TAMPA, Fla. – A suspected impaired driver smashed into a Northeast Tampa juice bar, leaving the business owner facing devastating structural damage and fighting to save her community gathering space.
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Giving back to the community
The backstory:
Shamica Ware spent the last five years building up Zing Juice Bar on North 40th Street. She says she gave up her dream of opening a hair salon after seeing a need for healthier food options in the community.
Courtesy: Shamica Ware
“Nutrition is everything, because there’s a lack of it,” Ware said, describing her mission to provide sustainable, healthy choices.
Ware says the juice bar became more than a business, it became a gathering place for customers who became like family.
Tampa police investigation
What we know:
Ware had left the business Thursday night, hours before Tampa police called her to report the crash. Investigators told her the vehicle appeared to fly through the air, cutting through trees before striking the building.
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Courtesy: Shamica Ware
When Ware arrived, she found the front door forced in, debris scattered across the property and major structural damage.
“I was numbed, because now what? Now what?” Ware said.
Repeat DUI arrest
The other side:
Tampa police arrested 32-year-old Andrew Mavros, and he faces DUI and driving with a suspended or revoked license charges.
According to arrest records, the crash happened nine days after Mavros bonded out of jail for another DUI-related case near I-275.
Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
Temporary trailer plan
What’s next:
The city hit the business with an order to vacate due to safety hazards, leaving Ware’s future uncertain. She is launching an effort to raise enough money to open a temporary trailer in the parking lot so she can continue serving her community.
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“I’m trying to still process it,” Ware said. “This is my livelihood.”
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