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Hillsborough County · 33547

FishHawk / LithiaVA Real Estate & MacDill AFB Commute Guide

Master-planned ranch community south of Brandon. Newsome HS, FishHawk Trail, family rhythm.

  • County

    Hillsborough

  • ZIP

    33547

  • MacDill

    40–55 min

  • Median 3BR/2BA

    ~$510k

  • Schools

    Newsome HS

  • Best for

    Master-plan family life

Why FishHawk / Lithia

A master-planned community where the schools, amenities, and the rural edge actually deliver.

FishHawk Ranch is a master-planned community of about 6,000 homes spread across rolling terrain in southeast Hillsborough — Lithia is the postal town, FishHawk is the development. Built out from the late 1990s onward in distinct villages (Starling, Eagles, Hammock Heath, the Park Square town center), the community has a single architectural code, mature landscaping, and amenity density (8+ pools, dozens of parks, miles of trails, neighborhood schools, the FishHawk Trails private golf community adjacent).

For VA buyers, FishHawk is the closest thing Tampa has to a small-town family lifestyle inside a metro market. Newsome HS catchment is the draw — consistently among the top 10 high schools in the county. The trade-off is a 40-55 minute commute to MacDill via SR-60 → I-75 → Selmon. Many MacDill families absorb the commute for the school zone.

Commute note: Approximate drive times only. Commute can vary heavily by route, traffic, weather, and time of day. Verify current drive times before committing to a community.

Real estate read

FishHawk inventory and what VA buyers see.

Real estate read

SFH
$510k
Townhome
$365k
Condo
N/A
Days on market: 42 days

Single-family dominant across multiple villages. Townhomes in Park Square area. CDD assessments on the tax bill — $1,500-$2,500/year typical.

Source · Zillow + Redfin Q1 2026 ranges

Top schools nearby

  • Newsome HS

    Public · High

    Top 10 county

    9/10

    Rating

  • Randall MS

    Public · Middle

    8/10

    Rating

  • FishHawk Creek Elementary

    Public · Elementary

    8/10

    Rating

  • Bevis Elementary

    Public · Elementary

    8/10

    Rating

Source · Niche.com

Commute reality

  • MacDill AFB

    SR-60 → I-75 → Selmon

    40–55 min

  • Brandon Mall

    SR-60

    20 min

  • Tampa International

    40–50 min

  • Downtown Tampa

    35–45 min

Source · Google Maps drive-time, typical morning rush

VA buyer considerations

FishHawk-specific items VA buyers flag.

  • CDD assessments. FishHawk Ranch has Community Development District bonds funding roads, drainage, and amenities. Annual assessments run $1,500-$2,500 on most parcels. Appears on the tax bill as non-ad-valorem; transfers at resale; doesn't go away when you pay off the mortgage. Counts toward your DTI for VA qualification.
  • HOA + CDD stacking. FishHawk also has HOA dues ($350-$700 annually) on top of CDD. Ask for current annual figures specifically — they have increased post-2022 across many Florida master-planned communities.
  • Newsome catchment verification. Not every FishHawk-area home zones to Newsome HS. Some pockets zone to Durant. Verify with the district before assuming.
  • FishHawk Trails (separate). FishHawk Trails is a separate gated golf community adjacent to FishHawk Ranch — different HOA, different price point ($800k+ typical). Don't confuse them when searching listings.
  • Newer roof reality. Most FishHawk inventory was built 2000-2018. Roofs in the 15+ year zone now. Get the wind-mitigation certificate from the seller before offer.

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Whether you're trying to figure out if it fits your family, your commute, or your VA budget — drop a note. I'll come back with what I know.

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