In a recent interview, Wiregrass Ranch pioneer family, The Porter’s revealed a unique look into the history of Wiregrass Ranch and the vision for its future. Discover what makes Wiregrass Ranch the true heart of Wesley Chapel and how it lives up to a community for generations to thrive.
Q: What is your favorite aspect of your family’s original vision for Wiregrass Ranch
A: One of our favorite aspects is the new generation of Wiregrass Ranch and how services and conveniences that never existed are now readily available in the community. We’ve been very thoughtful about bringing value to the community and basically bridging the gap between being a rural community with strong family values and also have everything within walking distance. Plus, as the ranch grows, a lot of the themes of the natural environment are supporting the authentic ranch feel.
Q: What are one or two fun or quirky things people wouldn’t expect to know about the Porter family history at Wiregrass Ranch?
A: So much of our own family experiences helped build the vision for Wiregrass Ranch. Right before we were born our mom registered to be an EMT. She did that because she was worried there were no medical facilities around. She would have handle any emergencies herself.
We often transplant trees and replant them in buffers and even within the community. Our family at one point tried growing Christmas trees and some of these old ranch trees can be seen in The Ridge neighborhood.
Another fun little fact about the community’s history is there were no fences up until the late 50’s/early 60’s. Cattle families at that time would help each other move their herds across county lines when needed. It was a real community, everyone looked out for each other and some of those families are still prominent leaders in the area today.
Q: What is it about Wiregrass Ranch that makes it such a special place to live?
A: We are hoping Wiregrass Ranch becomes the true meaning of “live, work, and play”. We had schools and malls before we even had residents. We have been trying to reverse engineer a little town since day one. There’s always something new coming to the community to make it the core of Wesley Chapel. There are so many great communities in Wesley Chapel but the next big thing will surely be at Wiregrass Ranch. The growth and commitment to delivering the very best for the community is what helps improve the quality of life for everyone here.
A focus on preserving some of the historic land and offering the best quality healthcare and best quality education is key. Healthcare and education are strong pillars of this community and we wanted to keep building on those values. So now, mom doesn’t have to take a bus to travel far for a good school or have EMT training before giving birth. All communities have some of aspect of healthcare and education, but they hardly ever have it all.
Q: What does the community of Wiregrass Ranch mean to you?
A: It’s a sense of pride and stewardship, it’s nice to drive through and see it from a different perspective because you know the history and the stories attached to places, but you can also see the change and growth. It’s not just what we wanted to do, it’s what was needed to help the community. There’s that sense of responsibility that the people investing in the community and in us are given the best community. We want to continue to get better, we know what started with our grandparents and their kids and now with us will live on, after this generation “Wiregrass” will always be at this ranch.
Q: Did you ever think Wiregrass Ranch would grow to be such a diverse and vibrant community?
A: Failure has never been an option in our family. Whether you’re raising cattle or growing citrus, we leave it all on the table. When we made the decisions to make it into a community of this scale it was on us to pick the right people and decide on the next big things to focus on. This is not how a normal development is done, this is a family who is passionate about making something great.
Q: What do you think is the Wiregrass Ranch vision for the future
A: More stewardship of the land, something the family can be proud of and the next sets of generations can love. We want to continue to deliver a quality, sustainable project that grows with the residents and evolves into a vibrant community instead of a working ranch. Especially since there is still a working ranch in parts of the community.
Q: What does it mean to you to be part of the Porter family?
A: This ranch has succeeded because of the base core of the family. Everyone we bring into this development is someone we think will last for a legacy. I think that it means recognizing others’ strengths and weaknesses, we’re in this together. Nobody in the family benefits more than others. At the end of the day there is a familial duty to each other to do the right thing for everyone.
It means being part of something bigger than yourself and bigger than any part of the family as well. It goes back to the legacy that was even here before we were. It means looking at future residents and businesses as part of our family as well. We always made decisions by factors bigger than ourselves.