Apollo Beach is an unincorporated waterfront community on the east shore of Tampa Bay in southern Hillsborough County, about 17 miles south of downtown Tampa. Developer Francis Corr named it in 1958, and the finger canals his family dredged now total about 55 miles with access to the bay. The 2020 census counted 26,002 residents in the Apollo Beach census-designated place.
Apollo Beach is one of the neighborhoods in Tampa.
Apollo Beach is an unincorporated waterfront community in southern Hillsborough County, Florida, on the east shore of Tampa Bay about 17 miles south of downtown Tampa. Developer Francis Corr named it in 1958, and the finger canals his family dredged now total about 55 miles with access to the bay. The 2020 census counted 26,002 residents in the Apollo Beach census-designated place. Shane Vanderson works with buyers and sellers of canal-front and waterfront homes in Apollo Beach from Engel & Völkers South Tampa.
Living in Apollo Beach
Apollo Beach was undeveloped shoreline owned by the Dickman family until Michigan developer Francis Corr bought the land in 1957 and named it the next year. Corr and later his sons dredged finger canals and used the fill to raise home sites, a pattern that now gives the community about 55 miles of navigable canals with boat access to Tampa Bay. U.S. 41 runs through the middle and Interstate 75 runs along the east side, with Big Bend Road (Exit 246) as the main connection. Tampa Electric’s Big Bend Power Station sits at the south end; its Manatee Viewing Center and The Florida Aquarium’s conservation campus are part of the Florida Conservation and Technology Center, open to the public from November 1 to April 15. The 63-acre Apollo Beach Nature Preserve on Surfside Boulevard has a small sand beach and a 37-foot observation tower with views across the bay.
The Apollo Beach market
Value in Apollo Beach follows the water. Homes in the original Corr canal subdivisions, platted from 1958 on, sell on canal width and depth, the route and time to open bay, dock and lift, seawall condition, and elevation. MiraBay, a gated master-planned community built from the early 2000s around a lagoon and saltwater canals, adds newer homes with HOA dues and Harbor Bay Community Development District assessments. Inland subdivisions toward I-75 carry newer construction without water frontage, often with HOA and CDD costs. Apollo Beach took storm surge from Hurricane Helene in September 2024, so the flood zone, finished-floor elevation, flood insurance history, and any post-storm repair or substantial-improvement permits are part of every waterfront purchase. Riverview sits inland to the northeast, and the waterfront neighborhoods of South Tampa across the bay are the usual comparison for buyers weighing boat access against commute.
Boundaries
The Apollo Beach census-designated place lies on the east shore of Tampa Bay in southern Hillsborough County, ZIP 33572. Tampa Bay forms the west edge, Gibsonton is to the north, Ruskin is to the south, and Interstate 75 runs along the east side, with Riverview and Sun City Center inland beyond it. U.S. 41 runs north and south through the community; Big Bend Road and Apollo Beach Boulevard run east and west.
Homes in Apollo Beach
Three patterns. The original Corr canal subdivisions, platted from 1958 on, hold single-family homes from the 1960s through new rebuilds on finger lots with docks, lifts, and seawalls, plus a few older waterfront condominium buildings. MiraBay, a gated master-planned community begun in the early 2000s, has homes on a central lagoon, saltwater canals, and preserve lots, with HOA dues and Harbor Bay Community Development District assessments. Newer subdivisions toward I-75 offer inland single-family homes and townhomes, many with HOA and CDD costs.
Nearby amenities
Apollo Beach Nature Preserve, a 63-acre Hillsborough County preserve on Surfside Boulevard with a 2-acre sand beach (no swimming) and a 37-foot observation tower; the Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Center and The Florida Aquarium conservation campus at the Florida Conservation and Technology Center, open November 1 to April 15; Wolf Branch Creek Nature Preserve to the south; boat access to Tampa Bay through the canal system; St. Joseph’s Hospital-South on Big Bend Road in Riverview; Interstate 75 at Big Bend Road (Exit 246); Downtown Tampa, typically 25 to 35 minutes; MacDill Air Force Base and Tampa International Airport, each typically 30 to 40 minutes.
Newest listings in Apollo Beach
Frequently asked questions
Do Apollo Beach canal homes have boat access to Tampa Bay?
Most canal-front homes in the original Corr subdivisions and in MiraBay can reach Tampa Bay by boat, but access is not the same everywhere. Canal width, depth at low tide, the route to open water, and dock and lift rights differ by street and by lot. Confirm the route, depth, and dock permits for the specific address before you write an offer.
Did Apollo Beach flood in the 2024 hurricanes?
Yes. Storm surge from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 flooded homes and streets in Apollo Beach and neighboring Ruskin, and Hurricane Milton followed two weeks later. Flood exposure varies by elevation, construction date, and whether a home was raised or rebuilt to current code. Ask for the elevation certificate, the flood insurance history, and any post-storm repair or substantial-improvement permits.
Is Apollo Beach in the City of Tampa?
No. Apollo Beach is unincorporated Hillsborough County, so the county handles zoning, permits, and code enforcement, and property taxes carry no city millage. Mailing addresses use Apollo Beach and ZIP 33572.
