Apollo Beach, Florida

Apollo Beach sits on Tampa Bay south of Tampa proper, a planned community with a network of canals, waterfront homes, and a growing population of families and retirees drawn by the coastal lifestyle. The Apollo Beach Nature Preserve, the local marinas, and the boating culture along the bay shape the daily rhythm of the community.

Apollo Beach has grown rapidly over the last decade, but it has retained a distinct waterfront character that distinguishes it from inland southern Hillsborough. The mix of established residents, young families, and seniors creates a community where the schools, the church communities, and the small businesses all know each other.

Like every coastal Florida community, Apollo Beach is on the front line of the homeowners insurance crisis. Residents who chose this community for its lifestyle are being squeezed by premium increases that show no sign of slowing — and they are watching Washington do nothing about it.

John Peters regularly visits Apollo Beach as part of his weekly travels through southern Hillsborough. He has met with Apollo Beach homeowners, small business owners, and seniors over the years to understand the realities of coastal living in 2026 — including the premium pressure that is forcing many longtime residents to rethink whether they can stay in the homes they have built.

Apollo Beach families face one of the most urgent issues in FL-14 — the runaway cost of homeowners insurance — and Kathy Castor's eighteen-year record reflects no federal action that has actually brought premiums down. After nine terms, Apollo Beach deserves a representative who treats Florida's insurance crisis as the daily, kitchen-table emergency it has become.