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Letter to the editor

Sheriff's Office readies its New Tampa substation

Grand opening of the Cross Creek Boulevard facility is set for Wednesday, public invited.

By MICHAEL VAN SICKLER
Published July 4, 2004

NEW TAMPA - As a 6 1/2-year veteran of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Robert Rodriguez has seen his share of mayhem.

While working on the DUI squad for two years, Rodriguez said scuffles with intoxicated and combative drivers happened on a regular basis.

Rape, murder and robbery were part of the daily routine while Rodriguez patrolled the vast expanse of low-income housing in the University area for another two years.

So when the 33-year-old deputy was assigned to patrol the affluent gated subdivisions of New Tampa, it was a slight adjustment.

"It's a different side of the world," Rodriguez said. "But there's still crime. It's just not as serious."

Rodriguez and the Sheriff's Office invite the public to attend the grand opening of a new sheriff's substation on Cross Creek Boulevard between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday. It's the first permanent home for Hillsborough deputies in New Tampa.

To mark the occasion, the Sheriff's Office has scheduled appearances by members of its dive and SWAT teams, its marine patrol and their trusty airboat, mounted deputies and their horses, and a talking Volkswagen named Benny the Beetle. Parents will also be able to get digital fingerprints and photos for their kids.

"Every bell and whistle the Sheriff's Office can think of will be there," Rodriguez said of the grand opening, which will be held at 10329 Cross Creek Blvd., Suite 6, at the Cory Lake Isles Professional Center.

In New Tampa, deputies patrol the Cross Creek, Live Oak and Pebble Creek subdivisions that haven't been annexed into the city. They also cover Wharton High School and the homes along Morris Bridge Road and 56th Street to Fowler Avenue.

The county has been trying to find an office somewhere in New Tampa for several years. Deputies have had to make do by operating out of their cars.

"Land is too valuable out here," Rodriguez said. "No one wanted to give us real estate."

In February, however, Gene Thomason, who developed the Cory Lake Isles subdivision, said he'd lease the Sheriff's Office a location in his new office plaza for $10 a year.

"I can't say enough good things about him," Rodriguez said. "That really helped."

It also helped that Rooms-to-Go donated $4,000 worth of office furniture.

So the only thing that will cost the county money in the new substation is the minuscule rent; Rodriguez's salary, which it was paying anyway; and the utilities.

Now deputies on the road can come in and print out their crime reports.

It also gives Rodriguez a base to relate to the surrounding neighborhoods. He welcomes all visitors to drop by and meet him.

"The word is getting out," he said. "And businesses certainly like having us here."

Crime does exist in New Tampa, but it typically comes in a relatively mild form. The most serious crimes are usually burglaries.

Juveniles are the main perpetrators, Rodriguez said.

During a recent spate of burglaries in Pebble Creek, many of the residents pointed fingers at the Section 8 housing along Cross Creek, only to find out later that two of the teens arrested came from homes in Pebble Creek and Hunter's Green, Rodriguez said.

"They'll blame it on other communities," he said. "But when we catch them, they usually live right here."

Rodriguez said he fields calls all day that range from complaints about noisy motor scooters to kids drinking on the access roads behind the Pebble Creek tennis courts to frisky alligators.

"Nothing too major," he said.

People have already come out to meet him, he said, and after Wednesday, he expects more visitors.

"People just love having a substation out here," he said. "They like knowing that we're around."

- Michael Van Sickler can be reached at 813 269-5312 or mvansickler@sptimes.com

[Last modified July 3, 2004, 09:02:07]