Clearwater Beach’s well-deserved reputation as one of America’s finest beaches has lured countless families and couples to its broad, sandy shores and beachfront hotels. Spread along a narrow, 3-mile stretch of the Pinellas Peninsula on the Gulf Coast, Clearwater Beach straddles the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the west, […]

Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida. Spanish maps dated as early as 1584 identifies Tampa Bay as Baya de Spirito Santo (“Bay of the Holy Spirit”). A map dated 1695 identifies the area as Bahia Tampa. Later maps dated 1794 and 1800 show the bay divided with three different names, Tampa Bay, Hillsboro Bay and the overall name of Bay of Spiritu(o) Santo.