Anna Maria Island

Anna Maria Island is a barrier formation off the Gulf Coast of Florida, extending roughly seven miles (11 km) between the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay. Three separate municipalities share the landmass, which features continuous sand beaches, low-rise residential areas, and scattered commercial districts.

George Emerson Bean arrived in 1892 as the first permanent settler and named the territory after his wife. The following decades transformed the isolated sandbar into a resort destination, with bridge connections to the mainland opening access from the 1920s onward.

The island operates without traffic lights or roundabouts, relying on stop signs and the relaxed pace of local drivers. Families from the surrounding region share public beach access points with visitors, while anglers claim their spots on the pier in the early morning hours.

A free trolley system links the three communities daily and makes movement possible without a car. The beaches are accessible through numbered public entry points that often have limited parking, so an early start on weekends helps.

The island enforces strict building height restrictions that prevent multi-story structures and preserve a low profile along the entire shoreline. This regulation emerged from a community desire to maintain the character of mid-20th-century small beach towns rather than allow modern high-rise development.