A new Tampa-area master-planned community offers residents proximity to one of the most Floridian attractions.
KB Home said it opened sales this month at Sandal Key in Weeki Wachee, Florida, where 240 homesites are available. Buyers can choose from seven one- and two-story floorplans ranging from 1,272 to 2,385 square feet.
Sandal Key's model homes are open, and others will be built as ordered. Prices start in the mid-$200,000s, KB said.
The 872-acre community sits on a lagoon with cabanas, kayaking, volleyball courts and a swim-up bar. Other amenities include multiple pools, a dog park and a playground.
While more than an hour from the state’s major theme parks, including Bush Gardens Tampa Bay, Sandal Key is less than 5 miles from Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, home of the Weeki Wachee Mermaid Show. Underwater actresses perform musical numbers in an aquatic auditorium, a show that dates back to 1947.
The development is in Hernando County, Florida, about an hour north of downtown Tampa. Homebuilders and other developers have been building in this area to accommodate an influx of growth following the pandemic, partly because land is less expensive than in the more central metropolitan area.
“Housing developers continue to look to Tampa Bay's northern counties of Hernando and Pasco for new development,” said Michelle Rumore, director of market analytics for the Tampa region for Homes.com and CoStar. “Both counties have been the fastest growing in the region, increasing by 11% and 17%, respectively, since the 2020 census.”
Research by CoStar has found that a slowdown in Tampa's population growth has dampened for-sale housing demand, even as rental demand has been climbing. Tampa Bay saw more than 48,000 permits for one-unit buildings filed between 2021 and 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
As for-sale housing supply has increased, buyers have had more options, and that's affected prices. The Tampa Bay region has recorded four consecutive months of year-over-year median sale price decline.