A Brief History Of St. Pete Beach, Florida
St. Pete Beach , Florida was first settled by the Timucan Indians around 300 A.D. The Timucan established small communities and traded with other Indian Nations until the arrival of Spaniard Panfilio de Narvaez in 1528. After failing to find the gold he was seeking, de Narvaez left after two weeks leaving behind countless dead and tortured Timucans. 
The area slowly became populated by Europeans and their descendants who primarily lived in beach shacks and eeked out a living by fishing and harvesting turtles.
The most southern of four barrier islands that lined the west coast of Pinellas County, was called Long Key. On the very south end of Long Key fisherman would camp on the beach at night and start camp fires to smoke or grill that day's catch. The area became known as Pass-a-Grille.
Pass-a-Grille's first store opened in 1902 and by 1905 there were enough residents to warrant a Post Office.
Around 1900, St. Petersburg experienced a land boom which brought weekend tourist to the beaches. No bridges existed so travelers had to rely on mostly unreliable ferry service.
In 1919 the first bridge was built from the mainland to Long Key. A wooden bridge that ran from So. Pasadena to 87th Ave., where Gulf Beaches Elementary now stands, opened with a one-way toll of 25 cents and closed nightly at 9:00 PM.
The Cory Ave. Bridge opened in 1923 and spurred the growth of the "Historic Corey Ave. District" which saw it's first store open in 1937.
The Don CeSar Hotel was opened in 1928 with a gala grand opening party. The hotel was purchased by the government in the 40's and was used as a hospital and rehab clinic during World War ll. Scheduled for demolition in the late 60's the historic hotel was saved from the wrecking ball and renovated in the 70's.
In 1957 the four communities of Pass-a-Grille, Don Ce-Sar Place, Belle Vista Beach and St. Petersburg Beach came together and created the City of St. Petersburg Beach. In 1994 voters agreed to change the name to St. Pete Beach.
Currently St. Pete Beach is embroiled in a bitter political debate over the future direction the community should take. On one side of the issue is a group called Citizens for Responsible Growth who want to maintain tight control over any further development. On the other side of the issue is a group called Save Our Little Village who want to promote controlled growth in order to maintain the community's tourist industry. Only time will tell which train of thought wins out.
In any event, St. Pete Beach has been and still is a wonderful place to vacation. For more information on the history of St. Pete Beach and the neighborhood of Pass-a-Grille be sure to visit the Gulf Beaches Historical Museum located at 115 10th Ave., Pass-A-Grille (St. Pete Beach), call 727-552-1610 for more information. The museum's hours are Thurs & Sat. 10AM- 4PM; Sun. 1-4PM.
Pass-a-Grille time line - from the St. Pete Times
The islands now known as the Pinellas Gulf beaches include, south to north, Long Key, Treasure Island, Sand Key, Clearwater Beach, Caladesi Island and Honeymoon Island. Long Key is now covered by the city of St. Pete Beach, but it once held four towns, Pass-a-Grille Beach, Don Ce-Sar Place, Belle Vista Beach and St. Petersburg Beach, and several unincorporated enclaves.
1528: The area is first visited by Europeans when Spanish explorer Pánfilo de Narváez anchors off Pass-a-Grille pass. In the decades that follow, the area is largely left to the natives.
1848: A hurricane sweeps along the coast. Gulf waters are an estimated 14 feet above normal, flooding the beaches and Pinellas peninsula and rearranging coastlines and passes.
1886: Zephaniah Phillips becomes Long Key's first permanent white resident.
Late 1800s: The little community acquires the name Pass-a-Grille, which is also the name of the pass at the southern end of Long Key. It is thought that Pass-a-Grille derived its name from the French Passe aux Grilleurs, "passageway of the grillers." An 1841 map allegedly labeled the pass at the southern tip of Long Key after the Cajun fishermen (or, alternatively, smugglers, pirates or spongers) who came ashore there to smoke, dry or cook their catch.
1901: By the turn of the century, Pass-a-Grille has its first hotel and ferry service from what is now Gulfport. Residents are few. Most people come for swimming and fishing.
1905: George Henri Lizotte becomes the first postmaster, with the post office in the lobby of his Bonhomie Hotel.
1910: Residents hold a gathering around a Christmas tree in the schoolhouse, the beginnings of Pass-a-Grille Community Church.
1911: Pass-a-Grille is incorporated as a city, with J.J. Duffy as mayor.
1918: A bridge is built from the area to the mainland, making Long Key more accessible.
1921: On Oct. 25, a hurricane barrels ashore near Clearwater, bringing a 10-foot storm surge. Pass-a-Grille is cut off from the mainland. Damage is substantial, but the death toll small.
1922: Ed Jewett Jr. becomes mayor. He is credited with lining the island's streets with Washingtonian palms and Australian pines. In May, fire destroys two landmark hotels famous for 50-cent Sunday dinners that brought mainlanders to the island. On Sept. 28, the majestic Pass-a-Grille Hotel and Casino burns to the ground.
1928: The Don CeSar, a tall, pink hotel that could be seen for miles, opens. It would become a military convalescent hospital in 1943, then a Veterans Administration office building. It closed in 1968 and stood vacant until it was redeveloped and reopened as a hotel in 1973.
1929: The town name becomes Pass-a-Grille Beach.
1940s: When World War II breaks out, the southern end of Pass-a-Grille is fenced off as a military compound for the Coast Artillery.
1950s: With the population booming, Pass-a-Grille's 1926 Sunshine School — where outdoor classes and bathing suits are popular — is no longer adequate. Gulf Beaches Elementary opens and quickly absorbs most of the students. The Sunshine School closed in 1975, and Gulf Beaches closed in 2009.
1957: The towns on Long Key, including Pass-a-Grille Beach, are incorporated into the city of St. Petersburg Beach (today St. Pete Beach).
1962: A hard freeze kills off much of the city's vegetation, including the famed Australian pines.
1967: Construction of the Pinellas Bayway makes southern Long Key even more accessible.
1985: After a dramatic rise in property taxes, some residents campaign to secede from St. Pete Beach.
1989: A section of Pass-a-Grille is declared a National Historic District.
Compiled by Times researcher Natalie Watson from "Surf, Sand, and Post Card Sunsets: A History of Pass-a-Grille and the Gulf Beaches" by Frank T. Hurley Jr.; the Gulf Beaches Historical Museum website; and Times files.
