Skyway Fishing Pier State Park is a Florida State Park located on the north and south sides of the mouth of Tampa Bay. When the original cantilevered Sunshine Skyway Bridge, carrying I-275 (US 19), partially collapsed in 1980, due to the collision of a freighter on one of its pilings, it was replaced by the current bridges. The approaches to the old bridge, however, were left in place and converted into the longest fishing pier in the world.[citation needed]
| Skyway Fishing Pier State Park | |
|---|---|
_Fishing_Pier_SP-12.jpg?lang=en) | |
   | |
| Location | Pinellas and Manatee Counties, Florida, United States |
| Nearest city | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| Coordinates | 27°40′41″N 82°40′41″W / 27.67806°N 82.67806°W |
| Established | 1994 |
| Governing body | Florida Department of Environmental Protection |
The most common activity on the pier is fishing. Common catches include snook, tarpon, grouper, black sea bass, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, cobia, sheepshead, Mangrove Snapper, grunts, sharks, Goliath Grouper, Lane Snapper, flounder, and many more.
Other pier activities include sightseeing, photography, kiteboarding, kayaking, and wind surfing.
Snacks, drinks, bait, and fishing supplies can be purchased on the pier, which has a fee for admission. The park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Closing of eastern portion
editIn August 2008, Florida Department of Transportation officials announced that the eastern part of the pier would be closed on August 29, 2008, for safety reasons. Built in 1954, after 50 years of corrosion and wear and tear, it had worn out. The western portion, built 17 years later, were still deemed safe to use.[1] Parts of the eastern piers connected to the western one, as well as unused approaches to the original spans were demolished in 2008.
Gallery
edit-
Eastern pier -
Western pier
References
edit- ^ Minaya, Mariana (August 22, 2008), "Skyway Pier to Lose 2 Spans", St. Petersburg Times, pp. B 1, archived from the original on May 28, 2024, retrieved May 27, 2024
External links
edit
Media related to Skyway Fishing Pier State Park at Wikimedia Commons- Skyway Fishing Pier State Park at Florida State Parks
- Skyway Fishing Pier State Park at Wildernet
 | This Florida State Park related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This Hillsborough County, Florida location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |