Beaches in Tampa Bay, FL | St. Pete Beach, Clearwater Beach, Fort De Soto Beach/Park

Pinellas County Beaches

Pinellas County maintains three major parks along the Gulf Coast. Fort De Soto Park, located in the south end of the county, is one of the largest county parks in the State of Florida, with over seven miles of shoreline. Sand Key Park, located in central Pinellas County, has almost a half mile of beachfront. Howard Park, is a gem located on the Gulf of Mexico in the northern reaches of the county in Tarpon Springs. These three parks offer a list amenities that include picnicking facilities, fishing opportunities and other items of interest to residents and tourists alike. In addition to these major beach park facilities, Pinellas County has six beach access parks (Indian Rocks , Tiki Gardens/ Indian Shores, Redington Shores, Madeira Beach, Treasure Island and St. Pete Beach). These beach access parks expand public access, and include restroom and shower facilities. Pinellas County beach access parks are used by almost eight million visitors each year. Two major state parks in Pinellas County, Caladesi Island and Honeymoon Island, provide almost five miles of direct access to the Gulf of Mexico. Honeymoon Island State Park is accessible by car, while pristine Caladesi Island State Park is easily reached by modestly priced public ferry that departs several times per day from Honeymoon Island State Park. Both facilities have amenities, and ample public parking is available within the grounds of Honeymoon Island State Park for both park facilities. In addition to the county and state parks mentioned above, several important municipal parks provide direct beach access, amenities and public parking as well. St. Pete Beach's Pass-A-Grille and Upham Beaches, Treasure Island's four city-operated beach access parks, Madeira Beach's Archibald Park and Clearwater's North and South Beach Parks are examples of major municipally operated beach access facilities. In Pinellas County, beach access is provided at 31 parks and 135 public easements providing well over 12,000 parking spaces available to the general public. Pinellas County continues to recognize the need for expanding the number of publicly available beach access points and the desirability of providing properly designed and aesthetically pleasing walkovers. The joint efforts on the part of Pinellas County, the State of Florida, our local beach municipalities and the tremendous citizen volunteer efforts employed in our dune replanting, continue to make our beach access expansion and enhancement program a resounding success. About Pinellas County beaches Occupying a peninsula along the Gulf Coast in the heart of west central Florida, Pinellas County is the second smallest county in the state, containing less than 281 square miles. While small in total area, Pinellas enjoys a long coastline along the Gulf Coast, providing over 35 miles of fine white sandy beaches stretching from Tarpon Springs to Fort De Soto. With over 3,150 people per square mile, Pinellas County today is by far the most densely populated county in the State of Florida and is second only to Atlanta Georgia's Fulton County, in the southeastern United States. Large numbers of residents are attracted to the county's mild sub-tropical climate and strong economy. In 1996, over 4.1 million overnight visitors came to Pinellas County from around the state, the nation and throughout the world. To support the growing needs of our expanding residential population and the large number of visitors drawn to our area, enhancing our beaches, the county's greatest asset, is vitally important to our overall economy and quality of life in our community. Spotlight -- Fort De Soto named America’s Top Beach - 2008 Pristine Area Favorite Lauded as “Portrait of Tranquility” Fort De Soto Park was named America’s Top Beach by TripAdvisor, the world's largest online travel community. Citing a “spectacular combination of soft white sand, calm, clear water and a laid-back atmosphere,” the popular online travel network put the park’s North Beach at the top of its annual best-of list, based on TripAdvisor's Popularity Index. This marks the second time in three years the pristine Pinellas County beach has received top honors on an annual “best-of” list. In 2005 Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, a.k.a. “Dr. Beach,” named Fort De Soto the nation’s #1 Beach .