The Bloomingdale community's award-winning newspaper. Published for 40-plus years! email: inblooming
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The award-winning Bloomingdale Gazette, published since 1980, is our community’s premier newspaper. It is delivered on the first Wednesday of each month by our current publisher, The Tampa Bay Times, to 5,500 Bloomingdale homes. Stories are provided by staff reporters, community members, Bloomingdale Neighborhood Association (BNA) board members, and student reporters. Articles include information
about community and local events, business and resident profiles, school happenings, neighborhood standards, and issues of concern to the community. The goal is to highlight our community and communicate effectively with our residents. Direct questions concerning story ideas, advertising, and distribution issues can be emailed to: [email protected].
Neighbors - this most recent Gazette has an update! The Backyard Band Brawl has been renamed to Rhythm Rally. You can support our Bloomingdale Rajun Bull Band by texting BULLSRALLY at 707070. Your contribution makes a difference for our Bloomingdale students and help to keep the BSHS Band program thriving!
Neighbors - send us your graduation photos to include in the July issue of the Gazette! Looking for clap-out photos and all ages. Please send them to [email protected] by 6/17. Thank you!
The Hillsborough County School Board unanimously voted today to name Bloomingdale High School’s auditorium the “Sutherland Hall for Performing Arts” after the late Beverly 'Bev' Sutherland. For the better part of 40 years, Beverly Sutherland was a master teacher of music education in Hillsborough County.
BSHS Principal Dr. Rodriguez said Bev touched the lives of thousands of families. She was humble and always made sure it was about “the kids and the music”. She was and is adored by all.
Congratulations to Bloomingdale students Johnny De La Rosa, Pierce Collins, Cooper Hinson, Josiah Davila-Richardson, and Madison Sofarelli for signing National Letters of Intent to play their respective sports at the collegiate level!
Johnny De La Rosa, baseball: Saint Leo University
Pierce Collins, baseball: Drury University
Cooper Hinson, baseball: Marshall University
Josiah Davila-Richardson, soccer: Wake Forest University
Madison Sofarelli, volleyball: University of Tampa
Only a little over 7% of high school athletes (about 1 in 13) go on to play a varsity sport in college. What a tremendous achievement! Congratulations on behalf of the Bloomingdale community and The Bloomingdale Gazette!
The November Bloomingdale Gazette is out!
Free copies can be picked up at these locations:
Ace Hardware (paper box)
Bullfrog Creek Brewery (paper box)
Bloomingdale Regional Library
Publix, Bloomingdale Ave and Bell Shoals
Publix, Lithia Pinecrest Rd
WaWa, Bloomingdale and Lithia Pinecrest
If you live in Bloomingdale East or West, you should have received a delivered copy. If you didn’t, please email [email protected].
Check out the issue online here:https://bloomingdale.life/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Bloomingdale-Gazette-11-2023.pdf
HUGE Congratulations to the BSHS Volleyball team for winning the Regional Championship tonight!
Alafia Elementary School's Drum Ensemble played this morning at the Winthrop Pop Up Market. They were incredible!
Music teacher James Hemphill started the 5th grade ensemble this school year.
Hemphill shared that ensembles give kids a chance to perform and be a part of something special. The performance was more than special - it was absolutely outstanding! Cannot wait to hear all the great things to come!
Do you have yard work that needs to be done or a few jobs around the house that you haven't made time to complete? Would you benefit from company? Tristan Cartegena, a Bloomingdale 10-year-old, started a service for the community. He puts his heart into his work and under the guidance of his parents, he offers a variety of services that are donation based.
Check out the story and visit his page: Lawn Buddies!
Had the best time cheering on the kids at the first Healthy Kids Running Series - Valrico, FL today!
A running series for kids ages 2-14 starts tomorrow in Valrico at Stearns park!
The nation-wide Healthy Kids Running Series (HKRS) aims to motivate kids to lead healthy and active lifestyles through a positive introduction to the sport of running.
Check out the details in our October Gazette and visit their HKRS page: Healthy Kids Running Series - Valrico, FL
For more information, you can also email [email protected]
Bloomingdale High School's 5k Record was broken in September by Brandon Witherow!
Huge Congratulations to Brandon!!
The October Gazette is online:https://bloomingdale.life/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Bloomingdale-Gazette-10-2023.pdf
The Gazette loves to highlight students' achievements! Send in accolades! We want to share them! Email [email protected]
Such a pleasure to meet Blue Star Families today at Starbucks! The group welcomes current military, retired military, military spouses and the community— they welcome everyone! They meet the 2nd Tuesday of every month. This month they were making cards for Veterans.
Enjoyed a festive night with the Palm Tree Santas and Chuck Weirich playing trumpet! The holidays are right around the corner!
Looking for Halloween activities to do this month? Lots of great ideas in our October issue! Be sure to shop local for your Halloween supplies, too, at Party Planet!
The October issue online:https://bloomingdale.life/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Bloomingdale-Gazette-10-2023.pdf
Our October issue highlights the Excellence in Education Winners at Bloomingdale High, Burns Middle, Alfia Elementary and Cimino Elementary! Congratulations to the winners and thank you for your hard work! We are grateful for everything you do day in and day out!
It's World Teacher's Day! World Teachers’ Day is held annually on 5 October to celebrate all teachers around the globe. Thank you to all teachers and all of the staff that works at our schools! (https://www.unesco.org/en/days/teachers)
The October Gazette is out today!
Our front cover photo was captured by local photographer: Fred Ocasio. His daughter Bella graduated from Bloomingdale High School in 2021.
The issue features Florida birding and highlights local residents: the new Bloomingdale Neighborhood Association - BNA office manager, a Bloomingdale East 10-year-old serving his neighbors, and a BSHS runner that broke the school 5k record. Community events are in there, too! Be sure to check out the new running series for kids, local Halloween events, and fall gardening at Kerby's Nursery.
Check the issue out online here:https://bloomingdale.life/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Bloomingdale-Gazette-10-2023.pdf
The Bloomingdale Neighborhood Association - BNA team is dedicated to making our community a great place to live! Picture from last night’s BNA board meeting. Kalyn Dukes, Suzy Watts, Bobbi Ferraro, Sean Donahue, and Grace Lewis- missing board member Laney Balis and office manager Jessica Robertson. Look for a welcome article for Jessica in the October Gazette! We live in a great community and the BNA volunteers are wonderful people!
Welcome to the neighborhood! Had fun checking out Burn Boot Camp - Brandon, FL today! Grand Opening until 3 but stop by anytime to learn about their programs and training!
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, Florida turns 50 today! The Gazette would like to thank the crew at Bloomindale's Fire Rescue Station 7 for all they do for our community. We appreciate you: Firefighters C. Spurling, G. Floyd, Driver Engineer S. Lanz, Captain S. Hoekstra, and Fire Medics D. Rivera and N. Saez!
The Gazette would love to share your back-to-school pictures in the September issue of the Gazette! Email pictures to [email protected]
Hope everyone has an incredible first day!
The Bloomingdale Gazette had the best kind of day in Bloomingdale! Always thankful to be part of local events and today we enjoyed three! We were impressed by the CTE (Career and Technical Education) Awards Ceremony at Bloomingdale High School, delighted with the ribbon cutting at the new Echo Thrift store on Bloomingdale Ave and amazed by the art show at Navigator Academy.
Always a gift when the Gazette is asked to take pictures at events! Details to come —we love how BSHS highlights and encourages art!
Picture with Principal Dr. Rodriguez, school board member, Patti Rendon, Alan and art teacher Pam Reeves.
Today is Gopher Tortoise Day! Lithia Springs Conservation Park held two Gopher Tortoise based hikes today! The Gazette was there, enjoyed the hike and learned a great deal about tortoises from park rangers Jonathan and Cheyenne.
The goal of Gopher Tortoise Day is to increase awareness and appreciation for these long lived, gentle reptiles.
In Florida, gopher tortoises are found in parts of all 67 counties and are frequently encountered in neighborhoods, along roadways, and in many of Florida’s public parks and forests.
Did you know Lithia Springs Conservation park is home to between 125-175 tortoises?!
If an uninjured tortoise is in the road:
If you find a tortoise in the road, you may help the tortoise cross the road. To do this, carefully pick up the tortoise by holding it on either side of its shell and placing it out of harm’s way in the same direction that it was heading. Tortoises have a strong navigation system. If you point them in a different direction, it’s possible they will turn and go right back in the road. Don’t take the tortoise with you or move it to a different area! And of course, don’t put yourself in danger to move the tortoise.
If a tortoise is on your property:
It is illegal to move, harm or disturb tortoises, burrons, or eggs without a permit. Tortoise relocation permits are available for development or construction related activities.
To learn more about tortoises, visit:
Gopher Tortoise Day | April 10th (gophertortoisedayfl.com)
What should I do if I see a tortoise? | FWC (myfwc.com)
Cimino Elementary School celebrated its 20th anniversary today!
Rosalind Creager and Matt Creager, daughter and grandson of Richard Cimino, attended and Rosalind shared memories and inspirational words.
The beautiful celebration began with a surprise performance by the Bloomingdale High School drumline. It included a presentation of colors by Cimino students, performances by the Cimino choir, a message from school board member Patti Rendon, a message from Cimino's teacher of the year, Kara Mara (read by 3rd grader Olivia Campo), sharing of Richard Cimino's Legacy (read by 5th grader Colin Kurto), reflections of a former student (Madison Skonie), a recognition of years of service for Cimino Faculty and Staff and special recognition to Debbie Coleman on her upcoming retirement.
Easy to see what a treasure Cimino Elementary is to our community! Happy 20th Cimino!
The April The Bloomingdale Gazette is out today! Eggs-citing things happening in our community, including Alafia Elementary's Egg Drop! Be sure to check it out!
Copies are available at the Community office at 3509 Bell Shoals Rd, the Bloomingdale Library (in the lobby), and the Campo YMCA.
You can also read it online here:https://bloomingdale.life/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Bloomingdale-Gazette-4-2023.pdf
The Gazette loves highlighting great things at our local schools. Thrilled to be onsite to take pictures at the Senior Academic Breakfast last week! These seniors were awarded their academic letter for this year. Huge Congratulations to them from The Bloomingdale Gazette and community!
It's always an honor for the Gazette to be invited to events in our community! Today we had a ton of fun capturing pig kissing at Cimino Elementary! Pig Kissing? Yes!! It was the grand finale celebration for Cimino's fundraising efforts for Relay for Life. Cimino's final total raised was $8200!! Rowdy, the pig, got lots of treats today and the students were rewarded with ice cream after the pig kissing event. Can't wait to share the story in Gazette!
Looks like Bloomingdale gave Duck Donuts a warm welcome! Be sure to check out our article in the April The Bloomingdale Gazette about Duck Donuts opening in Bloomingdale Square!
🍩🍩🍩CUSTOMER ALERT!!! 🍩🍩🍩
Due to supplies running low from an incredible grand opening crowd, we will be taking the last customer in the doors at 4:30pm.
We recommend arriving before 3:30pm to ensure you can get your donuts today!!!
We will be back in action tomorrow morning!
Also, We ran out of Breakfast Sandwiches. We will have them back again tomorrow. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Check out the January Gazette! The issue contains a 2022 year-in-review, membership information for the Bloomingdale Neighborhood Association, Welcome to the Neighborhood articles on Lucid Zero Proof Lounge and LA Fitness, a highlight on the new Executive Director at the YMCA, highlights on Bloomingdale students who received honors and more!
https://bloomingdale.life/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Bloomingdale-Gazette-1-2023.pdf
Hard copies of the issue can be picked up at the Bloomingdale Library, Campo YMCA, and Bloomingdale Community office: 3509 Bells Shoals Rd.
The October The Bloomingdale Gazette is out! Did you know that the Bloomingdale Special District maintains our common areas, community entrances and landscaping? Check out the beautiful pictures of flowers and foliage around our community. Also included in the issue is a highlight on our Bloomingdale Senior High School student reporter, the BNA sponsored garage sale, a highlight on a Bloomingdale pickleball player, local Fall events, the BSHS National Merit Semifinalists and more!
https://bloomingdale.life/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Bloomingdale-Gazette-10-2022.pdf
3509 Bell Shoals Road
Valrico, FL
33596
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Enjoyed a festive night with the Palm Tree Santas and Chuck Weirich playing trumpet! The holidays are right around the corner!
Bloomingdale High School Pep Rally cheering for the Bulls Football Team! Homecoming is tonight! Go Bulls!
Can’t celebrate this team enough! A second view of Bloomingdale High School welcoming their baseball state champs back to school. Go Bulls!
Bloomingdale High School welcoming back their baseball state champions! Go Bulls!
Now that’s a nice sendoff! Bloomingdale High School students, faculty and fans lined the sidewalk as the drumline lead the baseball team from the school cafeteria to the baseball stadium. The team plays against Palm Beach Dwyer in the 6A State final four playoffs tonight at 7! Good luck and Go Bulls!
