Steffany Rodriguez-Neely, Founder, The Tampa Bay Moms Group & TBMG Cares

Moms to Know: Steffany Rodriguez-Neely, Founder, The Tampa Bay Moms Group & TBMG Cares

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Mother’s Day is Steffany Rodriguez-Neely’s favorite holiday. Not only is the mother of six showered with love and gifts from her large brood, but she also gets a day off from laundry, cooking, running errands and managing the myriad activities in her color-coded family calendar. “Don't get me wrong, everyone in a family this size helps,” she says, “but it's the one day I do no planning or prepping and just get to enjoy being centered and spoiled all day long.” It’s a much-deserved break for the busy mother and head of the Tampa Bay Moms Group, a passion project that has grown beyond her wildest expectations.

 

Why did you start the Tampa Bay Moms Group?

Steffany Rodriguez-Neely: If I'm being totally honest, it was because I was lonely and needed to feel connected to others, especially moms. And I realized that if I felt that way, then others must as well.

 

How has it grown and changed since then?

Steffany Rodriguez-Neely: What started as a means of connecting in an online forum moved to in-person playdates and has now become the area's largest social and event site hosting some of the largest family events. Now we aren't just connecting moms, we are connecting families with each other, with local resources, businesses and also helping to connect our community. It's also provided the groundwork for our nonprofit TBMG Cares, which supports families in our community by providing resources and fulfilling immediate needs, as well as supporting other charity partners.

 

On top of all of that, you’re also the head of a very busy household. Tell us how you came to be a mother of six.

Steffany Rodriguez-Neely: I can tell you that wasn't entirely on purpose. I was happily raising my first child as a single mom. When she was 5, I met a wonderful man who had a 2-year-old son. We got married and had a daughter together. Several years later, our family decided to foster, and through that process, we adopted three more children. So now I have kids aged 26, 24, 18, 10, 7 and 1.

 

What would you like people to know about becoming foster or adoptive parents?

Steffany Rodriguez-Neely: While my family is proof that fostering can lead to adoption, adoption should honestly be a last resort for the child's best interest, and fostering should always focus on reunification whenever safe and possible. One thing I hear often is people being scared to foster because they worry about becoming attached and losing the child. I wish people would be more willing to risk their own heartbreak for these kids. These kids deserve so much love. Of all the kids I've fostered who have left me, each has taken a piece of my heart, but that's the amazing thing about loving kids. They can steal your heart, but as long as you keep loving, there's always more of your heart to give!

To learn about social and charity events, visit TampaBayMomsGroup.com

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Originally published in the May 2026 issue of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine