Business Observer

A fast-growing Mexican fusion chain is expanding its Pasco County footprint with a new restaurant in Wesley Chapel. Bubbakoo’s Burritos opened Wednesday at 33791 Wesley Chapel Blvd., near Summertree Plaza. The locally owned and operated restaurant is the Jersey Shore-born burrito chain’s second location in Pasco County and 18th in Florida, according to a release. To celebrate the grand opening, Bubbakoo’s gave the first 30 customers to make a qualifying purchase on Wednesday one free burrito per month for a year, the announcement says. Bubbakoo’s specializes in customizable burritos, bowls, quesadillas and other Mexican-inspired dishes known for creative flavor combinations, incorporating American comfort food and Asian cuisine. The fast-casual restaurant’s menu includes such items as a steak and shrimp hibachi burrito, a crispy Buffalo chicken quesadilla, a Nashville hot chicken burrito and a California steakhouse burrito. Customers can also skip the menu entirely and “create something different,” the release says. To build your own creation, customers choose one of eight proteins ranging from hibachi steak to carnitas, or two vegetarian or vegan bases before selecting from toppings including brown rice, black beans, corn salsa and more. Customers then pick from eight different sauces including ghost pepper, Sriracha ranch and Southern-style barbecue. “We’re thrilled to expand upon the 17 existing Bubbakoo’s locations in Florida and welcome the Wesley Chapel community to the brand,” Chris Ives, CEO of Bubbakoo’s Burritos, says in the release. “Each new restaurant gives us an opportunity to introduce more guests to the bold flavors, and customized experience that have made Bubbakoo’s a fan favorite.” Paul Altero and Bill Hart founded Bubbakoo’s in 2008, opening the first restaurant in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. The chain has since grown to more than 140 locations in 17 states, the release says.

Tampa-based Aptamus Carbon Solutions and Demeter Energy of Fort Myers have begun working together on a plan to develop a marine terminal in Manatee County. Aptamus, an affiliate of Tampa’s Overseas Shipholding Group and part of the Saltchuk family of companies, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Demeter to “explore the development” of a terminal for the processing, liquefaction and loading of carbon dioxide at a biomethonal production plant. (Biomethanol, according to a paper from the Dutch renewable energy company FincoEnergies, “is a renewable form of methanol produced from sustainable feedstock, such as waste streams of biogenic origin — manure, agricultural waste and food waste.”) According to a statement, the agreement will allow Aptamus to identify optimal locations for a CO2 terminal at Seaport Manatee, develop a site plan and “design an appropriate new tank vessel.” “Demeter intends to capture CO2 during its biomethanol production process before it is emitted into the atmosphere, a process known as carbon capture,” the statement says. According to an Aptamus spokesperson, the company’s role is to develop the marine infrastructure to handle that captured CO2. The proposed terminal at Seaport Manatee would receive the CO2, liquefy it and load it onto a vessel for transport to Texas or Louisiana for permanent sequestration or enhanced oil recovery, the spokesman says in an email. “The vessel is part of that same system, not a separate project. Aptamus is exploring a new vessel that could transport both biomethanol and liquefied CO2.” The process is in the early stages, and there is a belief that a financial investment decision can be reached within a year, the spokesperson says. After that, construction of the vessel and terminal would take three to four years. As for the cost, a feasibility study is underway. Demeter Energy’s biomethanol and carbon capture facility in Manatee is expected to produce approximately 100,000 metric tons of low carbon biomethanol annually while capturing approximately 200,000 metric tons of CO2 per year, according to the statement. “The project," says the statement, "will create a reliable market for sustainably sourced urban wood and green waste generated by Florida's year-round growing season, while supporting global decarbonization efforts by providing low carbon fuel of the maritime sector, or supplying feedstock for Sustainable Aviation Fuel or for chemical manufacturing.” Aptamus designs CO2 tank vessels and terminals for the storage and liquefaction of captured CO₂. The company says it been chosen by the U.S. Department of Energy to design and engineer a CO2 loading and processing terminal at Port Tampa Bay and a discharge terminal at LBC Tank Terminals in Louisiana. Aptamus also designed a CO2 Articulated Tug and Barge.

A Clearwater-based healthcare system has opened an outpatient center with primary care, laboratory and imaging services in Manatee County. BayCare cut the ribbon Monday at the facility, which is called BayCare HealthHub Manatee, at 6620 Moccasin Wallow Road in Palmetto. Spanning more than 46,000 square feet, the complex will provide primary and specialty care through BayCare Medical Group; outpatient laboratory services; and advanced imaging, including MRI, CT, PET, mammography, X-ray, DEXA and ultrasound. “As this community to continues to grow, the demand for convenient, high-quality healthcare is growing with it.” Dr. Chris Bucciarelli, vice president of ambulatory services and chief medical officer for BayCare Ambulatory Services, says in a statement. The population in Manatee County has increased by 17.13% in the last five years and was 468,200 in 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. “BayCare’s goal is to make it easier for Manatee County residents to get the care they need, when and where they need it,” Bucciarelli says in a statement. Near BayCare HealthHub Manatee, construction is currently underway at BayCare Hospital Manatee, the nonprofit healthcare system’s 17th hospital and the first hospital north of the Manatee River. It will encompass 436,000 square feet, providing 154 private patient rooms with the capacity to expand to 207 beds. Recently, BayCare received $2.5 million in state funding for the addition of a neonatal intensive care unit at the hospital, which is expected to more than double Manatee County’s NICU capacity when the hospital opens. In July, a topping-out ceremony marked the final steel beam being put on the more than $560 million hospital. Atlanta-based construction firm Robins & Morton is building the facility, which is scheduled to open in 2028. The expansion of BayCare in Manatee County has been years in the making. In 2023, the healthcare system purchased nearly 94 acres on Moccasin Wallow Road for $28.66 million, according to Manatee County property records. “This is not about a single facility,” Bucciarelli says in the statement on the opening of the HealthHub. “It is about building a comprehensive healthcare presence in Manatee County and creating a network that can flourish with the community. BayCare HealthHub Manatee is the eighth HealthHub for the system. Others in the region are in Bardmoor, Bloomingdale, Carillon, Carrollwood, Land O’ Lakes, South Tampa and Trinity. BayCare includes 16 hospitals and employs nearly 34,000 team members. It posted $6.97 billion in operating revenue in 2025. Its network also includes BayCare Urgent Care locations; laboratories; imaging services; surgical centers; multispecialty provider group BayCare Medical Group; and one of Florida’s largest home care agencies, BayCare HomeCare.

Creative Sign Designs has acquired a North Carolina architectural sign manufacturer, giving the Tampa company a second production facility and a larger footprint across the Southeast. The company announced Monday it purchased Rite Lite Signs, a full-service sign designer and manufacturer based in Concord, North Carolina. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition is Creative Sign Designs’ first since a 2021 recapitalization with Atlanta-based Heritage Growth Partners, a private family investment office. That partnership was intended to finance the Tampa company’s expansion, in part through acquisitions. Rite Lite brings a 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility to Creative Sign Designs’ Tampa operation. The combined company plans to divide projects between the two plants based on capacity, expertise and customers’ needs. The expansion also puts Creative Sign Designs closer to growing markets including Charlotte, Charleston, Raleigh, Atlanta and Knoxville, company officials say. “This acquisition creates greater scale, stability and opportunity for our customers and employees alike,” Creative Sign Designs CEO Jamie Harden says in the release. Creative Sign Designs was founded in 1986 and provides consulting, design, fabrication, installation and maintenance for exterior and interior signs, wayfinding systems and environmental graphics. The company works with clients in industries including healthcare, housing, entertainment, education, retail and government. Rite Lite was founded in 1989 by David and Tasha Catchpole. The couple started the company from their home as an installation and service operation for other sign businesses before expanding into design and fabrication. The acquisition combines companies with nearly 80 years of operating history. Rite Lite will continue to be led by general manager Bruce Saunders, according to the release. Creative Sign Designs did not disclose how many employees are on staff at Rite Lite or if the acquisition will result in staffing changes. The companies say the deal allows each entity to offer a broader range of services, from initial design and project management to fabrication and installation. Creative Sign Designs also expects the North Carolina operation to improve its ability to handle regional projects and work for brands with locations nationwide. Hill Ward Henderson, a Tampa-based law firm, served as Creative Sign Designs’ legal adviser. Proviso Group advised Rite Lite.

A specialty cheese shop in Sarasota’s Rosemary District is closing. Artisan Cheese Company will close its doors at 550 Central Ave. for the last time Wednesday. The store has been open for 14.5 years — including a recent period where it ran a public crowdfunding campaign to survive. The shop is hosting what owner Louise Converse calls a “yard sale” with items from perishables to forks and plates on Tuesday and Wednesday. Converse cites a multitude of factors in deciding to shutter, including declining sales. “This year we were down 40%,” Converse wrote on the Artisan Cheese Company Facebook page, with summer sales “staggeringly lower” than that. "I got over-leveraged with trying to keep the shop open through covid, and then in the years that followed it all snowballed," Converse wrote, announcing the store’s closure on social media. "It’s impossible." In May 2025, the cheese shop nearly closed due to the inability to keep up with bills, before an angel investor stepped in, supplemented by a GoFundMe campaign that raised more than $50,000. --- ###### Related Article - May 14, 2025 ##### After nearly closing, Sarasota cheese shop raises capital to remain open The owner of Artisan Cheese Company, facing closure due to a host of issues, finds salvation in an angel investor — and her customers. --- Despite the capital infusion last year, the shop has faced continued difficulties, including an inability to pay rent, according to Converse. In the past two months, she wrote, she found two people to take over the shop. “But sadly the space will end up going to a restaurant, as the restaurant won the landlord’s approval over the cheese shop, as is their prerogative, as I am in rent arrears,” Converse wrote. Artisan Cheese Company's staff will be on hand to say goodbye at the yard sale Tuesday and Wednesday, which Converse says will feature any remaining inventory and pantry items. "The outpouring of love has been pretty overwhelming," Converse says in a video announcing the yard sale. She specifically thanked Sarasota residents and snowbirds, the cheese and bread communities and those in the hospitality and food industries. In her social media posts, Converse echoed a message she issued last year, in an interview with the Business Observer — that visiting small businesses is the way to keep them around. "If you have an independent cheese shop near you, go,” Converse wrote. “Embrace cheese as an ingredient. Let the cheesemongers tell you the stories of the cheeses in their cases. Fall in love with them, [and] go back.”