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70-516: Anna Maria Island is a barrier island on the coast of Manatee County, Florida , in the United States. It is bounded on the west by the Gulf of Mexico , on the south by Longboat Pass (which separates it from Longboat Key ), on the east by Anna Maria Sound, and on the north by Tampa Bay . Anna Maria Island is approximately 7 miles (11 km) long north to south. Anna Maria Island was part of

140-756: A bare greenish head ("golden buff" when breeding ) and a white neck, back and breast (with a tuft of pink feathers in the center when breeding), and are otherwise a deep pink. The bill is grey. There is no significant sexual dimorphism . Like the American flamingo , their pink color is diet-derived, consisting of the carotenoid pigment canthaxanthin . Another carotenoid, astaxanthin , can also be found deposited in flight and body feathers. The colors can range from pale pink to bright magenta, depending on age, whether breeding or not, and location. Unlike herons , spoonbills fly with their necks outstretched. They alternate groups of stiff, shallow wingbeats with glides. In

210-419: A barrier island does not receive enough sediment to grow, repeated washovers from storms will migrate the island towards the mainland. Wave-dominated barrier islands may eventually develop into mixed-energy barrier islands. Mixed-energy barrier islands are molded by both wave energy and tidal flux. The flow of a tidal prism moves sand. Sand accumulates at both the inshore and off shore sides of an inlet, forming

280-666: A barrier island. Many have large numbers of barrier islands; Florida, for instance, had 29 (in 1997) in just 300 kilometres (190 mi) along the west (Gulf) coast of the Florida peninsula, plus about 20 others on the east coast and several barrier islands and spits along the panhandle coast. Padre Island , in Texas, is the world's longest barrier island; other well-known islands on the Gulf Coast include Galveston Island in Texas and Sanibel and Captiva Islands in Florida. Those on

350-546: A barrier island. They are located at the top of the backshore. The dunes will display characteristics of typical aeolian wind-blown dunes. The difference is that dunes on a barrier island typically contain coastal vegetation roots and marine bioturbation. The lagoon and tidal flat area is located behind the dune and backshore area. Here the water is still, which allows fine silts, sands, and mud to settle out. Lagoons can become host to an anaerobic environment. This will allow high amounts of organic-rich mud to form. Vegetation

420-533: A bridge was built joining it to the Holmes Beach section of Anna Maria Island and development began. It is included in the city limits of Holmes Beach. Longboat Key lies at the very southern edge of the island, connected by the Gulf Drive drawbridge. Just to the east of the drawbridge lies Jewfish Key. Anna Maria Island today is divided into the three cities of Anna Maria in the north, Holmes Beach in

490-506: A characteristic drumstick shape, with a wide portion at the northern end near the mouth of Phillipi Creek. Barrier islands are critically important in mitigating ocean swells and other storm events for the water systems on the mainland side of the barrier island, as well as protecting the coastline. This effectively creates a unique environment of relatively low energy, brackish water . Multiple wetland systems such as lagoons, estuaries, and/or marshes can result from such conditions depending on

560-607: A couple options still in Manatee County. There is Martha B. King Middle School in Bradenton, Florida . There is also Manatee High School in Bradenton, Florida. There are also a few private schools in the area, but again, not on the island. There are also no higher education options available, but off the island there is State College of Florida - SCF Bradenton. This is also in Manatee County. The main north-south road on

630-534: A dry winter and a mild temperate climate that's fully humid with a hot summer. The only school located in Anna Maria Island is Anna Maria Elementary School and it is in the Manatee school district. This is a public school in Manatee County that offers kindergarten to fifth grade classes. There are 203 students attending as of 2021. There are no middle schools or high schools on the island, but there are

700-425: A flood delta or shoal on the bay or lagoon side of the inlet (from sand carried in on a flood tide), and an ebb delta or shoal on the open water side (from sand carried out by an ebb tide). Large tidal prisms tend to produce large ebb shoals, which may rise enough to be exposed at low tide. Ebb shoals refract waves approaching the inlet, locally reversing the longshore current moving sand along the coast. This can modify

770-550: A nesting pair of bald eagles . Bottlenose dolphins are in the Intracoastal Waterway, the Gulf, and Bimini Bay. There are roseate spoonbills , snowy egrets , and wood storks . Marine animals include redfish , snapper , mackerel , black drum , snook , trout , and amberjack . Adjacent to Anna Maria Island's bayside is the island of Key Royale, formerly known as School Key. It was uninhabited until 1960, when

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840-404: A small tidal range and a wave-dominated coast, there must be a relatively low gradient shelf. Otherwise, sand accumulation into a sandbar would not occur and instead would be dispersed throughout the shore. An ample sediment supply is also a requirement for barrier island formation. This often includes fluvial deposits and glacial deposits . The last major requirement for barrier island formation

910-507: A small to moderate tidal range. Coasts are classified into three groups based on tidal range : microtidal, 0–2 meter tidal range; mesotidal, 2–4 meter tidal range; and macrotidal, >4 meter tidal range. Barrier islands tend to form primarily along microtidal coasts, where they tend to be well developed and nearly continuous. They are less frequently formed in mesotidal coasts, where they are typically short with tidal inlets common. Barrier islands are very rare along macrotidal coasts. Along with

980-542: A wealthy real estate developer from St. Petersburg , to form the Anna Maria Beach Company in order to develop the area. The company laid out streets, built sidewalks and houses, and installed a water system. In 1921, actor Paul Gilmore purchased 40 acres (160,000 m) of land where present day Coquina Beach is, with the intent to build a film colony, Paul Gilmore’s Oriental Film City, later renamed Gil-Mor Isle. Only one movie, The Isle of Destiny ,

1050-494: Is a gregarious wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae . It is a resident breeder in both South and North America. The roseate spoonbill's pink color is diet-derived, consisting of the carotenoid pigment canthaxanthin , like the American flamingo . The roseate spoonbill was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under

1120-414: Is a stable sea level. It is especially important for sea level to remain relatively unchanged during barrier island formation and growth. If sea level changes are too drastic, time will be insufficient for wave action to accumulate sand into a dune, which will eventually become a barrier island through aggradation . The formation of barrier islands requires a constant sea level so that waves can concentrate

1190-554: Is also common. Barrier Islands can be observed on every continent on Earth, except Antarctica. They occur primarily in areas that are tectonically stable , such as "trailing edge coasts" facing (moving away from) ocean ridges formed by divergent boundaries of tectonic plates, and around smaller marine basins such as the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico . Areas with relatively small tides and ample sand supply favor barrier island formation . Moreton Bay , on

1260-600: Is featured in the Florida band Shinedown's video for "Second Chance" . Anna Maria Island is the setting for the 2016 comedy/drama, Monty Comes Back , written and directed by Bradenton native Thomas John Nudi. Longtime resident Kathleen Flinn wrote about her family's abrupt move to the island in the 1970s after her dying father fell in love with the place in her book, Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good ( Penguin Random House ). Barrier island Chains of barrier islands can be found along approximately 13-15% of

1330-459: Is heavier, bioturbation is not likely. The lower shoreface is constantly affected by wave action. This results in development of herringbone sedimentary structures because of the constant differing flow of waves. The sand is coarser. The foreshore is the area on land between high and low tide. Like the upper shoreface, it is constantly affected by wave action. Cross-bedding and lamination are present and coarser sands are present because of

1400-447: Is less than a critical value. The island did not narrow below these values because overwash was effective at transporting sediment over the barrier island, thereby keeping pace with the rate of ocean shoreline recession. Sections of the island with greater widths experienced washover deposits that did not reach the bayshore, and the island narrowed by ocean shoreline recession until it reached the critical width. The only process that widened

1470-847: The Banyak Islands (chiefly Tuangku and Bangkaru), Nias , the Batu Islands (notably Pini, Tanahmasa and Tanahbala), the Mentawai Islands (mainly Siberut , Sipura , North Pagai and South Pagai Islands) and Enggano Island . Barrier islands can be observed in the Baltic Sea from Poland to Lithuania as well as distinctly in the Wadden Islands , which stretch from the Netherlands to Denmark. Lido di Venezia and Pellestrina are notable barrier islands of

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1540-677: The Cortez Bridge , which brings State Road 684 into Bradenton Beach from Cortez , and the Anna Maria Island Bridge , which brings State Road 64 into Holmes Beach from the Palma Sola section of Bradenton . Anna Maria Island is served by a free trolley-style bus that runs north and south on Gulf Drive. The trolley connects with both the MCAT (Manatee County Area Transit) system serving the greater Bradenton area, and

1610-581: The Lagoon of Venice which have for centuries protected the city of Venice in Italy. Chesil Beach on the south coast of England developed as a barrier beach. Barrier beaches are also found in the north of the Azov and Black seas . Water levels may be higher than the island during storm events. This situation can lead to overwash , which brings sand from the front of the island to the top and/or landward side of

1680-472: The Mississippi River delta have been reworked by wave action, forming beach ridge complexes. Prolonged sinking of the marshes behind the barriers has converted these former vegetated wetlands to open-water areas. In a period of 125 years, from 1853 to 1978, two small semi-protected bays behind the barrier developed as the large water body of Lake Pelto, leading to Isles Dernieres 's detachment from

1750-621: The Safety Harbor culture area for many centuries before the arrival of Europeans in Florida. Both the Narvaez expedition , in 1527, and the Hernando de Soto expedition, in 1539, entered the mouth of Tampa Bay, north of Anna Maria Island, passing the island by to make their landfall on the mainland. Anna Maria Island was first settled in the mid-nineteenth century by Confederate Deputy Marshall and Tampa Mayor Madison Post who then named

1820-480: The 1970s, as well as a single sighting of the bird in both Michigan and Wisconsin. The last known recorded log of the bird in the state of Wisconsin was of a deceased specimen in 1845 in Rock County. It made an historic reappearance 178 years later when a specimen was sighted by a crew that was doing birding surveys on the restricted-access Cat Island Causeway on July 27, 2023. In the summer of 2021, sightings of

1890-1019: The East Coast include Miami Beach and Palm Beach in Florida; Hatteras Island in North Carolina; Assateague Island in Virginia and Maryland ; Absecon Island in New Jersey, where Atlantic City is located; and Jones Beach Island and Fire Island , both off Long Island in New York. No barrier islands are found on the Pacific Coast of the United States due to the rocky shore and short continental shelf, but barrier peninsulas can be found. Barrier islands can also be seen on Alaska 's Arctic coast. Barrier Islands can also be found in Maritime Canada, and other places along

1960-511: The Gulf coast of the Florida peninsula, including: the North and South Anclote Bars associated with Anclote Key , Three Rooker Island , Shell Key , and South Bunces Key . American geologist Grove Karl Gilbert first argued in 1885 that the barrier sediments came from longshore sources. He proposed that sediment moving in the breaker zone through agitation by waves in longshore drift would construct spits extending from headlands parallel to

2030-534: The SCAT (Sarasota County Area Transit) system. The MCAT connects to the trolley at Manatee Public Beach, at the intersection of State Road 789 and State Road 64 . The SCAT connects to the trolley at Coquina Beach, at the south end of Anna Maria Island, just before the Longboat Key Bridge. Several local taxi companies serve Anna Maria Island. Anna Maria Island was only accessible by boat until 1921, when

2100-783: The United States, the species is locally common in Texas , Florida , and southwest Louisiana . Generally, the species occurs in South America mostly east of the Andes , and in coastal regions of the Caribbean , Central America , Mexico , and the Gulf Coast of the United States , and from central Florida's Atlantic coast at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge , adjoined with NASA Kennedy Space Center at least as far north as South Carolina's Myrtle Beach . Plume hunting in

2170-399: The barrier beyond the critical width was breaching, formation of a partially subaerial flood shoal, and subsequent inlet closure. Critical barrier width can be defined as the smallest cross-shore dimension that minimizes net loss of sediment from the barrier island over the defined project lifetime. The magnitude of critical width is related to sources and sinks of sand in the system, such as

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2240-608: The bird were reported well outside its typical range, including in Washington, D.C. , upstate New York , and even New Hampshire . A large flock was spotted in Huntley Meadows Park in Fairfax County, Virginia , drawing a large crowd of spectators. In Florida Bay , roseate spoonbills are an ecological and scientific indicator species . The number of nests varies with both the amount of fresh water and

2310-492: The bridge, but construction was able to continue. The bridge was finished as scheduled in 1922. It crossed the bay to what now is Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach to the fishing town of Cortez. More people then began to visit the island, which caught the interest of several businessmen. Holmes Beach is a planned community that was started by John E. Holmes, Sr. after World War II and was named after him. Holmes Beach

2380-509: The coast. A good example is found at Miramichi Bay , New Brunswick , where Portage Island as well as Fox Island and Hay Island protect the inner bay from storms in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence . Mexico's Gulf of Mexico coast has numerous barrier islands and barrier peninsulas. Barrier islands are more prevalent in the north of both of New Zealand's main islands. Notable barrier islands in New Zealand include Matakana Island , which guards

2450-529: The coast. The subsequent breaching of spits by storm waves would form barrier islands. William John McGee reasoned in 1890 that the East and Gulf coasts of the United States were undergoing submergence, as evidenced by the many drowned river valleys that occur along these coasts, including Raritan , Delaware and Chesapeake bays. He believed that during submergence, coastal ridges were separated from

2520-461: The current binomial name Platalea ajaja . Linnaeus largely based his account on the "Aiaia" that been described and illustrated over a century earlier by the German naturalist Georg Marcgrave in his book Historia Naturalis Brasiliae . Linnaeus specified the type locality as South America but this is now restricted to Brazil. The genus name Platalea is Latin and means "broad", referring to

2590-412: The depth of seawater there, as wetlands turn into open ocean. The birds are choosing to nest further north and inland in Florida, with sharp changes in nest locations noted in the years 2006–2020. Little is known about the roseate spoonbill's behavior outside of their foraging habits. This species feeds in shallow fresh or coastal waters by swinging its bill from side to side as it steadily walks through

2660-515: The distinctive shape of the bill; the specific epithet ajaja is from the name for the species in the Tupi language as reported by Marcgrave. The species is treated as monotypic : no subspecies are recognised. The roseate spoonbill is sometimes placed in its own genus – Ajaia . A 2010 study of mitochondrial DNA of the spoonbills by Chesser and colleagues found that the roseate and yellow-billed spoonbills were each other's closest relatives, and

2730-481: The east coast of Australia and directly east of Brisbane , is sheltered from the Pacific Ocean by a chain of very large barrier islands. Running north to south they are Bribie Island , Moreton Island , North Stradbroke Island and South Stradbroke Island (the last two used to be a single island until a storm created a channel between them in 1896). North Stradbroke Island is the second largest sand island in

2800-544: The ebb shoal into swash bars, which migrate into the end of the island up current from the inlet, adding to the barrier's width near the inlet (creating a "drumstick" barrier island). This process captures sand that is carried by the longshore current, preventing it from reaching the downcurrent side of the inlet, starving that island. Many of the Sea Islands in the U.S. state of Georgia are relatively wide compared to their shore-parallel length. Siesta Key, Florida has

2870-505: The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries almost drove the roseate spoonbill to extinction. However, following decades of conservation efforts, and the effects of climate change , the range of the roseate spoonbill has expanded considerably in the 21st century. For instance, the species was recorded breeding in the state of Georgia for the first time in 2011. Moreover, its presence in South Carolina has expanded significantly since

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2940-419: The energy of the waves and currents striking the coast. Hence, it is an important aspect of coastal engineering . The shoreface is the part of the barrier where the ocean meets the shore of the island. The barrier island body itself separates the shoreface from the backshore and lagoon / tidal flat area. Characteristics common to the upper shoreface are fine sands with mud and possibly silt. Further out into

3010-585: The entrance to Tauranga Harbour , and Rabbit Island , at the southern end of Tasman Bay . See also Nelson Harbour's Boulder Bank , below. The Vypin Island in the Southwest coast of India in Kerala is 27 km long. It is also one of the most densely populated islands in the world. The Indonesian Barrier Islands lie off the western coast of Sumatra . From north to south along this coast they include Simeulue ,

3080-526: The formation of barrier islands for more than 150 years. There are three major theories: offshore bar, spit accretion, and submergence. No single theory can explain the development of all barriers, which are distributed extensively along the world's coastlines. Scientists accept the idea that barrier islands, including other barrier types, can form by a number of different mechanisms. There appears to be some general requirements for formation. Barrier island systems develop most easily on wave-dominated coasts with

3150-436: The high energy present by the crashing of the waves. The sand is also very well sorted . The backshore is always above the highest water level point. The berm is also found here which marks the boundary between the foreshore and backshore. Wind is the important factor here, not water. During strong storms high waves and wind can deliver and erode sediment from the backshore. Coastal dunes , created by wind, are typical of

3220-427: The island at an angle will carry sediment long, extending the island. Longshore currents, and the resultant extension, are usually in one direction, but in some circumstances the currents and extensions can occur towards both ends of the island (as occurs on Anclote Key , Three Rooker Bar , and Sand Key , on the Gulf Coast of Florida). Washover fans on the lagoon side of barriers, where storm surges have over-topped

3290-522: The island for Maria Anna von der Pfalz-Neuburg (born 1667), the queen of Charles II of Spain (born 1661), the sponsor of his expedition. In the past, pronunciation of the name differed: old timers said "Anna Mar-EYE-a," but most people today say "Anna Mar-EE-a". From May through October in Florida, sea turtles come ashore to nest. The island is a bird sanctuary. There are pelicans , multiple types of cranes , herons , feral parrots , sandpipers , osprey , hawks , vultures , seagulls , crows , and

3360-530: The island for his wife Maria and his sister-in-law Anna. As Cuban fishermen were the first visitors to the island at the southern mouth of Tampa Bay, the settlement was very soon dominated by nautical types. In 1892, George Emerson Bean became the first permanent resident on the Island, homesteading much of what is now the city of Anna Maria. After Bean's death in 1898, the land's ownership transferred to his son, George Wilhelm Bean, who partnered with Charles Roser ,

3430-480: The island is Gulf Drive, which begins on the south end of the island at the foot of the Longboat Pass Bridge from Longboat Key . Gulf Drive is the only road that runs the entire length of the island. It is State Road 789 south of Manatee Avenue (State Road 64) in Holmes Beach and Holmes Beach City 789 (a former portion of State Road 64) north of there. There are two bridges across from the mainland:

3500-524: The island, are common, especially on younger barrier islands. Wave-dominated barriers are also susceptible to being breached by storms, creating new inlets. Such inlets may close as sediment is carried in them by longshore currents, but may become permanent if the tidal prism (volumn and force of tidal flow) is large enough. Older barrier islands that have accumulated dunes are less subject to washovers and opening of inlets. Wave-dominated islands require an abundant supply of sediment to grow and develop dunes. If

3570-407: The island. This process leads to the evolution and migration of the barrier island. Barrier islands are often formed to have a certain width. The term "critical width concept" has been discussed with reference to barrier islands, overwash, and washover deposits since the 1970s. The concept basically states that overwash processes were effective in migration of the barrier only where the barrier width

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3640-543: The mainland, and lagoons formed behind the ridges. He used the Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands (consists of Cat , Ship , Horn , Petit Bois and Dauphin Islands) as an example where coastal submergence formed barrier islands. His interpretation was later shown to be incorrect when the ages of the coastal stratigraphy and sediment were more accurately determined. Along the coast of Louisiana , former lobes of

3710-585: The mainland. An unusual natural structure in New Zealand may give clues to the formation processes of barrier islands. The Boulder Bank , at the entrance to Nelson Haven at the northern end of the South Island , is a unique 13 km-long stretch of rocky substrate a few metres in width. It is not strictly a barrier island, as it is linked to the mainland at one end. The Boulder Bank is composed of granodiorite from Mackay Bluff, which lies close to

3780-623: The middle, and Bradenton Beach in the south. In 2005 the United States Census Bureau estimated the combined population of the three cities at approximately 8,500. As of 2020 the United States Census Bureau reported the population at 1,092. The age range of majority of residents is 55-84 years old. According to the Köppen climate classification , Anna Maria Island is between a tropical climate with

3850-439: The ocean the sediment becomes finer. The effect of waves at this point is weak because of the depth. Bioturbation is common and many fossils can be found in upper shoreface deposits in the geologic record . The middle shoreface is located in the upper shoreface. The middle shoreface is strongly influenced by wave action because of its depth. Closer to shore the sand is medium-grained, with shell pieces common. Since wave action

3920-457: The one genus made more sense. The roseate spoonbill is 71–86 cm (28–34 in) long, with a 120–133 cm (47–52 in) wingspan and a body mass of 1.2–1.8 kg (2.6–4.0 lb). The tarsus measures 9.7–12.4 cm (3.8–4.9 in), the culmen measures 14.5–18 cm (5.7–7.1 in) and the wing measures 32.3–37.5 cm (12.7–14.8 in) and thus the legs, bill, neck and spatulate bill all appear elongated. Adults have

3990-459: The original 1950s and 1960s-era houses into short-term rental units, a subject of local controversy. In 1938 Siam Garden Resort began a fish camp and in 1948, MGM brought Esther Williams , Peter Lawford , Ricardo Montalbán , Jimmy Durante , Cyd Charisse , and Xavier Cugat to Anna Maria Island to film “ On an Island with You ." In the plot "a beautiful movie star travels to Hawaii and finds romance in this South Seas musical.” Anna Maria Island

4060-628: The point where the bank joins the mainland. It is still debated what process or processes have resulted in this odd structure, though longshore drift is the most accepted hypothesis. Studies have been conducted since 1892 to determine the speed of boulder movement. Rates of the top-course gravel movement have been estimated at 7.5 metres a year. Richard Davis distinguishes two types of barrier islands, wave-dominated and mixed-energy. Wave-dominated barrier islands are long, low, and narrow, and usually are bounded by unstable inlets at either end. The presence of longshore currents caused by waves approaching

4130-406: The relative plasticity of great egret foraging behavior, allows the two species to minimize competition during the breeding season. Roseate spoonbills must compete for food with other freshwater birds, such as snowy egrets , great egrets , tricolored herons and American white pelicans . Roseate spoonbills are often trailed by egrets when foraging in a commensal "beater-follower" relationship, as

4200-521: The sand into one location. In 1845 the Frenchman Elie de Beaumont published an account of barrier formation. He believed that waves moving into shallow water churned up sand, which was deposited in the form of a submarine bar when the waves broke and lost much of their energy. As the bars developed vertically, they gradually rose above sea level, forming barrier islands. Several barrier islands have been observed forming by this process along

4270-474: The spoonbill's disturbance of the sediment makes prey more available to the egret (follower). The roseate spoonbill nests in shrubs or trees, often mangroves , laying two to five eggs , which are whitish with brown markings. Immature birds have white, feathered heads, and the pink of the plumage is paler. The bill is yellowish or pinkish. Nestlings are sometimes killed by turkey vultures , bald eagles , raccoons and invasive fire ants . Plume hunting in

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4340-472: The surroundings. They are typically rich habitats for a variety of flora and fauna. Without barrier islands, these wetlands could not exist; they would be destroyed by daily ocean waves and tides as well as ocean storm events. One of the most prominent examples is the Louisiana barrier islands . Roseate spoonbill Ajaia ajaja (Linnaeus, 1758) The roseate spoonbill ( Platalea ajaja )

4410-403: The two were descended from an early offshoot from the ancestors of the other four spoonbill species. They felt the genetic evidence meant it was equally valid to consider all six to be classified within the genus Platalea or alternatively the two placed in the monotypic genera Platibis and Ajaia , respectively. However, as the six species were so similar morphologically, keeping them within

4480-408: The volume stored in the dunes and the net long-shore and cross-shore sand transport, as well as the island elevation. The concept of critical width is important for large-scale barrier island restoration, in which islands are reconstructed to optimum height, width, and length for providing protection for estuaries, bays, marshes and mainland beaches. Scientists have proposed numerous explanations for

4550-484: The water, often in groups. Moreover, the spoon-shaped bill allows it to sift easily through mud. The bird feeds on crustaceans , bits of plant material, aquatic insects , mollusks , frogs , newts and very small fish (such as minnows ) ignored by larger waders. In Brazil, researchers found roseate spoonbill diets to consist of fish, insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and seeds, all foraged from limnetic /freshwater habitats. This habitat specialization, combined with

4620-721: The wooden Cortez Bridge was constructed from the fishing village of Cortez to what is now Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach. The remaining parts of the Cortez Bridge are used as a fishing pier. Since 2002, tourism development has been targeted as a key economic goal by island, county and state officials and millions of tax dollars have been invested to draw visitors to the island with national and international advertising and publicity efforts. This success has not been without its downsides of congested traffic, noise, litter and parking complaints during peak tourist seasons. This influx of visitors has prompted developers to convert many of

4690-412: The world and Moreton Island is the third largest. Fraser Island , another barrier island lying 200 km north of Moreton Bay on the same coastline, is the largest sand island in the world. Barrier islands are found most prominently on the United States' East and Gulf Coasts, where every state, from Maine to Florida (East Coast) and from Florida to Texas ( Gulf coast ), features at least part of

4760-415: The world's coastlines. They display different settings, suggesting that they can form and be maintained in a variety of environments. Numerous theories have been given to explain their formation. A human-made offshore structure constructed parallel to the shore is called a breakwater . In terms of coastal morphodynamics , it acts similarly to a naturally occurring barrier island by dissipating and reducing

4830-477: Was filmed there, with Gilmore appearing in the movie which was by Character Picture Corporation . However, the movie was unsuccessful, never getting national distribution. Gilmore was unable to get other movies filmed there, and later the Florida land boom crashed. The first bridge that was built to connect Anna Maria Island to mainland Florida began construction in the summer of 1921. A heavy storm wiped out half

4900-478: Was incorporated March 13, 1950. Other potential names that were proposed for Holmes Beach were: Palm City, Mid-Island Beach, Coquina Beach and Tarpon Beach. Bradenton Beach was incorporated the following year on December 21, 1951. Legend states that "a Spanish explorer" named the place "Ana Maria Cay" in honor of the Virgin Mary and her mother, Ann. A common myth reported that Ponce de León (died 1521) named

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