Great Schools

One of the draws to the Lithia/Fishhawk

area are the great schools within the

area. FishHawk has three elementary,

two middle schools and a high school

within or along the boundaries of the

community.

There are also several great private

schools and daycares located inside of

the community boundaries. For more

on schools check out our school listing

later in this guide.

FishHawk is home to a large number of

members assigned to MacDill AFB in

Tampa, with estimates of as many as

twenty percent of residents as military

members or working at MacDill.

Hartline runs multiple bus lines from the

FishHawk sports complex directly to the

base daily. For more on the route

schedules go to GoHart.com and click

MAPS/Schedule and look for Fishhawk

under Commuter Express.

FishHawk-Lithia Relocation Guide Featuring communities in Lithia Florida 33547 – Hillsborough County

Published by Florida Gulf Coast Relocation Publications (FGCRC)

The areas of Lithia/Fishhawk are

located about a 30-40 minute drive

from downtown Tampa. Lithia is the

township area with FishHawk being an

unincorporated area within Lithia and

home to a group of developments with

roughly 4,600 homes and growing.

The largest of these planned

communities is FishHawk Ranch by

Newland Communities. FishHawk

began development in the „90s and

currently has approximately 3800

homes in several smaller communities.

Winning the designation of one of the

country‟s top “Green” communities

FishHawk boasts of “A” rated schools,

over 25 miles of paved trails, several

3 Developed Communities plus More…

great parks, 3 pool areas, tennis courts,

basketball, a skate park, a 40-acre

community ball and exercise park and

many more amenities.

FishHawk Trails is a separate

development nearly completed with

over 400 luxury homes and amenities

including a clubhouse and 6 miles of

natural paved trails.

Channing Park by Taylor Morrison

homes will have over 400 homes priced

competitively offering lower HOA and

CCD fees with amenities including

community clubhouse, poo, park, dog

park and located about a half mile

from Park Square in the center of

FishHawk Ranch.

What’s Inside…

Fishhawk History 2

FishHawk Ranch 2

Cardel Homes 3

Builders Directory 3

Channing Park 4

Fishhawk Trails 4

Local Shopping 4

Area Schools 5

Restaurants

& Entertainment

6

Traffic & Roads 7

5-Year Outlook 7

Places of Interest 7

Area Utilities 8

Business Directory 8

Quick Community Facts:

Located in Lithia Florida, Zip

code of 33547

Roughly 4,600 homes and

growing in 3 communities

Fishhawk Ranch has 25 miles of

paved trails and has been

voted a top “Green”

Community

“A” Rated Elementary, middle

& High schools

Located 35-40 minutes from

Tampa, 10-15 minutes to

Brandon

Published by Florida Gulf Coast Relocation Publications (FGCRP) ● Spring/Summer 2011 ● http://fgcrp.com/FishHawk

Ties to MacDill AFB

FishHawk Ranch by Newland Communities http://FishHawkRanch.com / http://FishHawkConnect.com

Of the FishHawk communities, FishHawk Ranch by Newland

Communities is by far the largest currently with 3800 homes

developed and an additional area which will contain 1400 homes

in development. An additional phase project, Circa FishHawk by

Newland is located adjacent to FishHawk Ranch and will be

developed in the future for homes and luxury apartments. Circa

FishHawk is currently the home to a new elementary school,

Stowers Elementary and a new Middle school, Barrington Middle

School. In addition Circa FishHawk is developing a commercial

area which now is home to Mosaic Phosphate corporate

headquarters ad a new child care/development center.

In FishHawk Ranch, the community has a strong reputation as a top

“Green” community, one of the largest in Florida and is known as a

“Family” Friendly community. There are currently three pool and

recreation/clubhouse areas in the community with the largest

being the Aquatic Center with a large kid-friendly splash pool,

waterfall and slide popular among this kids and an Olympic style

swim pool. The Osprey Club located in the western area of the

community provides community rooms, a kid‟s splash pool and a

large main pool, theater, a great exercise facility, tennis, basketball

and volleyball areas.

FishHawk Ranch also has two A-Rated elementary schools within

the community boundaries, Beavis Elementary and FishHawk

Elementary. The middle school for most of the community is Randall

Middle School located on FishHawk Blvd on the northern boundary

of FishHawk Ranch and is also an A-Rated school. Adjacent to

Randall Middle school is Newsome High School, and again another

A-Rated school.

The community is home to a 40-acre sports complex home to

Softball, Baseball, Football and Lacrosse teams. The Sports Complex

is also a Park and Ride location for Hart Line‟s Commuter Express

bus routes running between the FishHawk community and multiple

locations on MacDill AFB in Tampa. This bus operates 5 different

buses daily carrying may of FishHawk‟s military commuters to and

from work daily.

Park Square is FishHawk‟s own downtown. It is located adjacent to

FishHawk Creek Elementary and within a two minute walk to the

Aquatic Center. In Park Square businesses such as Park Square

Cellar and Bistro, a wine shop and very popular upper quality

restaurant, Fuhgidabowdit Pizza, Upstairs Pub, an Express YMCA, Art

Monkey Pottery, Julianne Dance Studio can be found. Park Square

is a popular weekend and evening hang out for many families who

sit and visit while the kids play in the fountain or on the park.

Page 2 Published by Florida Gulf Coast Relocation Publications (FGCRP) ● Spring/Summer 2011 ● http://fgcrp.com/FishHawk

FishHawk History in Brief

Fish Hawk is actually an unincorporated area in

Hillsborough County located in the community

of Lithia. According to the Census Bureau the

community is just over 16 square miles and is

currently occupied by the communities of

FishHawk Ranch developed by Newland

Communities and FishHawk Trails which was

developed separately.

Also in this area Is Channing Park, a Taylor

Morrison community which will contain over 400

homes bringing the total homes in the three

developments to about 4600 homes. Much of

the area also contains individual properties and

small ranches containing horse farms and

cattle.

Distances Around Tampa Bay

Below are the driving distances to several

locations in the Bay area. The FishHawk/Lithia

area is centrally located to a large number of

locations and yet out of the way from much of

the Bay area‟s congestion.

Community From Lithia

Brandon 10.4 Miles / 21mins

Brooksville 66.9 Miles / 80mins

Carrollwood 32.0 Miles / 54mins

Clearwater 45 Miles / 71mins

Dade City 39.1 Miles / 63mins

Dunedin 47.4 Miles / 73mins

Lakeland 25.8 Miles / 25.8mins

Land O'Lakes 37.9 Miles / 55mins

Largo 45.0 Miles / 70mins

Lutz 33.3 Miles / 53mins

MacDill AFB, Tampa 34.8 Miles / 58mins

New Port Richey 54.8 Miles / 82mins

New Tampa 27.5 Miles / 42mina

Oldsmar 38.1 Miles / 65mins

Palm Harbor 49.6 Miles / 77mins

Pinellas Park 40.4 Miles / 59mins

Plant City 14.5 Miles / 30mins

Riverview 10.5 Miles / 21mins

Saint Petersburg 42.3 Miles / 61mins

Spring Hill 65.7 Miles / 93mins

Tampa Downtown 23.0 Miles / 37mins

Tampa Palms 28.6 Miles / 47mins

Tarpon Springs 53.9 Miles / 81mins

Temple Terrace 22.5 Miles / 41mins

Westchase 38.1 Miles / 57mins

Westly Chapel 30.2 Miles / 47mins

Zephyrhills 29.6 Miles / 52mins

Models by the numbers

Cardel currently offers several models in the

communities in Lithia and Fishhawk Ranch.

Below is a summary of the models. More

information about each model can be found

Starling at Fishhawk

Avocet 2500 sq ft / 4 / 3 / 3

$296,990

Kingfisher 2357 sq ft / 4 / 2 / 3

$289,990

Milano 3010 sq ft / 4 / 2.5 / 2

$314,990

Salemo 2900 sq ft / 5 / 3.5 / 3

$299,990

Sandpiper 2439 sq ft / 4 / 2 / 3

$249,990

Egret Landing at Fishhawk

Iris 2332 sq ft / 3 / 2 / 2

$259,990

Lotus 2058 sq ft / 3 / 2.5 / 3

$224,990

Palmetto 2667 sq ft / 3 / 2.5 / 3

$289,990

Sawgrass 2415 sq ft / 3 / 2.5

$269,990

Garden District at Fishhawk

Sanibel 1908 sq ft / 3 / 2.5 / 0

$249,990

Coastal Point 1952 sq ft / 3 / 2.5 / 2

$269,990

Coastline 2849 sq ft / 3 / 2.5 / 2

$319,990

Seabrook 2745 sq ft / 3 / 2 / 2

$319,990

A full list of Cardel‟s home models can be

found online at http://CardekHomes.com.

Additional models are available

Cardel Homes is active in the following Tampa

Bay communities:

1. The Garden District in Fishhawk Ranch

2. Starling Ranch in Fishhawk Ranch

3. Egret Landing in Fishhawk Ranch

4. Hawk Creek Reserve in Lithia

5. Verandah Secluded Homes, Riverview

6. Mirabay, Apollo Beach

7. Lakewood Ranch,Manatee

8. Basset Creek, New Tampa

9. Country Walk, New Tampa

10. Long Leaf, New Port Richey

Published by Florida Gulf Coast Relocation Publications (FGCRP) ● Spring/Summer 2011 ● http://fgcrp.com/FishHawk

Page 3

Builder Profile: Cardel Homes http://CardelHomes.com

Cardel Homes is a national builder located in the US and Canada and is

currently working in several communities throughout Tampa Bay, 5 of

which are located in or near Lithia area communities. This builder has

been building since 1973 and begun by the husband and wife team of

Caryl and Del Ockey. Since this start almost 40 years ago they are now

located in both the USA and in Canada.

Building in 3 area communities

Cardel currently is building in the

communities of Fishhawk Ranch,

Verandah in Riverview, and in upscale

Hawk Creek reserve in South Lithia off

SR 39. Their offerings in price range

from the $200k and up offering a wide

variety of options. The communities

they are currently building in are

upscale quality neighborhoods for

custom homes.

Fishhawk Ranch Garden District

The Garden District is a throw-back

community in FishHawk Ranch with the

feel of a neighborhood from the 50‟s.

Homes are lined up along the streets, front porches and a place to say

hello to your neighbors. Garages are in the rears for most homes with

back alleys.

Starling at FishHawk

Starling is a community of larger homes that will reach up to 1400 homes.

Cardel is building 8 models of homes starting from the $240‟s. Amenities

being brought into Starling include Fishhawk‟s new Tennis club and a

new community pool. Most homes by Cardel in Starling include 3 car

garages ad are over 2400 square feet in size.

Egret Landing at FishHawk

This is a village of 46 homes located just outside of the downtown

Fishhawk Ranch communities. Homes in Egret Landing range from the

mid-220‟s.

Verandah – A 12 home-site community

Verandah is an upscale gated community comprised of 1 to 1.5 acre

wooded lots with 7 of the limited 12 lots on Lake Grady. The lake is 100

acres in size filled with fish and surrounded by wildlife. This community

offers a quiet and secluded location.

Hawk Creek – Exclusive upscale community

This community is an upscale community of 43 home sites of 1 acre

located in South Lithia. Custom homes in Hawk Creek will start from the

$400‟s.

Channing Park by Taylor Morrison Homes

http://TaylorMorrison.com

Channing Park is located in the Fishhawk/Lithia area just to the east of

FishHawk Ranch and will eventually be home to just over 400 homes.

Located just a short half mile from FishHawk Ranch‟s Park Square,

Channing Park is a community with several home styles developed

and built exclusively by Taylor Morrison homes. Home prices range

from $131,900 to about $240,000 offering a range of floor plans and

models up to almost 2,800 square feet.

Amenities in Channing Park include a clubhouse, dog park,

community pool, exercise facility and skate park. Located just outside

of FishHawk Ranch residents can enjoy the close proximity to retails

shops, restaurants and area amenities of FishHawk residents.

FishHawk Trails

http://FishHawkTrails.com

FishHawk Trails is located along Lithia Pinecrest road and is a gated

community of upper quality luxury homes priced from about 300k and

up. This is a medium sized community of homes built on larger lots on

445 acres originally developed by Shimberg Cross Company and

TECO Properties. Amenities in FishHawk Trails include a playground,

picnic pavilion and six miles of paved nature trails.

Fishhawk Trails has been mostly developed out with only a small

number of home sites still available through custom builders.

Local Shopping

Lithia is located about 8 miles from the Brandon/Valrico area which is

a major suburban area within Hillsborough County. Brandon and

Valrico are home to a large number of major shopping centers

including one of the Bay area‟s largest indoor shopping malls,

theaters, dozens of top restaurants and practically anything you could

imagine. The Brandon/Valrico community is home to over 100,000

persons.

More locally within the Litha/FishHawk area we have 2 major grocers

in two shopping centers and a number of smaller retails stores and

restaurants. The Fishhawk and Channing Park communities are

located about 10 minutes from (3) separate Wal-Mart stores in 3

different directions.

Publix Shopping center – Also home to a Sushi Restaurant, Family Dentist,

Verizon Wireless, and Ice Cream shop, two banks and several specialty stores

Published by Florida Gulf Coast Relocation Publications (FGCRP) ● Spring/Summer 2011 ● http://fgcrp.com/FishHawk

Page 4

Photos from around Fishhawk/Lithia

Fish Hawk Trails community entrance

FishHawk‟s Sports Complex in Lithia

Boardwalk trails in Fishhawk Ranch

Outback located in one of the Shopping Areas

Sunday Farmer‟s Market in Fishhawk‟s Park Square

Published by Florida Gulf Coast Relocation Publications (FGCRP) ● Spring/Summer 2011 ● http://fgcrp.com/FishHawk

Lithia/FishHawk Area Schools

Below are listed both public and private schools that service the immediate FishHawk/Lithia

area. This is not a complete list however does include schools that are in the immediate non-

rural areas of the major developments in the area including FishHawk Ranch, FishHawk Trails,

and Channing Park.

School Level Grades Rating

Creative World Day Care and VPK Day Care/VPK VPK NA http://creativeworldschool.com (813) 684-3777

Kids R Kids Day Care/VPK VPK NA http://krkvalrico.com (813) 741-9203

Fishhawk Creek Elementary Elementary K-5 10 http://fishhawkcreek.mysdhc.org/ (813) 651-2150

Bevis Elementary Elementary K-5 10 http://bevis.mysdhc.org/ (813) 740-4000

Lithia Springs Elementary http://lithiasprings.mysdhc.org/ (813) 744-8016

Elementary K-5 4

Stowers Elementary Elementary K-5 8* http://stowers.mysdhc.org/ (813) 657-7431

Pinecrest Elementary School Elementary K-5 5 http://pinecrest.mysdhc.org/ (813) 744-8164

Newsome High School High School 9th-12th 10 http://newsome.mysdhc.org/ (813) 740-4600

Randall Middle School Middle School 6th-8th 10 http://randall.mysdhc.org/ (813) 740-3900

Barrington Middle School Middle School 6th-8th 6* http://barrington.mysdhc.org/ (813) 657-7266

Kids Community College Private Varies NA http://kidscc.org (813) 662-5100

St. Stephen Catholic School Private K-8 NA http://StStephenCatholicSchool.org (813) 741-9203

Brandon Montessori Private K-3 NA http://brandonmontessori.com (813) 655-9300

Foundation Christian Academy Private K-12 NA http://foundationChristianAcademy.org (813) 654-2969

* Both Stowers Elementary and Barrington Middle are recently opened schools in

the new FishHawk CIRCA development area and serve students from Fishhawk

Ranch – Starling community and Channing Park

Page 5

Published by Florida Gulf Coast Relocation Publications (FGCRP) ● Spring/Summer 2011 ● http://fgcrp.com/FishHawk

Restaurants and Entertainment

Within the community of Lithia/FishHawk we have a number of

restaurants, mostly independent, within a 5 minute drive from home.

Chain restaurants within about 5 miles of our location include Outback

Steakhouse, Beef O‟Brady‟s, Chili‟s, Panera Bread, and Buffalo Wild

Wings. Smaller chains include McDonald‟s, Subway, Sonic, Taco Bell

and Hungry Howie‟s Pizza.

In the realm of great unique and independent restaurants we have a

nice selection. One of our top restaurants, Park Square Cellar and Bistro,

is located right in downtown Park Square in FishHawk. Fuhgidabowdit

Pizza also located in Park Square is a popular spot offering pizza and

Italian food right on the square. Upstairs is a pub located upstairs

offering music, light food, live entertainment on certain nights and a full

bar and in a great neighborhood pub atmosphere. Formaggio‟s is a

family owned Pizza and Italian restaurant located along Lithia-Pinecrest

with a great Italian menu and great food. If you like Sushi visit Tokyo

Japanese Steak House and Sushi on FishHawk Blvd. All of the restaurants

mentioned are located in the FishHawk/Lithia area with more that we

have not mentioned.

Traffic and Roads

The Lithia/Fishhawk area is rural and enjoys light traffic for the most part,

aside from normal congestion occurring around the local schools

during school hours. Only two main routes though can be used

traveling into Tampa. These are Lithia-Pinecrest to the north, or FishHawk

Blvd heading east. Both of these roads are bottlenecks during peak

traffic hours. Lithia-Pinecrest Road leading actually northeast is 2-lanes

and heads into Bloomingdale/Brandon areas. FishHawk Blvd heading

west is currently 2-lanes and a congested road during peak hours, but is

being widened into 4 lanes due to complete over summer 2011.

Fishhawk connects into Boyette Road which is also currently 2-lanes but

will not be finished with expansion until early 2014.

Commuting into Tampa during peak hours takes about 40 minutes, and

about 30 minutes during non-peak hours. Travelers can head east

along FishHawk Blvd/Boyette road until running into I-75. Taking I-75

north about 6 miles will connect commuters to the Selmon Crosstown

expressway allowing a rapid commute to or through downtown

Tampa. Commuters traveling to MacDill AFB should expect about a 45

minute commute using the Interstate and expressway. Traffic into the

base in the mornings however at the base entrance can take 20

minutes or more depending upon time.

For commuters heading to MacDill AFB, commuters can opt to take the

Hart Line Park and Ride bus from the FishHawk Sports Complex at one of

5 departures and enjoy the ride without the drive. For military personnel

free bus passes are available for base commuters.

Within an Hour of several destinations…

FishHawk/Lithia is located within about an

hour of many destinations. Though maybe

considered a bit remote, the area is actually

faster to reach many destinations by the

relatively close proximity to Interstates and

expressways putting most theme parks within

about an hour drive and beaches also within

about an hour.

Brandon Town Center Mall 12 Miles / 15 mins

Plant City Downtown 14 Miles / 20 mins

Tampa Downtown* 23 Miles / 30-40 mins

University of Tampa 23 Miles / 30-40 mins

Busch Gardens 24 Miles / 30-35 mins

University of South Florida 24 Miles / 30-35 mins

Sunshine Skyway / Beach 42 Miles / 45-50 mins

Clearwater Beach 44 Miles / 65 mins

Bradenton Beach 53 Miles / 75 mins

St. Petersburg Beach 58 Miles / 70 mins

Walt Disney World 62 Miles / 75 mins

* Tampa is about a 30-40 minute drive from

Fishhawk which references downtown Tampa

which includes several museums, the Channelside

entertainment district, University of Tampa and Ybor

City Entertainment District.

Congestion Points for the Lithia Commuter

Lithia is a great place to live for those wanting to be

in a good family environment and out of the

congestion. But like all areas, there are points of

congestion for commuters, and here they are:

Fishhawk and Boyette Roads These are currently 2-lane roads being expanded to

4 lanes between 2011 and 2014. During the

construction delays of 10-15 minutes will be felt by

commuters. Commuters can take Bell Shoals North

to Bloomingdale to avoid Boyette but congestion

from traffic around Bloomingdale can still bottle up

leaving the drive down Boyette likely the better

option. Travel during non-peak hours tends to run

smoothly.

Lithia-Pinecrest North into Brandon

Lithia Pinecrest bottles up in the mornings heading

north into the Brandon area. This occurs in the area

around River Hills and will move slowly until reaching

Bloomingdale Avenue where traffic begins to break

up. Lithia Pinecrest does not have any new road

widening plans coming up in the next few years.

Heading East towards Plant City or Lakeland.

If your commute takes you out East you are in luck.

The best commute is to take Lithia-Pinecrest

southeast to SR 39 and then north into Plant City. If

your drive is towards Lakeland you can take SR 60

east or continue north on SR 39 into Plant City or to

Interstate-4. Thanks to the rural nature you will see

little traffic heading into this direction.

Page 6

Published by Florida Gulf Coast Relocation Publications (FGCRP) ● Spring/Summer 2011 ● http://fgcrp.com/FishHawk

Page 7

Utility Services

Cable TV

Brighthouse Cable http://www.mybrighthouse.com/

813.684.6400

Verizon http://www22.verizon.com/

800.483.4000

Electric Service

Tampa Electric Company http://www.tampaelectric.com/

813.233.0800

Natural Gas/Propane

TECO/Peoples Gas http://www.peoplesgas.com/

813.275.3700

Country Side Propane, Inc. http://www.countrysidepropane.com/

813.752.6500

Internet Service

Brighthouse Cable http://www.mybrighthouse.com/

813.684.6400

Verizon http://www22.verizon.com/

800.483.4000

Telephone Service

Bright House Cable http://www.mybrighthouse.com/

813.684.6400

Verizon http://www22.verizon.com/

800.483.4000

Garbage

Republic Services / East Bay Sanitation http://republicservices.com/

813.248.6435

Plant City Water / Sewer / Trash http://www.plantcity.com/

813.757.9151

Water/Sewer

Hillsborough County Water http://hillsboroughcounty.org/water/

813.272.5977

Plant City Water / Sewer / Trash http://www.plantcity.com/

813.757.9151

A look at the area’s short term Future – Next 5 Years

Currently FishHawk Blvd is undergoing expansion from 2 lanes to 4 lanes

which is scheduled to be completed over the summer of 2011. Fishhawk

Blvd runs from Lithia Pinecrest in the east to the western point where it

becomes Boyette Road, another 2-lane road currently undergoing

expansion to be completed in 2014.

The development of FishHawk Ranch currently has about 4,000 homes

(Mid 2011) and will expand to around 5,500 homes. The Channing Park

community currently under 100 homes will expand to 404 homes. Circa

FishHawk by Newland Communities has been placed on the back

burner for development, however is tentatively moving forward with the

development in 2012 of up to 1800 new housing units made up of single-

family homes, apartments and townhomes. Though delayed for

residential development, Circa FishHawk has been in development with

new Elementary and Middle schools, as well as the new corporate

headquarters for Mosaic Phosphate. Additional commercial

development is currently in progress.

River Hills

Community Builders

Though in a recession, the development within

the FishHawk communities has continued

though at a slower pace. Several builders are

still currently actively building in the community

and are listed below.

Builder Price Low/High

Arthur Rutenberg Homes http://ArthurRutenbergHomes.com

Beazer Homes http://beazer.com

Cardel Homes http://CardelHomes.com

Centex Homes http://centex.com

David Weekley Homes http://dwhomes.com

D.R. Horton http://DRHorton.com

Hanna Bartoletta Homes http://HannaBartolettaHomes.com

Hyde Park Builders http://HydeParkBuilders.com

Homes by John C. Fowke http://HomesByJCF.com

K. Hovananian Homes http://khov.com

Minto Homes http://mintofla.com

Sabal Homes http://SabalHomesFla.com

Taylor Morrison Homes http://taylormorrison.com

West Bay Homes http://westbaytampa.com

Ryland Homes http://ryland.com

The Palmetto Club

Located in the heart of FishHawk Ranch, the

Palmetto Club offers facilities and services for

banquets, conferences and formal events with

multiple facilities serving small groups to groups

of hundreds.

Published by Florida Gulf Coast Relocation Publications (FGCRP) ● Spring/Summer 2011 ● http://fgcrp.com/FishHawk

Page 8

Published by Florida Gulf Coast Relocation Publications (FGCRP) ● Spring/Summer 2011 ● http://fgcrp.com/FishHawk

Page 9

Where everything Is…

The map below displays the points of interest including communities,

schools and parks for the Lithia area.

A. FishHawk Ranch, Community Center

B. Channing park

C. FishHawk Trails

D. Hawk Creek

E. Fishhawk Ranch Sports Complex and

Hartline Bus Commuter Pickup

F. Lithia Springs Park (Camping, natural spring park)

G. Alderman‟s Ford Park (Camping, Trails, Canoeing)

H. Alafia River State Park (Off-road Bikes, Camping, Fishing, Horse

Trails)

I. Publix Shopping Area / Restaurants / Banking / Shopping

J. Sweetbay Shopping area / Restaurants / Banking / Outback

K. River Hills (over 1100 homes, Golf course)

L. Lithia Springs Elementary

M. Fishhawk Creek Elementary / Park Square, Downtown Fishhawk

including Restaurants, outdoor park, shopping, entertainment

N. Beavis Elementary School / Fishhawk Skate Park

O. Randall Middle School / Newsome High School

P. Stowers Elementary / Barrington Middle School

Off the Map…

Additional nearby points of interest include:

Closest Walmart is in Bloomingdale, just off the map in the upper-

left corner of the map. Also located in Riverview about 8 miles

west from Lithia Center and another about 6 miles North of

Lithia.

Bloomingdale in the upper-left corner of the map also has an 18-

hole golf course.

Bloomingdale has several nearby restaurants, shopping and

services including the nearest public library and Campo YMCA

with Kid‟s pool and kid‟s services.

Published by Florida Gulf Coast Relocation Publications (FGCRP) ● Spring/Summer 2011 ● http://fgcrp.com/FishHawk

Page 10

Channing Park and Taylor Morrison Homes

Published by Florida Gulf Coast Relocation Publications (FGCRP) ● Spring/Summer 2011 ● http://fgcrp.com/FishHawk

Page 11

Lithia – Has a Natural Beauty

During the process of putting together this guide, I had the pleasure of

visiting the communities and nearby parks within the Lithia area. This

process required that I research the neighborhoods, surrounding

businesses, amenities and parks. Much of the area has been set aside as

nature preserve area with protected land surrounding many of the

communities and in some cases buffering communities from other

communities, businesses or growth.

Alderman’s Ford Park

Alderman‟s Ford Park in Lithia is located on SR 39 just a little over a mile

north of Lithia-Pinecrest. This is a park which has played a role in the history

of the area as one of the first fording spots on the Alafia river and dates

back to 1848 when James Alderman settled the area. and a location for

campaign rallies in the county‟s past. The Alafa River branches North and

South at this park and the park is a popular canoe launch location. Several

picnic areas are located in the park, a nature trail, children‟s playground

and paved bike path also can be found here. The park covers 1141 acres

and also offers nature trails and primitive camping for backpackers.

ADD A PICTURE

Lithia Springs Park

Lithia Springs is a 160 acre park on the Alafia river. As the name of the park

implies, Lithia Springs Park is home to a natural spring with a year-round

water temperature of 72 degrees. Camping is also available at the park

with 40 sites and facilities for overnight guests. This park is located along the

northern boundary of Fishhawk‟s Starling Ranch, less than a quarter mile

from the community as the crow flies though access requires coming in

from Lithia-Pinecrest to the main gate of the park.

ADD A PICTURE

The Alafia River State Park

This park is located on 6,260 acres of land donated from Phosphate mining

companies and offers a wide range of outdoor activities for various

interests. Over 17 miles of bike trails of various skill levels are located here for

off-road bicycling. The park also offers 20 miles of hiking and horse trails.

Camping is available at the park with facilities and sites for primitive and RV

Camping, and also has equestrian-friendly campsites.

ADD A PICTURE

Directory of local area Businesses of interest to families relocating:

Moving and Storage ABC Affordable Outside Storage 6530 Lithia Pinecrest Road (813) 685-3183

All In One Movers, Inc. 5668 Fishhawk Crossing Blvd (813) 402-1347

Extra Space Storage 2402 Bloomingdale Avenue (813) 655-4656

Fishhawk Storage 16617 Fishhawk Boulevard (813) 643-4745

United Self Storage 1035 Starwood Avenue (813) 655-5625

Mail/Shipping Services Postal Shop 5668 Fishhawk Crossing Blvd (813) 661-5668

The UPS Store 16765 Fishhawk Boulevard (813) 643-9020

Insurance Allstate Insurance Company - Antala Sephanie 16767 Fishhawk Boulevard (813) 643-3999

Aristo Insurance Group LLC 315 Gray Road (813) 633-4607

BB&T - Fishhawk Ranch 16531 Fishhawk Boulevard (813) 574-3170

C & G Insurance 4329 Lynx Paw Trail (813) 655-5311

David Mitchell, Allstate Agent 16767 Fishhawk Blvd (813) 643-3900

Florida Health insurance Advisors 15912 Fishhawk Creek Lane (813) 480-1502

Great Florida Insurance-Brandon 3619 Lithia Pinecrest Road (813) 653-1004

Harman Jones Associates, Inc. 5714 Hawkgrove Place (813) 655-0036

Insurance Programs of America 16144 Churchview Drive #210 (813) 653-9911

Melissa Snively State Farm 16637 Fishhawk Boulevard #104 (813) 662-3622

State Farm - Seguro Tyler Jordan 3650 Erindale Drive (813) 662-5813

Stephanie Antala - Allstate Agent 16767 Fishhawk Boulevard (813) 643-3999

Day Care Creative World School 5525 Osprey Ridge Drive (813) 684-3777

Delightful Sounds 16711 Fishhawk Blvd. (813) 503-6976

Fishhawk Early Learning Center #1 5632 Osprey Park Place (813) 662-5978

Fishhawk Early Learning Center #2 6017 Parkset Drive (813) 655-8600

Fishhawk Ranch Ealy Learning 6001 Parkset Drive (813) 684-5506

Kids Community College 16641 Fishhawk Boulevard (813) 662-5100

Kids R Kids 4321 Lynx Paw Trail (813) 657-6200

Llamas & Learning Montessori 13227 Boyette Road (813) 651-0653

Doctors - Pediatricians Bloomingdale Pediatric Associates, Ruiz Sonia M MD 4316 Bell Shoals Road (813) 684-1881

Pediatric Health Care Alliance, P.A. 5454 Lithia Pinecrest Road (813) 571-6800

Premier Care Pediatrics 16337 Fishhawk Blvd #101 (813) 657-7337

Doctors - Other Care Plus Walk-in Clinic 519A East Bloomingdale Avenue (813) 655-4100

Women's Care-FL 5470 Lithia Pinecrest Road (813) 754-7561

Real Estate All Florida Mobile Home Title 16765 Fishhawk Boulevard #113 (813) 477-2380

Dunn Mortgage Company 4316 New River Hills Parkway (813) 654-1044

Earl Brantley Realty 9852 Brantley Road (813) 650-8900

MacKay and MacKay - Signature Realty Associates 6255 Kingbird Manor (813) 655-4920

New Homes Specialist 6221 Kingbird Manor Drive (813) 681-6535

Prudential Trpical Realty Fishhawk Crossing Boulevard (813) 545-6735

Prudential Trpical Realty - David Nadwairski Fishhawk Crossing Boulevard (813) 505-2414

River Hills Realty 4316 New River Hills Parkway (813) 681-3555

South Shore Group 16637 Fishhawk Boulevard #103 (813) 662-2355

Published by Florida Gulf Coast Relocation Publications (FGCRP) ● Spring/Summer 2011 ● http://fgcrp.com/FishHawk

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