Boca Ciega Bay is a body of water connected to theGulf of Mexico on the west-central coast ofFlorida. It is bordered byGulfport,St. Petersburg, and other municipalities inPinellas County.^[1]Clam Bayou estuary feeds into the bay.

Boca Ciega Bay is an aquatic preserve designated in 1968 to haltdredging-and-filling work done in the 1950s. There aremangrove islands as well as miles ofcanals bounded byseawalls.^[2]

Along with the Pinellas County Aquatic Preserve, Boca Ciega Bay provides sandy beaches, mangrove shoreline and submerged habitats such asoyster bars,seagrass beds,coral habitat, and spring-fedcaves.^[3]

Boca Ciega Bay Boaters Guide can be found here:https://www.tampabay.wateratlas.usf.edu/upload/documents/BocaCiegaBay_web.pdf

The 185-acreBoca Ciega Millennium Park inSeminole, Florida, is a protected natural area and preserve.^[1][4] The park features a 35-foot wooden observation tower with a panoramic view of Boca Ciega Bay. The park is a stop on theFlorida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's "Great Florida Birding Trail."

Archaeological digs show that the eastern shore of the bay was inhabited by prehistoric native Americans, in particular during the lateWeeden Island andSafety Harbor periods, from roughly 800 A.D. to 1700 A.D. Some also believe that the area was visited as early as 1528 by the Spanish explorerPánfilo de Narváez.^[5]

• Intracoastal Waterway

27°46′26″N82°45′14″W / 27.774°N 82.754°W /27.774; -82.754