Living in Pinellas Point, St. Petersburg

Where Pinellas Point is and what you find there

Pinellas Point covers the southern end of the St. Petersburg peninsula, where the land meets Tampa Bay. I-275 runs along its western side on the way to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, so the neighborhood is one of the quickest places in the city to reach Bradenton and Sarasota. Eckerd College is a short drive west.

The housing is mostly single-story houses from the postwar decades, many of them block ranch homes on regular lots, with some later houses and rebuilds mixed in. Streets along the water carry larger lots and higher prices. One section is known locally as the Pink Streets, after the pink-tinted curbs and sidewalks that date from its original development.

Zillow tracks the area as Greater Pinellas Point. Its boundary is broader than what some residents mean by Pinellas Point, so the index blends the waterfront streets with the inland blocks around them.

How Pinellas Point compares on price

At about $396,506, Pinellas Point sits close to the city's single-family typical value of $375,475 and a bit below the three-bedroom value of $427,983. For a neighborhood of mostly detached houses, that is a moderate price for St. Petersburg.

Nearby areas on Zillow's list run cheaper. Lake Maggiore is about $259,846 and fell 3.8% last year; Bartlett Park is about $264,189, Childs Park about $225,152. Further up the scale, Lakewood is about $437,142 and rose 4.8%. Pinellas Point's 2.8% gain over the year places it among the better performers in the south half of the city.

Over five years, its 16.4% gain beat the city's 13.0% but trailed the inland historic neighborhoods north of downtown, such as Historic Kenwood at 26.1%. Zillow's five-year figure for bayfront Shore Acres is minus 4.9%, so Pinellas Point's water exposure has not weighed on the index the same way.

In dollar terms, a 16.4% gain on today's typical value means roughly $56,000 of added value over five years for the average house. That is a steady record for a neighborhood that mixes waterfront and inland streets, and it compares with about $40,000 for the city's typical home over the same period.

Waterfront blocks and inland blocks are two different purchases

The streets along the bay are where Pinellas Point's highest prices are, and where the flood questions start. Low ground near the water sits in mapped high-risk flood zones, where a lender requires flood insurance. Inland blocks generally sit higher and may fall outside those zones, which often means a much lower total insurance cost for a similar house.

For each address, check:

• The FEMA flood zone and the elevation certificate, if there is one.
• Whether the house took on water in 2024, and whether a claim was paid.
• For waterfront homes, the seawall's age and condition, and permits for any dock or lift.
• The Pinellas County evacuation zone, which tells you how often you may be ordered to leave.

If the house is in a flood zone and had major storm repairs, ask whether the city issued a substantial damage determination. Under the 50% rule, that can require a rebuild to current elevation standards.

Inspecting a postwar ranch house

Most of the housing here dates from the 1950s to the 1970s, and the city's median year built is 1969. The common issues on houses of that age:

• Roof. Insurers look closely at roof age. A roof near 15 to 20 years old can make coverage harder to get or more expensive.
• Drain lines. Cast iron under the slab corrodes over decades. A camera inspection costs little compared with a replacement.
• Electrical panel. Insurers often decline or surcharge houses that still have certain older panel brands, so photograph the panel label early.
• Windows and doors. Original openings earn few wind mitigation credits. Impact windows or shutters can lower the premium.

A 4-point inspection is often required for insurance on homes this age. Order it with the general inspection so you get the insurance quote early.

Taxes and the homestead reset

Pinellas Point has many long-time owners. Under homestead, their assessments have grown no more than 3% a year, so their tax bills can be far below what a new buyer will pay. Your assessment starts over at roughly the purchase price. If you will live here full time, file homestead for up to $51,411 off the assessed value in 2026. Florida has no state income tax, which offsets part of the cost of insurance and property tax for buyers coming from high-tax states.

Who Pinellas Point suits

It suits buyers who want a single-family house in a settled neighborhood, a quick drive south over the Skyway or north to downtown, and water nearby without paying Snell Isle or Old Northeast prices. It suits less well buyers who want a walkable commercial district outside their door, since the southern end of the city is mostly residential and errands usually mean a drive to the shopping along the main avenues to the north. A buyer weighing waterfront and inland streets here should compare total monthly cost, including flood insurance, before comparing list prices. A shortlist that splits the two is a good place to start.