returned for only one more season, and was quoted as saying he had tried to strike a "new deal" with the Murchisons but had not succeeded. He never returned. Guy Lombardo died in 1977, the same year that real estate developer Frank E. Mackle III was elected president of a new venture called the Tierra Verde Company, a joint venture between Madonna Corporation (a Murchison interest), and Delverde (Deltona) Corporation. Because of lack of local interest, the Tierra Verde Company worked with a network of international brokers and sold many lots to overseas investors. But growth on Tierra Verde was still slow. However, in 1984 an exit ramp was built connecting the Pinellas Bayway to Interstate 275, and Tierra Verde property sales increased greatly because of the easier access. In January 1985 Deltona turned the community over to the homeowners. Tierra Verde may have been named perhaps as much for the brothers Green as for its green land. Tierra Verde is a unincorporated portion of Pinellas County. Both St. Petersburg and St. Pete Beach have bid for annexation, but Tierra Verde has voted to stay independent. The 15 original islands are now the present six areas of Tierra Verde: Monte Cristo, Entrada, Pinellas Bayway, Sands Point, East Shore (Bayview) and West Shore (Oceanview). In 1980 Tierra Verde real estate was valued at $15 million. By 1991 values had soared to $304 million. In November 1996 the Pinellas County Property Appraiser's Office evaluated Tierra Verde property at $349 million, 1999 values were listed at $478 million and in 2003 values are listed at $632 million. There are now approximately 2,000 single-family and multi-family structures on Tierra Verde, as well as a number of commercial enterprises. An estimated 2,500 families are expected when Tierra Verde is built to completion. References External links Tierra Verde Community Association Census-designated places in Pinellas County, Florida Census-designated places in Florida Populated places on the Intracoastal Waterway in Florida