I think a lot of people have misconceptions about what a "pirate" may have been back in the day. The different countries in Europe all had ships sailing to South and Central America to trade for or perhaps steal gold, silver and jewels. Each country considered themselves the "good guys". So you have the French, British, Portuguese, Spanish, Italians, and more all sending ships both officially and unofficially. A lot of them felt it was okay to attack and steal from anyone they chose to. In fact some of them would lower their flag and raise the Jolly Roger. The movies from Hollywood especially with Johnny Depp give a very unrealistic portrayal of what a pirate may have been.
So now you have back then thousands of ships coming and going loaded down with everything they could get their hands on. There were no reliable maps. There was no way to forecast a storm or hurricane. Hundreds of these ships may have sunk or ran aground. A lot of the cargo may have been recovered but billions of dollars in treasure could be sitting under the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic.
These seafarers had to maintain a supply of fresh food and fresh water to survive. Some of them would cross the Gulf of Mexico while others followed the coastline all the way around the Gulf, part way up the Atlantic coast and then across to Europe. The Tampa Bay area has a large open harbor. At the south end is the Manatee River. There are many barrier islands. It was a very busy place.
Rocky Bluff is not far from the Gulf. There is a point of land protruding out into the river. From this spot a lookout could see all the way to the gulf and would be able to keep an eye out for anyone coming up the river. There is a somewhat protected cove. There are numerous freshwater streams. The area was heavily wooded. It was a great place to refresh the supplies for anyone traveling along the coast. As stated in this thread this period spanned from the early 1500's till around the turn of the 19th century. A period of 350 to 400 years.
I have lived in this area since I was a little kid. I have heard many stories of items being found that were hundreds of years old. I believe that there is way more treasure to be found in this area than most would believe. If you were living in this time period and had any gold, silver or jewels you would need to have a safe place to keep them. You probably would not keep them under your pillow, bed or on yourself. There were no banks. There probably were not many places to spend your money. Many people might be planning to make it back to Europe to live the good life.
War, disease, accidents, fights, and theft were a common occurrence at the time. Things that were hidden remained hidden. Most people would not tell anybody where they hid their loot. The best place to hide it would be in the ground. That is just the way it was. Much of this treasure is waiting to be found. The possible pirate silver at the bridge is just one of many locations I may know about. I more or less wrote this spot off a long time ago. The FDOT property is just a few hundred feet wide on the riverbank. There are motels, houses, restaurants, and empty lots along this stretch. The treasures are waiting to be found.
