Honeymoon Island State Park is located off the Dunedin Causeway, just west of Dunedin Florida. When I was a kid the only way to get to the island was via boat. We lived over in South Tampa and would take the boat from Tampa Bay, under the Skyway Bridge and up to the island on some days. Other times, Dad would just drive the boat on it's trailer over to the Gulf of Mexico in Clearwater and launch from there. It was always a treat, spending time on the barrier islands with the soft white sand under your toes!
Fast forward to 1962 and the Dunedin Causeway was built, connecting Honeymoon Island to the mainland. It wasn't a state park yet but was a fabulous place to enjoy the beach! We used to drive out there and when I moved back to Florida in 1988 from living overseas, I used to go there often with my own kids.
Unfortunately during the last decade or so, rather than leaving the island as it has been for eons, the state decided to 'save the shoreline' from erosion. So they brought in boulders and built breakers which don't really seem to do much.
There was rubble left from when someone had the bright idea to make the island larger in the 1950's and they dredged up many limestone rocks with sand from the ocean floor. To make matters MUCH worse, many truckloads of these smaller rocks have been brought in during the last decade to stop erosion (HA)! Rather than helping, storms take the sand back out to sea and we are left with ugly rocks all over the beach and into the water.
The only areas to avoid these rocks are in the southern most area, called Dog Beach, and in the northern area where the island is still pretty pristine. The areas in between are so full of rocks now that it just doesn't look at all like a typical Florida beach anymore! Something that REALLY irritates me since we purchase an annual pass because this is the closest beach to where we live.
Sometimes I think politicians should not be allowed to make these important decisions but it should be left up to scientists and environmentalists! What are your thoughts?
Comments(2)