History of John’s Pass

The history of the hubbard family is not so rich and exciting. Check into their reputation regarding greed, code violations and other numerous scandaleous wrong-​doings. St Pete Times had an article on them just a couple weeks ago «Through the decades, they’ve been savvy, scrappy and driven. They’ve worked hard and played harder. When they failed, they often did it publicly. Among Wilson and Lorraine Hubbard’s eight children, there have been 11 divorces. Two went to prison on drug charges. One died of an overdose» A decade long fight with city hall over zoning and remodeling still looms over them.

Escaped slaves from the southern states uniting with the Seminole tribes? Pirates and buried treasure? Tourists? Well, the latter is the only thing one will find visiting John’s Pass these days but the other two are part of the legend in this once sleepy fishing village.
Everyone talks of John Levique (or Leveque, depending on reference) and his stature as a Floridian folk hero. It is a fact he was French by birth but it is questionable if he became a pirate or not. Some say he plied the briny for seven years and plundered vessels yet never harmed a soul. He supposedly buried his chest of pieces of eight and doubloons around Madeira beach,
John then got out of the pirate business and became a turtle merchant along with a Spaniard named Silva. They traded Green turtles in New Orleans for gold and were making their way back when the Great Gale of 1848 blew in.
They anchored in a safe harbor and afterwards came to find Madeira Beach had been cut in half and Levique’s gold gone. The pass is named for him.
Legend has he continued to live there for the remainder of his life, searching for his treasure chest. And today, there’s a Levique Pirate Day in June.
The place really transformed in 1980 when Wilson Hubbard made a boardwalk where his marina is located. It’s a bit like Fisherman’s Wharf in S.F. but without a horde of people. There’s metered parking which is costly but everything is close by. They have a Ghost Tour, deep sea fishing and dolphin watching excursions along with a plethora of bars/​restaurants/​novelty shops.
Wonder what Monsieur Levique would think now…