Work in Brandon but want to live near the Beach (Tampa: for rent, skatepark)

[KarGaro]

Hi everyone! My husband is considering taking a job with a government subcontractor and his office would most likely be in Brandon. We live in NJ now and both grew up here. For anyone familiar with NJ - we live at the "shore" - we are one town in from Belmar and my kids and I spend alot of time at the beach. It takes me less than 10 minutes to go from my driveway to the boardwalk in Belmar. Sooooooo I guess you can figure out that we want to be close to the beach - now realistically I'm not expecting to be 10 minutes but I don't want to be an hour or even 45 minutes.

Originally when this first was mentioned I thought his office was going to be right outside of MacDill and we were very interested in the Dunedin, Safety Harbor, Palm Harbor area. Then there was another office spot in the talks and we were thinking more towards Sarasota. OK - so now it looks like Brandon is it and when I look at it on google maps it looks pretty even between Brandon and Sarasota and Brandon and the Dunedin area. I have no idea how the traffic runs but I have read on these boards that it is horrific! Which would be a better commute for my husband - and yes I know that it is going to be a long one. I'm sure I will have alot more questions as things move along but this is the big one right now. Thanks!

Karen

[cmor]

I live in Apollo Beach and am just 2 exits south of Brandon (15 min) and about 2 miles from the Bay. It's great for boating .. or fishing... but we're still in Tampa Bay which is clayey and shelly ... not your typical waterfront.

Our favorite beaches to go to are in Bradenton by far (emerald green water, white soft sand), Fort Desoto (Southern tip of St. Petersburg via the Sunshine Skyway it is a seaweed and starfish kind of beach).. then Clearwater (touristy, softest white sand, clear water, playground, pier, free evening entertainment like fire-eaters and jugglers). All of those awesome public areas are a good hour from us.

Apollo Beach access which is only a bike ride away is way too shelly & shallow to swim in... plus there is a power plant in view. There are tons of homes on canals with boat access if that's what you're looking for. The closest place I'll take my kids to is E. G. Simmons Park (in Ruskin.. 10-15 min south of Apollo Beach) has nice beach where it looks like they brought in sand for the beach area. Ruskin is right at the crux where Tampa Bay melds into the Gulf... it's more affordable beach front than Apollo Beach because it's further from Tampa (and the coastline is nicer too). I had some friends that just bought a house in the Mira Bay subdivision in Ruskin.. and love it. It's a little more rural than the Tampa area except probably for those pockets of new development.

Otherwise, Condo's in downtown..Hyde Park, Davis Island, in those areas he'll be commuting against traffic so his (would be) 30 min commute should be a little less. Downtown is fairly family friendly, but it's not a pack up the beachbag with the kids kind of area. It's got a riverwalk (sorry no boardwalk), Aquarium and a Childrens Musuem that is coming soon to name a few things. There's very little public access to the water up there.

There's also some great rivers and springs in Brandon area. Fishhawk Ranch is close to Brandon and there are a lot of people who love it so much they drive an hour or more each day just to live there. It's pedestrian friendly...it's got it's own special shops integrated into the neighborhood.. for the kids it even has a communtiy skatepark and you should see their pool... it is kind of isolated out by Lithia Springs and the Alafia river which is a beautiful area if you're up for shade trees and cold clear springs.

I think 30 minutes from public access to white sand and some waves is going to be stretch (that is if you can't afford beachfront.. altough I've seen townhomes for rent in Apollo Beach as low as $1600 for 2 bdrms on the water). Apollo Beach, Ruskin (E.G. Simmons might be good enough for you, idk). The Bradenton area has the best beaches by far in my opinion and it's only about 80 min from Brandon.

[debidibly]

KarGaro, I'm originally from Philly and OCNJ was my spot every weekend of my life until moving here. You won't find boardwalks here and the sand is different - I laugh when people complain of it being shelly in some areas. I still find it softer than most of the beaches on the north eastern seaboard. There are MANY beaches from the minute to the large resort style beach. I live within 5 minutes of a very small beach that I frequent in the fall and winter. In the summer I find I like more wave action and go further south to Clearwater Beach which is by far my favorite - still, no wave action in comparison to the Jersey shore. I have the option of many more along the way to Clearwater but I personally prefer that one. It depends what you are looking for. Just keep in mind that they are different than you might be accustomed.

Distance from the beach will depend upon how much you want to spend and what type of home you want to live in. As for traffic. I think that's subjective. I'm used to the Schulkill Expressway traffic and I've never seen anything like that here. To me it's an apples and oranges comparison.

I would recommend you visit and travel the roads in rush hour traffic. I would aso strongly suggest you rent first. A lot of folks move here and within three years find that they miss the seasons, family, etc. and try to move back.

It is really great to be able to experience the beach pretty much year round here! Good luck!