Let Tampa Bay Limousine Chauffeur You In Style!
This story originally appeared in the Neighborhood News. Click to open publication.
When people think of special events like a wedding or a prom, hiring a limousine service is always a top priority. You want to arrive in style for the big event and ensure that everyone is treated like royalty. But, what about a limo service for just an evening out on the town? Or instead of schlepping to the airport economy parking lot, wouldn’t it be great to have a driver waiting there, just for you, after a long, tiring flight?
Tampa Bay Limousine, based in New Tampa and owned by Seven Oaks resident Rony Rodriguez, has just the right vehicle for any event or travel need you have. From a stretch Hummer limo to a Lincoln Town Car sedan, a Cadillac Escalade ESV or Suburban LT or larger passenger van, Tampa Bay Limousine has a vehicle that can pick you up on time, in style, and with the type of personalized service you will come to appreciate. (Click Here To See Our Actual Fleet)
A night out at the recent Tampa Bay Lightning playoff game is what inspired Land O’Lakes resident Lorie Fossa to call Tampa Bay Limousine.
“Hiring Rony made the entire experience very enjoyable and stress-free,” says Fossa. “He was absolutely awesome. Rony was prompt and the car was as clean as can be. We asked for the Escalade to make it a little easier to get around town. After the game, he was right out front waiting for us, and I felt like a celebrity. There was no wait, and it was wonderful. I always thought of limo services just for special events, but now we would use one for just dinners out in town.”
Rodriguez grew up in the Bronx, NY, and moved to Tampa to be closer to his family after they relocated here. He went to college in Long Island at the State University of New York at Farmingdale and worked in management in Radio Shack for 20 years. When Radio Shack wanted to move him to Raleigh, NC, Rony decided to leave the company and try a different career path.
He worked for another limousine company before venturing out on his own in 2008. “The company I worked for was going out of business and one of their major clients was the Saddlebrook Resort,” he says. “I knew a lot of clients there and still drive many of them today. A lot of my clients are from the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area, but I can drive people to and from all over the Tampa Bay area. I also have two full-time drivers and five part-time drivers. All of my staff drivers have their Public Vehicle License, which is a very extensive process that involves vehicle safety and background checks.”
He adds that one of the keys to his business is getting to know his clients. “A lot of limo company owners hire out all of their drivers, but I like to get to know my regular clients,” he says. “I make sure I know their likes and dislikes, their rhythm when arriving and departing from the airport, what kind of water they like to have in the car and what newspapers they read. I make sure I know where they want to be picked up at the airport and I’m always waiting where they want me to be when their flight arrives. It depends upon where you’re going or what you are doing, but each person is unique and has their own set of expectations.”
Because Rony is not part of a large company, he says he is able to keep his prices low.
“I can give my clients the same quality services as the big companies at a lesser price,” he says. “I also like to make sure I receive feedback from my clients to make sure everything is satisfactory. I will call them to ensure that they are happy with their service. For business people, it’s a service that efficiently gets you where you need to be on time and in comfort. And, for kids going to the prom, it’s creating a once-in-a-lifetime experience in a safe environment.”
Tampa Bay Limousine is open 24 hours a day.
“Our vehicles are cleaned and maintained daily,” says Rony, who is a member of the Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce and the Better Business Bureau. “That should be the norm for limo services, but sometimes it’s not. It’s important to me to maintain a clean image for the vehicle and my drivers. All of my drivers wear black suits, white shirts and ties.”
Felix Martinez, who lives in Sun City Center, says that because of his positive first experience, he is looking for the next reason to hire Rony and Tampa Bay Limousine.
“A group of colleagues and I decided to have a night out,” he says. “I looked at a number of limo services on-line and liked Rony’s website. At first, we thought we’d take a Lincoln Town Car, but Rony suggested the stretch limo, so that we would not have to have a passenger in the front seat and we could all sit together.”
He adds, “The first colleague he picked up lives all the way over in Clearwater. She told me she felt like a million dollars when he arrived and she was so pleased with his service that she put a compliment on his website. He was very attentive to our needs. He waited outside for us at the restaurant. I’m not even sure if he ate dinner or not, but he was right there when we wanted to go. The women all said what a gentleman he was. If it sounds like I am saying all good things about him it is because that is the experience we had with him.”
Tampa Bay Limousine is garaged northeast of the Tampa airport and downtown Tampa with depots throughout the area. The company serves not only New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, but also Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Brandon, Riverview, Lutz, Port Richey, Odessa, Zephyrhills, Dade City, Lakeland, Sarasota and Bradenton.
Tampa Bay Limousine was outstanding! Our driver, Alex, was an amazing part of our trip. He was punctual, arriving ten minutes before hand so we could pack the bus and leave right at out start time. Alex helped us with anything we needed including have the cooler packed with water when we arrived. The ride was smooth, we forgot we were on a bus, it was as if we were in a party room! When he picked us up from our destination, we found each other right away making it easy to leave on time. Before we arrived home, Alex brought us anywhere we needed to go in order to have everything we needed so we did not have to leave the house after getting home. We had such a wonderful trip thanks to Alex! We cannot wait for our next event!
I will hire this company again. I dealt with other limo companies but hands down this company has something special. Attention to detail, on time, very professional. Did not get the driver name but he was awesome. Very polite.
Thank you for the experience.