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Wiregrass Ranch Developer Don Porter Passes Away

VIDEO OF MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR DON PORTER
PART 1 OF 6; PART 2 OF 6; PART 3 OF 6; PART 4 OF 6; PART 5 OF 6; PART 6 OF 6.

Wiregrass Ranch Developer Don Porter Passes Away At Age 73 by NTNN

By Matt Wiley, New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News

Wesley Chapel has lost one of its original residents and a key player in the development of the booming area, as Wiregrass Ranch Development of Regional Impact (DRI) developer Don Porter has passed away at age 73. The family name is prominent around town, most recently unveiled on the sign for the new Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) Porter Campus on Mansfield Blvd., but it’s probable that the college might not even be standing in its current location in the Wiregrass Ranch DRI had it not been for the generosity of Porter and his family, who donated the 65 acres for PHSC’s fifth campus. Wiregrass Ranch also will be home to a proposed youth baseball facility (Don was an outstanding baseball player at the University of Mississippi in Oxford and even played in the minor league system of the old Houston Colt .45s Major League team), also to be built in the next few years on donated land. The Porter family’s loss has not been lost on the local community, especially two institutions that make up much of the heart and soul of the growing Wesley Chapel area: Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC) and the Shops at Wiregrass mall, both of which sit on the Porter family’s 5,000-acre property. Read more: HERE //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// In Memoriam: Don Porter by the Business Observer The mark of rancher and developer Don Porter is all over north-central Pasco County, from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel to Pasco-Hernando State College to The Shops at Wiregrass, a popular open-air mall. But to Porter’s son, J.D. Porter, the true measure of his dad took place on a baseball field. That’s where the elder Porter, a onetime minor leaguer and longtime local little league coach, would stay an hour late to help anyone who wanted to learn. “He led in actions, not words,” says J.D. Porter. “There was never a lot of dancing around a question.” {excerpt} With so many facets to Wiregrass, Porter spent a good deal of time in front of Pasco County officials, recalls J.D. Porter. Many meetings, especially ones with now-retired County Administrator John Gallagher, were heated sessions. But the elder Porter, says his son, never lost his cool — at least in public — and never interrupted someone. Porter would wait his turn, then speak about his project. “He didn’t need a PR firm,” says J.D. Porter. “He didn’t need someone to tell him what to say. He just followed his gut.” Read more: HERE //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Don Porter’s vision for Wiregrass Ranch area lives on by the Laker By B.C. Manion Don Porter, whose vision helped transform ranch land into an urban center in Wesley Chapel, has died. He was 73. Porter’s family, which owns the sprawling Wiregrass Ranch, sold the land that is now occupied by The Shops at Wiregrass and Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel. The family also donated 60 acres of land for Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, which now occupies about 6 acres of that land. There’s also a high school in the community named after the Porter’s Wiregrass Ranch. While Porter had a hand in projects of a regional scale, that is not what meant the most to him, said his son, J.D. Porter. “Out of all of the accomplishments, I think the thing that he was most proud of was his family,” he said. “He wanted to see everyone do well.” Pasco County commissioner Pat Mulieri recalls when her colleagues were considering approval of The Shops at Wiregrass. She and Commissioner Jack Mariano supported the request, but they needed a third vote, which came from Commission Ted Schrader. “I believe that Don’s generous spirit and clear vision made a difference in the Wesley Chapel area, and set the tone for all future development there,” Mulieri said. “Don will be missed. He was a good steward of the land and a southern gentleman.” Read more: HERE
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