Fort De Soto, Florida - less than an hour from Anna Maria Island

Fort De Soto Beach...

Historic Fort De Soto Park, less than an hour away from Anna Maria Island, is the perfect getaway island if you are looking for sugary white sand beaches, natural dunes, fishing, camping, boating, and a barrier-free nature trail.

This picture-postcard park has also been given the highest honor: North America’s best beach. And rightly so. This small slice of paradise, home to a 105-year-old fort constructed during the Spanish-American War, is marked by fine sandy beaches, comprised of quartz crystal sand, clear blue-green waters, and some fantastic shelling opportunities.

Stephen Leatherman, known as Dr. Beach, thrilled Pinellas County by naming Fort De Soto as the number one beach in 2005, claiming the park’s beauty, cleanliness, ambiance, and facilities all played a role in the highest ranking.

Imagine strolling along the beach, stepping on fine grains of white sugar as you try to fathom how the water can be so clear you can see your feet. Gulls and other migratory birds wheel overhead, reminding you of how much the park has to offer. Fort De Soto Beach is a primary landing site for migrating birds.

Visitors can stroll down the nature trail, also accessible to wheel chairs, and catch a glimpse of some of natural life this beach provides a home for.

In addition to being a beautiful and relaxing island, Fort De Soto Beach played its part in our nation’s history.

During Spanish exploration, the island was inhabited by the Tocobaga Indians. They enjoyed the bounty provided by the island, living peacefully by fishing for clams, oysters, conchs, and fish until the first Spanish explorers began to migrate to their home.

Panfilo de Narvaez landed on the island in 1528 and explored the fine sandy beaches and dunes before moving farther up the coast.

Eleven years later, however, Hernando De Soto would change the lives of the native inhabitants forever. He began an exploration and conquest of the Tampa Bay area, recreating how the island would evolve and change.

The construction of the fort didn’t begin until 1898, during the Spanish-American War. However, the island’s historical military significance dates back to before the Civil War when Robert E. Lee surveyed the island as a potential military utilization.

After this expedition, Lee’s engineers found the island favorable to the military, which effectively prohibited any commercial development, thus preserving the island’s natural beauty.

The island was only a minor background during the Civil War, however. Union troops were stationed at Mullet and Egmont Keys to scout out blockade runners during the war.
During construction of the fort almost fifty years later, stone for the mortar battery was delayed. The engineers made an ingenious discovery. Rather than wait for the stone, they utilized the island’s natural resources. Namely: shell. The end result delighted the designers and engineers enormously and they continued to use the shell in their construction of the fort.

In April, 1990, the fort was officially named Fort De Soto after the Spanish explorer.
The island was also used as a bombing target during WWII. The pilot who dropped the bomb on Hiroshima used the area as bombing practice.

Despite the attention and construction of the fort, the island was never the place of an actual battle. However, it played a major role in modern weaponry’s evolution.

Fort De Soto Park, the name for the entire island now, is situated at the entrance to Tampa Bay in the southwest corner of Mullet Key, just a short drive from beautiful Santa Maria Island. Comprised of 900 acres and five separate islands, the park offers many superb recreational activities. It is the perfect family getaway.

With over seven miles of white sandy beaches, 235 camping sites, superb fishing off the shore or one of the two piers (one stretches 500 feet into Tampa Bay; the other travels 1000 feet into the Gulf of Mexico), a boat launch, swim areas, canoe trail, and so much more, Fort De Soto, less than an hour away from Anna Maria Island, has a little of something for everyone. The opportunities are endless.

Sources: Text Copyright Mike Norman Realty 6/25/05, photo Photo St. Pete/Clearwater Area CVB.

Mike Norman Realty
Anna Maria Island Vacation Rental
3101 Gulf Dr. Holmes Beach,
Anna Maria Island, Florida 34217
Tel: 1-800-367-1617
Tel: 941-778-6696