Sun Coast SUPLive paddle conditions, Crystal River to Siesta Key
Local visual history
Cockroach Bay: a shoreline in two aerial views
Two public-source aerial records show the same Cockroach Bay viewport more than eight decades apart.
Compare a Hillsborough County historical aerial mosaic photographed from November 1938 through January 1939 with USDA-FSA NAIP imagery acquired November 30, 2021. Both frames use one fixed viewport.
Move between the two records
1938-1939November 30, 2021
Earlier: Hillsborough County Geospatial Services, November 1938 through January 1939. Later: USDA Farm Service Agency, November 30, 2021. The control changes only how much of the aligned later frame is visible.
What changed
The strongest differences are broad patterns, not fine shoreline positions. Start with the old field grid, the large eastern pits, and the smaller winding wet areas closer to the bay.
Look 1
Fields and large pits
Visible in the pair: Rectangular cultivated patches fill much of the lower and eastern 1938-1939 frame. In 2021, several large water-filled rectangles and berms occupy the central and eastern area.
Established by the project record: The District records that the property was largely agricultural fields and shell mining pits. Hillsborough County says the final project phase restored two shell pits.
The images do not identify the treatment or status of every rectangle.
Visible in the pair: The bay-facing edge is comparatively continuous in the historical crop. The 2021 frame shows a more broken pattern of curved water edges, pools, and vegetated patches.
Established by the project record: The County documents restoration of 500 acres of wetland, upland, and coastal habitat, along with stormwater and agricultural-runoff improvements.
This pair does not measure acreage or prove that every edge difference is permanent rather than tidal, seasonal, or positional.
Visible in the pair: Small winding wet cells or channels appear south and southwest of the large eastern pits in 2021. The same area has a more regular field-and-cover pattern in the historical frame.
Established by the project record: The District documents a 17-phase project that included constructed wetland phases and work on former mining pits. The County separately records the final restoration of two shell pits.
The project records support the broader history, not a one-to-one label for every visible channel.
Hillsborough County bought the property in 1991. The District says the land was largely agricultural fields and shell mining pits, and that restoration covered 500 acres in 17 phases over more than 20 years. The County says the final phase restored two shell pits and the work concluded in 2012.
