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.
