It’s difficult to get your bearings when you first see the old Fishery property without the shops, the fish house, the restaurant and the charter fishing buildings that used to be there. The only things left to remind you at this point are the concrete platform the restaurant once stood upon, the old docks and the last two Albritton houses still standing on the southernmost tip. The view is breathtaking, with the alcove and docks for Gasparilla Marina on your left and the old railroad trestle over to the right. The old memories are still there, but new memories are to be made.

The truth about the cost of living in this area is brutal right now. While income has barely – if at all – increased for most employees in many years, the costs of groceries, gasoline, utilities and, of course, rent have vastly increased in the last 18 months. When droves of people started moving to Florida during the height of the pandemic, real estate went through the roof. Many people who owned rental homes realized they could easily get hundreds more in their pocket with the supply-and-demand situation this area was facing, while others decided to take full advantage of the market and sell their rental properties. Not only did they leave the worry of being a landlord behind, they had a lot more money in their pocket from buyers paying an inflated price for their property.

Concrete artificial reefs have been used for many years, including at the environmental restoration of the Mercabo Cove at the northern end of Gasparilla Island. The new aspect of such reefballs is the inclusion of cremated remains. This allows people to have a final resting place that can help in the effort to restore marine enviroments and establish new habitat for fish and other sea life.