The current span of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, a cable stayed bridge with 174' of clearance, wasx begun in 1982 and completed in 1987. It is considered by many as Florida's signature bridge. Pinellas County controls the northern entrance to the bridge, Manatee County the south, and Hillsborough County controls the main ship channel and the center span of the bridge.

This is a view toward the scalloping waters of St. Joe Bay, Florida.

Fiddler crabs out for an early morning stroll at sunrise on St. Joe Bay in the panhandle of Florida during scallop season.

On a cold January morning with the temperature around 35 degrees, the sunrise highlights the mist coming off the warmer spring water and the boats at anchor in Crystal River, Florida.

A man searches for treasure with a metal detector near the Flagler Beach, Florida pier on a cold Atlantic Ocean January morning.

On a cold January morning with the temperature around 35 degrees, the sunrise highlights the mist coming off the warmer spring water and the boats at anchor in Crystal River, Florida.

On a cold January morning with the temperature around 35 degrees, the sunrise highlights the mist coming off the warmer spring water and the boats at anchor in Crystal River, Florida.

Bokeelia, on the north end on Pine Island in Lee County, Florida, has a distinct tropical flavor with this view of palm trees overlooking Charlotte Harbor. This small community of less than 2,000 was home to Spanish fishing camps that served Key West and Cuba as early at 1765. In the early 1900's settlers began to arrive, raising tropical fruits and palms for sale which they do to this day. In 1916 a Maryland native and Annapolis graduate, Captain Peter Haines retired from the navy after a successful career and built a house in Bokeelia patterned after those that the government buit for its troops in the tropics.

This is a view of the Pinellas County side of Tampa Bay as seen from the south end of the swinning beach at Tampa, Florida's Picnic Island park located in Poet Tampa on May 27,2016. This park has a boat ramp, fishing pier, dog beach/park, playground, disc golf course, a number of picnic shelters, a canoe/kayak launch area, and a swimming beach. The only charge is for a picnic shelter if you want to reserve it for a large group, otherwise, everything else is free.

This is a view of the Pinellas County side of Tampa Bay as seen from the south end of the swinning beach at Tampa, Florida's Picnic Island park located in Poet Tampa on May 27,2016. This park has a boat ramp, fishing pier, dog beach/park, playground, disc golf course, a number of picnic shelters, a canoe/kayak launch area, and a swimming beach. The only charge is for a picnic shelter if you want to reserve it for a large group, otherwise, everything else is free.

The 776' long wooden Anna Maria Island City Pier was built in 1911 by George W. Bean's and Charles Roser's Anna Maria Beach Co. to lure wealthy visitors on Steamboats and paddleboats from Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Bradenton, Florida to the island hoping that they would invest in land there.

Today the pier and wharf extends 736" into Tampa Bay and is the host to a restaurant, bait shop, and any number of fisherman on any given day. It's a great place to fish, get a drink or a bite to eat.

The current span of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, a cable stayed bridge with 174' of clearance, wasx begun in 1982 and completed in 1987. It is considered by many as Florida's signature bridge. Pinellas County controls the northern entrance to the bridge, Manatee County the south, and Hillsborough County controls the main ship channel and the center span of the bridge.