In August of 1938, the new $1 million Bayshore Boulevard opened as a six-lane drive with brand new seawalls, a planned seaside park, and this new yacht basin. Funds for the project were obtained through National, State, and Local WPAs (Work Progress Administration). Some older South Tampa residents might remember “The Cat Man,” Gerhard Stiller, who moored his modified World War II landing craft in that harbor with several dozen cats on board from the early 1960s to 1975. He was a recluse, speaking to very few people, and could be seen riding his bicycle along the docks. The 37 slips in the city-run marina became popular not only during the annual Gasparilla invasion but were in high demand in the 1980s. The appeal was most likely due to economics. Until the early 1980s, city marinas charged $5 to $10 monthly per slip. In 1982, the rate was raised to $45 a month, still a pretty good deal for a boat slip on Bayshore Boulevard.

Records show boaters could wait up to six years to secure a space. Even though it went into an enterprise fund for upkeep and repair, the money was not enough as the docks fell into disrepair in the following decades. As part of a $1.5 million project to improve the aesthetics of Bayshore for the 2012 Republican National Convention, the docks were removed. While the original boat ramp remains, it is covered with vegetation and gated off from traffic.

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