Anclote Keys Light

Anclote Key is a barrier island off the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida, the largest island in the Anclote Keys, located at 28°11′16″N 82°50′44″W near Tarpon Springs. Its name originates from the Spanish term for "anchor." The island is accessible only by boat and is split between Anclote Key Preserve State Park and Anclote National Wildlife Reserve. North Anclote Bar, South Anclote Bar, and Three Rooker Island (south of Anclote Key) are part of Anclote Key Preserve State Park. The island contains mangrove wetlands, coastal pine flatwoods, and beaches. A large number of shorebirds nest and breed on Anclote Key and the surrounding islands. Sand Key is located nearby. Most of the island is located within Pasco County, while its southernmost section is in Pinellas County. The island is home to the Anclote Keys Light. Anclote Key is the northernmost barrier island on the Gulf coast of the Florida peninsula. It is a wave-dominated barrier island, 3 miles (4.8 km) long, with tidal channels at each end. A mangrove forest extends along the landward side of the island. Radiocarbon dating indicates that the island has existed for about 1,200 to 1,500 years. Sand dunes up to 10 feet (3.0 m) tall occur on the island. Anclote Key has lengthened considerably since 1960, especially on the northern end. This growth has blocked the channel at the north end of the island.In the 1990s sand bars developed off both the north and south ends of the island, blocking the shallow tidal channels there. Both shoals grew and emerged above water. The new islands are now vegetated, and are known as North Anclote Bar and South Anclote Bar, respectively. The area around Anclote Key had little sand available for deposition on shoals and barriers in the middle of the 20th century. There was sand on the Gulf bottom, but it was anchored by beds of seagrass that extended almost up to the surf zone. In, or shortly after, 1960, the sea grass disappeared, and the bottom sand became available for transportation by wave and current action, providing material for those islands.

Anclote Key Preserve State Park is a Florida State Park and historic site, located on Anclote Key three miles (5 km) off Tarpon Springs along the Atlantic coastal plain. This state park is only accessible by boat. Amenities include primitive camping on the northern portion of the island as well as picnic pavilions and grills. Wildlife includes the American oystercatcher, bald eagle and piping plover. The park is unique in that a lighthouse, built in 1887, is on the southern end of the key in Pinellas County, Florida. Three Rooker Island, south of Anclote and part of the preserve, remains an important Gulf Coast beach-nesting bird sanctuary.

The Anclote River, running for 29 miles (47 km) near Tarpon Springs, Florida flows westward towards the Gulf of Mexico from its source of creeks and springs inland. The river is home to a variety of fish and wildlife. Anclote River is home to the sponging and fishing industries of Tarpon Springs (including a large shrimp industry). It is a major site for tourists of the area as it flows through the spongedocks of Tarpon Springs. An extension of the Pinellas Trail which crosses the Anclote River was dedicated on June 15, 2004. The new extension is built along abandoned Atlantic Coast Line railroad grade, which once serviced industry on the north side of the river.

The Anclote Missile Tracking Annex was a Cold War radar station of 49.65 acres (20.09 ha) in Pasco County, Florida adjacent to the Alachua Pinellas community at the mouth of the Anclote River near Tampa. The Air Force Systems Command military installation, site D 3 of the Eglin Range Complex, was used for development tests, e.g., 1950s/1960s Regulus II supersonic cruise missile firings from the Venice missile launch complex. The Anclote site "phased down" May 1-July 1, 1969.

St. Joseph Sound is a body of water on the Gulf of Mexico coast of Pasco and Pinellas counties. The sound lies between the mainland and Anclote Key, Three Rooker Island, and Honeymoon Island, from the north end of Anclote Key to the Dunedin Causeway. The Anclote River feeds into St. Joseph Sound.

Three Rooker Island, (also known as Three Rooker Bar) is an island in Pinellas County, Florida. The island is west of Tarpon Springs, south of Anclote Key and north of Honeymoon Island. It is accessible only by boat and its shape and size often change from interaction with ocean currents. Compared to neighboring barrier islands, Three Rooker Island is newly formed and emerged in the 1980s as water currents built up the sand bar above sea level. By the 1990s it was large enough for vegetation to establish itself on the newly formed island further stabilizing it and making it more resistant to washing away. Three Rooker Island is part of the Anclote Key Preserve State Park and is partially protected for nesting seabirds while also allowing it to be a popular place for local boaters.

Tarpon Springs High School is a public high school in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The school graduated its first class of seniors in the year 1906. The school is known for its football team, music conservatory, culinary department, and veterinary academy. Its mascot is the Spongers, reflecting the town's history of sponge diving. The student body was composed of 89% white, 4% African-American, 3% Hispanic, 2% Asian, 2% Mixed-Race, and 0% American Indian. The majority of the school body was of Greek descent.

Anclote High School is a public high school in Holiday, Florida, United States. The school opened in August 24, 2009 with grades 9 through 12; the first graduating class was in 2011. Vanessa Moon is the principal.

Key Vista is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Pasco County, Florida, United States. Its population was 1,757 as of the 2010 census.

The St. Nicholas III is a historic boat in Tarpon Springs, Florida. It is located at the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks at Dodecanese Boulevard. On August 3, 1990, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Located in north Pinellas County, Florida, approximately thirty miles northwest of Tampa, Tarpon Springs Greektown Historic District is a U.S. historic district. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 2, 2014.Tarpon Springs’ Greektown District is a traditional cultural property that preserves a strong ethnic and maritime character. The District measures about 140 acres. The primary area is bounded by the Anclote River on the north, Tarpon Avenue and Spring Bayou on the south, Hibiscus and Pinellas Streets on the east; and Roosevelt and Grand Boulevards to Spring Bayou on the west—see the maps and inventory for details. The architectural resources have historic integrity. They convey a distinctive sense of place and ethnic heritage, with commercial, industrial, residential, and religion-based buildings as well as boats, generally developed without the benefit of architectural plans. The Greektown District was the first Traditional Cultural Property listed in the State of Florida.

The E. R. Meres Sponge Packing House is a historic site in Tarpon Springs, Florida. It is located at 106 West Park Street. On April 10, 1991, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.