Thank you all for the input. Pine Island does sound nice, plus we could avoid the Tampa metro area and take some secondary highways. However, I have a feeling that we'll end up in the Clearwater area (maybe Honeymoon Island if I can be a little more convincing).
We're going to be 18 people in four cars (with kids ranging from 6 to 15), so I will suggest we high-tail it out there around 3pm to avoid rush hour and most beach traffic to allow the smaller kids to take afternoon naps before NYE festivities start later that night.
We're going to be 18 people in four cars (with kids ranging from 6 to 15), so I will suggest we high-tail it out there around 3pm to avoid rush hour and most beach traffic to allow the smaller kids to take afternoon naps before NYE festivities start later that night.