Owners of Beer Can Island to turn party spot into community attraction

TAMPA BAY (FOX 13) - Beer Can Island is nestled right in the heart of Tampa Bay and its new owners have big plans for the land's future.

Cole Weaver and his three friends bought Beer Can Island last December as a place to store their large 74-foot-long floating tiki barge. But since the purchase, they’ve re-imagined the Island and now have big plans for its future.

They're working to turn the land into a multi-purpose community attraction.

A short 10-minute boat ride from Apollo Beach is all takes to reach Beer Can Island.

"We love just coming out here," Aaron Brunelle said. "On the weekends and cruising out here it's relaxing you can watch the sunset."

It's a beach lover's paradise made possible by Cole Weaver and his three friends who purchased the island last December from an oil company for just over $60,000.

"We needed to relocate our floating tiki barge," Weaver said. "Here and so we went out looking for some real estate and found Beer Can Island as our home."

Beer Can Island - nicknamed for the beer cans left behind from boaters - is now the permanent home for their 74-foot-long floating tiki barge with a full bar.

The island's amenities include a sand volley court, a campground, and an event stage, where Weaver and his friends hosted a 3,000-person concert earlier this year.

"It's a fun, friendly and safe environment for families to come to," Weaver said. "We're very close to shore."

The hype even got the attention of a Bucs player who offered to buy the island from Weaver and his friends for $1.5 million, but they passed up on the deal.

"All of us are in love with this island with all the locals as well and it really wasn't about a price it's about doing something better for the community and for Florida," Weaver said. "And for everyone who visits."

Anyone who wants to can visit the island. To get access to all the amenities, you can buy a yearly pass for $10.