Hillsborough County commissioners on Tuesday, Aug. 11, approved a vacating petition that clears 11.30 acres of Apollo Beach waterfront land for redevelopment and accepted the final plat for the new Waterset Publix, removing the last county hurdle before the grocery store's Thursday, Aug. 13, opening.
The three development items, all passed on the consent agenda at the BOCC Land Use meeting, mark concrete steps forward for Apollo Beach development along the US-41 and I-75 corridors.
Apollo Beach Unit Six: 11 acres vacated for replat
The biggest action was Vacating Petition V26-0009, which wipes portions of the Apollo Beach Unit Six plat recorded in Plat Book 37, Page 88. The vacated area spans approximately 492,183 square feet and includes portions of unimproved rights-of-way known as Gulf and Sea Boulevard and Chestnut Drive.
Three entities filed the petition: Impact Apollo Beach Ventures LLC, Apollo Beach Property LLC and Park Square Enterprises LLC. They plan to replat the land with different lot sizes and right-of-way widths. No objections were filed. A Temporary Public Access and Utility Easement will remain over the vacated right-of-way portion, preserving access for nearby property owners.
Impact Apollo Beach Ventures is also the applicant on a separate Development of Regional Impact amendment (DRI 25-1205) for the broader Apollo Beach DRI, signaling large-scale plans for the area.
Waterset Publix plat accepted
Commissioners also formally accepted dedications for the Waterset Wolf Creek Phase F Lot 1 final plat, the parcel that houses the 50,325-square-foot Publix at 3050 19th Ave. NE. The acceptance cleared the store to open Thursday, Aug. 13, as scheduled.
The county had already approved off-site road, drainage and water improvements for the store at its July 21 Land Use meeting, when Commissioner Joshua Wostal moved and Commissioner Harry Cohen seconded a $66,184.99 warranty bond. Tuesday's plat acceptance was the final regulatory piece.
As we previously reported, the store anchors the Wolf Creek Commons shopping center and includes a drive-through pharmacy and adjacent liquor store. It will be Publix's third location within about 3½ miles along the South Shore corridor.
Hammock Bay infrastructure accepted
The third item authorized the county to accept water and wastewater infrastructure for the Hammock Bay Subdivision, formerly known as Apollo Beach Subdivision. The board also released performance securities for lot corners and will release warranty security upon expiration of the warranty period.
The acceptance signals that the subdivision's public utilities met county standards. Impact Properties, the parent entity behind Impact Apollo Beach Ventures, started construction on Hammock Bay in early 2025, according to the company's website.
What it means
Apollo Beach's population surged 85% between 2010 and 2020, reaching 26,002 residents, according to U.S. Census data. A commercial real estate estimate from April 2026 puts the current population at roughly 33,355. Daily traffic on NE 19th Ave. near the Waterset Publix site runs about 17,800 vehicles.
No public hearing date has been announced for the Apollo Beach Unit Six replat that will follow the vacating petition.
