History of Sun City Center, FL

The story of Sun City Center, Florida begins with one of the first major traffic jams in Hillsborough County’s history! The grand opening of Del Webb’s Sun City had been advertised for months in the newspapers, on radio and TV all over the country, particularly in the north-eastern states. And when that grand opening arrived, 41,000 people came to see this new concept in retirement living!

All the snowbirds knew of Del Webb’s reputation for building quality homes and unique amenities. And they came in masses to see his newest creation. The two-lane dirt road that ran through the heart of Sun City Center, Ruskin-Wimauma Blvd, now Sun City Center Blvd, was backed up for miles and miles. With people parking along both sides of the road, literally walking miles to get to the grand opening. There wasn’t room for a bicycle to make it down the main thoroughfare. People liked what they saw, despite the traffic problems.

Groundbreaking occurred on May 10, 1961. The first efforts were to open a few streets, primarily for access to the model homes. The design of homes and floor plans were identical to the homes Del Webb had built in his Sun City, Arizona community.

The hotel he built was called the Kings Inn. Its architectural plans were a direct copy from the hotel he had built in Sun City, Arizona. Materials for the hotel were ordered in Arizona, board by board, tile by tile, and shipped to Sun City Center by railroad, and unloaded at the Wimauma railroad station. It took only five weeks from ground-breaking to the finished Kings Inn! The hotel was a must if potential buyers were to visit and decide on a life-changing purchase.

By this time, the outdoor pool and one of the arts and crafts buildings was in place, and the North golf course was open. Originally nine holes, soon to be eighteen, managed by Berry Roberts. Berry Roberts Drive is one of Sun City Center’s most popular streets in 2021.

Every city needs a watering hole. It was being dredged out by nearby resident and contractor Aaron Long to become Swan Lake. The sandy beach and long fishing pier where sail boats could tie up marked the lake as an obvious recreation center for future retirees to spend many hours enjoying the Florida lifestyle. The beach and a long fishing pier were off Cherry Hills Drive by the tennis courts across from what is now the Visitors Center. Both beautiful amenities were removed within a decade, as the EPA’s pollution standards became stricter.

Del E. Webb, Jr. was a remarkable entrepreneur. He had built a solid reputation in the construction industry with his unique single family and villa designs. He also built several popular hotel structures on the West Coast of Florida and later a few of the glitzy casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada. Additionally, he built one of the first Public Urban Developments in Finland. A self-contained community with homes, stores, recreation facilities, offices, and factory buildings, basically everything needed to complete a small town that was self-sufficient.

Del Webb’s first attempt at creating a self-sufficient retirement community was in Phoenix, Arizona. The obvious success of that venture led the Del Webb organization to find another suitable site in California and, over the mild protests of Mr. Webb himself, a site in Florida. When the idea first came to him about starting such a community in the east along the lines of his Arizona and California Sun City ventures, he was attracted to Florida only after learning that NASA had selected Florida for its major launch site for satellites because of its favorable climate.

In late 1960, Del Webb visited a 12,000-acre property that was owned by the Universal Marion Corporation. The land ran from the Little Manatee River in the south to 19th Avenue on the north end, and from U.S. 301 in the east to where I-75 currently passes through. For many years, the property had been used as a cattle ranch. Universal Marion had purchased the acreage to build a housing development but decided to abandon its plans, as growth was slow. Among the owners of some of the property before Universal Marion was the Council family for whom Council Drive is now named.

Del Webb was escorted across the land on his first visit by a cowhand named Berry Roberts. Mr. Webb was shown the stream known as Cypress Creek that cut the property nearly in half running from north to south. There was also a watering hole for the cattle nearby, and a large cow pen situated where the lawn bowling and the arts & crafts buildings are now located. Another of the weekend cowhands who participated in the early orientation of Mr. Webb was Gene Smith who would be Manager of the Community Association Maintenance Department for 35 years, until his retirement in 1997.

From east to west, the property was neatly divided by a narrow gravel two-lane road called the Ruskin-Wimauma Road. More importantly, it connected the main north-south highways U.S. 41 in Ruskin with U.S. 301 near Wimauma. By 1992, this road would become a divided 4-lane highway known as State Road 674, but in 1960 it was so narrow that two passing vehicles would each pull off toward the shoulder in order to make it by safely. As a sidelight, when Rickenbacker Drive was first built, drivers would jump off the narrow dirt road onto Rickenbacker because of its wider roadbed.

The purchase of the property by Del Webb came in early 1961. He wanted to get this place going fast and set the nearly impossible target date of January 1, 1962, for the opening. That gave him less than a year to convert a cow pasture into a bustling and attractive community for retirees from up north. 60 years later we can barely build a single-family home in that time period.

Del Webb was not able to talk the residents of Sun City, Florida (a community just south of Ruskin) out of their town name. But he was able to talk the US postal authorities into letting him have a post office in Del Webb’s Sun City provided it was called Sun City Center.

With that challenge behind him, and with all the palm trees and floral arrangements up and down the first few hundred yards of North Pebble Beach Boulevard in place and eight model homes built along Cherry Hills Drive, just beyond the Town Hall, he was ready to open the doors and start selling homes, on time.

But just before Christmas in 1961, there was a rare solid freeze in Sun City Center, for about 24 hours. The result was burst water pipes in the new model homes and the trees and shrubs and virtually all the plantings that adorned the streets and model homes were killed overnight. The nationwide advertising announcing the opening date had been distributed everywhere, so there was no way to change the fact that home buyers would be descending on Del Webb’s Sun City Center shortly after Christmas.

The water pipes were easily fixed, but the hundreds of dead and broken plants and trees had to be taken out and replaced. The Hubbell Nursery Company on Route 674 took one look at what was left of the plantings they had installed for Del Webb and came to the rescue. By sending trucks all over southern Florida, beyond where the freeze had killed so many plants, they were able to purchase and install new trees, bushes and shrubs for the model homes and flowers and trees for the median on North Pebble Beach in a matter of days. 60 years later realtor Rich Shelley had the pleasure of helping the Hubbell’s sell the last of the land they owned in Sun City Center.

Initially Del Webb had requested building approval from the county for fewer than 200 homes. The first building lots were on Desert Hills Way, Cypress Place, and then as homes were sold, north to Ojai Avenue, Riviera Drive and over to Augusta Drive. Twelve rental units on North Pebble Beach Drive were being built specifically for potential buyers to spend a free weekend in Sun City Center. A free golf experience, use of the amenities and a brief stay in what is now the tiny block homes directly across from the SCC Community Association. Expanded building approvals were quickly approved, as the existing home sites sold out in a matter of days. The townhouses now considered condos, in the Amador and Broadmoor Courts subdivisions were recorded with the county along with more home sites on Hacienda, Tam O’Shanter and Torrey Pines Avenues

Webb financed the stocking of some area businesses to help them be ready for the grand opening and potential residents. The first residents, Frank and Mildred Ward, moved into 715 Desert Hills Way on April 25, 1962. Several families followed the same day. The prices they paid ranged from $11,650 for a two-bedroom-one-bath house to $17,350 for a house with three bedrooms and two baths. Real estate taxes would run under $200 those first few years; water and sewage charges would be under $10 a month. There were no garages, only carports.

Del Webb used another wrinkle from his Arizona venture. He insisted that all homeowners belong to the volunteer “Civic Association”. He wrote, “that all community facilities are donated by the Del E. Webb Corporation.” And would therefore require volunteers to operate them.

Making new friends was easy. All during 1962, new residents were immediately “one of us” and were automatically inducted as Charter Members of the Hi Neighbor Club. Once a month the club members would gather on Wednesday evenings around the Town Hall building next to the outdoor swimming pool for a cookout or, if there was inclement weather, inside the Town Hall, in space now occupied by the Weavers Club and the Little Theatre.

Another wrinkle used by Del Webb for a time was the “Week of Sundays”. For only $35, two people could rent a garden apartment here for a week just to look around and use the amenities and, of course, get used to the idea of living in Sun City Center. A round of golf was available to the renters for 5 cents!

The community became the proverbial beehive of activities. A library was started, and a Woman’s Club established a Meals-On-Wheels program by 1963. The Men’s and the Women’s Golf Clubs were established. Within a year, 370 houses had been completed and Del Webb’s Sun City, Florida was well along as a premier retirement community. Among the amenities was an aircraft landing strip so potential buyers (and even Mr. Webb himself) could fly in to look things over. At one point, maybe ten years later, there was even brief talk about establishing a portion of Sun City Center as a fly-in community.

By the end of 1963, the number of new home sites available had more than doubled. The lots were numbered around South Lake as it slowly filling with water and conceptual plans for a Middle Lake and a North Lake were sketched in. The most notable planned feature never happened though. It was the enormous Cypress Lake, had it ever been built it would have covered most of the West Del Webb Boulevard area north of Allegheny Drive and would have extended south to what is now the hospital and even beyond State Road 674. The zigzag shoreline of Cypress Lake would have created hundreds of lake front lots, and a boat ride from 19th Avenue to the Little Manatee River might well have been possible.

But it wasn’t to be. The Middle and North Lake streets and homes would come first and other construction as far north as Allegheny Drive occupied the developer for several years. There were three new Church Sites on the early sales map, in the vicinity of the North Course. The United Community Church was formed and, by the time construction began, a site on the northwest corner of La Jolla Avenue and North Pebble Beach Boulevard was the one remaining location still reserved for a church.

In August 1964, the residents incorporated the Civic Association (CA) that Del Webb had started in order to represent all owners’ rights and responsibilities in contracts with the developer, and to maintain the ownership of recreational and community property. Six years later, the Homeowners Association (HOA) was incorporated to deal specifically with problems of home ownership and external relationships. In 1986, CA and HOA members voted to consolidate into the Sun City Center Community Association (SCCCA). Membership in the CA was now also available to former residents who have maintained their SCCCA membership but who now reside in TheTowers or in the Courtyards.

By the mid-1960s, the community developed traditions, clubs and organizations. The volunteer Emergency Squad was organized in 1964. The Spanish Club was organized in 1965 and grew to a membership of over 600 with sponsored tours and entertainment. By 1967, development around North Lake was largely complete and, under the leadership of R. H. Wolthorn’s committee, at Christmas time the lake shore was ringed with lights. The tradition spread to other lakes and is still continued on many of the lakes voluntary associations. In 1971 the Mini-Bus system was started, and, within a year, the volunteer fire department was organized. Through all of this, Del Webb provided legal and political support, and newsletters that gave the community a unifying voice.

By 1971, Del Webb had visited SCC only three times since the grand opening. It was becoming apparent to the Del Webb organization that its Florida venture was not developing as quickly as they had hoped. A combination of economic events on the national and international scene had slowed retirement home investment by the target audience to a trickle. During the summer of 1971, the King’s Inn was destroyed by a fire that consumed everything except the 10-room motel at its northern end. In August, a letter was sent to every homeowner here announcing that Del Webb planned no further development here. The property would was sold in 1971. The roads, marked today by blue street signs, and the bottoms of the larger lakes of Sun City Center were given to the county. The Civic Association took over management of the Town Hall building.

After Del Webb

It was at this time that two Florida developers, Gerald Gould and Jim Walter, both well known in the house-building industry, had combined to form the W-G Development Corporation. With loans from the First National Bank of Chicago (FNBC) they bought out the Del Webb Corporation’s interests in Sun City Center in early 1972.

W-G brought a new idea to the community. In order to raise capital for further development here, W-G sold its land on the south side of SR 674 west of the developing parts of Sun City Center to the Kings Point Housing Corporation of Delray Beach, Florida. The property they bought would become known as Kings Point West for a time, then Sun City Center West and now simply Kings Point.

One of their earliest moves was to gain county and state approval for the community as a Planned Unit Development. This meant that future developers would face great odds if tempted to construct other than retirement housing or to make any significant changes to the plans laid out at that time. Changes would be possible, but they would have to be aired in public meetings before being permitted by the government agencies involved.

In addition, W-G decided to open development of its parcel at the southern end of its property. The plan was to offer 5 to 10-acre properties and up-scale homes in the area called Sundance along the Little Manatee River. At the same time, just south of State Road 674, W-G began developing both the Simmons Lake home sites with newly designed architecture, and the St. Andrews subdivision with more traditional home styles.

Unfortunately for W-G, now being managed by Gould, and for the Kings Point West interests, managed by Rapaport, several economic factors converged to make their businesses fail. There was a gasoline shortage that grounded the snowbirds and caused a resulting depression in real estate sales. On top of that, the expense of simultaneous building at Sundance and at Sun City Center was too much for the W-G (Gould), and sales at Kings Point (Rapaport) were poor too. FNBC finally called in its mortgages and established a new development company called W-G (FNBC).

Once FNBC gained control, they contracted with Punta Gorda Isles, Inc. to manage the Kings Point property and the further development of Sun City Center. This meant that the Civic Association was no longer dealing directly with the developer. However, during its first year here, the losses to W-G (FNBC) amounted to some $4 million and in late 1975, FNBC terminated its contract with Punta Gorda Isles, Inc. They brought in Stanley Whitcomb, Jr., an experienced developer in the southeast to be the Chief Executive Officer for FNBC and continued its presence here as W-G Development Corporation. Among Whitcomb’s first moves was to re-establish direct contact with the Civic Association and to honor the word and deed of the original Del Webb retirement community concept.

During Whitcomb’s administration, W-G met its obligations to construct additional facilities for the Civic Association that had been promised years earlier in accordance with population growth in the community. In 1977 the J. Harvey Gallent wing was added, thus nearly doubling the indoor space for arts and crafts. By 1980 the library and Civic Association buildings were in place. Each had been a model display home located on the site of the Eckerd Drug Store on the southwest corner of State Road 674 and South Pebble Beach Boulevard.

Under Whitcomb, a period of success and good feelings dominated. The Kings Inn, that had been rebuilt shortly after W-G (Gould) took over, was re-named the Sun City Center Inn. By 1982, the new post office building was dedicated in its present site, and the hospital was opened for service. Buyers were beginning to move into the Bluewater, Cypress View and Fort Duquesna areas, and the Caloosa development was getting started. On the south side of SR-674, the Club Manor and St. Andrews Estates were filling up.

But there was a dark cloud over it all. When FNBC took over the two developments, the FDIC ruled that the bank must divest itself of the real estate it owned here within five years. Thus, by the late 70s, the property was again up for sale, and the (Victor H.) Palmieri and Company, in partnership with seven pension funds, bought the FNBC holding and placed Jay Krinsky as CEO of the new venture then known as W-G (Palmieri). Krinsky had recently restructured the bankrupt Penn Central RR by selling off assets, not by developing what was owned.

It shortly became apparent to the Civic Association that the new ownership, later named Sunmark Corporation, showed little intention of abiding by the wording of the original Del Webb contract. It called for new community buildings for population growth beyond 5,000. In 1982, the CA instituted rules stopping sales of its memberships once the 5,000 population was reached. This meant that new residents whose number exceeded the CA limit would be denied access to the pools, the library and all the other amenities in Sun City Center.

This action by the CA caused a sharp decline in new home sales and within a short time brought W-G (Palmieri) to a bargaining that created the “1984 Agreement” — a contract with the developer that, in part, advanced $1 million for construction of the Community Hall on South Pebble Beach Boulevard. Thereafter, Sunmark sold large parcels of land that were outside the age-restricted areas of the 1984 Agreement, among them the Villages of Cypress Creek.

But Stanley Whitcomb still felt ties to Sun City Center and largely through his efforts the successful developer of Walden Lakes, Al Hoffman, bought out the Sunmark interests here, including both Kings Point and the Sun City Center community defined in the 1984 Agreement.

Expansion was immediate with Greenbrier, Fairview, Wedgewood and the Caloosa Lakes areas being opened. Hoffman personally involved himself in community information sessions, published a regular newsletter and, to emphasize the beauty and ambiance of this retirement community, was instrumental in obtaining state funds for the 1990 beautification of the SR 674 median.

In 1990, the Sun City Center Corporation received approval from the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners to modify the Master Land Use Plan. Perhaps the most visible change was the addition of 36 holes of golf to the existing facilities.

Landmarks in the development of Sun City Center included the celebration in 1996 of the joining of Del Webb Boulevard West with the new Del Webb Boulevard East. The opening of a new Executive golf course at the northeast corner of the town was most welcome also in 1996, as was the groundbreaking in 1997 for the “Courtyards at Caloosa” to be fashioned and operated in much the same manner as the Courtyards facility finished in 1996 near the Towers property.

At a Community Association membership meeting held during the autumn of 1997, FDC announced that they would be continuing their building in Sun City Center, and at Kings Point as well, for the next 15-20 years.

When Del Webb initially visited Sun City Center, he had in mind a development of 5,000 retirees conveniently surrounded by their own all-purpose recreation, shopping, medical, everything they needed. He envisioned it bordered by a much larger development of homes, schools and industrial sites. His early vision has long since blurred, but first-time visitors continue to get the immediate impression of this unique community’s neat layout and amazing amenities. The vigilance of the Community Association members and the dedicated efforts of their elected leaders are the keys to maintaining the safe, comfortable, and active retirement lifestyle we all visualized on our first visit to Sun City Center.

This narration was prepared by Rich Shelley greatly from the records of the Sun City Center Historical Society and The History of Sun City Center. Special thanks and credit to John Bowker, Janet Wilson, Boyd Neuborne, Phil Lange and Aleta Jonie Maschek.

Sun City Center is an age-restricted 55 Plus community, which consists of single-family dwellings, duplexes, townhouses, and apartment buildings. It has its own hospital and several nursing home facilities. It is legal to drive golf carts on the wide, palm-lined streets during daylight hours, and most shopping has special parking slots for same. There are about seven golf courses, various hobby shops, and an outdoor and two indoor pools in the main clubhouse area. There are clubs for almost any interest or hobby, including ham radio, computers, art, woodworking, photography, sewing, cards, investments, and dancing.

Currently 20,000 residents live in Sun City Center. 11,000 live on the Sun City Center side and 9,000 in Kings Points maintenance-free condominium association.

As a Sun City Center resident, you’re a voting member of the Community Association that owns and operates our many buildings and recreational facilities. Community Association directors are unpaid volunteers, elected by the members who can and do voice their ideas and opinions at regular monthly board meetings. Members have access to all the facilities and amenities, for a remarkably low cost. You’ll find that our yearly dues are about the same as the monthly dues in some other Florida age-restricted communities.

Kings Point Sun City Center, FL

SCC is a debt-free community
SCC operates on a pay as you go basis
All SCC facilities are paid for in full
SCC does not rely on special assessments to meet budget needs
LOW annual dues, less than what other communities charge per month

SCC offers a wide range of housing styles, sizes, and prices
Choose from condos, villas, or single-family homes
Prices range from $50,000 to $600,000
Taxes are very low in SCC

Sun City Center Is a Self-Contained Community

Everything you need is right here in SCC!

Golf Cart Community

SCC is a golf cart community. What that means is that all SCC streets have been approved for use by golf carts.
Golf carts are not required to be registered with the Department of Motor vehicles or carry a license plate.
Licenses are not required for drivers of golf carts.
Many SCC residents sell their 2nd cars and purchase a golf cart, as it is a much more convenient and economical way to get around.

Everything you will need is available by golf cart in Sun City Center

Following is a list of stores, businesses, and other facilities that are located within or adjacent to SCC and are accessible by golf cart.
For additional information, use the link below to access the South Hillsborough Chamber of Commerce: https://www.southhillsboroughchamber.com/
AAA
Ace Hardware
Aldi’s
Attorneys
Banks
Barber Shops
Beall’s Department Store
Beauty Salons
Car Rentals
Card Shops
Cell Phone Store
Churches
CPA’s
Dentists
Doctors
Dollar General
Drug Stores
FedEx
Financial Services
Flower Shop
Garage Doors
Gift Shop
Golf Cart Sales and Service
Hearing Center
Home Depot
Home Health Care
Insurance Agencies
Jewelry Store
Laundromat
Liquor Stores
Locksmith
Medical Labs
Music Store
Opticians
Petsmart
Pool Stores
Post Office
Realtors
Restaurants
South Bay Hospital
Supermarkets
Tobacco Shop
UPS
Walmart
Western Union

Thanks to the SCC Volunteer Security Patrol & Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Sun City Center has Hillsborough County’s lowest crime rate

Hospitals, doctors, security and emergency services are all right here in Sun City Center

Hospitals

• The South Bay Hospital 112-bed HCA facility is within 2 miles of every home in Sun City Center. It has a state-of-the-art emergency room with extensive diagnostic and treatment services. A major expansion/renovation began in June 2015. Also, the new Saint Joseph’s Hospital South opened in 2015. It is just 5 miles from the heart of our community. It is a 90-bed, full-service hospital offering outpatient services, intensive care, a 14-bed maternity unit, imaging, lab, surgical services, and more.

Hillsborough County EMS

• The Hillsborough County Emergency Medical Services Station 28 is located on the South side of County route 674, adjacent to SCC.

SCC Emergency Squad

• Free Basic Life Support ambulance service is provided 7 days a week, 24 hours a day by over 300 resident volunteers. Training for EMTs and other support personnel is provided. Funding is by donations, and staffing is drawn from people just like you. Neighbors helping neighbors is more than just a slogan.

Hillsborough County Sheriff

• The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office maintains a Community Substation in the heart of SCC. The Substation has a Community Resource Deputy assigned full time to assist SCC residents.

Security Patrol

• Some 1,200 resident volunteers cover the entire community in brightly marked cars looking for anything that seems out of place or clearly needs attention. They carry no arms but have radios to alert the nearby sheriff’s office when necessary. Sun City Center has the lowest crime rate in the county.

Samaritan Services

• Free local daytime transportation is available for any social purpose. Many residents do not own an automobile, so they call “SCC Ride” to get to a store or to a neighbor for a game of bridge or just a chat.
• We have another free service with volunteer drivers taking residents who are unable to drive themselves to medical appointments within a 50-mile radius of our community. It is door-to-door. What more could you ask for?

Medical Alert

• “Lifeline”, a volunteer service of the Men’s Club, is provided to any resident who wants it. They only pay a small monitoring fee. When help is needed, the user just presses the button to notify emergency services 24 hours per day.

Religious Services

• The immediate SCC area contains several Churches and Synagogues.
• SUN CITY CENTER is America’s Premier 55 Plus Community
• The Sun City Center Community Association is not an HOA. The only rules they enforce are concerning age-appropriate residents….
• https://www.suncitycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/Actions-To-Enforce.pdf
• https://www.suncitycenter.org/
• https://www.suncitycenter.org/community-services.html
• https://www.floridaforboomers.com/villages-vs-sun-city-center/
• https://kingspointsuncitycenter.com/