Browse All : In 1924, inspired by a massive state-wide real estate boom, the city of Tampa sold two mud flat islands to real estate developer D.P. Davis, and work began to turn them into habitable land as the real estate development, Davis Islands. At first, properties sold out, but poor management and cash flow problems meant that the city of Tampa was making very little money. In 1926, the real estate bubble popped, and Davis was forced to sell his company. On October 12th, he went overboard from the ocean liner Majestic, under mysterious circumstances, and his body was never found. While Davis Islands was initially a major financial loss of the city of Tampa, the investment paid off in the long run, and today Davis Islands remains some of the city's finest and most sought-after real estate. by Arnold J. Meyer