Ballast Point (Tampa)

Ballast Point
Neighborhood
Ballast Point Neighborhood Overlooking Hillsborough Bay
Ballast Point Location within the state of Florida
Coordinates: 27°53′21.27″N 82°28′50.66″W / 27.8892417°N 82.4807389°W / 27.8892417; -82.4807389Coordinates: 27°53′21.27″N 82°28′50.66″W / 27.8892417°N 82.4807389°W / 27.8892417; -82.4807389
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Hillsborough
Incorporated (City)	1953
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
• Mayor	Bob Buckhorn (D)
• City attorney	Jim Shimberg
• Legislative	City Council
Area
• Total	1.70000 sq mi (4.40298 km2)
Population (2010)
• Total	4,940
• Density	2,900/sq mi (1,100/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	33611
Area code(s)	813

Ballast Point is a neighborhood located in the city of Tampa, county of Hillsborough, and the U.S. state of Florida. It is bordered by Hillsborough Bay, a section of the larger Tampa Bay. The ZIP code serving the area is 33611. The boundaries are Gandy Blvd. to the north, MacDill Air Force Base to the south, Hillsborough Bay to the east and S. MacDill Ave. to the west. Also included are the homes and businesses on the west side of the street of S. MacDill Ave., Gadsden Park on S. MacDill Ave. and the adjacent ELAPP Property which is part of the South Tampa Greenway.

The Ballast Point neighborhood is an official City of Tampa neighborhood, and is largely residential. This neighborhood is canopied by mature oak trees full of Spanish moss, and is nestled on the Hillsborough Bay.

The neighborhood is home to the Ballast Point Neighborhood Association, and the City of Tampa Police Neighborhood Watch (crime watch) groups: Ballast Point Neighborhood Watch I, II and III. Membership in the association is $20.00 per year and is not mandatory for Ballast Point residents. Neighborhood Watch is a program and service of the City of Tampa Police Department and is free to join.

The Battle of Ballast Point took place on October 18, 1863. It was during the American Civil War, just two days after the Battle of Fort Brooke began. A Union raiding party, under Acting Master T.R. Harris, disembarked at Ballast Point, landing at the current intersection of Gandy Boulevard and Bayshore Boulevard. Under the protracted diversionary bombardment of the city of Tampa and Fort Brooke by two ships, the USS Tahoma and the USS Adela, the Union divisions marched 14 miles to the Hillsborough River near the site of today's Lowry Park Zoo. They surprised, captured, and burned two notorious ships, the blockade runner Scottish Chief, a steamship, and the sloop Kate Dale a few miles up the river. The ships were owned by the future mayor of Tampa, James McKay. Escaping capture by mere minutes, with members of his crew in tow, James McKay sped to the city of Tampa and warned all of the landing party and the fate of his ships.