Florida bridge tender's job keeps commuters on the roads, water safe with a view

TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. - The bridges across Tampa Bay give a calming view of the glistening water that borders the area, and sometimes you're stuck with that view for a while – especially if a drawbridge is up. That process is more complicated than it appears.

"The thing that popped into my head when I took this job is ‘God, this is more complicated than I thought,’" laughs Dave Ditto.

Dave has been the Treasure Island bridge tender for three years.

"We open and close the bridge for large vessels, whether its sailboats or yachts," he explained.

Dave Ditto on the job as a bridge tender in Treasure Island.

It was once his unattainable dream job.

"I would joke with my next-door neighbor that one day I was going to retire, and I was just going to take a job at Treasure Island pushing the button on the bridge," he recalled.

But the dream came to fruition after Dave retired from a 36-year career as a hotel executive.

"I loved it, absolutely loved it. But there was a lot of stress involved too in being a hotel executive," he explained. "I wanted to do something that was more fun and maybe less stressful. And here I am."

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Dave fields a lot of requests from fascinated friends for tours of the bridge.

"I really do think they think there’s one button that we push and as you can see there’s a lot more to it than that," he said.

Treasure Island bridge

After boat captains call in requesting an opening, Dave starts a thirteen-step process to open and close the drawbridge. The whole process takes about five and a half minutes.

"If you are coming in your car and the lights red, you’re going to sit there for five or six minutes," Dave said. "Just enjoy yourself and watch the view."