Developer Proposes Transforming 13-Acre Tampa Bay Island Near Manatee County Cruise Port Plan Into Tourist Destination
A Tampa-area developer has unveiled early-stage plans to convert a roughly 13-acre island in Tampa Bay into a private tourist destination that would sit near a proposed cruise port in Manatee County.
The proposal, put forward by K.C. Coastal, centers on Eds Key, an island the company has owned since 2021. Under the concept, the island would host a mix of amenities geared toward visitors and support operations for cruise ships that might use the adjacent cruise port facility.
Planned features include private villas, housing for cruise crew and pilots, a beach club, dining amenities, and a water taxi terminal. These elements are intended to serve as both a destination and a logistical support hub for port activity.
The proposed island development is part of a broader set of ideas emerging alongside a separate initiative to build a cruise port on the nearby Knott-Cowen tract next to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Both proposals are at the conceptual stage and would require rezoning approval from the Manatee County Commission before moving forward.
Local response to the cruise port plan has focused on environmental concerns, with some residents and advocacy groups citing potential impacts on sensitive ecosystems in the area. The island proposal similarly faces uncertainty as officials and community members weigh economic opportunities alongside environmental and land-use considerations.
At this point, neither the cruise port nor the island development is scheduled for formal review by county decision-makers, and timelines for potential construction remain undefined.
