east lake - vol. 9, issue 1, january 2016

Your neighborhood. Your magazine.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

ECRWSSPostal Customer

Dated MaterialPlease Rush!

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDTAMPA FL

PERMIT 1185

Pinellas Trail Gets Smart............3Community Calendar............4-5Wedding Events at Wentworth &

Crescent Oaks Golf Clubs......6Westchester Gardens

Rehabilitation & Care....10-11Rizzotto Tax Advisory

Group............................12-13The Vulnerable Book..................18Trinity Family Physicians’ Tampa Bay

Making A Difference Award...22-23

This Independent Community News, Business & Dining Guide Is Directly Mailed Once Each Month To:Anchorage, Bay Arbor, Boot Ranch, Brookers Landing, Crescent Oaks, Cypress Cove, Cypress Lakes Estates, Cypress Run, Cypress Trails, Deer Hollow,

Grey Oak, Eagle Cove, Eagle’s Cove at Lake Tarpon, Eagle Ridge, Eagle Trace, Eagle Watch, East Lake Oaks, East Lake Woodlands, Hunters Wood, Key-

stone Bluffs, Keystone Palms, Keystone Ranchettes, Lansbrook, Lansbrook Village, Meadow Ridge, Nature’s Watch, Oak Hill Acres, Pine Ridge, Regina

Estates, Ridgemoor, Tarpon Woods, Wentworth, Whispering Lakes, Woodfield

Vol. 9, Issue 1, January 2016

The Premier “Shop Local” Community Magazine Directly Mailed To 15,000 Homes In East Lake & Surrounding Areas

The Community Dining &Business Guide that your

neighbors READ!

By Julie Kanehl

Massage is a universal languagethat has been “spoken” for centuriesin every region of the globe, and it hasmany benefits including the ability toreduce anxiety, relieve pain, reduceblood pressure, and aid in relaxation.For many people, massage is a raretreat that they look forward to at thespa or as an experience during theirvacation. Others use massage on a reg-ular basis to help with chronic pain,reduce inflammation or to help healafter an injury. Whatever your reasonfor wanting a massage, Barkdoll Mas-sage Therapy makes it easy, affordableand best of all, Barkdoll comes to you.

Barkdoll Massage Therapy, anentirely mobile-based massage busi-ness based in the Trinity area, is

owned and operated by LicensedMassage Therapist Karla Barkdoll,who has been a professional in themassage industry since 2001. ServingTrinity and the surrounding commu-nities, Barkdoll Massage Therapy iscompletely different in that it takesall of the stress out of your massageexperience by bringing it straight toyou. No traffic, no stress, just purerelaxation where you feel the mostcomfortable!

Originally from a small town incentral Pennsylvania, Karla moved toBaltimore where she trained at theBaltimore School of Massage. Li-censed in Maryland, DC, Virginia andFlorida, she is a member of the Ameri-can Massage Therapy Association, andis Nationally Board Certified.

Barkdoll Massage Therapy Brings TherapeuticMassage Services to You at Home

Licensed Massage Therapist Karla BarkdollSee “Barkdoll Massage” on page 28.

By Julie Kanehl

From the first moment that peo-ple talk on the phone to Office Man-ager Maria Santilli, at Donna’sCleaning Angels, they realize this is noordinary cleaning service. Professional,knowledgeable and personable, Mariais ready to answer any questions youmay have about Donna’s CleaningAngels and the stellar cleaning servicesthat have built the company into thesuccess that it is today. Maria is the“right hand” of owner Donna Fer-rante, whose commitment to excel-lence in every aspect of her businesshas brought her company to a newpinnacle of success: To celebrate the25th Anniversary, the company islaunching a fleet of Donna’s CleaningAngels vehicles.

Wow! 25 Years Strong! “I can’t believe 25 years have

gone by,” says Donna. “This took alot of dedication…tremendous dedica-tion.” She adds, “I’ve seen a lot ofcleaning services come and go, but weare here for the long term. Now weare bigger and better than ever.Twenty-five years later, we have 25employees and are the number onecleaning service in Tampa Bay. I am soexcited I still have a lot of the samecustomers for over 20 years!”

One long time client called tocongratulate Donna and said, “Youand your business are not gettingolder, you’re only getting better.”

All these years later, Donna is stillemotional as she tells the story of howshe came to rename her business.Donna was crowned “the cleaning

See “Cleaning Angels” on page 26

Donna’s Cleaning AngelsCelebrates 25 Yearsof Brilliant Success

2 For Ad Info 727-943-2946 • www.NNLFlorida.com JANUARY 2016 East Lake Area Neighborhood News & Lifestyles

For Ad Info 727-943-2946 • www.NNLFlorida.com JANUARY 2016 3East Lake Area Neighborhood News & Lifestyles

East Lake AreaNeighborhood News & LifestylesDirectly mailed once a month to nearly 15,000households in zip code 34685, 34688 & 34677

220 Safford Ave. S. Tarpon Springs, FL 34689

Phone: (727) 943-2946; Fax: (727) 942-2432Advertising E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

© 2016 Eastlake Area Neighborhood News & Lifestylesis published by Ads 2 Publications, Inc.

Nothing that appears in the East Lake Area Neighbor-hood News & Lifestyles may be reproduced, whether wholly or inpart, without permission. Opinions expressed by East Lake AreaNeighborhood News & Lifestyles writers are their own and do notreflect the publisher’s opinion.

The management of East Lake Area NeighborhoodNews & Lifestyles is always happy to accept outside editorialsubmissions to the paper. Please call for outside editorialsubmission and advertisement deadlines.

East Lake Area Neighborhood News & Lifestyles will con-sider previously non-published outside editorial submissions ifthey are double spaced, typed and less than 500 words. EastLake Area Neighborhood News & Lifestyles reserves the right toedit and/or reject all outside editorial submissions and makesno guarantees regarding publication dates. East Lake AreaNeighborhood News & Lifestyles will not return unsolicitededitorial materials.

East Lake Area Neighborhood News & Lifestyles reservesthe right to edit and/or reject any advertising. East LakeAreaNeighborhood News & Lifestyles is not responsible for errors inadvertising beyond the actual cost of the advertising space itself,not for the validity of any claims made by its advertisers.

East Lake Area Neighborhood News & Lifestyles ispublished by Ads 2 Publications, Inc.

PublisherTim SelbyGeneral ManagerJim O’Reilly EditorKim ThomasAdvertising SalesMatt Selby Tim SelbyJim O’ReillyJared NagerLinda Veiga

CorrespondentsAlexis SelbyJulie KanehlKatie ThomasDara TuckerArt DirectorDat X. DoGraphic ArtistsDat X. DoTony SicaAccounting ManagerDoreen Selby

Pinellas Trail Grows Older, SmarterSpanning 47 miles from St. Pe-

tersburg to Tarpon Springs, the FredMarquis Pinellas Trail is used by an av-erage of 70,000 people each monthfor bicycling, walking, skating and jog-ging. It’s been 25 years since the firstsection of the Fred Marquis PinellasTrail opened to the public in 1990,and it is celebrating by becoming aunique, first-of-its-kind smart trail.

Officials, volunteers and users ofthe popular Pinellas Trail gathered atLargo’s Taylor Park in early Decemberto celebrate the silver anniversary. FredMarquis, former Pinellas County Ad-ministrator, the namesake of the Trail,said, “It is with great pride and humil-ity I stand before you today and I cansay this is the most important projectever built by Pinellas County.”

The revamping of trail signs to in-clude new mobile engagement tech-nology is part of a new trailsponsorship program designed tomaintain and enhance the trail foryears to come.

The socially responsible partner-ship program allows companies andorganizations to sponsor one or multi-

ple new signs. The sponsor-ship program and smart signsare a component of the part-nership between PinellasCounty, Bikepath CountryFlorida LLC, Liquid OutdoorMedia and Blue Bite. Thereare a total of 27 sign locationsalong the Pinellas Trail, with54 sign faces, meaning up to 54 spon-sorship signs can currently be placed.

Zephyrhills® Brand 100% NaturalSpring Water is the first national com-pany to commit to the sponsorshipprogram for Pinellas County. Sponsor-ship funds go toward the maintenanceof the signs, the smart technologycomponents and the upkeep andbeautification of the Pinellas Trail. Thesmart trail is comprised of mTAGs de-ployed on the signage frames. ThemTAGs feature Near Field Communi-cation (NFC) and Quick Response(QR) reader technology created byBlue Bite to add a new digital elementto the Pinellas Trail.

Trail users can tap or scan themTAGs with their mobile device toobtain relevant information such as

weather updates, nearby restaurantsand local activities related to their lo-cation along the trail. The mTAGs canalso be used for fitness challenges,with users tapping or scanning in atthe start of their exercise routine anddoing so at each sign along the way.At the end of the workout, the userwill be able to see how far they havetraveled and how they’ve done com-pared to others.

“As the Pinellas Trail continuesto expand, new smart technologieswill make for a more informed andwelcoming experience for residentsand visitors alike,” said Paul Cozzie,director of Pinellas County Parks andConservation Resources. “Becomingsmarter is just another way the Pinel-las Trail continues to set the standardfor linear parks in America.”


Calendar & News BriefsEAST LAKE AREA

Equestrian Inc. Horse RescueBenefit at Tampa Bay SportingClays

Jan. 15, 2 PM––Please come andsupport our local Equine rescueleague at this fun benefit at TampaBay Sporting Clays, located at 10514Erhen Cutoff in Land O’ Lakes.Registration is at 2 PM; shoot beginsat 3 PM with BBQ dinner and drinksafter. There will be giveaways andraffles including a gun raffle – oneDeck of Cards only. All proceedsfrom the shoot will be donated toEquestrian Inc. Horse Rescue, a 501C (3) organization located in Tampathat has been supporting the rehabil-itation/rescue effort of Florida Thor-oughbreds for the past few years.Entry fee is $150 per person, whichincludes: Cart/ Ammo/ Clays/Dinner/ Beverages. EquestrianHorse Rescue wishes to thank TampaBay Sporting Clays and the beveragesponsor, Ciminelli Real Estate.

Faith Day at Palm Harbor UnitedMethodist Church

Sat., Jan. 16, 9 AM–3 PM––TheWomen’s Ministry of Palm HarborUnited Methodist Church will host aFaith Day. Speaker is Rev. Deb Nelsonon “What if...Giving God what wasand is for what can be.” $25 fee in-cludes breakfast, box lunch, andbreakout sessions with Bible teachersSarah Baldridge and Lucy Wray.Crafts available. Palm Harbor UnitedMethodist Church is located at 1551Belcher Rd., Palm Harbor. Call ChrisBurns (727) 784-5330 if you’d likemore information.

Jacobson Culinary Arts AcademyPresents “A Fish in the Field”

Thurs., Jan. 28, 6–8 PM––Join infor an evening of culinary delightscooked by top chef Doug Bebell fromMystic Fish and served by the talentedstudents of Jacobson’s Culinary ArtsAcademy at Tarpon Springs HighSchool. Sponsored by Mystic Fishrestaurant and Wild Fields Market-

place in Palm Harbor. For ticket in-formation, [email protected].

Tarpon Arts Shows and EventsTickets: TARPONARTS.ORG or727.942.5605

Sat., Jan. 16, 7:30 PM––JohnDenver Musical Tribute (CON-CERT) Starring Ted Vigil @ HeritageMuseum, 100 Beekman Lane, TarponSprings. The legendary John Denverevokes memories of an era in musicwhich was both inspiring and influen-tial. His music was a combination ofromance – “Annie’s Song;” folk –“Leavin’ on a Jet Plane;” country –“Thank God I’m a Country Boy;”and environmentalist – “Calypso.” Herecorded nearly 300 songs, 200 ofwhich he composed, which led to 12gold and 4 platinum albums; he wasalso awarded an Emmy and twoGrammy's. Ted Vigil, a man who, ac-cording to the late Steve Weisberg(long-time Denver guitar accompa-nist) closely resembles John bothphysically and musically, is carrying onthe tradition honoring this colossalmusic icon.

Sun., Jan. 17, 3 PM––RhythmKings Orchestra in Concert (CON-

CERT) $18, $15 Tarpon Arts Mem-bers & Students.

Playing the American Songbook,this lively concert by the RhythmKings Orchestra and talented vocalistsfeatures the music of the past fromTin Pan Alley, Broadway, Hollywood,and popular tunes from legendarycomposers such as Hoagy Carmichael,Jelly Roll Morton, Cole Porter, DukeEllington, Fats Waller and manymore! Dan Fox is the conductor.

Sat., Jan. 23, 7:30 PM ––TheBrothers Four (CONCERT) @ St.Nicholas Cathedral Community Cen-ter, 348 N. Pinellas Ave., TarponSprings; $30, $28 Tarpon Arts Mem-bers & Students.

The Brothers Four were pioneersin the musical movement known as"folk revival," more than fifty yearsago. They perform today as one ofthe best known and most popularwith memorable hits such as “Green-fields,” “Yellow Bird,” “Try to Re-member,” “Across the WideMissouri” and “The Green Leaves ofSummer.” Their all-acoustic presenta-tion consists of guitars, banjo, man-dolin, upright bass, and of course thetrademark rich blend of their fourvoices.


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Alissa Klinger and her family relocatedfrom Cheboygan, Michigan to New PortRichey this summer. With extensive expe-rience in events and restaurant manage-ment and a real love for WeddingPlanning, Alissa found a position as EventsDirector at Ace Golf, two family-ownedgolf clubs including Wentworth and Cres-cent Oaks Golf Clubs.

Alissa’s passion for weddings has ledto a surge in wedding events at the twopopular East Lake area Golf Clubs. “Ichose Wentworth and Crescent Oaks be-cause of their two very different, beautifulreception venues. Also, as local, family-owned businesses, I have a lot more lati-tude to be creative and provideexceptional service,” says Klinger.

Membership is not required to hold awedding or event at either club, and thecost compares favorably with hotel andother venues. Wentworth offers a stately,upscale English Manor Clubhouse and Ve-

randa. Crescent Oaks is a larger, Mediter-ranean-style banquet facility with sweep-ing views of the golf and a new outdoorevent pavilion.

Alissa helps brides plan their wed-dings with her calm demeanor, creativity,and attention to detail. “I was raised in ahousehold with a stay-at-home mom whohad an attention to detail like no other.Every dinner party was an exercise in plan-ning and every holiday became an eventwhere my mother’s creativity and desire toplease others made for a spectacular gath-ering.”

Alissa took her first Country ClubManagement position right out of collegeat an exclusive Golf Club in NorthernMichigan. It was here that she started herjourney in creating one-of-a-kind func-tions, creating lifelong memories. Shelater joined a resort restaurant and grewtheir non-existent catering business to avery busy wedding destination.

Michigan Transplant TransformsWedding Events at Crescent Oaks

& Wentworth Golf Clubs

Alissa Klinger


Those considering a wedding orother event are invited to meet withAlissa for a tour and to exchangeideas. She is at Crescent Oaks GolfClub at 3300 Crescent Oaks Boule-vard in Tarpon Springs, off East LakeRoad a mile north of Tarpon (Key-

stone) Avenue. Alissa can be reachedat 727-937-4653 x31. For more in-formation on Crescent Oaks, log onto crescentoaksgolf.com. For moreinformation on Wentworth, log onto wentworthgolfclub.org.


By Julie Kanehl

Westchester Gardens Rehabilita-tion & Care Center is an incredible fa-cility that is staffed by some of the bestRegistered Nurses, Licensed PracticalNurses, and Certified Nursing Assis-tants around. Specializing in orthope-dic, stroke, and the complex medicalcare that is necessary following an ex-tended illness, Westchester Gardens’experienced therapists provide inten-sive therapy around-the-clock by pro-viding physical therapy, occupationaltherapy, speech therapy and 24-hourcare to their patients. By successfullycreating a warm and welcoming facil-ity that feels more like a resort,Westchester Gardens Rehabilitation &Care Center is the perfect place torest, recover and get back on your feetagain.

Conveniently located right nextto Mease Countryside Hospital at3301 N. McMullen Booth Road inClearwater, Westchester Gardens hasbeen committed to providing excel-lent, personalized care for more than25 years. By working closely andbuilding relationships with many ofthe area’s physicians and orthopedicsurgeons, they have created a haven ofhealth – a place where the care is firstand foremost, and the cleanliness,friendliness and dedication is right upthere in the top spot as well. Five-starrated by Centers for Medicare &Medicaid Services, Westchester Gar-dens is also the recipient of theAHCA/NCAL 2014 Bronze-Com-mitment to Quality Award.

Executive Director, J. David Fitts,says, “We are focused on being a short

term rehabilitation center that servesas a stepping stone between the hospi-tal and independence.” He adds,“Most of our patients only stay herefor two to three weeks while receivingcare, and are back outside doing whatthey did before-playing golf and trav-eling.” He was proud to state that90% of the patients that come toWestchester Gardens return to theirhomes quickly.

Focused on wellness, fitness andactivities that promote independencefor seniors, the therapies provided atWestchester Gardens are really fantas-tic. Their physical therapy room is abusy place, with patients participatingin their exercises, gaining strength,walking, pedaling bikes and working

closely with skilled physical thera-pists. The occupational therapyroom is focused on helping peo-

ple practice the day-to-day activitiesthat they’ll use at home, from cookingbreakfast in the kitchen to washing,drying and folding their own laundry.All of these things work together tohelp people return to their lives afteran injury or an illness with confidence.

Westchester Gardens also is abeautiful place where residents haveaccess to a packed calendar of activi-ties, a quaint and classy bistro wherethey can enjoy four-course meals, andof course, beautiful garden areaswhere they can get out and enjoy theFlorida weather. Families are welcome,and there are lots of places to spendtime together in a warm, home-likeenvironment. Each room is clean,comforting and designed to make

each patient as comfortable as possiblewhile they recover.

Cheri’s mother had a good expe-rience at Westchester Gardens. Sheshared, “My mother was hospitalizedand the hospital recommended WestChester [Westchester] Gardens. Thestaff there is doing a great job. I feelthat my mom is really being attendedwell and cared for. The facility is niceand clean.”

One of the few facilities in Pinel-las County to be honored by USNews & World Report, WestchesterGardens Rehabilitation & Care Centeris actually a part of The GoodmanGroup, which is one of the mostprominent names in senior living.Their CEO, John B. Goodman, takesa “whole selves” approach to caring.In doing so, their facilities care for thebody, the mind and the spirit, and be-

Westchester Gardens Rehabilitation & Care CenterGets You Back on Your Feet Again!

Westchester Gardens focuses on wellness, fitness and activities that promote independence for seniors


lieves that this is the secret to havingthe highest level of wellbeing. Cou-pled with their Platinum Service ap-proach, which holds their 250employees, volunteers and personnelto the highest of standards, Westch-ester Gardens offers a professional, yetcompassionate approach to care.

The Goodman Group website ex-

plains, “Our Platinum Service® pro-gram is the centerpiece of our promiseto each of our residents, families andall those we serve to deliver the high-est quality of service on a legendaryscale. At The Goodman Group, thisprogram transcends everything we do.It is intrinsic to our culture and woveninto the fabric of who we are.”

Fitts explains, “As part of thePlatinum Service® program, we holddaily meetings across all three of ourshifts to provide customer servicetraining to our employees.”

These daily meetings provide acohesive program that helps the teamto work together, and to provide ahigh standard that is felt when youwalk in the door. The entire facility is

staffed with people who are polite,welcoming and committed to their pa-tients’ health.

George, the family member of apatient who recuperated at Westch-ester Gardens, said, “I was very im-pressed with Westchester Gardens. Itwas very clean and very well run. Thestaff was very polite. Everything wasbetter than expected. We had used thefacility before, so we were familiar withit. They got a little lunch bistro whereyou can have choices, and that mademy dad really happy. He had physicaltherapy, and they had different typesof entertainment, wine and cheese par-ties, music, and things related tosports.”

If you’re looking for a rehabilita-tion facility that provides the utmost inquality care, compassion and prestige,choose Westchester Gardens Rehabili-tation & Care Center, where they willhelp you get back on your feet againand doing what you love.

Westchester Gardens Rehabili-tation & Care Center is located at3301 North McMullen BoothRoad in Clearwater. To schedule atour, call 727-785-8335 or log onto westchestergardens.com.#SNF1596096.


With the 2015 tax return dead-line looming, it is a perfect time forthose age 60 or older to take advan-tage of a flat-rate $69 fee to have theirincome taxes prepared and filed with acompany that is trusted for going theextra mile for its clients.

Rizzotto Tax Advisory Group ex-tends their $69 flat-rate fee for federalreturns (state returns are included ifapplicable) to Government Employeesand Municipal Workers, Teachers, LawEnforcement Personnel, Firefight-ers/EMTs, Retired and Active Mili-tary of ANY age. All tax returns areprepared by one of the firm’s experi-enced Tax Preparers or IRS EnrolledAgents.

Rizzotto Tax Advisory Group hasan experienced team of financial, tax,insurance, and legal professionals whohelp to educate their clients on impor-tant subjects including: reducing assetrisk and unnecessary taxes, diversifyingportfolios, importance of wills/trustsand planning for income during retire-ment. The firm is committed to pro-

viding exemplary service while display-ing the highest standards of ethics andprofessional knowledge. They are ap-proved members of the NationalEthics Association and the NationalAssociation of Tax Professionals. Ed-ward G. Rizzotto, Owner and Presi-dent, is an Insurance Agent andFinancial Representative who holdsboth a state-regulated license to offerinsurance products and a securities li-cense to offer specific investmentproducts.

The Rizzotto TeamEd Rizzotto, Owner/President,

moved to Florida 44 years ago fromNew York, grew up in Pinellas Countyand has been a Trinity resident since2000. He is a graduate of ClearwaterCentral Catholic High School andearned his Bachelor’s Degree in Busi-ness Management from National-Louis University in Evanston, IL. Edalso served both active and reserveduty for 13 years in the U.S. CoastGuard. He started his Insurance and

Financial career over 20 years ago asan agent for Allstate Insurance. Thenpromoted to Agency Manager, he wasresponsible for overseeing 22 agenciesin southwest Florida. In 1999, hejoined a local retirement planningfirm, where he helped hundreds ofpeople with tax and retirement plan-ning for over six years. Ed Rizzotto

enjoyed the opportunity to benefit thecommunity, and was determined tocreate a complete local business wherehe could help clients (both pre-retireesand current retirees) save money ontheir taxes and better manage theirportfolios, plan for the future andfocus more on enjoying their retire-ment years – and The Rizzotto Tax

The Rizzotto Tax Advisory Group“Your Partners in Tax & Retirement Planning”

(L-R) Alton Scott, Kate Laymon, Dori Greeson, Alexa Rizzotto, Nayda Stern, Lorrie Rizzotto & Ed Rizzotto


Advisory Group was established in2006.

Lorrie Rizzotto, Director of Mar-keting, joined the firm in 2009 as Di-rector of Marketing. Lorrie alreadyhad an impressive career in the mar-keting industry. Specializing in corpo-rate incentive and meeting planning,she worked at Allstate’s RegionalFlorida office for 11 years, and thenbecame an Independent MeetingPlanner with HelmsBriscoe, a nationalevent planning company based out ofScottsdale, AZ where she achieved“President’s Club” status in Top 50 inthe country. Currently she handles allmarketing, networking, event plan-ning and the firm’s year-end client ap-preciation gala. Lorrie and Ed will bemarried 27 years this November andhave two teenage daughters.

Dori Greeson is the Administra-tive Assistant and Office Manager whogives everyone a warm reception. Dorioversees the day-to-day operations ofthe office, and also is a licensed Lifeand Health Agent.

Nayda Stern, IRS Enrolled Agent,has more than 22 years of income taxpreparation experience and as an IRSEnrolled Agent, is able to representRizzotto Tax Advisory Group clientsbefore the IRS. Nayda is a member of

NATP (National Association of TaxProfessionals) and attends IRS spon-sored educational courses throughoutthe year, including the Annual IRSforum.

Kate Laymon, Tax Preparer /Senior Tax Accountant, has over 19years of experience in the areas of TaxPreparation, Tax Resolution, Account-ing and Bookkeeping for small busi-nesses. Kate has the ability not only toprepare, but also to advise and resolvemost income tax, corporate tax andsales tax issues.

Alton Scott, Insurance Consult-ant, has over 16 years of experience inthe Banking, Insurance and FinancialServices industry. Alton Scott holds astate-regulated Life and Health licenseand a Securities license to provide cer-tain investment products. He bringsextensive knowledge to Rizzotto’sclients in the areas of health insurance,Medicare supplements and Medicareadvantage.

Alexa Rizzotto has joined the firmthis year working part-time as Assis-tant Marketing Director. She is work-ing on special events and marketingcampaigns. Currently Alexa is a soph-omore at the University of SouthFlorida majoring in Marketing.

The Key is EducationIf you are retired or are nearing

retirement, then you need to knowhow to protect your money and un-derstand how tax laws will affect yourretirement. Often, there are legiti-mate adjustments that can be madenow to reduce tax liabilities.

“If clients are already collectingsocial security when they come to us,they want to know how they can re-duce or eliminate taxes on not only so-cial security income, but their overalltaxes as well,” says Ed Rizzotto. “Amajor concern today and what I be-lieve will be a concern for years tocome for pre-retirees and current re-tirees is how to obtain “GuaranteedIncome for Life” from your retire-ment and non-retirement plans. Un-fortunately many employer sponsoredplans and individual IRAs do not offerthis benefit when you retire. We willshow you how to put some things inplace now that will enable you to setup lifetime income down the road.This is income you will never out-live…similar to a pension. We spendmany hours with our clients to putsound plans in place by sharing ‘realtime’ tax, income and social securityanalysis through some of the most so-

phisticated software. We want ourclients to leave our office with a betterunderstanding on what their incomeneeds will be in retirement, and howto control, reduce or possibly elimi-nate taxes.”

As part of an overall financialplan, people should also have an estateplan to provide an easy transition oftheir assets when they pass on. Riz-zotto Tax Advisory Group takes ateam-oriented approach to tax, retire-ment and estate planning. Their staffwill work with their client’s attorneyto achieve their client’s goals. For ex-ample, the beneficiary designations ona client’s IRA could impact their estateplan so Mr. Rizzotto welcomes discus-sions from their estate planning attor-ney.

If you do not already have anattorney, Mr. Rizzotto can refer youto an estate planning attorney. MarthaV. Evans from Hitchcock Law Groupfrequently meets with clients in theTrinity office to review Wills andTrusts. Attorney Evans can help youmake sure you plan is up to date andEd Rizzotto’s staff will make sure youraccounts and beneficiary designationscoordinate with your estate plan.

See “Rizzotto Tax” on page 16.

Concierge Level ServiceWhile taxes are a large part of The

Rizzotto Tax Advisory Group, themajority of their clients also utilize thefirm’s other services including invest-ments, retirement planning, long termcare, annuities, life insurance, wills andtrusts. Ed says, “Clients like the op-portunity we provide to get every-thing taken care of in one place.”

“When people come in to seeus,” says Ed, “the first thing we do isdedicate one to two hours to completean overall review that covers the lastcouple of years, including going overtheir tax returns in detail, studyingtheir portfolios, and discussing theirimportant concerns to determine howwe can help them. Then, at a follow-up appointment, we present a thor-ough plan for them.

“Saving on taxes, reducing oreliminating taxation on social securityand protecting the financial wellbeingof a spouse after another’s death –those are things that my clients areconcerned about. Today, people also

want alternatives to the low interestrate environment provided by CDsand money market accounts.”

Rizzotto explains that beinginvolved with his clients in all the keyareas of tax returns, insurance needsand investments allows his team tokeep a keen eye on each client’s bot-tom line. “We’ve had people who hadother advisors and financial plannerswho convinced them to makechanges, not aware of the tax impacts.To me, the tax return is the mostimportant document the client owns,that’s why it is the first thing we lookat when the client meets us for theirinitial appointment. If there is aninvestment or change that could causea taxable event, we know that upfront.”

Rizzotto Tax Advisory Group’sarea of expertise over the years hasbeen working with retirees, but theyalso work with clients of all ages in thearea of retirement planning. “You’renever too young or too old to startsaving for retirement,” says Rizzotto.“We have found that many people wemeet who are still working havechanged jobs about every five to sevenyears, and many of those people left

their retirement plans attheir old employers(i.e. 401k, 403b, 457,and TSP plans, etc.).Many of these plans canbe rolled over to indi-vidual IRAs or RothIRAs, thus giving theclient more control andthe ability to have some-one to advise them. Wefeel it is imperative forthose people ages59–1/2 or older whoare still employed to become educatedon a very significant act signed intolaw by congress over ten years agothat changed the rules governingthese employer sponsored plans, whattheir options are, and what they cando to prepare for their family’s finan-cial future.”

Rizzotto Tax Advisory Grouphas 2 locations: 3030 Starkey Blvd.at the Florida Design ConsultantsCenter in the Long Leaf commu-nity of Trinity; and 1034 BelcherRoad S. in Largo. Call (727) 683-9119 or visit www.rizzottotax.comfor additional information or toschedule an appointment.

“Rizzotto Tax”Continued from page 13


TRINITY DENTAL CARETRINITY DENTAL CARE

Dr. S. Shayes - Dr. A. Eskandari

1843 Health Care Drive, Building #1Trinity, FL 34655

(at the corner of Mitchell Blv & Little Rd, behind Walgreens)

20729 Center Oak DriveTampa,FL 33647

www.trinitydentalcare.com

The patient and any other person responsible for payment has a right to refuse to pay, cancel payment or be reimbursed for payment for another service, examination or treatment which is per-formed as a result of and within 72 hours of responding to the advertisement for the free, discounted or reduced fee, service, examination or treatment.

New patient only. Cannot be used with insurance.Coupon needs to be presented at time of service.

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- Root Canals- Teeth Whitening- Dentistry for Children

and Adolescence- etc.

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By Matt SelbyLast week I had the pleasure of

meeting with local author Betsy Mac-Donald to talk about her new book,The Vulnerable. A true story, The Vul-nerable is an intriguing book aboutBetsy’s autistic brother Michael, whosuffers from Asperger’s and her jour-ney to reconnect with her family andhelp Michael escape a tortuous rela-tionship with a couple that was sup-posedly caring for him; when all thewhile, they were taking advantage ofhim, abusing him, and even poisoninghim. They were slowly attempting tomurder him and make it look like anaccident just to gain his inheritance.

The Vulnerable has all the mak-ings of a Hollywood thriller, but like Isaid, this is unfortunately a non-fic-tion tale. Speaking of Hollywood,Betsy says she is meeting with somemovie producers that sought her out

after reading The Vulnerable, so ascreenplay may very well be next.

During our interview Betsy de-scribed to me some of the horriblethings that these people did to herbrother; it made my stomach flip flop.I can’t imagine how anyone could livewith himself or herself after commit-ting such heinous acts; manipulatingan autistic person for their own per-sonal gain. It’s absolutely disgusting,and when I asked Betsy what her ulti-mate goal was in telling her story shereplied, “I just want to make peopleaware of what can happen to the oneswe love, especially those who may be-come vulnerable without the rightpeople in their lives. I want to helppeople see that they need to make aplan, especially if they have a child ora loved one with autism. I want peo-ple to really think about what couldhappen to that person if they weren’t

Local Author Publishes The Vulnerable,an Intriguing Non-Fiction Novel About

Saving Her Brother From True Evilaround, that way they can prepare andhopefully prevent something terriblefrom happening, because once it’s toolate there might not be anyonearound to protect them.”

I don’t want to give too much ofthe book away, but I am happy to re-port that Betsy has saved Michael andhe currently lives with Betsy and herhusband locally. I personally have aclose friend, whom I’ve known sincehigh school, who has Asperger’s sothis story really hits home for me.Betsy says, “Knowledge is power. It ismy wish that by hearing our story,maybe one person’s life can besaved!”

Betsy MacDonald’s book TheVulnerable is for sale at Amazon.com.Betsy is a psychiatric R.N. holding po-sitions as a Mental Health Director,where she lectures the public andhealth agencies. She also served as

Director of Nursing at a hospital andhas counseled and evaluated youth inschool settings. Betsy MacDonald is anationally published author with non-fiction cover stories. This true mysteryhas clairvoyance, hauntings, and gut-wrenching emotion, as it takes thereader on a journey to crack a family’scode of silence.

For more information, visitwww.TheVulnerable.net.


Trinity Family Physicians Surprise 15-Year-OldCaitlin Shannon With the Tampa Bay Making A Difference Award

By Kim ThomasCaitlin Shannon is remarkable!

She makes a difference to so manychildren in the Tampa Bay Area whoare hospitalized by giving them some-thing to smile about! Caitlin createdSparkle Power, a charity organizationthat gives goody bags filled with funitems to bring “the power of a littlesparkle” to children who really needsomething to lift their spirits. It is nosurprise that the 15-year-old was cho-sen by Trinity Family Physicians’ ownDr. Stephanie Eldridge and Dr. AmirShirmohammad as the second recipientof the Tampa Bay Making A DifferenceAward. Committed to their patientsand active in the Tampa Bay Areawhere they both grew up, the husband-and-wife team of physicians started theTampa Bay Making A DifferenceAward to bring recognition to individ-uals who make a difference in the livesof others locally.

Dr. “Shirmo” explains, “There areso many terrible things going onaround the world. Dr. Eldridge and I

just felt that we have to do somethingto make people feel happy and good.”With this Award, the doctors are ableto honor individuals who work to putsmiles on the faces of many, and theyhope you will feel inspired at hearingCaitlin’s story.

Caitlin suffered irreversible nervedamage during gall bladder surgerywhen she was just 13 years old. In andout of hospitals for two years whiledoctors searched for what was causingher excruciating pain, Caitlin bondedwith many children and their familiesand resolved to make a difference forthem. Wise beyond her years, sheshares, “When someone is first diag-nosed with a chronic illness or chronicpain, other people are so good aboutcoming to the hospital and being in-volved in the first weeks but then it al-ways dies down. I just wanted to dosomething to bring them happiness.”

Caitlin and her family started col-lecting markers and crayons, stickersand notepads, and other items to makeup Sparkle Power bags to give to chil-

dren at local hospitals. Sparkle Power isproof that one young girl with the rightteam behind her can do a lot! NowSparkle Power is a 501(c)(3) non-profitthat can continue to bring happiness tolittle ones in the hospital. Caitlin’s

mom Brooke is a powerhouse herselfand she gave her daughter some bril-liant advice worth sharing.

Brooke said, “I always talk to herabout building your team. We all havepeople who want to help and support

Dr. Amir Shirmohammad (right) and Dr. Stephanie Eldridge (left) withtheir new daughter Violet in Dr. Eldridge’s arms, surprise Caitlin Shannon(center) with a gift basket, and choose her as the second recipient of Trinity

Family Physicians’ Tampa Bay Making A Difference Award!


us – they are on our team – and it’s im-portant to build your team. Like ourguy at Sips Specialty Coffee House – hesees us coming and has our order readyevery time, and before I can say, ‘We’rein a hurry,’ he is handing out the coffeeand muffins. He is on our team.” Ithink I can speak for Dr. Shirmo andDr. Eldridge when I say that aftermeeting Caitlin, we all want to be onher team!

Caitlin is active in her highschool’s drama program and accordingto her mother Brooke; she is an amaz-ing and attentive big sister to her threeyounger siblings. Her charity, SparklePower, is sure to continue to grow andbring smiles to children throughoutTampa Bay who are in our local hospi-tals. Currently, Caitlin is runningSparkle Power out of her bedroom,which her mom says is stacked withtrays and bins of supplies for theSparkle Power bags.

One local school has gotten on-board, teaming with Sparkle Power andgathering supplies through the holidaysto fill the bags that will put somesparkle in a child’s day. It is our hopethat Sparkle Power will continue togain the support of local businesses andschools throughout Tampa Bay, bring-ing a dose of happiness to even morehospitalized children. (East LakeNeighborhood News & Lifestyles rana story about Sparkle Power in theDecember 2015 issue, which you canfind at nnlflorida.com.) If you’d liketo donate funds or supplies, [email protected], andfollow Sparkle Power on Instagram:@sparklepowerofficial for updates.

Nominees Now Being Acceptedfor the Next Tampa Bay Making ADifference Award

Trinity Family Physicians’ TampaBay Making A Difference Award willcontinue to honor individuals whomake a difference. If you know some-one who makes a difference in the livesof others in Tampa Bay, Trinity FamilyPhysicians and Neighborhood News &Lifestyles want to hear from you! Pleasesubmit your nominees (and tell us whythey qualify) for the next Tampa BayMaking A Difference Award by emailat [email protected].

Trinity Family Physicians andNeighborhood News & Lifestyles askthat you please share your thoughtsand comments with us on ourfacebook pages: facebook.com/trini-tyfamilyphysicians andfacebook.com/neighborhood-newslifestyles.

Trinity Family Physicians islocated at 1817 Cypress Brook Dr,Suite 101 in Trinity. Please log onto trinityfamilyphysicians.com foradditional information about Dr.Eldridge and Dr. Shirmohammad.

Trinity Family Physicians gaveCaitlin a basket of goodies for alittle Sparkle Power of her own


angel” 18 years ago by an elderly lady,who was under care at Gulfside Re-gional Hospice. Shortly before the ladypassed away, Donna left a crystal angelfor her. She told her nurse that Donnashould be called the cleaning angel. Asher business grew from just herself towhat is now a fleet of “cleaning an-gels,” the name of Donna’s companyhas changed to reflect the growth. Shesays, “It started off as Donna’s Clean-ing Service, then The Cleaning Angel,and now to Donna’s Cleaning Angels.Wow, we have come such a long way!”

Donna Ferrante is a woman sodedicated to her clients, her employees,and her company that she never stopstrying to improve. Even though thestellar residential cleaning services pro-vided by Donna’s Cleaning Angels iswhat has built the company, Donnacontinues to bring more to the tablefor her customers, such as expandedservices including carpet, tile and groutcleaning.

“In 25 years, there has been a lotof growth. We are extremely wellknown, and receive a tremendousamount of referrals. In order to give

the customer an accurate time andpricing on their home we offer a freeestimate.” When Donna meets a po-tential new client for the estimate, sheexplains the detailed cleaning that herservice provides. “Every house is differ-ent,” says Donna. Maria adds, “Cus-tomers love how much time Donnatakes to meet, greet and explain every-thing we have to offer them in person.We are branching out more into com-mercial cleaning. Such as, doctors’ andreal estate offices, insurances agenciesand other small businesses.”

Always a hard worker, a strongwork ethic runs in her blood from herItalian and French Canadian back-ground, as her family in Gorham, NewHampshire has owned an Italianrestaurant in the mountains for almost70 years now. Carrying on a familylegacy of work and success has alwaysbeen important to Donna and whenshe first started her business, her son,then 11, and her 8-year-old daughterfollowed her example and helped theirmom by putting fliers on cars at Sun-day services.

In addition to her family’s influ-ence, Donna attributes the success ofher company to a determined attitude,tremendous amount of ambition, andmeticulous attention to detail, all of

which is accompanied with an unstop-pable drive. An example of this drivewas when, after years of working on herown, Donna broke her ankle and handin an accident and knew she couldn’tcontinue cleaning on her own. Sheprayed for the future of her businessand that is when she decided to hireher first employee.

Reflecting on her company’sgrowth, 25 years of hard work and suc-cess and the addition of a fleet ofDonna’s Cleaning Angels vehicles,

Donna shares, “The dedication andsuccess in my cleaning business is dueto the closeness of my wonderful fam-ily. I am proud and honored to say thatI am following in the footsteps of myparents and grandparents. We knowhow to cook, clean and we give 100percent to the business. My only regretis that my mother, father and grand-mother aren’t here alive to see all ofthis, but I know in my heart that theyare seeing it even though they can’t behere with me.”

“Cleaning Angels”Continued from page 1

Donna’s Cleaning Angels provides reliable, detailed cleaning for homes and offices - call today to schedule a free estimate


Licensed – Bonded – Insured –Workman’s Comp on AllEmployees

What sets Donna’s Cleaning An-gels apart is the fact that Donna hascreated a company that is fully licensed,bonded and insured, and each clientcan expect to have a team of Donna’sCleaning Angels at their door eachtime that they have service.

Donna says, “Next to your doctor,there’s nothing more personal thanyour cleaning service, which is why we

take so many steps to protect you andmake you feel at ease with our service.My clients don’t have to worry becauseI’ve done the homework and I carrythe liability.”

Donna adds that building honestdependable relationships is just as im-portant as providing quality cleaning.“I really appreciate my hardworkinggirls. And they appreciate their job hereat Donna’s Cleaning Angels and takecare of our customers with much pride.That makes this a win-win situation.Using the basic principles of mutual re-spect combined with good old-fash-ioned elbow grease, the angels producea heavenly sparkle. Our customers loveour back-to-basics, old-fashioned clean-ing techniques, often reminding themof how their grandmothers used toclean.

“The girls are happy when theywork together, they have good energytogether, plus four eyes are better thantwo. This way here, the teammates areable to check each other and make surethat nothing is missed.”

The teams are always presentableand friendly, wear uniforms with non-slip shoes, and come in with a largecanvas kit containing all of their highquality cleaning supplies. What’s more,every employee that Donna hires is

background checked, drug free andcovered by workman’s compensation.This is part of the reason why Donna’sCleaning Angels is the first choice of somany people in our area.

“It’s important to me to hirepeople who have a clean background,and who are polite, trustworthy anddependable,” says Donna. “As a result,I can be very picky about who I hire.”She adds, “Some employees have comehere that previously worked for othercleaning services, and they are amazedat the way our training procedures are.They stated that their previous employ-ers made them watch a video and thensent them off the very next day toclean, unsupervised. Our Angels haveon-the-job training for over a month,with a field manager, before they areconsidered a ‘true cleaning angel.’ Ittakes time and effort to make sure anemployee is 100 percent up toour cleaning standards. Detailed clean-ing is what we are known for. Not justa run-through, wipe-down.”

To ensure that every client ishappy after each cleaning, Donna offerscomment cards, regularly checks inwith her clients, and has regular meet-ings with her staff.

Reflecting, Donna says, “At the

end of the day I thank God for myblessings – the great people who workfor me, a great business, my health,my home, my loved ones and myfamily. God bless you all.”

Donna’s Cleaning Angelsprovides cleaning services to Pasco,Pinellas and Hillsborough Coun-ties. Schedule a free consultationwith Donna’s Cleaning Angels at727-942-8289, and be sure to askabout the Refer-A-Friend programthat can earn you a free cleaning.Gift certificates are available. Testi-monials can be found on Donna’sCleaning Angels Facebook page.


Karla’s massages can be done any-where – at home, poolside, or at theoffice. Most of her clients choose theroom in their house that offers theleast distractions, and there she createsa wonderful environment for massage.She also takes the time to really speakto her clients before their massage tolearn more about them and any physi-cal discomfort or problems they have,so that she can create a therapeuticmassage that will be most beneficial toeach individual.

Lindsey from New Port Richeysays, “If you are looking for the bestmassage, then look no further thanKarla, she is a rare find. Once you havea massage from Karla, you will look nofurther, that I will guarantee!”

Massage Services that ImproveYour Life

“Your Health is your Wealth” isthe philosophy at Barkdoll MassageTherapy, and that is why Karla takesthe time to really find out what kindof massage you prefer, whether it’s aSwedish massage or a deep tissuetreatment for chronic pain, Karla’s

massage will make a difference in yourlife.

Karla offers a wide range of af-fordable massage therapy styles andpackages. If you are looking for a tra-ditional massage, Swedish massagetreatments are designed to improvecirculation, reduce stress and to relievemuscle tension. Hot stone massagesalso are popular. Warm stone therapy,which is the art of using heated stonesin combination with a Swedish mas-sage, is a great method used to dis-solve muscle tension and induce deeprelaxation.

Deep tissue massage is a therapeu-tic treatment designed to ease the painand discomfort associated withchronic pain. Karla says, “During deeptissue massages I use trigger points tospecifically find the places where thework needs to be done.” Deep tissuemassages can help people who livewith painful conditions live a fuller life.

Another style of massage thatKarla offers is sports massage and in-jury rehabilitation. This style of mas-sage combines the benefits and style ofa deep tissue massage with stretching,which can improve the range of mo-tion in joints. Whether you are healingafter a car accident or are suffering

from chronic pain as-sociated with a med-ical condition, thiskind of massage canbe extremely benefi-cial.

One of Karla’sclients from Trinitysaid, “I have had thepleasure of havingKarla as a massagetherapist for the pastsix years and it hasalways been an en-riching and healing experience. She isknowledgeable, professional and akindhearted person and I have no hes-itation in recommending her service.She has hands of gold!”

Prenatal massages are a fantasticway to pamper the mom-to-be whileeasing some of the side effects of preg-nancy. Karla uses specially designedmassage table pillows that create acomfortable position just for her dur-ing this time, so that pregnant momscan safely enjoy their massage.

Aromatherapy is proven to aid inrelaxation, and Barkdoll MassageTherapy offers a variety of essential oilsand scents that can be used in collabo-ration with any other style of massage.

Most often used with a Swedish mas-sage, aromatherapy oils are applied byKarla during your massage to enhancethe massage experience.

One local couple wrote, “We allhave very busy schedules and it savesus time and stress to have Karla comeright to our home. My husband haschronic pain and her weekly massageshelp him tremendously. Whether youjust want a great stress reliever or youhave a medical condition I wouldhighly recommend Karla!”

If you are looking for a fantasticway to improve morale at work, howabout offering your employees a cor-porate seated massage? This is a fullyclothed, seated massage that can bedone right at the office. This style of

“Massages”Continued from page 1


massage focuses on the back, neck,shoulders, scalp, arms and hands.What a great way to let your employ-ees know how much you care aboutthem!

My Massage with KarlaScheduling my massage turned

out to be a breeze because BarkdollMassage Therapy is one of the onlyplaces that offers evening massage ap-pointments. It was all very easy for mesince I wasn’t going to have to worryabout driving anywhere or a babysitterfor the kids! I simply picked out aquiet room in the house, sent the kidsoutside to play with my hubby, andgot ready to enjoy my massage.

Karla is a true professional and ar-rives right on time bringing everythingshe needs with her. She takes the timeto ask about any injuries you may havesuffered in the past, and any currentcomplaints that she needs to be awareof.

Karla and I decided that a combi-nation Swedish and deep tissue mas-sage would be most beneficial for me.Karla put on what I like to call “mas-sage music,” and spoke to me aboutwhat she was going to do before shebegan. To my surprise, I was even

more relaxed because I was at home. Ienjoyed the entire hour instead ofwondering how many minutes hadpassed, or wondering about the kids. Ifelt safe, pampered and well cared for.

After my massage, I felt like asoftened stick of butter, and I was ableto just put on my slippers instead ofmy shoes!

Massage can make one feel morecentered, and can even change one’soutlook. Following my massage withKarla, I felt great for days and my en-tire family could see what a differenceit made for me both physically andemotionally.

The best thing about BarkdollMassage Therapy is how affordable itis, making it possible to benefit fromtheapeutic massage on a regular basis.

Barkdoll Massage Therapy is anentirely mobile massage therapybusiness that comes to you. KarlaBarkdoll (License # MA47546) isavailable 7 days a week, from 9 a.m.– 9 p.m. To schedule an appoint-ment or to request more informa-tion about massage packages,corporate events or gift certificates,call (727) 372- 6389 or email KarlaBarkdoll [email protected]

east lake - vol. 9, issue 1, january 2016

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