Just moved into Ruskin/Apollo Beach Area.. (houses, property taxes)

[BucFan]

Originally Posted by JSnFla

the golf course is off suncity center blvd to the north off the road that passes by the motel before 75....maybe cypress crk blvd, not sure...i am ironically moving to sun city center from south florida, only 30, gonna stay in my parents vacant home til i find a job then move....could be the youngest person for miles...anyhow 301 is crazy. big bend crazy...if all those proposed condos/homes go up along 301 they will have to widen the road...where is the mall going to be?

It looks like the whole area of Cypress Creek is getting busy with development. Noticed that Cypress Creek Blvd will be a main thoroughfare for other developments north of SSC. I always wondered why that area would get a Home Depot. Now I know - more people living in the area.

For restaurants - got to just drive up to Brandon and you'll find almost whatever restaurant you want.

[BucFan]

Any new Cypress Creek residents who like to golf, I just e-mailed the Director of Golf to find out their annual green fee rates. They have no annual fee offerings. They are a pay as you play GC. Fees are $50-60/round. Ouch! Sure in the Summer you may find a cheaper deal (due to the heat), but that in itself will probably keep me from finding a place in that area until they change that.

[MarketingGuy]

Just to update.. Love my home and neighborhood.. very quiet, very peaceful. Love the sky at night.

Just hating how far everything is. Very annoyed that I have to drive to Brandon to do just about everything, include get good coffee, since Sumatra closes early in the evenings. I have a feeling it'll be this way until the mall breaks ground sometime this year.

[Newtonjack]

Originally Posted by ma_denicourt

I forgot to mention that yes, we could use more hairstylists. We already have a few of the in-out hairshops + 1 nice hair & spa that just opened. I'm in the process of opening a store. Still working on the location but the wateside shops (behind Sonic's) are very cute and have a fun and different look to them.

Here are some info you might find helpful if you start your own business ( provided by the apollo beach chamber of commerce ):

median age is between 39-47 (there's 2 calculations)
2006 median income was $47,349
2006 average Household Income $62,060
Population making over $50,000 a year: $49.87% but most people making between $50-$100K

age 0-17 : 23.99%
age 18-24 : 9.04%
AGE 25-39: 16.24%
age 40-49: 15.78%
age 50-59: 14.98%
age 60-64 : 6.20%
age 65+ : 13.77%

That said, Florida's demographics are changing greatly, new schools are being built, etc..

These numbers are calculated from a 3mile radius from covington garden street ( entrance of the covington park community). Because Apollo Beach has been growing so fast, there's no way you can rely on the 2000 census, so this is really the most recent information I've been able to find, but they are encouraging!!!

The other thing I like about Apollo Beach, it's a very nice place to raise a family. I'm 36 with no kids, but we have a new school and the streets are filled with children and people pay extra attention to their security.Sun City Center's residents are generally older than AB's. Ruskin;s downtown looks like crap but because of Little Harbor's, Mira Largo, Mira Bay and Harbour Isles, I believe it will change within a few years.

As for Gibsonton, well, I don't know. It is pretty poor and has a high crime rate, unlike Apollo Beach. Every week, in our local paper, you have the list of the newly convicted criminals and wht their offense is.

I feel bad for the person that wrote how much they hated AB's but since then, it changed dramatically ( but the Chimney's are still there ).

I am from NY and am looking at houses in Covington Park but am concerned about a mega mall being built right next door, what do you think?

[nitokenshi]

I think its good I lived in Covington park and like everyone said the closest place to anything is Brandon which is 25+ mins away. For a late night quick eat the only option is mcdonalds,sonics or getting on the highway and go to gibsonton.

[Newtonjack]

Originally Posted by nitokenshi

I think its good I lived in Covington park and like everyone said the closest place to anything is Brandon which is 25+ mins away. For a late night quick eat the only option is mcdonalds,sonics or getting on the highway and go to gibsonton.

Thanks, what is it like in Covington Park? Yhe houses I look at on the net look real nice, are the restrictions enforced? I have noticed the prices for houses there fall about 30-40% in last 2 years.

[Newtonjack]

I saw something that there was a vote in last months primaries to limit property taxes, did that pass?

[TampaKaren]

Originally Posted by Newtonjack

I saw something that there was a vote in last months primaries to limit property taxes, did that pass?

Amendment 1 passed by 64% to 36%. It will help some, but we still have a way to go. You can read the text of the amendment here --> Vote Smart Florida

[nitokenshi]

Originally Posted by Newtonjack

Thanks, what is it like in Covington Park? Yhe houses I look at on the net look real nice, are the restrictions enforced? I have noticed the prices for houses there fall about 30-40% in last 2 years.

Yes the houses are nice and house prices have dropped all over it is not just here. It is truely a buyers market. The HOA seems to get on certain peoples cases and leave others alone. For example everyone parks their car out on the street I have even seen boats parked out on the side of the road. They clearly do not get bugged since they keep on doing it. But when I did it once I got a ticket. Also they hassled my sis (who I was living with) because her lawn was dead during the dry season.

When it comes to crime someone broke my sisters window and the police did nothing about it. Also there has been a murder. The guy killed the entire family burnt the house down and shot himself. I am not sure if it was in that order or not. So make sure you do not get that house. There is a sex offender here even though there is a school right inside of the community. Also I read about some robberies here and there in the community paper.

It seems safer now though because of the increased police presence and security. Funny thing is tons of police officers live in the community but I guess they do not feel like doing anything on their off days.

[Newtonjack]

Originally Posted by TampaKaren

Amendment 1 passed by 64% to 36%. It will help some, but we still have a way to go. You can read the text of the amendment here --> Vote Smart Florida

Still have a way to go? I was just hoping they dont go up any more. I see 300K houses in Apollo Beach that pay 5K a year which isnt that bad compared to here in NY. You would pay 18K here on a 300K house.

I have seen the dangers of gradually increasing property taxes over 3 decades and the destruction it has done to the local ecomomy. Property taxes are a bad way to get money from people and I am happy that FL is trying to get a handle on it before its too late.