Treasure Island got its name when some enterprising property owners manipulated the public into believing buried treasure had been discovered there. There was no treasure of course, but the name stuck. It was first settled by the Timucan Indians around 300 A.D and through the years the area slowly became populated by Europeans. Their descendants primarily lived in beach shacks and eeked out a living by living off the land fishing and harvesting turtles.

The "Great Gale" of 1848 split the island and created John's Pass on the Island's north end. Around 1900, St. Petersburg experienced a land boom and tourists started traveling to the beaches. They had to rely mostly on unreliable ferry service to get to the island because there wasn't a bridge.  Construction of A bridge to the island was begun in 1938 and completed in 1939. It was considered the best constructed bridge in Florida at the time. The first hotel was built on the Island in 1915 and was named the “Coney Island.” After World War Two more hotels and homes were built and in 1955 the City of Treasure Island was incorporated. Today Treasure Island is a unique blend of a laid back beach community as well as an internationally known family vacation destination.