Tampa already treats permanent light as part of the skyline. The city’s Lights on Tampa program keeps six of the nine downtown bridges lit from dusk to dawn, and the Fortune Taylor Bridge has permanent fixtures that cycle through color palettes, best seen from the Riverwalk. JellyFish Lighting brings the same idea to your own roofline, for a house in Westchase or Brandon or a business in Ybor City.
Keywest Lights & Electric is an independent, licensed electrical contractor (EC13014717) based in Seminole and an Authorized Dealer of JellyFish Lighting, not JellyFish Lighting, the company. In Hillsborough County we take JellyFish installs as planned projects: estimate first, written proposal, then a scheduled install day.
Planning a JellyFish install in Hillsborough County? Call (727) 476-7079 or request a free estimate online.
Keywest Lights & Electric is an Authorized Dealer of JellyFish Lighting. We are not JellyFish Lighting.
What you can do with it, home or business
- Security: bright white along the eaves that lights driveways, entries and side yards, and can switch on with compatible smart-home cameras.
- Everyday curb appeal: warm white presets that wash the walls below the soffit every evening.
- Brand presence: steady brand colors outlining an office, restaurant or retail building, on a schedule tied to business hours.
- Holidays and game days: seasonal and team scenes for homes, planned on the app calendar.
Business lighting and Hillsborough sign codes
Color is where commercial projects need care. Tampa’s Chapter 27 defines an “activated sign” as one lit by lights that change color, flash or alternate, and prohibits activated signs along with beacon lights and glaring, unshielded fixtures. Unincorporated Hillsborough prohibits animated signs and defines them to include color changes. Temple Terrace bars signs with flashing or externally directed lights, and Plant City prohibits animated signs. For storefronts and offices we install steady brand colors and check your address’s code before the lights go live.
That still leaves plenty of opportunity. Tampa’s community redevelopment areas include Downtown, the Channel District, Ybor City, Tampa Heights Riverfront, West Tampa, Drew Park, Central Park and East Tampa, and south county growth is centered on Apollo Beach and Sun City Center/Ruskin along Big Bend Road, US-41 and US-301. More on commercial work is on our commercial electrician page.
Hillsborough homes, newer than Pinellas
Hillsborough’s housing is younger than its neighbor across the bay. Census estimates put the median home at 1991, with 30.4% built before 1980 and 18.6% built in 2010 or later. About 57% of units are single-family detached homes and 61.5% are owner-occupied. That means a lot of newer subdivisions, many with deed restrictions, alongside the older bungalows and ranches closer to Tampa’s core.
Because roofline lighting is visible from the street, Florida’s HOA statute leaves it within an association’s rules. We prepare the track color, mounting location and layout for your architectural review application.
Permits: county, Tampa, Temple Terrace or Plant City
In Hillsborough County, permanent lighting that needs a new outlet or dedicated circuit requires an electrical permit. Unincorporated areas such as Brandon, Riverview and Town ’n’ Country go through Hillsborough County, while Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City each issue their own permits. We pull the permit with the right office and handle the inspection for you.
Wind exposure changes across the county
Hillsborough’s own wind map splits the county at the 140 mph line for typical buildings. Place-center checks put downtown Tampa, Westchase, Riverview, Sun City Center and Wimauma inside the wind-borne debris region, and Brandon, Temple Terrace, Lutz and Plant City outside it. We check your address and fasten the track to solid framing either way, with the wiring enclosed.
Utilities
Tampa Electric serves most of the county, roughly 870,000 customers, with Duke Energy Florida and Peace River Electric Cooperative in some areas. TECO’s Bright Choices program leases area and street lighting, including for HOAs and CDDs, but neither TECO nor Duke covers decorative roofline lighting. JellyFish runs from an outlet at your home or building.
Sea turtles and the bay
FWC does not list Hillsborough County or its cities as having a sea turtle lighting ordinance. Our installs keep the lights tucked under the eaves and aimed down, and for a home within view of a beach we can still set a turtle-friendly schedule that keeps them off from May 1 through October 31, FWC’s nesting season.
Holiday color in Hillsborough
The Alafia Lighted Boat Parade brings decorated boats down the Alafia River, and Holiday in the Park at Apollo Beach Park & Recreation Center is set for December 18, 2026. Permanent lights let your own roofline join the season without a ladder.
Hillsborough JellyFish Lighting FAQ
Can a Tampa business run color-changing lights on its building? Tampa’s code defines an “activated sign” as one lit by lights that change color, flash or alternate, and prohibits activated signs. Unincorporated Hillsborough treats color changes as an animated sign. For businesses we install steady brand colors and check the code for your address before setup.
Is a permit needed for JellyFish Lighting in Hillsborough County? Yes, when the job needs a new outlet or dedicated circuit. That requires an electrical permit; we pull it with the county or your city and take care of the inspection.
Do sea turtle rules apply in Hillsborough? FWC does not list Hillsborough County or its cities as having a sea turtle lighting ordinance. We still keep lights shielded and aimed down along the eaves, which is how JellyFish Lighting is designed to mount.
How do you schedule installs in Hillsborough County? Hillsborough work is planned: we visit for a free estimate, send a written proposal, and book the install date with you. Call (727) 476-7079 or use our online form to start.
See our main JellyFish Lighting page, the permanent lighting overview and our Hillsborough County hub.
JellyFish Lighting by city in Hillsborough: Tampa, with notes for Davis Islands, Hyde Park, Harbour Island and Avila
Ready to plan your Hillsborough install? Call (727) 476-7079 or request a free estimate online.
JellyFish Lighting is a trademark of JellyFish Lighting. Keywest Lights & Electric is an independent Authorized Dealer and is not JellyFish Lighting, the company.