Fort De Soto Park is a county park located south-southwest of St. Petersburg, Florida, operated by Pinellas County. The park consists of five offshore keys, or islands: Madelaine Key, St. Jean Key, St. Christopher Key, Bonne Fortune Key and the main island, Mullet Key. The keys are connected by either bridge or causeway.
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The current Egmont Key Light dates from 1858. It is the oldest structure in the Tampa Bay area still used for its original purpose.
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Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge and State Park is a National Wildlife Refuge and State Park located on the island of Egmont Key, at the mouth of Tampa Bay. Egmont Key lies southwest of Fort De Soto Park and can only be reached by boat or ferry. Located within Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge and State Park are the 1858 Egmont Key Lighthouse, maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard, and the ruins of Fort Dade, a Spanish–American War era fort that housed 300 residents. Egmont Key is located in Hillsborough County Florida on a narrow strip of the county that extends along the Tampa Port Shipping Channel.
Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1974. The entire 328 acres island is all part of the Refuge. Egmont Key is one of the three 'Tampa Bay Refuges', along with Passage Key National Wildlife Refuge, and the Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge, that was administered as a part of the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge Complex but changed to the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge Complex headquartered in Crystal River, Florida. The complex also manages the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge and the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service owns and manages Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge and entered into a cooperative agreement with Florida Park Service to cooperatively manage the entire island in 1989 and is known as Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge and State Park.
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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.
Shell Key emerged as a barrier island in the early 1960s from a submerged shoal on the north side of Bunces Pass. The island extends up to the Pass-a-Grille inlet. The island has grown as swash bars develop off-shore and migrate onto the beach. The island has been breached by storms, but the breaches have closed. The island remains vulnerable to being overwashed by storm surges.
Shell Key has been designated as one of the state's most important areas for shorebird nesting and wintering and it serves as an important study area for these species. It also is an important area for recreation. A balance for both uses was established by restricting public use to the northern and southern ends of the island. A central core area for conservation is closed to the public.
Boating, camping, and beach-going activities are permitted in public use areas of the preserve. Visitors can access Shell Key only via a water vessel and no restroom facilities are provided. The closest boat ramps, trailer parking, and restroom facilities are located at nearby at Fort De Soto Park.
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Tierra Verde is a census-designated place in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, Tierra Verde had a population of 3,836. The community is located on an island near the entrance of Tampa Bay, and is connected by the bridges of the Pinellas Bayway to both St. Petersburg and St. Pete Beach. At the southern end of Tierra Verde is Fort De Soto, a county park.
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USS Narcissus was a screw steamer launched in July 1863 as Mary Cook at East Albany, New York, United States. It was purchased by the Union Navy in New York City on September 23rd, 1863 from James D. Stevenson; and commissioned at New York Navy Yard on February 2nd, 1864, with Acting Ensign William G. Jones in command.
On 19 October 2018, the shipwreck was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The island group is accessible by toll road from the mainland. Historically, the islands were used for military fortifications; remnants and a museum exhibit this history. Two piers, beaches, picnic area, hiking trails, bicycling trails, kayak trail, and a ferry to Egmont Key State Park are available. The park is a gateway site for the Great Florida Birding Trail.