Caribbean Isles, Apollo Beach

Caribbean Isles is a gated, resident-owned 55+ community of manufactured homes on Elsberry Road in Apollo Beach, and it is one of the very few places on South Shore where you can live on a saltwater canal with a way out to Tampa Bay for well under $300,000. The residents own the community together as a cooperative, so there are no lot rent fees and the monthly HOA is low.

There is one thing every boater needs to know before falling for a canal lot here, and that is the bridge. To reach the bay you pass under a fixed bridge on Dickman Road, so the size of your boat matters more in Caribbean Isles than it does in most Apollo Beach waterfront neighborhoods. I will walk you through that below, along with the fees, the prices and what you are actually buying.

What is Caribbean Isles?

Caribbean Isles opened in 1970 and has 334 home sites along private streets named for the islands, St. Thomas, St. Lucia, Port Royal, St. Kitts and St. George among them. It is age restricted to 55 and over, it is gated, and it is golf cart friendly. Homes run from compact single-wides of about 700 square feet to double-wides close to 2,000 square feet, built anywhere from 1970 to 2019. Some sit right on a canal, some look out over a pond with a fountain, and most line quiet interior streets.

It is a social community with its own activity coordinator, so there is always something on the calendar. If you want to know your neighbors by name, this is the kind of place where that comes easily.

How does a resident-owned co-op work?

In most manufactured home communities you own your home and rent the land underneath it, and the lot rent goes up whenever the park owner decides it should. Caribbean Isles works differently. The residents own the community, so when you buy a home here you are also buying a share in the cooperative. There is no landlord and there are no lot rent fees. You pay a low monthly HOA instead, and the residents, through their elected board, decide how that money is spent.

Because you are buying into a cooperative, plan on an application and approval through the co-op before closing, a lot like buying into a condo with an active association. There are also some leasing restrictions, so if renting the home out is part of your plan, we will read those rules together before you make an offer. I like to get the bylaws and the rules in your hands early so nothing surprises you at the end.

What does the HOA cover in Caribbean Isles?

The HOA covers the amenities and the gate, and it is low. Current listings put it at about $242 a month as of October 2026, with no lot rent fees and no CDD on top of it.

Here is the part that surprises people coming from other parts of the country: your water, sewer and trash are not billed monthly. They are covered on your Hillsborough County tax bill, so when you are budgeting, look at the tax bill on the home you are considering, not just the HOA. Your electric, internet and the insurance on your own home are separate and yours to carry.

Yard work is yours too, but it does not have to be. There is a local landscaper who will take care of it for under $50 a month if you would rather spend your mornings fishing than mowing. Fees can change with the co-op’s annual budget, so I always confirm the current numbers in writing before you make an offer.

What amenities does Caribbean Isles have?

The canals come first, and they are the reason a lot of people choose Caribbean Isles over every other 55+ community nearby. Fishing is a big part of life here, whether that is from your own seawall or out on the bay. On land there is a clubhouse and a pool, and an activity coordinator who keeps the calendar full, so it is easy to be as social as you want to be. Plenty of residents get around by golf cart.

How much do homes in Caribbean Isles cost?

As of early October 2026 there are roughly two dozen homes for sale in Caribbean Isles, asking from the low $100,000s up to about $315,000, with the middle of the market around $175,000. Closed sales over the past few years have run from about $80,000 at the low end to about $340,000 for the largest, newest canal-front homes.

Price here follows three things: the size of the home, how new it is, and whether it sits on the water. A 1970s single-wide on an interior street and a 2012 double-wide on the canal are completely different purchases, even though they share a gate. A lot of homes sell furnished, which is worth knowing if you are planning a part-time Florida life or downsizing from a bigger house up north.

Can you finance a home in Caribbean Isles?

Many purchases here are cash, often from buyers who just sold a larger home. Because you are buying a manufactured home plus a share in the cooperative, rather than a house on a deeded lot, a standard mortgage usually does not fit. If you need financing, talk to a lender who makes manufactured home or co-op share loans before you start touring, so you know your number and which homes will qualify. I am happy to connect you with lenders who do this kind of loan.

Can you get a boat from Caribbean Isles to Tampa Bay?

Yes, and that is what sets Caribbean Isles apart from almost every other 55+ community around here. The canals connect out to Tampa Bay and on to the Gulf, and some canal-front homes have their own dock. Dolphins and manatees come up these canals too, and that never gets old.

Manatees at the Manatee Viewing Center on Dickman Road in Apollo Beach. You will see them in the canals too.

Apollo Beach is one of the best places anywhere to see manatees, and that is not an exaggeration. When Tampa Bay drops to 68 degrees or colder, manatees gather in the warm-water canal at Tampa Electric’s Big Bend Power Station off Dickman Road, and they have been coming back every winter since the early 1970s. On December 29, 2023, Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center counted a record 1,100 manatees there at one time, up from the previous record of 850 the winter before. The center is free, it is open daily from November 1 through April 15, and it draws hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. People travel a long way to see what we get to see every winter. Locals think of the manatees as our pets, and from November through March you will slow down on the canals to share the water with them.

What is the catch with boating out of Caribbean Isles?

The catch is the route out. Boats leave the community under a fixed bridge on Dickman Road, and a fixed bridge does not open. Clearance under it at low tide and at high tide can be complicated, so the fair answer is that small center consoles and pontoon boats are the best fit for this community. Kayaks and paddleboards are right at home too. If you own a sailboat, a cabin cruiser, or a center console with a tall T-top or tower, this is not the neighborhood for that boat, and I would rather tell you now than after you have moved in.

How do you know if your boat fits under the Dickman Road bridge?

There is no single number I would put in writing for every boat on every day, because the clearance under a fixed bridge changes with the tide, and wind can push the water higher still. A boat that slides under easily at low tide may not fit at high tide. That is why I keep it simple and say small center consoles and pontoons.

If your boat is anywhere near the line, measure it from the waterline to its highest fixed point, including the T-top, radar arch, antennas and anything that does not fold down, and send me those numbers along with the address you are looking at. Check the low tide draft along the route from that home too, because a canal that is fine at high tide can leave a deeper hull sitting on the bottom when the tide goes out.

Beer Can Island, one of the easy runs once you are out on the bay.

What should you know about flood insurance and hurricanes in Caribbean Isles?

For any waterfront home in Apollo Beach, elevation and flood insurance are the first two things I look at, ahead of the boat. Caribbean Isles was laid out in 1970, long before newer neighborhoods were built up to higher elevations, and it sits low along canals off Tampa Bay. That is not a reason to skip it. It is a reason to get the flood zone and a written flood insurance quote for the exact home before you commit.

The age of the home matters for insurance as well. Manufactured homes built after mid-1994 were built to stronger federal wind standards, and insurers price that difference, so a newer home can cost noticeably less to insure than an older one on the same street. Ask for the year of manufacture, any roof or tie-down updates, and the storm and claims history.

Who is Caribbean Isles a good fit for?

Caribbean Isles fits buyers 55 and older who want a social community with plenty to do, and who want to be on the water or close to it without the price tag that usually comes with Apollo Beach waterfront. It is a great fit for someone who loves to fish, a couple with a pontoon who wants to cruise the bay at sunset, or someone who wants an easy, low-cost Florida home to enjoy in the winter and lock up in the summer.

It is not the right fit if you own a large boat, if you need a deeded lot with a conventional mortgage, or if you are buying mainly to rent the home out. For those buyers I have other waterfront communities to show you.

What should you verify before you buy in Caribbean Isles?

Start with the money. Get the current HOA in writing along with what it includes, ask whether any special assessment is coming, and look at the Hillsborough County tax bill for that home, since that is where your water, sewer and trash are paid. Then the paperwork: the co-op’s bylaws and rules, the application and approval process, the pet rules, and the leasing restrictions if you might ever want to rent the home out.

Then the home itself. Confirm the year of manufacture, the age of the roof and the HVAC, the tie-downs and any additions, and get a flood zone answer and written insurance quotes for that exact home. If you are a boater, make sure your boat is a fit for the Dickman Road bridge, check the low tide draft from that lot out to the bay, and find out whether the home has its own dock.

Who should you call about Caribbean Isles?

Me. I live in Apollo Beach, I sell all over South Shore, and waterfront is more than half of what I do. A canal home at $150,000 deserves the same care as one at $1.5 million, and the questions are mostly the same ones: the water, the elevation, the insurance and the fine print.

I close 100 or more transactions a year across Tampa Bay, 50-plus of them waterfront, and I am the #1 agent in Apollo Beach by total sales volume (Stellar MLS, January 2025 through August 2026). My clients have left more than 280 verified reviews averaging 5.0 on RateMyAgent as of September 2026, and I have been City Winner for Apollo Beach five years running, 2022 through 2026. I am a REALTOR and Team Leader of The Calvert Home Team at 27North Realty. My husband Gregg Calvert is the broker and owner.

I run my business on Go-Giver principles. Send me the address or the MLS number you are looking at and I will tell you what the HOA covers, what the tax bill looks like, whether your boat is a fit for the bridge, what the flood exposure is and whether anything about it worries me. And tell me how you picture your days here. Is it early mornings on the water with a fishing rod, or afternoons at the pool with new friends? That answer tells me which street to show you first. Call me at 509-294-6818.