Stump Grinding Services in Bradenton Beach, FL

Bradenton Beach was originally referred to as Cortez Beach since it was close to Cortez. Construction on a wooden bridge to the mainland would begin in the summer of 1921. The 1921 Tampa Bay Hurricane that October would destroy 80% of the bridge that was built up to that point. Despite a majority of the bridge being destroyed, it would later be completed sometime in June 1922; 8 months later.

A two story pavilion at the end of Bridge Street would be built that same year. It would have 100 lockers along with a dance hall and dining room located in the center of the building. On the second floor, the owners of the pavilion had their apartments. It would burn down after a fire and was later rebuilt. The pavilion would catch on fire for a second time in 1929 and being destroyed in the process and never rebuilt. Bradenton Beach started to be known as its present-day name during the mid 1920s as the Florida land boom was occurring. Real estate developers saw this as a way to convince possible buyers that it was closer to Bradenton. Sometime in early 1926, a county bond was approved to build a wooden bridge linking Bradenton Beach to Longboat Key with the bridge being finished in August. However, the bridge was only open until October after a hurricane damaged it. On March 6, 1932, the bridge would be swept away during a high tide. It would not be replaced until 1957.

1940s[edit]

The Regina, a tanker barge with over 350,000 gallons of molasses onboard was grounded 200 yards offshore a sandbar on March 8, 1940 in Bradenton Beach. The ship left Havana on March 5 and was being towed by a tugboat, the Minima and planned on going to New Orleans but, plans were changed two days later when a cold front combined with 8-12 foot seas, gale force winds and temperatures at freezing happened in the Gulf of Mexico. This prompted the Minima to go into Tampa Bay in an attempt to seek shelter. The tow lines between the two broke near Egmont Key and the Regina drifted until being grounded by the late afternoon of March 8. The 8 crew members stayed onboard during this time and did not attempt to leave. Local residents would become aware of what happened and built fires in an attempt to reassure them they had been seen. A US Coast Guard cutter along with a plane was sent in to try and help but the waters were too rough for them. The plane attempted to drop lifejackets and other sorts of supplies but ended up getting pushed to shore. The plane continued to circle the ship and would be joined by a second plane.