Lowest visitation insummer. Located in Charlotte County between Knight Island and Little Gasparilla Island, Don Pedro Island has approximately one mile of beach that has been acquired for use as a state recreation area. The island of Egmont Key has unique natural and cultural histories which have made it a valuable resource since the time settlers first arrived in Florida. Named in honor of John Perceval, the second Earl of Egmont and member of the Irish House of Commons in 1763, Egmont Key has had Spanish conquistadors and nuclear submarines pass its shores as they entered Tampa Bay. The Big Cypress Swamp of southwest Florida is basically a flat, gently sloping limestone plain.
Water also flows below ground through the porous underlying limestone.
In places, limestone has dissolved, forming elongated sloughs or channels which have accumulated deep organic soils. These channels or sloughs have been colonized by cypress and other trees, creating swamp forests that stand out on the horizon in contrast to the open prairies and pinelands that occupy the sterile veneer of marl soil which is on top of the remaining limestone. According to legend, Gaspar and his men used the island as a hiding place between forays until the United States carried out a campaign to rid the waters of their presence. Whether true or not, the legend adds to the colorful history of the island. Extending along three miles of the south shore of Lake Manatee, these 556 acres were once used for farming, cattle grazing, making turpentine and timbering.