Beaches

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.9 square miles (52 km2), of which 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2) is land and 17.6 square miles (46 km2) (88.68%) is water.

St. Pete Beach occupies the entire space of Long Key, a barrier island at the east central edge of the Gulf of Mexico. Three bridges lead into the city, connecting it to Treasure Island, South Pasadena and the Bayway Isles area of St. Petersburg. St. Pete Beach is located about 20 miles (32 km) south of Clearwater Beach.

Residents are zoned to Pinellas County Schools, the specific school they are zoned for include Azalea Elementary School, Madeira Beach Middle School, and Boca Ciega High School.

In 1915 Sunshine Elementary School opened in Pass-a-Grille. Gulf Beaches Elementary opened in 1950. The Tampa Bay Times said that Gulf Beaches “quickly absorbed most of the kids from Sunshine”. Sunshine Elementary School closed on June 6, 1975. The Gulf Beaches School absorbed the traditions of the Sunshine school, including the fish broil fundraiser.

On January 14, 2009, the Pinellas County school board voted 7–0 to close several schools, including Gulf Beaches Elementary School. When the school was in operation, it had annual fish broils. Linda Chaney, the commissioner of St. Pete Beach, and Mary Maloof, the mayor of Treasure Island, had asked the school board not to close Gulf Beaches. The Gulf Beaches campus, which is located on 4.7-acre (1.9 ha) of land in St. Pete Beach, had been closed after the school board faced budget cuts. In addition the year-round population of children had decreased. In 2014, the Pinellas County School Board announced Gulf Beaches would be reopened for the 2014–2015 school year as a technology magnet school.

The St. Pete Beach Public Library is the public library that serves the city of St. Pete Beach and the greater Pinellas area. The library was founded in 1951 by the St. Petersburg Beach Community Club inside their clubhouse with “450 books on two shelves”. The library grew to include “200 adult and 200 children’s books” from the Florida State Library Extension Service.

In 1957 it became a municipal library when the city of St. Pete Beach was incorporated allowing the St. Petersburg Beach Community Club to turn operations over to the city. In 1968 the Friends of the St. Pete Beach Public Library was formed raising over $26,000 for a new library building.

On July 7, 1969 the St. Pete Beach Library opened an 8,200 square foot building by architect Glenn Q. Johnson at 365 73rd Avenue. The building was partially refurbished in 1995, and underwent a major renovation in 2020–2021. A member of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative since 1989, the library was temporarily relocated to 7470 Gulf Boulevard during the renovation. On March 26, 2021 the St. Pete Beach Library reopened after a $2.6 million restoration and renovation.

St. Pete Beach is a seaside tourist destination. St. Pete beach is known for its water sport activities, such as kiteboarding, windsurfing, parasailing, and stand-up paddleboarding. This destination is also the longest stretch of undeveloped public beach in the St. Pete/Clearwater area.

In a study conducted by Destination Analysts for the City of St. Pete/Clearwater, 400 to 430 participants were studied to understand tourism patterns. 72.9 percent of the tourists who participated in the study visit the beach while in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area with 29.2% of them visiting St. Pete Beach. Additionally, the study revealed that over half of participants enjoyed traveling to the area for the beach and ocean.

The Don CeSar is a renowned historical hotel, opened in 1928, located on the Gulf shore in St. Pete Beach.