Officials Detonate Bomb Found on St. Pete Beach

Homes on the beach side of Sunset Way from 22nd to 28th avenue in St. Pete Beach were evacuated following the discovery of a possible military ordinance Sunday.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, a “large cylindrical object” was found along the surf line near the 22nd Avenue beach access point. A resident came across the unusual discovery around 8:38 a.m. Sunday.

A perimeter was set up and the beach area was evacuated following the discovery. The Hillsborough County Bomb Squad was called in and subsequently contacted MacDill Air Force for assistance.

“Deputies have confirmed that in a continued abundance of caution and in coordination with the MacDill Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, several homes have been evacuated on the Beach Side of Sunset Way from 22nd to 28th Avenue,” the Pinellas sheriff’s office wrote in an email to media at 2:14 p.m. Sunday.

By Sunday evening, the described as being about 4 feet in length, was identified as a World War II M122 Photoflash Bomb, TBO reported. M122s were once dropped by military aircraft and detonated in the air to create enough light for photographs, the website reported.

The bomb, which contained no shrapnel, was detonated on the beach.

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