Sand Key is a barrier island on Florida's Gulf Coast that stretches from Madeira Beach through Redington Beach, North Redington Beach, Redington Shores, Indian Shores, Indian Rocks Beach, Belleair Shore, and Belleair Beach into Clearwater.
The Clearwater portion of the island includes Sand Key Park (a Pinellas County park south of Clearwater Beach). [1] It closes at dark, has picnic and fishing accommodations, a nature trail, beach concession stands, and very spacious parking lots. By contrast, the main part of Clearwater Beach is so densely developed that it can be difficult to navigate by car. In 2012, the parking meters in Sand Key Park, under the jurisdiction of the county government, were removed in favor of a flat daily rate system ($5). These two islands as well as the island containing the Island Estates neighborhood belong to the city of Clearwater, whose downtown core a.k.a. "Cleveland Street District" lies a couple of miles to the east over the Clearwater Memorial Causeway.
Pinellas County is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 959,107, which makes it the seventh-most populous county in the state. It is also the most densely populated county in Florida, with 3,491 residents per square mile. The county is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area. Clearwater is the county seat. St. Petersburg is the largest city in the county, as well as the largest city in Florida that is not a county seat.
Belleair Shore is a town in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The town is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area, more commonly known as the Tampa Bay area. It was officially established and incorporated as a municipality in 1955. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 73.
Indian Rocks Beach, or IRB, is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. Indian Rocks Beach is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. Located on the barrier island Sand Key, it has over two miles of beach along the Gulf of Mexico, with 26 public beach accesses. Tourism is its primary industry. It was incorporated in 1956. The population was 3,673 at the 2020 census.
Indian Shores is a town in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area, more commonly known as the Tampa Bay Area. The population was 1,190 at the 2020 census.
North Redington Beach is a town in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area, more commonly known as the Tampa Bay Area. The population was 1,495 at the 2020 census.
Redington Beach is a town in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area, more commonly called the Tampa Bay Area. The population was 1,376 at the 2020 census.
Redington Shores is a town in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The county is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area, more commonly known as the Tampa Bay Area. The population was 2,176 at the 2020 census.
Treasure Island Causeway is a series of three bridges crossing Boca Ciega Bay between Treasure Island and St. Petersburg in Pinellas County, Florida. The bridge, which carries County Road 150 (CR 150), is owned and maintained by the City of Treasure Island, which used to charge all motorists $1.00 toll, until June, 2006, when the first span of the bridge was reopened with no toll booth. Residents of two St. Petersburg waterfront communities used to pay a $10 annual road tax to the City of Treasure Island to help support road and median maintenance. That tax was eliminated in the spring of 2007. Treasure Island's ownership of the causeway in St. Petersburg was part of a land agreement entered into when these two cities were born: St. Petersburg's founding fathers purchased the Municipal Beach on the shores of the neighboring Gulf of Mexico community, Treasure Island, outside its own city limits to ensure that residents would have direct access to the Gulf of Mexico for generations to come. The western terminus is an intersection with Gulf of Mexico Boulevard in Treasure Island.
Tiki Gardens was a South Seas Polynesian theme park in Indian Shores, Florida. The park, which opened in 1964, was closed in the 1980s and sold by the owners, "Trader" Frank Byars and Wahine Jo Byars, to a developer who planned to build a hotel on the large property. Pinellas County, Florida bought the property from the developer and turned it into a public beach access parking lot.
State Road 686 is an east–west route in Pinellas County, running from U.S. Route 19 Alternate in Largo east to an intersection with SR 687 and SR 694 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Originally, SR 686 extended further west, ending at Gulf Boulevard in Belleair Beach, next to the shores of the Gulf of Mexico.
Timeline of Pinellas County, Florida history.
The Clearwater Memorial Causeway byway is a six-lane road between downtown Clearwater and Clearwater Beach, Florida, and includes a bi-fixed-span bridge across the Intracoastal Waterway. Constructed out of Concrete coated in bio-degradable Ceramic Polyethylene. It carries the State Road 60 designation and is known for its greenways and pedestrian walkways and elegant bridge appearance and structure. The road is also a major evacuation route during hurricane season.
State Road 666 (SR 666) is a short state road in Pinellas County. Locally known as Tom Stuart Causeway, Welch Causeway, or Madeira Beach Causeway, the route crosses Boca Ciega Bay from Seminole to Madeira Beach. The bridge crossing Boca Ciega Bay is a bascule bridge with 11 spans, built in 1962. The route ends with an interchange with U.S. Route 19 Alternate in Bay Pines. The southwestern terminus of the route is at State Road 699 in Madeira Beach, in front of the Ocean Sands hotel.
Shell Key Preserve is an 1,800-acre preserve located on Shell Key in Tierra Verde, Pinellas County in the U.S. state of Florida. The preserve protects sensitive marine habitats and includes one of the county's largest undeveloped barrier islands as well as numerous mangrove islands and expansive sea grass beds.
The Corey Causeway is a series of three twin-span bridges that cross the Boca Ciega Bay, part of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The causeway carries SR 693. The two east bridges are fixed bridges, and the west bridge is a double-leaf bascule bridge. It connects the barrier islands of St. Pete Beach and the mainland of South Pasadena, Florida. The westbound span of the Corey Causeway was built in 1966, and the eastbound span was built in 1975, which replaced the original causeway built in the 1930s.
The Park Boulevard Bridge is a double-leaf bascule bridge that crosses the Narrows, part of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, connecting the barrier islands of Indian Shores and the mainland of Seminole, Florida. The bridge carries Park Boulevard, part of CR 694. The bridge was built in 1981. It had a toll, but ten years later, the tolls were removed.
The Indian Rocks Causeway is a twin-span double-leaf bascule bridge that crosses the Narrows, part of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, connecting the barrier islands of Indian Rocks Beach and the mainland of Largo, Florida. The bridge carries Walsingham Road, part of SR 688. The eastbound span of the Indian Rocks Causeway was built in 1958, replacing the original swing bridge built in 1916, and the westbound span was built in 1999.
The Belleair Causeway is a concrete girder bridge that crosses the Intracoastal Waterway, connecting the barrier islands of Belleair Beach and the mainland of Largo, Florida. The bridge carries West Bay Drive, part of CR 416, and was built in 2009, replacing a double-leaf bascule bridge built in 1950.
The Sand Key Bridge is a girder bridge that crosses the Clearwater Pass, connecting Clearwater and Belleair Beach, Florida. The bridge carries Gulf of Mexico Boulevard, part of SR 699, and it was built in 1995, replacing the original bascule bridge built in the 1960s.
The Dunedin Causeway is a series of three bridges that cross the St. Joseph Sound, part of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, connecting the barrier islands of Honeymoon Island State Park and the mainland of Dunedin, Florida. The causeway carries CR 586 and it was built in 1963.
27°57′31″N82°49′36″W / 27.95861°N 82.82667°W