Meanwhile in Florida: ‘Beer Can Island’ Is Eroding, And We Only Need to Raise $500K to Save It

Photo: GoFundMe

If you’ve spent any time boating in the waterways, rivers, lakes, and inlets of the southern part of our country, you probably know a spot or two to pull the boat over and have a few beers. Maybe it’s a nice cove or a small, tree-covered peninsula. If you live in the Tampa Bay, Florida area it’s probably somewhere around “Beer Can Island.”

Located between Apollo Beach and MacDill Air Force Base sits the island lovingly referred to as “Beer Can Island.” Although in an effort to make it a little more palatable and less grimy, its real name is Pine Key. Boaters in the area love the sandy island and in recent years, the owners have even added toilets, trash cans, and camping. But even though a group purchased the island a few years ago in an effort to preserve it and update it for future beer-loving boaters, it’s eroding into the ocean.

The 9-acre island, like many islands, is eroding. And it’s not happening slowly. In the two years since it was purchased, it has already shrunk by more than two full acres. The whole area is roughly 23 acres, but two acres is still a big loss. According to one of the owners, if nothing is done, there might be no island left in five years.

They worked with engineers to create a way to protect the sandy beaches on the island, but it doesn’t come without a cost. That’s why they’ve created a GoFundMe page to install geotubes and breakwaters to prevent further erosion. They need around $500,000 to complete the modifications. So far, they aren’t even close to the goal. Only time will tell if boaters want to pitch in to save out or if they’re cool with simply floating in the ocean while they drink beer.

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