Gutters · Apollo Beach

Gutters in Apollo Beach, FL

On the Tampa Bay shore at Apollo Beach, a 5-minute, 10-year downpour falls at 9.68 inches an hour, and the 100-year burst reaches 12.8. That is more than the 8.3 in an older Tampa table. Those short bursts set how big your gutters and downspouts need to be, and Florida code sets where the water must land.

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Updated October 2026

Several manatees float in calm water with a large industrial power station and palm trees behind them. — Photo: Manatees in water near Big Bend Power Station, Apollo Beach, Florida, on 21 by MatthewHoobin, CC0, cropped

Drone view of a single-story home with a brown-gray shingle roof and box vents under large oak trees, a metal carport roof in the corner and a street behind. — Photo: Manatees in water near Big Bend Power Station, Apollo Beach, Florida, on 21 by MatthewHoobin, CC0, cropped

Apollo Beach figures this page uses

Single-family detached share of housing units: 82.9%
Median year homes were built: 2010
Owner-occupied share of occupied homes: 85.7%

Local rainfall

How hard it rains here and what it means

The short burst matters more than the yearly total. Here the 10-year burst runs 9.68 inches an hour, the 25-year burst 11, and the 100-year burst 12.8. Over a full hour, a 10-year storm drops 2.96 inches. By the 24-hour mark, a 10-year storm has put down 6.53 inches and a 100-year storm 11.6.

Close-up of a fine stainless micro-mesh gutter guard over a white gutter at a shingle roof edge, with oak leaves, catkins and raindrops resting on top (illustration)

Illustration: micro mesh guard

Many Florida gutter tables are older than that. One widely copied table lists Tampa at 8.3 inches an hour and says it rests on records through 1978. Our rate for Apollo Beach is higher, so a gutter sized from that old table may be small for today's storms.

Size changes capacity a lot. A 6-inch half-round gutter at the same slope carries about 49% more than a 5-inch one, 110 gpm against 74. At 1/8 inch per foot, 6-inch is the size worth pricing out here, since a heavy burst can overwhelm a 5-inch run. Downspouts count too: a 3-inch round carries 92 gpm and a 4-inch round carries 192.

Discharge rules

Where the water goes on a low waterfront lot

Apollo Beach sits on Tampa Bay, and much of the original land was mangrove and low ground. The subdivision was laid out with roads and canals, and water covers 11.7% of the place. Roof water has little slope to run away on, so it pools near the house if you let it.

Florida Building Code requires downspouts to discharge at least 1 foot from the sidewall. Buried pipe, a tail extension or a splash block all satisfy it. With 82.9 percent of homes single-family detached, most owners here control the whole discharge path on their own lot.

The code also calls for gutters with downspouts on any building whose eaves stick out less than 6 inches, with gable end rakes and roofs above other roofs excepted. The median build year here is 2010, so many homes went up under this rule and short eaves are common.

Upkeep and permits

Leaves, cleaning and who pulls the permit

Roughly 61% of Tampa's yearly rain falls June through September. Clean before June. Live oaks are a litter problem, and pine needle fall peaks in autumn. Many insurers suggest cleaning at least twice a year, spring and fall, and more often under trees.

No town hall issues permits here. This is an unincorporated community, so roof permits come from Hillsborough County's building office. Check with them before any work that touches the roof edge or fascia. About 85.7 percent of homes are owner-occupied, so the call usually falls to you.

Rain on your roof

Roof area (square feet)Rain (inches)

Preset: 6.53 inches, the 10-year 24-hour rain (NOAA Atlas 14 at Apollo Beach).

8,136 gallons run off that roof, all of it toward the gutters and downspouts.

Math: square feet × inches × 0.623 gallons.

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Questions

Gutters in Apollo Beach: questions

How much rain falls on Apollo Beach in a heavy burst?

A 5-minute downpour in a 10-year storm falls at 9.68 inches an hour here, and a 100-year storm reaches 12.8. Over one hour, a 10-year storm drops 2.96 inches. Those short bursts, not the yearly total, decide whether a gutter overflows. Tampa's normal annual rainfall is 49.48 inches, with about 61% of it falling June through September.

Source: NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration intensity estimates at the Apollo Beach 2020 Census internal point (27.7630, -82.4006), read Oct 5, 2026

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How far must a downspout drain from my Apollo Beach house?

Florida Building Code says at least 1 foot from the structure sidewall. Buried pipe, a tail extension or a splash block all meet it. Because much of Apollo Beach was low mangrove land and water covers 11.7% of the area, more distance and a clear path away from the slab is a sound choice. Confirm local drainage rules with Hillsborough County.

Source: Wikipedia, "Apollo Beach, Florida" (secondary source), read Oct 5, 2026

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Do I need a permit to replace gutters in Apollo Beach?

Apollo Beach has no city government, so Hillsborough County's building office handles roof permits. Whether gutter-only work needs its own license or permit varies by county, so confirm with that office before you hire anyone. Rules for fascia and roof edges can bring a permit into play.

Source: Hillsborough County - Building Permits & Records (unincorporated Hillsborough County), read Oct 5, 2026

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When should I clean gutters near oak and pine trees?

Plan on late April to May after oak leaf drop and pollen, again before the June to September storm season, and after the pine-needle peak in late November or December. Hillsborough County's wet season brings about 61% of Tampa's 49.48 inches of yearly rain in those four months, so a clog then costs you most. Heavy canopy means more frequent cleaning.

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, station USW00012842 TAMPA INTL AP, read Oct 5, 2026

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