Apollo Beach, Florida
Encyclopedia
Apollo Beach is an unincorporated census-designated place
in Hillsborough County
, Florida
, United States
. The population was 14,055 at the 2010 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the community has a total area of 5.9 square miles (15.3 km²), of which, 5.7 square miles (14.8 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (3.56%) is water.
, and 2% from two or more races.
There were 5,886 households out of which 27% had children under the age of 18 living with them, and 63% were married couples
living together, both higher than the state average.
Source: The United States Census Bureau
and low-elevation and was considered uninhabitable.
In the 1930's Paul Dickman conceived the idea of a waterfront community. He felt the location ideally located approximately equal distance between Tampa
and Bradenton
along U.S. Highway 41.
The Dickmans secured the services of an engineering firm in Miami, called "Radar Engineering" to design a subdivision including roads, canals, schools, recreation areas, and community services.
In the early 1950s Mr. Dickman negotiated the sale of the land to three gentlemen from New York: Turner, Dean and Clark. They named the land "Tampa Beach", believing the association with Tampa would attract interested persons more readily than a name which did not properly locate the area geographically.
Construction began on the Flamingo Canal near U.S. Highway 41, and proceeded toward Fairway Boulevard. It was their intention to extend the canal to Tampa Bay
so as to achieve access to open water. The task became too large for the amount of capital they had invested and for the abilities of the persons involved and in 1956 they notified Mr. Dickman they could not go through with the project.
In 1957, Francis Corr, a retired businessman from Michigan, purchased the land. Mr. Corr renamed the area La Vida Beach. Legend has it that in 1958 Corr's wife Dorothy suggested a new name, Apollo Beach, for the area's greatest benefit: sunshine. Locals say the name was also inspired by the US space program that was becoming popular in Florida at that time. Mr. Corr started construction of 50 homes in the area between U.S. Highway 41 and Golf & Sea Boulevard.
In early 1958, Mr. Corr reached an agreement with Robert E. Lee, a South Carolina contractor, to join in the development. Robert E. Lee was to continue the dredging of canals and in exchange, was to receive parcels of land.
In the early 1960s, Francis Corr sold his company and the Apollo Beach land to a Miami Company known as Flora Sun Corporation. Flora Sun sold some of the land on the northern end to Tampa Electric Company for a power plant site on the land's northern boarder which is now the Big Bend power plant
. Flora Sun failed in its obligations in the purchase of the land from the Corr family and about seven years later the family got the land back out of bankruptcy court.
In the mid-1960s, Francis Corr's son, Thomas, moved his young family to the area to continue work on the Apollo Beach project. Unfortunately, while the land was in bankruptcy proceedings from Flora Sun, the dredge and fill permits required to construct the canal system expired.
The Corr family continued to struggle with the development over the years, facing regulatory hurdles and tightening growth policy in Florida with the passage of the growth management act in 1972 and expanded policies in 1984.
Thomas Corr continued to develop the community and donated land for parks and schools and preserving hundreds of acres of mangrove swamps and environmental areas. He started a community bank, a chamber of commerce, civic clubs and festivals. Thomas Corr died in 1998. In 2006, Hillsborough County honored the work of Thomas Corr by naming the new elementary school on Big Bend Road the Thomas P. Corr Elementary School.
Today Apollo Beach is a thriving waterfront community with year-round boating, fishing, and other water activities. The estimated 55 miles of canals lead to Tampa Bay
and the Gulf of Mexico
via underpass of the Sunshine Skyway bridge.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
in Hillsborough County
Hillsborough County, Florida
As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 14,055 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Apollo Beach is located at 27°46′19"N 82°24′39"W (27.771988, -82.410780).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the community has a total area of 5.9 square miles (15.3 km²), of which, 5.7 square miles (14.8 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (3.56%) is water.
Demographics
As of the 2010 census, there were 14,701 people in Apollo Beach and 5,886 households, a nearly 75% increase in both from the 2000 census. New families came in with new construction driving up the 5 years and under population by over 150%. The racial makeup of the community was 87% White, 6% African American, 0% Native American, 2% Asian, 3% from other racesRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2% from two or more races.
There were 5,886 households out of which 27% had children under the age of 18 living with them, and 63% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, both higher than the state average.
Population history of Apollo Beach
- 1970...1,042
- 1980...4,014
- 1990...6,025
- 2000...7,444
- 2010..14,055
Source: The United States Census Bureau
History
The history of Apollo Beach started in 1923 on land owned by the Dickman Family that was used annually for farming and grazing pasture. Much of the land was mangroveMangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
and low-elevation and was considered uninhabitable.
In the 1930's Paul Dickman conceived the idea of a waterfront community. He felt the location ideally located approximately equal distance between Tampa
Tâmpa
Tâmpa may refer to several villages in Romania:* Tâmpa, a village in Băcia Commune, Hunedoara County* Tâmpa, a village in Miercurea Nirajului, Mureş County* Tâmpa, a mountain in Braşov city...
and Bradenton
Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's 2007 population to be 53,471. Bradenton is the largest Principal City of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2007 estimated population of 682,833...
along U.S. Highway 41.
The Dickmans secured the services of an engineering firm in Miami, called "Radar Engineering" to design a subdivision including roads, canals, schools, recreation areas, and community services.
In the early 1950s Mr. Dickman negotiated the sale of the land to three gentlemen from New York: Turner, Dean and Clark. They named the land "Tampa Beach", believing the association with Tampa would attract interested persons more readily than a name which did not properly locate the area geographically.
Construction began on the Flamingo Canal near U.S. Highway 41, and proceeded toward Fairway Boulevard. It was their intention to extend the canal to Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay."Tampa Bay" is not the name of any municipality...
so as to achieve access to open water. The task became too large for the amount of capital they had invested and for the abilities of the persons involved and in 1956 they notified Mr. Dickman they could not go through with the project.
In 1957, Francis Corr, a retired businessman from Michigan, purchased the land. Mr. Corr renamed the area La Vida Beach. Legend has it that in 1958 Corr's wife Dorothy suggested a new name, Apollo Beach, for the area's greatest benefit: sunshine. Locals say the name was also inspired by the US space program that was becoming popular in Florida at that time. Mr. Corr started construction of 50 homes in the area between U.S. Highway 41 and Golf & Sea Boulevard.
In early 1958, Mr. Corr reached an agreement with Robert E. Lee, a South Carolina contractor, to join in the development. Robert E. Lee was to continue the dredging of canals and in exchange, was to receive parcels of land.
In the early 1960s, Francis Corr sold his company and the Apollo Beach land to a Miami Company known as Flora Sun Corporation. Flora Sun sold some of the land on the northern end to Tampa Electric Company for a power plant site on the land's northern boarder which is now the Big Bend power plant
Big Bend Power Station
Big Bend Power Station is a major coal-fired power plant, located across the bay from Tampa, Florida on nearly in southeastern Hillsborough County, close to Apollo Beach. It is owned and operated by TECO Energy...
. Flora Sun failed in its obligations in the purchase of the land from the Corr family and about seven years later the family got the land back out of bankruptcy court.
In the mid-1960s, Francis Corr's son, Thomas, moved his young family to the area to continue work on the Apollo Beach project. Unfortunately, while the land was in bankruptcy proceedings from Flora Sun, the dredge and fill permits required to construct the canal system expired.
The Corr family continued to struggle with the development over the years, facing regulatory hurdles and tightening growth policy in Florida with the passage of the growth management act in 1972 and expanded policies in 1984.
Thomas Corr continued to develop the community and donated land for parks and schools and preserving hundreds of acres of mangrove swamps and environmental areas. He started a community bank, a chamber of commerce, civic clubs and festivals. Thomas Corr died in 1998. In 2006, Hillsborough County honored the work of Thomas Corr by naming the new elementary school on Big Bend Road the Thomas P. Corr Elementary School.
Today Apollo Beach is a thriving waterfront community with year-round boating, fishing, and other water activities. The estimated 55 miles of canals lead to Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay."Tampa Bay" is not the name of any municipality...
and the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
via underpass of the Sunshine Skyway bridge.
Notable people
- Tessa LudwickTessa LudwickTessa Ludwick is a Korean American actress from Apollo Beach, Florida. She began acting at age five, when she held a lead role in Allegra's Window, a Nick Jr. children's television program show taped at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida...
, an actress who attended first grade at Apollo Beach Elementary in September 1994 - Debra LafaveDebra LafaveDebra Jean Beasley, better known under her former married name of Debra Lafave, is a former teacher at Angelo L. Greco Middle School in Temple Terrace, Florida. She pleaded guilty in 2005 to...
, teacher who pleaded guilty to Lewd or Lascivious Battery after having sex with a 14-year-old student.