Navy guy moving the Central Command at the AFB (Tampa: renting, school)

[Toninole]

Hi all:
My husband and I are both from Plant City, but the last time we lived in central florida was over 18 years ago. We've been moving all over the country since then and are currently just outside of Seattle.

We are moving to Tampa (can anyone say full circle) and have a few concerns.

There are two major issues we have to deal with - 1) our teenage son (11th grade) needs a good school and 2) my husband's commute from the AFB in South Tampa needs to be less than 1/2 hour if possible.

We are considering either St Pete or Brandon/Riverview. We will only be renting so cost isn't such an issue.

The Brandon area LOOKS like it is the closest and most suburban (good for son), but I hear the traffic on the Selmon is horrible.

St Pete would be an awesome option, but I'm worried about flooding and commute time over the Gandy.

Any help you can provide would be much appreciated!

[Qacer]

I've driven thru the Selmon Expressway after 8:00AM and before 6:00AM. I didn't notice traffic to be that bad. Before 6:00AM, the expressway seems empty. After 8:00AM, there's a lot more cars, but not enough to cause bumper to bumper.

Before they added the second level, I would sometimes drive thru the expressway at 7:00AM. The cars were just backed up immediately after the main toll booth area near Brandon, but I think with the addition of the second level, this problem has been cut down.