Apollo Beach, Florida

Apollo Beach es un lugar designado por el censo que no está incorporado dentro del condado de Hillsborough , Florida , Estados Unidos. Según el censo de 2020 , Apollo Beach tenía una población de 26.002 habitantes. ^{[ 4 ]}

Apollo Beach se encuentra en el sur del condado de Hillsborough y limita al norte con Gibsonton , al noreste con Riverview , al este con Balm , al sureste con Sun City Center , al sur con Ruskin y al oeste con la bahía de Tampa . La comunidad no incorporada de North Ruskin se ubica en la parte norte del área designada para el censo (CDP). La Ruta 41 de los Estados Unidos cruza el centro del CDP, y la Interestatal 75 pasa por la parte este, con acceso desde la salida 246 en el extremo norte del CDP. El centro de Tampa está a 27 km al norte y Bradenton a 40 km al sur.  

Según la Oficina del Censo de los Estados Unidos , Apollo Beach CDP tiene un área total de 22,3 millas cuadradas (57,7 km² ⁾ , de las cuales 19,8 millas cuadradas (51,4 km² ⁾ son tierra y 2,4 millas cuadradas (6,3 km² ⁾ , o el 10,97%, son agua. ^{[ 5 ]}   

La historia de Apollo Beach comenzó en 1923 en terrenos propiedad de la familia Dickman, que entonces se utilizaban anualmente para la agricultura y el pastoreo. Gran parte del terreno era manglar y de baja altitud, y se consideraba inhabitable.

En la década de 1930, Paul Dickman concibió la idea de una comunidad costera. Consideraba que la ubicación era ideal, equidistante entre Tampa y Bradenton a lo largo de la Ruta 41 de los Estados Unidos .

Los Dickman contrataron los servicios de Radar Engineering de Miami para diseñar una urbanización que incluyera carreteras, canales, escuelas, zonas recreativas y servicios comunitarios.

A principios de la década de 1950, Dickman negoció la venta del terreno a tres hombres de Nueva York: Turner, Dean y Clark. Bautizaron el terreno como "Tampa Beach", creyendo que la asociación con Tampa atraería a personas interesadas con mayor facilidad que un nombre que no ubicara correctamente la zona geográficamente.

Construction began on the Flamingo Canal near U.S. 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 Dickman they could not go through with the project.

In 1957, Francis Corr, a retired businessman from Michigan, purchased the land. 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.^[11] Mr. Corr started construction of 50 homes in the area between U.S. 41 and Golf & Sea Boulevard.

In early 1958, Corr reached an agreement with Robert E. Lee, a South Carolina contractor, to join in the development. 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 the Tampa Electric Company for a power plant site on the land's northern border, which is now the Big Bend Power Station. 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, Corr's son Thomas moved his young family to the area to continue work on the Apollo Beach project; however, 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.^[12] 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.^[13]

Today Apollo Beach is a thriving waterfront community with year-round boating, fishing, and other water activities. The estimated 55 miles (89 km) of canals lead to Tampa Bay.

The schools that serve Apollo Beach are:

• Escuela primaria Apollo Beach
• Escuela Primaria Inez Doby
• Escuela autónoma Waterset (de kínder a octavo grado)
• Escuela Secundaria Eisenhower
• Escuela secundaria de East Bay
• Academia de Innovación Dorothy C. York
• ¡SLAM! Apollo Beach (desde preescolar hasta el último año de secundaria a partir de enero de 2026)

Apollo Beach es famosa por la central eléctrica de Big Bend, que abastece de energía a la zona de la bahía de Tampa. La central es visible desde toda la bahía de Tampa, y especialmente desde Apollo Beach.

• Nick Carter , cantautor y actor, creció en Apollo Beach ^{[ 14 ].}
• Debra Lafave , maestra que se declaró culpable de agresión lasciva o indecente ^{[ 15 ]}
• Tessa Ludwick , actriz, asistió al primer grado en la escuela primaria Apollo Beach ^{[ 16 ]}