Community Details at a Glance
The Homes
Product
Luxury single-family homes from the Homes by WestBay Artisan Collection, five bedrooms and four baths, roughly 3,578 to 3,899 square feet, with tile roofs and paver driveways standard
Builder
Homes by WestBay, one of Tampa Bay's larger privately owned homebuilders; current plans here are the Key Largo and Key Largo II from the Artisan Collection
Scale
A boutique enclave of just 16 homesites on 75-foot-wide lots off John Moore Road; the builder has marketed it as a final opportunity, so remaining new-build supply is thin
Lots
Homesites are 75 feet wide, with lot sizes reported from roughly a third of an acre to over half an acre; several positions back water or green space, so confirm the exact lot on the site plan
Costs & Fees
HOA
Reported at $1,425-plus per quarter, managed through HomeRiver Group per aggregator data; confirm the exact current figure and what it covers in writing before you offer
CDD
No CDD fees per the builder's own community materials, which is uncommon for new construction in this market; still verify on the Hillsborough County tax roll for the specific homesite
Reality
The money is in the home and the oversized lot, not an amenity campus; the no-CDD structure keeps the recurring stack simpler than most new-build competition nearby
Amenities
Gated entry
Aggregator listings and on-site reviewers describe a gated community; confirm the current gate and access arrangements with the builder or HOA
Water and green space
The community takes its name from ponds on site; aggregator listings reference waterfront homesites and open green space, so confirm which lots actually back water on the site plan
Listed extras
Aggregator data lists a playground and cluster mailboxes; amenity lists for small enclaves are often wrong, so verify what actually exists inside the gate before you rely on it
Everyday convenience
Roughly half a mile south of Bloomingdale Avenue, so groceries, dining, and daily errands sit minutes away while the enclave itself stays quiet
Location
Setting
Southern Brandon, ZIP 33511, off John Moore Road about half a mile south of Bloomingdale Avenue; the community street is Hidden Estates Court, with the model address at 125 Hidden Estates Ct
Highways
US 301, I-75, and the Selmon Expressway are the main routes; downtown Tampa runs roughly 25 to 30 minutes in normal traffic
Errands
The Bloomingdale Avenue retail corridor is minutes away, with the larger Brandon Town Center retail cluster about 10 to 15 minutes north
The Homes & Style
Hidden Lakes is a boutique Homes by WestBay enclave of just 16 homesites off John Moore Road in southern Brandon, about half a mile south of Bloomingdale Avenue. It is new construction inside a built-out, established part of Brandon, which is itself unusual.
The product comes from WestBay's Artisan Collection, the builder's higher-spec line: tile roofs, paver driveways, and 75-foot-wide homesites come standard here per the builder.
Current plans are the Key Largo and Key Largo II, five-bedroom, four-bath designs from roughly 3,578 to 3,899 square feet. Confirm the exact plan, square footage, and garage count against the specific listing.
Recent quick move-in homes have been priced from about $1,039,990 to $1,089,990. The community originally launched at lower price points, so do not anchor to older marketing figures; confirm current pricing with the builder.
Lot sizes are reported from roughly a third of an acre to over half an acre, large by new-construction standards in this corridor. Several homesites are marketed as backing water or green space; confirm the exact position on the recorded site plan.
The builder has marketed Hidden Lakes as a final opportunity, meaning the remaining new-build inventory is thin and the community will shift to a resale market once the last homes close.
Because this is an active builder community, the builder's sales office represents the builder. Bring your own representation before you register or tour, since builder registration policies can limit your options later.
Living Here
This is a quiet, small-enclave lifestyle, not an amenity-campus lifestyle. The draw is the home, the oversized lot, and the location inside established Brandon.
Aggregator listings and on-site reviewers describe a gated entry, ponds, open green space, a playground, and cluster mailboxes. Amenity lists for 16-lot enclaves are frequently wrong, so verify what actually exists inside the gate with the builder or HOA.
The location does the everyday work: the Bloomingdale Avenue corridor with groceries and dining is minutes away, and the larger Brandon retail cluster around Brandon Town Center is about 10 to 15 minutes north.
Commuters run US 301, I-75, or the Selmon Expressway; downtown Tampa is roughly 25 to 30 minutes in normal traffic, and Tampa International Airport roughly 35 minutes, traffic depending.
There is no CDD per the builder, which is genuinely uncommon for Tampa-area new construction and keeps the recurring cost stack simpler than most competing new-build communities.
The HOA is reported at $1,425-plus per quarter through HomeRiver Group, a meaningful fee for a low-amenity enclave, so get the exact figure and coverage in writing and ask what it actually pays for.
There is no clubhouse campus, no resort pool complex, and no on-site golf. If a resort amenity package is the priority, the master plans in Lithia and Riverview are the better fit.
The trade is simple: a new luxury home on a genuinely large lot inside established Brandon, minutes from everything, versus more amenities and more CDD-financed infrastructure farther out.
Before You Offer
Confirm the exact HOA dues and coverage in writing. The reported figure is $1,425-plus per quarter via HomeRiver Group, which is substantial for a small enclave, so understand precisely what it funds, whether reserves are adequate for the gate and common areas, and whether any assessment is planned as the builder hands the association to residents.
Verify the no-CDD status on the Hillsborough County tax roll for the specific homesite. The builder advertises no CDD fees, and nothing contradicts that, but the tax roll is the document that matters, and confirm the full millage and any non-ad-valorem assessments while you are there.
Pin down the lot. Homesites run from roughly a third of an acre to over half an acre, and the water-backing and green-space positions carry the premium. Confirm the actual lot dimensions, easements, and pond maintenance responsibility on the survey and plat, not the marketing map.
Negotiate the builder contract with your own representation. Builder contracts favor the builder on deposits, timelines, and remedies; current incentives, closing-cost credits, and rate buydowns move month to month, so get every incentive in writing and have your agent and, ideally, an attorney read the agreement before you sign.
Comparisons
Hidden Lakes competes for the buyer who wants a new luxury home inside established Brandon rather than in a farther-out master plan. Against Barrington Preserve, WestBay's other current Brandon community, Hidden Lakes runs larger and pricier, five-bedroom Artisan homes around $1.0 million-plus on 75-foot lots versus Barrington Preserve's broader lineup starting in the mid-$700s, so the choice is budget and lot size versus plan variety. Against La Collina, the gated Brandon community a few minutes north, Hidden Lakes offers brand-new construction and bigger lots, while La Collina offers established resales, a community pool, and generally lower price points. Against the estate streets of Bloomingdale and the Lithia master plans like FishHawk Ranch, Hidden Lakes gives up mature landscaping and resort amenity packages but wins on new construction, a no-CDD structure, and an in-town position minutes from Bloomingdale Avenue. The honest summary: Hidden Lakes wins on new Artisan-spec construction, oversized lots, no CDD, and scarcity, and gives ground on amenities, plan variety, and price of entry.
Who It Fits
Hidden Lakes fits the buyer who wants a brand-new five-bedroom luxury home on a large lot without leaving established Brandon, the buyer who values a no-CDD fee structure over a resort amenity package, and the buyer who wants scarcity, 16 homesites, one street, and a final-opportunity closeout. It does not fit the buyer who wants a clubhouse, resort pool, or on-site golf, the buyer who wants sub-$1 million pricing from this builder, for whom Barrington Preserve is the better WestBay target, or the buyer who wants deep plan variety, since the remaining inventory is limited to the Key Largo designs. Anyone considering Hidden Lakes should confirm the HOA figure and coverage in writing, verify the no-CDD status on the Hillsborough County tax roll, confirm which amenities actually exist inside the gate, and bring their own representation to the builder's sales office.












