Home Care In Safety Harbor, FL

SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. - A public picnic shelter built atop a Native American burial ground in Safety Harbor may soon be scheduled for removal, Pinellas County officials confirmed Wednesday.

As of December, shelter house No. 9 in Philippe Park can no longer be reserved, with county leaders now making plans to tear it down.

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"There's a very wide interest in understanding the past, preserving the past, and interpreting it," said Monica Drake, operations manager for Heritage Village, which tracks and maintains Pinellas County history.

The decision regarding the park's shelter comes after a 2019 study conducted by Thomas Pluckhahn, a USF anthropology professor.

Pluckhahn determined a burial cemetery mound likely holds the remains belonging to members of the Tocobaga tribe, which were some of Florida's original inhabitants.

According to historians, between around 1250 and 1500, Tocobaga Native Americans lived in a village that would become Philippe Park.

"I'd say at least two-thirds of the village is probably intact in some sense," Pluckhahn told FOX 13. "This site in particular is important. Tocobaga, they're kind of the rightful heirs of Tampa Bay, the rightful namesakes of Tampa Bay."

The central point of the village, according to experts, was another mound that Pluckhahn said was likely home to the tribe's chief. That site, which is made up largely of shells and sand, is recognized as a National Historic Landmark.

The burial mound is located a short distance away.

"It was formerly, I think, between 10 and 15 feet tall and about 100 feet in diameter," said Pluckhahn, who published his initial findings in 2021.

The village was eventually burned down by invading Spaniards in the 1500s. Centuries later, the land was purchased by Odet Philippe, who is believed to be one of the county's first non-Native settlers.

The park was constructed and named after him decades later.

In the 1930s, scientists with the Smithsonian Museum uncovered about 100 remains, Pluckhahn said, but many more are likely still there.

"This site is also just kind of like - it crystallizes a lot of the history of Tampa Bay," he said.

Along with the removal of the shelter, the county plans to close a nearby playground in March. It's being replaced with a new playground closer to shelter No. 5, Drake said.

The former St. James Hotel building in Safety Harbor has new owners, and they plan to bring it back to its old 1920s glamour with a modern twist.

"When we found out it was for sale, we went more curious than serious. But as soon as we walked inside, I looked at my partner’s son and was like ‘we need to buy this,’" said Hooman Hamzehloui, the property co-owner and co-founder of Concord Syndicate.

The old St. James Hotel building was opened in 1925, and it became the home of many other things after it was no longer a hotel. After Hamzehloui and his business partner bought the property in April, he said they put some work in at the building, such as changing color through an exterior insulation finish system and more.

"The building was like a mustard yellow with cracks all over it. The roof had weeks left and whenever there would be a heavy rainstorm, sideways rain would come in and flood some of these first-floor stores," he said.

Renderings show plans to return it to its 1920s glamour, renovating into a 36-room boutique hotel with about 500 square foot suites.

"There’s a really extensive awning package coming into place that’s going to look phenomenal, almost exactly how it did in 1926," said Hamzehloui. "As it stands now, there’s going to be about 36 suites that will be about 500 square feet. So, they’ll be much bigger than your typical hotel room."

Shops like Itita fill the ground level now, but local shop owners there said it wasn’t always full on that side of Main Street.

"We just had this building here where there wasn’t a lot going on. Thankfully, the candy store was here, so they would bring traffic this way. But now, we have this store, and we have the candle store on the end. So, it gives like a whole new life to this side of the street," said Bonnie Leathers, the owner of Itita.

Thomas Engstrom, the owner of Rocking Delicious candy shop on the corner, said he’s watched the building evolve over the last four years.

"With the change, it’s amazing. It has become the jewel of Safety Harbor," said Engstrom.

It’s a jewel worth preserving and learning more about, like how the St. James Hotel held the first elevator in the county.

"We target a younger demographic, so it’s nice to kind of bring the younger generation down here to experience it and learn more about this town. Because sometimes, I feel like it’s maybe a little bit hidden, it’s like a little hidden gem," said Leathers.

The hotel will be renamed the St. James Hotel to preserve its historic ties and charms, Hamzehloui said.

"My partner and I came here from Central Florida. We came here with the goal of winning hearts and minds and serving the people, and we knew if we served the people and did our best that they would take care of us and they most certainly have," said Hamzehloui.

He added that they plan to add a speakeasy, and residents have asked for a rooftop bar.

"I’ve left my family in Orlando and been staying in a hotel room down the street just to make sure this project goes off as seamlessly as a renovation on a 100-year-old building can," Hamzehloui said.

They hope the building’s appeal won’t be hidden anymore.

The owner said the second and third floors are currently occupied by Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services. Once their lease expires, Hamzehloui said they will start the second phase of the renovation and work on turning it into the boutique hotel.

A Safety Harbor restaurant co-owner and chef said a fundamental change in the business’ pay structure has helped its growth and his staff over the past year.

Aaron Stewart, the chef and co-owner of Southern Fresh for nearly 12 years, added a service charge onto checks in lieu of tips through a commission-based pay model. He said he and his business partners decided to make the switch about a year ago to fight rising costs and keep prices the same for customers.

Their menus, their servers and the checks all note a 20% service charge added to each check to pay workers more equally.

"The full-service casual restaurant industry is in jeopardy, because the tipped-based pay model just isn’t sustainable for us to keep moving forward without raising our prices," said Stewart. "So, we learned of a model, and we put a service charge onto our checks. We compensate our employees with a 15% commission and then their goal is to provide a great service and then get an extra 5-8% on the tip."

The other 5% of the 20% charge goes to support staff like bussers, food runners, the hosts and hostesses and the bartender. It’s up to the customer if they want to give more. Kitchen staff are paid hourly, Stewart said.

"The big thing is it allowed us to bridge the gap in kitchen pay and server pay," said Stewart. "Our labor pool, everybody was leaving in droves from our industry. It was tough."

In the past year since switching, Stewart said he’s been able to hire more staff, keep them and expand employee benefits.

"We’ve been able to implement insurance reimbursement for our team, better vacation pay for our back of the house, and our back of the house team now works on a salary that they can afford to live," said Stewart. "We’ve come up with a plan that works for our restaurant. And with the commission model, the beautiful thing is it can be tailored. Every individual restaurant can set up a system that works for them."

The model is not common in traditional restaurants. FOX13 reached out to University of South Florida’s Muma College of Business for context. Business Professor Faizan Ali shared in an email:

Ali continued to say via email:

Consumer Pam Lacey of Safety Harbor said she understands.

"The first time it’s kind of surprising. People are like ‘what?'" said Lacy. "They work really hard, and I used to be a waitress, so I understand, you know. This way you can hire better people too."

Other consumer said informing customers helps.

"Just getting the word out, and I think it will become a positive input for those restaurants who deserve it. There are some restaurants out there where if they try this, it’s not gonna fly," said Julie Kunzeman, an Illinois native who lives in the Tampa Bay area part-time.

Stewart said he’s had some push back following the change, but he also has faith.

"We have lost some people that just don’t understand it and just say we’re not supporting that," said Stewart. "We would love to humbly ask everybody to just take a chance to understand the model. We do wholly believe in it morally, ethically and as a business decision."

Stewart said he believes more restaurants will make the switch since it’s customizable to what works for their business. A few St. Petersburg restaurants and a Dunedin restaurant group also do commission-based pay models, he said.

A popular family-owned cheesecake restaurant in Pinellas County announced it will be closing its doors due to rising rent.

Tom and Cindy Bassano opened Bassano Cheesecake Café on Main Street in Safety Harbor in June 2019.

"We've done (gender) reveal cakes for people's babies," Bassano said. "And now the babies are walking in here and talking to us."

Their five-year lease ends early next year. Bassano told FOX 13 the couple won’t be signing a new lease because rent has doubled.

In a video posted to Facebook Friday, the couple also said inflation and the cost of insurance factored into their decision.

"It's not something that we can afford to do," Bassano said. "I mean, we're scraping by as it is now with the way the economy is."

The café isn’t alone.

Alignable, an online network of small business owners, surveys its members every month.

In January 2024, 53% of small Florida businesses surveyed said they are victims of ‘rent spikes,’ meaning they are paying more for rent now compared to six months ago.

"Thirty-one percent could not afford to pay their rent in full and on time in January, which is pretty scary," Chuck Casto, head of research & communications at Alignable, said of the Florida businesses included in Alignable’s survey.

In addition, 70% reported supplies cost more now than they did this time last year.

"Five years ago, when we first started this business, cream cheese was $35 a case. That's for a 30-pound box. Now it runs $90 a case," Bassano said.

Even after the café closes early next year, Bassano said they still have their bakery in Oldsmar, which will continue to provide cheesecakes for restaurants in the area.

The owners are looking into a food truck and other options to try and keep the café open in some capacity. Customers hope the husband and wife will be able to find a solution.

"My daughter sent me a text the other day saying how sad it is that we won't be able to go there anymore," customer Eileen Chetwyn said.

"It's been a beautiful adventure being here, and leaving here is bittersweet. Not sweet. It's just bitter," Bassano said.

FOX 13 has reached out to the owner of the building for a comment and are waiting to hear back.

SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. — A restaurant in Safety Harbor has implemented a commission-based pay model to pay servers and other support staff.

Southern Fresh on 3rd Avenue North adds a 20% service charge to every check for customers who dine at the restaurant.

The fee does not apply to takeout orders.

Servers receive 15%, while other support staff like bartenders and runners share the other 5%.

"At the end of the day, it lets everyone work based on commission rather than hourly and tips," said Aaron Stewart, owner of Southern Fresh.

"There has always been a bridge, a big gap between front-of-the-house pay and back-of-the-house pay, and this has allowed us to bridge that gap," said Stewart.

Southern Fresh has been in business for nearly 12 years. About a year ago, the restaurant implemented the service charge.

Customers may add an additional tip for exceptional service. If a customer leaves an additional tip, the server receives it in full.

Stewart said the new pay model allows them to avoid raising menu prices and fight the rising costs of operating a restaurant.

"We certainly hear of people that say we’re not coming back because of that model, but as a restaurant, our sales in 2023 rose 20% on top of 2022, so we are thriving," said Stewart.

Stewart has a sign on the restaurant's front door notifying customers about the service charge. There is also a sign on each table.

"This has allowed us to not only go out and recruit industry top performers but have more of them on and provide a better quality of life resulting in a better product at the table," he said.

Stewart said the restaurant went from critically short staffing levels to fully staffed. The restaurant is also expanding hours instead of reducing hours.

Zachary & Christina Feinstein implemented the commission-based model at their restaurants. The Feinstein Group operates Sonder Social Club, The Living Room, and The Black Pearl in Dunedin. Zachary Feinstein said the change has been successful and boosted wages for employees.

Faizan Ali, an associate professor at USF's Muma College of Business, said the restaurant's decision to adopt a service charge and commission compensation model reflects a newer trend in the service industry.

He added in an email, "The basic idea is to address wage disparities between front-of-house and back-of-house staff, providing a more equitable distribution of income. The move towards predictable and stable income for restaurant staff aligns with ongoing discussions about fair wages and worker compensation in the industry. In my opinion, while this approach offers potential benefits, effective communication with customers is very important to navigate potential resistance and ensure an understanding of the new compensation structure. Moreover, monitoring customer feedback, staff satisfaction, and overall business performance will be important in evaluating the success of this innovative model in Safety Harbor."