Caladesi Island Tower to Feature Panoramic View, Hands-On Education

Designs for a 25-foot education and observation tower on Caladesi Island are complete.

And state officials already approved them.

Now it's just the matter of funding, Peter Krulder, park manager, says.

Friends of the Island Parks is spearheading recent fundraising efforts to build the observation deck, which has a $600,000 to $700,000 price tag, Krulder says. He hopes to have it completed in 2014.

Plans for the up-and-coming Caladesi Discovery Center indicate that it would be an open-air, ADA-compliant structure at the site of the old tower, which was torn down in the late 1980s, Krulder says.

"It had rusted to a point that it was no longer safe for park visitors to climb," Krulder explains.

The new tower would provide a panoramic view and include hands-on exhibits where visitors can experience the island's rich history and abundant wildlife. 

Caladesi was established as a state park in 1967. Today the island sees hundreds of thousands of visitors, according to Friends of the Island Parks. It was originally inhabited by the indigenous Tocobaga and was used as a fishing and hunting camp-over by European soldiers and settlers for centuries, the Island Friends explain. A Swiss immigrant built a home on the island in 1888. His daughter, Myrtle, wrote a which is available at the Dunedin Historical Museum gift shop.

Caladesi Island State Park, accessible by boat or ferry, is one of Florida's last remaining underdeveloped barrier islands. It has a picnic area, a marina, a snack bar, gift shop, a three-mile nature trail and a three-mile kayak trail. 

Related Links:

To learn more about the Caladesi Discovery Center project, or to donate, visit the Island Friends informational website.

To learn more about Caladesi Island State Park and its amenities or prohibited items, visit its official Florida State Park website.

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