The original bridge over Longboat Pass was built in 1923 by Manatee County, but it washed away in a high tide in 1932. Its foundations remain in place and mark where the pass used to be, with the south foundation on shore partially hidden by underbrush and the north foundation still visible in the pass itself, though sand accretion has passed it by. In 1939 Pickett's Key and Jewfish Key, east of the pass, were joined together, interfering with the flow of water through the pass. That year Beer Can Island began to form as a result of accretion, and the sand is still building and threatens to create a lake. The present bridge was built in 1959 and spanned a new pass to the north. When nature broke through the original south pass and formed an island, the county filled in the break in 1962.