, as well as a full-service bakery, deli and pharmacy.

But some of the more notable changes include:

• A deli area that offers an expansive selection of Boar’s Head meats and cheeses, and other handcrafted old-world delicacies.

• Similar to what higher-scale groceries like Whole Foods and Sprouts already offers, there is also a salad bar, a hot food buffet that, on the day we visited, featured things like rice pilaf, creamy potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts.

• The deli area also has a food island where customers can purchase fresh pizza, burritos and bowls, and tacos, nachos and enchiladas, to name a few.

There is an olive bar and a popcorn stand, as well.

•The Publix scratch bakery is larger, with many items in self-serve displays (like doughnuts) and a wide array of various breads, cakes and decadent desserts.

• The meat and seafood departments have larger displays — especially the meat — with fresh offerings if you’re not interested in a prepackaged purchase.

• The Pours area will be one of the most popular attractions, with a seating area, or bar, and a selection of drinks to sip on while you relax or shop.

It has locally roasted coffee, as well as caffeinated specialties like café con leche, lattes and cappuccinos as well as tea. There is cold brew coffee, craft sodas, wine, beer and kombucha on tap, and acai bowls and smoothies.

Publix opened a similar 61,000-square-foot “prototype” in the Gandy Shopping Center in March, and such stores could be the future of Publix moving forward.

According to Tampa Bay Business Journal, the Wesley Chapel location is only the third store that is built in the most current “prototype” style.

Herring told the Tampa Beacon that the newer, larger Publix stores are built depending “a number of variables that contribute to the decision on which layout to build in a location.”

Publix, which currently operates 1,364 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky, donated $1,000 in gift cards and nonperishable items to Helping Hands of Wesley Chapel as part of the company’s grand opening and commitment to the local community.

The shelf-stable food will be delivered to Helping Hands by the Publix Good Together truck.

“We are proud to support our local community with the donation of these food items,” said Herring. “At Publix, we believe our greatest opportunity to give back is by helping put food on the tables of our neighbors in need, and we’re proud to make this donation during today’s grand opening.”

Once known as just a commuter town, ongoing development and even a man-made lagoon have brought people from all over.

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — It's no secret Pasco County is growing, along with various parts of Tampa Bay.

Wesley Chapel has attracted more families throughout the country in recent years for its suburban living mixed with resort-like amenities.

A man-made lagoon fit for families, a popular sports campus, shipping containers turned into restaurants, retail and entertainment — on top of road and housing construction — have contributed to its influx.

“I don't know how to describe it. It's just crazy,” said Diana Marshall, a longtime neighbor and realtor.

Credit: 10 Tampa Bay

An estimated 81,390 people call the area home, according to the American Community Survey's 2022 one-year estimate report. That's compared to 44,092 people counted in the 2010 U.S. Census.

Marshall remembers the area more than 30 years ago differently: One grocery store, no shopping, with more greenery and orange groves.

“You really just, you worked in Tampa,” Marshall said. “Then you come home.”

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Marshall said good schools, lower taxes, and safety contributed to buyers looking into the market. Like much of Tampa Bay, the area saw unprecedented growth over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

From one bay to another, Celia Gouveia made the move from the San Francisco Bay Area to Wesley Chapel in June.

A few online searches kept putting Wesley Chapel at the top of the list. Two months later, she moved into her new home with her two daughters.

“It's much easier to meet people, it's much easier to explore,” Gouveia said. “You don't need to be in retirement to live in one of these, which is what I traditionally thought and having all these amenities right at my fingertips."

The ability to work remotely, along with safety, education, traffic, weather and nearby family in Orlando contributed to her decision.

“The lagoon and the up-and-coming safe community with good schools sealed the deal for me," she said.

Credit: MetroLagoons

However, Gouveia said she’s also mindful of the growing pains that come with the influx in growth.

Community members are navigating the rapidly changing landscape of Wesley Chapel from increased congestion, overcrowding concerns in schools, along with response times from first responders.

The increased traffic is driving more traffic to the Angel of God Equine Sanctuary in Wesley Chapel.

Life here is rural and quiet. Since the area’s growth in popularity, executive director Dr. Judith Horvath is responding to more clients, which include anyone from veterans being treated for PTSD, children with special needs, along those wanting to host birthday parties.

“From a positive perspective, the growth is helping our organization in getting volunteers to come out here and help support with the horses because we're [a] 100% volunteer organization, 100% nonprofit,” Horvath said.

However, Horvath said she has long-term concerns about all sorts of development around. For instance, the louder environment could disrupt the quiet haven horses thrive on. Too much near what used to be just open land around her could have an impact on her nonprofit's livelihood, she said.

Credit: 10 Tampa Bay

“We've actually been approached by several developers,” she said. “There's concern. Do I lose sleep about it? Not yet. I think as it gets closer, I may.”

David Engel, Pasco County’s economic growth director, said a balance of growth and preserving the area's character is essential.

Engel said the county is working to find ways to have a balanced lifestyle.

For instance, increasing the number of local jobs and construction of mixed-use projects aim to not only build revenue but disperse the amount of traffic happening within the area. Right now, Engel said about 43% of residents in Wesley Chapel head out of the county for work.

“We're giving the people that live locally, the opportunity to work locally,” Engel said.

Residents have also been able to weigh in through the Pasco 2050 initiative, which aims to serve as a roadmap for the county’s vision between 2025 and 2025.

“I realize that many residents may be a little overwhelmed with the rapid changes because the economy just exploded and we had that in-migration of people outside the state wanting to be part of the lifestyle of Florida, but realizing that there is a backdrop, there are responsible professionals and plans in place to catch up and address a lot of the problems that are experiencing today,” Engel said.

Credit: 10 Tampa Bay

The Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus draws athletes and people from all over.

More development is coming to the area with housing, jobs and retail.

Ongoing work is happening at Wiregrass Ranch. There's also the upcoming Avalon Park and changes to come to the well-known Saddlebrook Resort.

These days, families can be found at the Epperson Lagoon or the Mirada Lagoon in nearby San Antonio. The Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus draws athletes from all over. Retail therapy no longer takes a drive south to Tampa with outlets sprawling throughout the suburb.

With Wesley Chapel and nearby communities transforming in the years to come, officials and community members are constantly maneuvering how to make the most of the opportunities without exacerbating the growing pains.

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. - A small community in West Central Florida is celebrating the opening of its newest Publix in a big way.

Wesley Chapel resident Lauren Hunter captured a video of a massive Publix shopping cart rolling through the Epperson Lagoon neighborhood on Wednesday, just one day ahead of the grand opening of Publix's Innovation Springs store. Wesley Chapel is located less than a half-hour north of Tampa.

"The Epperson (Lagoon) community in Wesley Chapel has been waiting for the Publix to open for what seems like years, and the day finally came," Hunter told FOX 35. "This guy was driving around the neighborhood making sure everyone knew when the grand opening day was."

MORE PUBLIX NEWS: These 3 Florida cities are getting a new Publix in February 2024

Photo: Lauren Hunter

Hunter posted the video on TikTok, and it went viral among Florida residents who couldn't help but giggle at the comically large shopping cart rolling down the street blasting Poison's "Nothin' But a Good Time."

"Please!! Why did I think this was a regular shopping cart rolling till it passed by," one user said.

"This is so Florida," said another.

"What an amazing job to have," another user wrote.

The new 55,701-square-foot grocery store opened its doors for the first time on Thursday – and nearby residents are ecstatic that a grocery store is just a hop, skip and a jump away from home.

"Epperson Lagoon is really its own small little town and there was not a Publix close enough to run and grab something quickly," Hunter said. "Now, we can drive our golf cart right down the street and get that one forgotten item and make it home in time to finish dinner."

RELATED: Central Florida native becomes first-ever Pub Sub customer at Kentucky’s first Publix: ‘Ultimate goal’

Publix said the gigantic shopping cart is just one way to let the community know a new store is coming.

"The giant shopping cart was a hit at the grand opening of our new Wesley Chapel location yesterday," a Publix spokesperson told FOX 35. "While it’s only used on a limited basis for now, you never know where it might roll up!"

The new Wesley Chapel location, located at 32265 Overpass Road, features all the Publix favorites, including departments for produce, meat, baked goods, deli and wine, plus a pours area featuring wine, beer, coffee and smoothies to drink while you shop. There's also an upstairs seating area for Publix customers to eat their Pub Subs.

"Gotta love Florida," Hunter said.

Publix is opening five new supermarkets in Florida over the next several weeks. The grocery chain just opened six other locations, including two in January.

Here’s what to know:

▪ Key Largo, Florida: New store opens Feb. 15 in the space of a former KMart at the Tradewinds Plaza on the Overseas Highway and Samson Road. The current Publix nearby at 101437 Overseas Highway in the same Tradewinds mall will close on Feb. 14. A Burlington store is reportedly moving into the space of the existing Publix.

▪ Panama City, Florida: New store with 48,387 square feet opens Jan. 24 at Panama City Centre, 4601 Lindsey Xing.

▪ Wesley Chapel, Florida: New store with 55,701 square feet opens Jan. 25 at Innovation Springs, 32265 Overpass Rd.

▪ Sanford, Florida: New store with 48,387 feet opens Feb. 1 at King’s Crossing, 4181 E. State Road 46.

▪ Fort Myers, Florida: New store with 46,791 square feet opens Feb. 8 at 16950 San Carlos Blvd.

▪ Boynton Beach, Florida: New store with 48,288 square feet opens Feb. 8 at Aberdeen Square, 4966 Le Chalet Blvd.

▪ Louisville, Kentucky: New store with 55,702 square feet opened Jan. 10 at Terra Crossing, 2500 Terra Crossing Blvd.

▪ Douglas, Georgia: New store with 46,791 square feet opened Jan. 17 at Douglas Square, 1329 S Peterson Ave.

Here’s an update on other new Publix locations in South Florida:

Hialeah: The new store — which has has all the usual stuff: produce, seafood and meat in in 48,387 square feet — also has a second-floor dining room. The location opened Aug. 31 at The Shoppes of Highland, 3685 W. 85th Path.

West Kendall: New store opened June 15 at The Crossings Shopping Village, 13001 SW 112th St. The 46,800-square-foot store is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and features a pharmacy, floral department and adjacent liquor store. It was rebuilt on the site of an older store.

Hollywood: Publix is building a waterfront supermarket in Hollywood. The company hasn’t released an opening date for the store, which is on the Intracoastal. When plans were announced for the store in 2018, to be built on a vacant lot at 3100 S. Ocean Dr. north of the Diplomat hotel, Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy had this to say: “The Publix is proposed to have cafe tables on Ocean Drive and will also have a boat dock for boaters to pull up and buy groceries for their day on the water. Great amenity for the beach and for Hollywood boaters!”

Coral Springs: The nearly 55,000-square-foot North Broward location, about 10,000 square feet larger than other recent openings in Florida, opened Aug. 17 at 1285 N. University Dr.

Pembroke Pines: On Jan. 23, Publix opened a new store at 16024 Pines Blvd. in Pembroke Pines. The store’s neighbor is an older Publix across the street at Paraiso Parc at 15729 Pines Blvd. The older store isn’t going anywhere. “As a whole, we look for opportunities to best serve our customers and, in some cases, alleviate congestion in stores, in addition to allowing for the best traffic patterns in a particular area,” said Lindsey Willis, media relations manager for Publix.

Westlake: The 48,300-square-foot store opened June 8 in Westlake Plaza, 16841 Persimmon Blvd.

Royal Palm Beach: The store opened July 6, Crossroads of Royal Palm Beach, 1180 Royal Beach Beach Blvd.

This story was originally published January 17, 2024, 9:45 AM.