Davis Island Beach

Photo by James Butler

Technically an archipelago, Davis Island was constructed by filling two small natural islands at the mouth of the Hillsborough River with dredged mud from Tampa Bay during the 1920s. D.P. Davis was a Tampa native and land developer who envisioned a resort community with golf course, hotels and an airport. The development slowed when the land boom stalled, and Davis was lost at sea in 1926. The nationally designated architecture of the area lends its charming atmosphere to the pet friendly park. Adjacent to the island’s Yacht Club and Seaplane Basin, the park offers two separate areas. One of the areas accesses 200 feet along the water’s edge. Onsite amenities include off-leash areas, picnic areas, canoe/boat launches, water spigots and benches. Fishing regulations/licenses may apply.

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Water Quality

Passed water quality tests 60-95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on January 8th, 2020. The Swim Guide - Florida updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on January 10th, 2020 at 10:39 AM.

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Current Weather

16°C

Cloudy

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) adopted new water quality criteria January 2016 for the Healthy Beaches program. They reflect the most current recommendations and water quality grant requirements in the 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Hillsborough County beaches are monitored by the Florida Healthy Beaches Program. Monitoring results are collected weekly on Monday and results are posted to the Florida Healthy beaches website on Wednesday. Samples are collected year round, however the peak season is from Mid-April to November. Swim Guide checks for the latest information daily, Monday - Friday.

The Florida Healthy Beaches Program Categories are: Good = 0-35 Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water;Moderate = 36-70 Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water, and;Poor = 71 or greater Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water. The 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria recommends using 70 CFU per 100 mL as the Beach Action Value (BAV) to guide public health advisories. A Single Sample Maximum (SSM) at 70 CFU per 100 ml and a BAV are functionally the same. If the sample result is above the indicated value, the beach is resampled and tested the following day or a beach advisory is issued with the first test result. The Healthy Beaches program no longer uses geometric means to represent recreational water quality data.On Swim Guide a beach is marked Green when it has a Good or Moderate standing meaning the SSM test results show Enterococci counts between 0- 70 cfu (colony forming units) / 100ml.Swim Guide marks a beach Red when it has a Poor standing. This means the SSM test results show Enterococci counts exceeds the BAV of 70 cfu/100ml. These conservative advisories better inform vulnerable people (children, elderly, and the immunocompromised) who have elevated health risks due to water quality at the beach.A beach is marked Grey when no current or reliable monitoring information is available.Please note: Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, also called flesh eating disease, is a naturally occurring bacteria in some of Florida's waters. This bacteria can be lethal, especially when contracted by individuals with compromised immune systems. Concentrations of the bacteria are higher in the mouths of rivers near oceans. The bacteria is most dangerous when ingested in raw seafood but recent deaths are attributed to individuals who have waded in water with broken skin. Beach goers are urged to use caution and consult a physician if you suspect you have come in contact with the bacteria.

Water Quality Graph