My son and I were out fishing around these stilt houses. There are eight structures that dot the gulf coast are lovely reminders of old Florida, when working fishermen built camps above the water, both as a place to store the mullet they caught and to seek shelter during storms. All are privately owned and have been grandfathered in by the state Legislature, which holds the leases to the land. No new houses can be built, though damaged ones can be repaired depending on the remaining structure.