Longboat Key in Manatee County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Birthplace of Resorts and Condominiums

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

1. Birthplace of Resorts and Condominiums Marker

Inscription. The era of family recreation resorts on Longboat Key began here on the north end when Gordon and Lora Whitney purchased one thousand feet of beach front property from gulf to bay which became the Whitney Resort, 1935-1952.

Paul Neal and Company subsequently purchased the property for condominiums in 1967. On the site he built the first multi-family condominium on Longboat Key in 1968, the Whitney Beach Condominiums, which now preserve the architectural character of earlier times. The first shopping center was also built on the abutting property to the north.

This plaque, erected in 2018 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Whitney Beach condominiums, commemorates the birthplace of the transition of Longboat Key from fishing and truck farming to recreational resorts and condominium living.

Erected 2018 by Town of Longboat Key and the Longboat Key Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Notable Places • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1935.

Location. 27° 25.959′ N, 82° 41.012′ W. Marker is in Longboat Key, Florida, in Manatee County. It is on Gulf of Mexico Drive (Florida Route 789) 0.1 miles south of Cedar

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Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6828 Gulf of Mexico Dr, Longboat Key FL 34228, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Gulf Coast

and on Tampa Bay.

It is also in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Longboat Key’s First Home (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Abutments Of The Old Longboat Pass Bridge (approx. half a mile away); The Town Dock (approx. half a mile away); The Village of Cortez (approx. 2.3 miles away); The 1890 Bratton Store / The 1912 Cortez Rural Graded Schoolhouse (approx. 2.4 miles away); Propeller from the 1892 Steamboat 'Mistletoe' (approx. 2.4 miles away); Pillsbury Boatshop/Pillsbury Tienda de Barcos (approx. 2½ miles away); Pillsbury Boatshop (approx. 2½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Longboat Key.

Also see . . .
1. Whitney Beach looks back on 50 years. (Submitted on November 16, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. A Rich History. (Submitted on November 16, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

2. Birthplace of Resorts and Condominiums Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on May 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 16, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 189 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 16, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.