How St. Petersburg fits into Pinellas County and Florida: the city, the county, Pinellas County School District, the neighboring towns within 15 miles, and which one to call for what.

St. Petersburg sits in Pinellas County, Florida. Three layers of local government share the work here, and knowing which does what saves time: the city, the county and the school district are separate bodies with separate budgets, separate boards and separate elections.

The city

The city of St. Petersburg runs the police department, most local streets, parks, water and sewer where it operates them, zoning and building permits, code enforcement and trash and recycling contracts. The city council sets the property tax rate for the city’s share and adopts the budget each year. Council agendas are published before every meeting; we report from them on the news pages.

The county

Pinellas County runs the courts, the jail, the sheriff’s office (which polices the unincorporated areas and serves warrants countywide), property records and the recorder or clerk’s office, elections, public health, and the county roads outside city limits. The county appraiser or assessor values property for tax; the county treasurer or tax collector collects it for every taxing body. Real estate transfers in our weekly column come from the county record.

The school district

Public schools in St. Petersburg are run by Pinellas County School District, an independent body with its own elected board, its own budget and, in most states, its own line on your property tax bill. District boundaries do not follow city limits: some St. Petersburg addresses are zoned to neighboring districts, and the district may include parts of other towns. School board agendas and state report cards are the primary sources for our education coverage.

The neighbors

These are the places over 5,000 people within about 15 miles of St. Petersburg, nearest first. We name them when a story touches them, with the distance:

  • Gulfport (about 4 miles)
  • Lealman (about 5 miles)
  • South Pasadena (about 6 miles)
  • St. Pete Beach (about 7 miles)
  • West Lealman (about 7 miles)
  • Treasure Island (about 8 miles)
  • Pinellas Park (about 8 miles)
  • Bardmoor (about 9 miles)

St. Petersburg by the numbers

From the 2023 American Community Survey five-year estimates (U.S. Census Bureau):

Measure St. Petersburg
Population 260,646
Median household income $73,118
Median home value (owner-occupied) $331,500
Median age 43.1
Adults 25 and over with a bachelor’s degree or higher 41.3%

Estimates carry margins of error; treat them as a picture, not a count.

Who to call

  • Police non-emergency: the St. Petersburg Police Department (emergencies: 911).
  • Outside city limits: the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
  • Property records and deeds: the Pinellas County recorder / clerk.
  • Weather warnings: the National Weather Service office for this area is TBW; we publish its alerts for St. Petersburg as they are issued.