
LINDA CHION KENNEY PHOTO
Built in 1926 surrounded by stately oak trees, Wimauma Elementary School is at 5709 Hickman St.
South County projects address
traffic congestion, classroom needs
By LINDA CHION KENNEY
Construction projects on tap for south Hillsborough County include an addition to Wimauma Elementary School and a connector on I-75, designed to reduce traffic on Big Bend Road.
County officials are inviting groups in the area to request and schedule a meeting about the $26 million Apollo Beach/I-75 (Paseo al Mar) roadway construction project, set for completion by fall 2022.
The corridor improvement project is designed to reduce traffic congestion on Big Bend Road by providing an additional route option for residents and commuters in the south shore area. The aim is to extend the existing four-lane divided highway, creating an overpass on I-75 to connect U.S. highways 41 and 301.
The project also entails safety-minded bicycle lane upgrades and ADA-compliant sidewalks.
Meanwhile, the Hillsborough County school board in a request to County commissioners dated Oct. 26, asked for $7.2 million in school impact fees to construct an addition to Wimauma Elementary School, at 5709 Hickman St.

LINDA CHION KENNEY PHOTO
Construction on a classroom addition to Wimauma Elementary School on Hickman Street is slated to be completed in time for the start of the 2021-22 school year.
The addition to the 95-year-old brick elementary school is part of the adopted five-year work plan for Hillsborough County public schools, which includes nine capacity-building construction projects, all but one of which is in the south County area. Collectively, the south County projects amount to 925,430 square feet for an additional 496 classrooms built to accommodate 10,820 students.
Three of the projects led to debut openings this school year of Belmont Elementary (in the Sun City Center/Ruskin area), Sumner High (roughly two miles away in the Balm/Riverview area) and the Academy 2027 middle school, which is housed at Sumner High.
Other south County projects include the 31,103 square-foot addition to Spoto High School in Riverview (for an additional 20 classrooms built to accommodate 500 students) and the 37,603 square-foot addition to Collins Elementary in Summerfield (for an additional 27 classrooms to accommodate 594 students). The Collins project allows for its conversion from an elementary school to a PK-8 school that accommodates students in pre-kindergarten through grade 8.
Also on the list are another two new schools.
Slated to open for the 2022-23 academic year is the PK-8, 1,800-student school in Newland’s Waterset community in Apollo Beach. Slated to open two years later is a 2,410-student high school for which a site has yet to be determined.
County commissioners at their Feb. 3 meeting approved the impact-fee request for an addition to house 306 students at Wimauma Elementary. With the two-story addition to the west side of the school, Wimauma’s footprint grows by 30 percent, expanding from 68,117 to 89,072 square feet.
Built in 1926 and surrounded by large oak trees, the PK-5 Wimauma campus currently has nine buildings. School boundaries are Hickman Street to the north, Hillsborough Street to the south, 4th Street to the east and 7th Street to the west.
At a community school siting in November, school officials noted that in addition to the single-family homes within Wimauma’s attendance area, several proposed developments were in the review process with County officials, including Balm Grove East, Creek Preserve and Cypress Ridge.
Enrollments at Wimauma and Reddick elementary schools, which stand less than two miles apart, are projected to substantially grow over the next three years. As of the Jan. 26 enrollment count, Wimauma and Reddick enrolled 525 and 809 students, respectively. The five-year work plan shows current capacity at Wimauma is 659 students, and 948 students at Reddick.
For more information, and to request a meeting for your community on the Apollo Beach/Interstate-75 (Paseo al Mar) roadway construction project, visit the Hillsborough County Engagement Hub at https://publicinput.com/hub/51.
To view the school board’s five-year work plan for Hillsborough County schools, visit https://bit.ly/3rAdyUc.

Hillsborough County government
The proposed $26M Apollo Beach/I-75 (Paseo al Mar) roadway construction project.

Ongoing construction for a classroom wing addition to the brick school built in 1926 is framed by one of the many majestic oak trees surrounding Wimauma Elementary on Hickman Street.

LINDA CHION KENNEY PHOTO
Wimauma Elementary School is bordered by Hickman, Hillsborough, Fourth and Seventh streets.

LINDA CHION KENNEY PHOTO
One of many stunning oak trees frames the 95-year-old Wimauma Elementary School on Hickman Street.