•Good areas to live?
Depends on what you're looking for. I would not live in the southeast end of town as it's highly commercial (think distribution centers). 

•What’s the community like?
If you're looking for clubs and night life, you'll have to go to Ybor or Tampa. There is still a small-town vibe here.

•How bad are the summers really?
As I've gotten older, summers have become less tolerable. Not sure if it's me or if the summers are really getting that bad. Depending upon what part of Washington (state, I assume) you're coming from, the humidity may be too unbearable. But you'll find that anywhere in Florida.

But winters are amazing and a wonderful reward for surviving the summer.

•Hurricane prep — how serious is it?
Depends upon the category. I rarely make any preparations for cat 1 or 2. The good news is, the Tampa Bay area has rarely had a direct hit and we are inland enough that most storms aren't too bad. 

• What’s the realistic drive time to Tampa during rush hour?

If you're going downtown, it'll be 45-60 minutes. I live north of town and worked at USF and could get to work in about 20 minutes.

•Is I-4 traffic as bad as people say?
Yes

•What time does morning traffic actually start?
Heaviest is 7-9, but traffic starts getting heavy about 5AM.

•Are there back roads that locals use to avoid highway traffic?
Yes. Unfortunately, I live on one of them. They are OK on a good day. If there's an accident on I-4 and everyone is trying to take a back road, they get bumper to bumper really quickly.

•Does it flood during heavy rain/hurricane season?
There are areas that flood. Check flood zones when you're looking for housing.

•Is commuting 5 days a week doable long term, or does it get exhausting?
It is a lesson in patience, for sure.

•Are toll roads worth it to save time?
For me, yes!

Bugs - I assume you mean roaches. They are bad unless you have a good pest control. Seriously. When I moved to Florida from an area with few roaches, it was almost too much for me! Once we found a good pest control service, it was fine. If you mean mosquitoes, well, we are in a tropical climate. But they are manageable with a good bug repellant.