Pinellas County, Florida: A Local Guide for Home Buyers and Homeowners

Pinellas County packs about 950,000 people onto about 274 square miles of land, which makes it Florida’s second-smallest county by land area. It’s a peninsula between the Gulf and Tampa Bay, and it’s close to built out.

This page covers what that means when you buy or refinance here: how the loan limits and down payment math work, the Housing Finance Authority’s down payment help, the homestead calendar, what Helene and Milton showed about surge, and who to call after closing.

Every source for this guide is listed at the bottom of the page.

  • County seatClearwater
  • Founded1912, from Hillsborough County
  • Named forPunta Pinal, Spanish for Point of Pines
  • PopulationAbout 950,000
  • Land area273.71 sq mi
  • FHA limit, 1 unit$541,287 in 2026
  • Conventional limit, 1 unit$832,750 in 2026
  • School districtPinellas County Schools

Cities and communities across Pinellas County

St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas Park, Dunedin, Tarpon Springs, Seminole, Safety Harbor, Oldsmar, Gulfport, Kenneth City and South Pasadena are among the county’s cities, and a row of beach towns lines the barrier islands. Palm Harbor, East Lake, Lealman, Feather Sound, Bay Pines, Bardmoor and Tierra Verde fill in the rest of the map. Before you buy, check which city, if any, the address falls in, because that decides who issues your permits and which city programs you can use.

Pinellas separated from Hillsborough County on Jan. 1, 1912. The name comes from the Spanish “Punta Pinal,” or Point of Pines, and Odet Philippe brought citrus growing and cigar making to the peninsula in 1835.

St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg earned the name Sunshine City with a Guinness record of 768 straight sunny days (1967-69). It has a 7-mile public waterfront park system, the St. Pete Pier, opened in 2020, the Dalí Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts downtown, plus Central Avenue and the Edge District. Albert Whitted Airport, a general aviation field, is downtown too.

Clearwater and Clearwater Beach

Clearwater is the county seat, with a historic downtown along Cleveland Street and the Property Appraiser in the County Courthouse at 315 Court Street. Clearwater Beach sits on a Gulf barrier island across the Memorial Causeway (SR 60) and is home to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, open since 1972. The Philadelphia Phillies train every spring at BayCare Ballpark.

Dunedin

Dunedin became a town in 1899 and a city in 1926. Its downtown opens onto St. Joseph Sound, the Pinellas Trail runs right through it, and the city marina has 194 slips. The Toronto Blue Jays have trained at TD Ballpark since 1977.

Tarpon Springs

Tarpon Springs was the first incorporated city in what is now Pinellas, on Feb. 12, 1887. Much of the city is water, mostly bayous, and its sponge industry dates to the 1880s, with sponge diving introduced in 1905 and a smaller sponge trade still working the docks.

Safety Harbor

Safety Harbor was settled in 1823 and incorporated in 1917 on the west shore of Tampa Bay. Hernando de Soto named its Espiritu Santo mineral springs in 1539, and they now lie beneath the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa. Philippe Park preserves a Tocobaga ceremonial mound.

Largo and Gulfport

Largo is home to Heritage Village, the county’s historical park and museum, where old Pinellas buildings are preserved. Gulfport sits on Boca Ciega Bay and is home to Stetson University College of Law.

The beach towns

St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, the three Redingtons, Indian Shores, Indian Rocks Beach and the Belleair communities are separate municipalities on the barrier islands, each with its own local government. Hurricane Helene’s surge reached all of them in 2024, and a sensor at Madeira Beach recorded 7.26 feet above mean higher high water.

Tierra Verde

Tierra Verde is an unincorporated community along the Pinellas Bayway, and Fort De Soto Park’s address is 3500 Pinellas Bayway South, Tierra Verde.

Buying a home in Pinellas and the loan limits

Pinellas sits in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro for loan limits. The FHA and Conventional limits for Pinellas County are in the table below; HUD and FHFA reset them every January, and the table updates itself so it always shows the figure in force.

Here’s the down payment math, as an example rather than a Pinellas price: on a $375,000 purchase, FHA’s 3.5% minimum down payment is $13,125, and down payment assistance can cover part or all of it. Call or text us at 954-816-8820 and we’ll work out the numbers on the house in Largo, Seminole or St. Pete you’re eyeing.

If you’re renting anywhere on the peninsula, call 888-601-8344 and we’ll show you what your rent could carry as a mortgage payment in Pinellas.

Loan limits in Pinellas County for 2026 Maximum loan
FHA, single-family home $541,287
FHA, two-unit home $693,050
FHA, three-unit home $837,700
FHA, four-unit home $1,041,125
Conventional, single-family home $832,750

HUD sets the FHA limits and FHFA sets the Conventional limits for every county, and both change each January. This table refreshes itself from HUD's published figures.

Because the county is close to built out, you’ll mostly be shopping homes that already have some history. Get the roof age, the flood zone and the insurance quote lined up early, since all three move your monthly payment. On the beach side, also ask the town which building rules apply if you plan to remodel.

Down payment help for Pinellas County buyers

Pinellas buyers can draw on the Housing Finance Authority’s Home Key Plus money, the county’s SHIP program, the City of St. Petersburg, Habitat for Humanity and the statewide Florida Housing programs. Each one sets its own income and price rules, and terms can change partway through the year.

Pinellas HFA First-Time Homebuyer Program

The Housing Finance Authority of Pinellas County pairs an FHA, VA, RD or Freddie Mac HFA Advantage first mortgage with Home Key Plus down payment assistance. The assistance is a 0% deferred second that you repay when you sell, refinance or move out.

You need a homebuyer education class and either no home owned in the past 3 years or veteran status. The HFA sets income and purchase price limits by household size, with higher limits in target census tracts.

The HFA resets its rates, assistance amount and limits when it needs to, sometimes in the middle of the year. Before you write an offer, call 888-601-8344 and we’ll check with the Carillon Parkway office what Home Key Plus pays and whether the program is taking loans for that address.

Official program page

Housing Finance Authority office and land trust homes

The Housing Finance Authority of Pinellas County also offers single-family land trust homes, where you buy the house and the land stays in a trust. Its office is at 450 Carillon Parkway, Suite 105, St. Petersburg 33716, (727) 223-6419.

Land trust homes come up one at a time. Call or text us at 954-816-8820 and we’ll ask the HFA which ones are available and how the financing works on them.

Official program page

Pinellas County SHIP

Pinellas County runs its State Housing Initiatives Partnership money through local partnerships that build and preserve affordable housing.

Most of that money goes into producing and preserving homes rather than straight to buyers, and the mix changes with each plan. Call 888-601-8344 and we’ll find out whether any county SHIP dollars can reach a buyer on the home you have in mind.

Official program page

City of St. Petersburg Down Payment Assistance

St. Petersburg helps buyers of new or existing single-family homes inside the city, and it has separate housing grants only for the South St. Pete Community Development Area. City housing line: 727-893-7247.

The city doesn’t post its dollar amounts on the overview page, and its funding can change during the year. If the house is inside St. Pete city limits, call or text us at 954-816-8820 before you write an offer and we’ll get the city’s figures and check whether it’s accepting applications.

Official program page

Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties

Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties builds homes and sells them at no profit and no interest to qualifying households, and the City of St. Petersburg lists Habitat among its homebuyer resources.

Habitat sets its own qualifying rules. Call 888-601-8344 and we’ll talk through how it compares with a standard purchase loan and whether the timing works for you.

Official program page

Florida Hometown Heroes (statewide)

Hometown Heroes, run by Florida Housing, gives eligible buyers a 30-year fixed first mortgage plus a 0% second for the down payment and closing costs. The second has no monthly payment and must be paid back when you sell, refinance, pay off the home or move out. It isn’t forgiven.

One of the buyers needs a full-time job with an eligible Florida-based employer in health care, K-12 schools, first response, public safety, the courts or licensed child care, so a Pinellas County Schools employee or a nurse at All Children’s or Morton Plant qualifies. For military households, active duty counts with any employer, and a veteran, Reservist or Guard member counts with full-time work for any Florida-based employer. Offer letters, remote roles and part-time hours are all outside the rules.

Florida Housing help can be used once in a lifetime, so put it on the right home with the right lender. Funds are reserved loan by loan, so call 888-601-8344 before you offer on a Pinellas home and we’ll confirm the program is reserving and check your income and price against the county’s limits.

Official program page

FL Assist, HLP and HFA Advantage PLUS (statewide)

FL Assist adds 0% money for the down payment and closing costs with no monthly payment, repaid when you sell, refinance, transfer the home or move out, and it requires a Florida Housing FHA, VA, USDA or Conventional first. HLP is a second with a modest fixed payment over 30 years. For Conventional buyers, HFA Advantage PLUS puts a Freddie Mac first together with a second that’s forgiven over 5 years while you live there.

Buyers reach all of these through a participating lender or broker rather than Florida Housing itself. Whether one of these beats Home Key Plus on the house you’re after depends on both programs’ terms the day you apply, so call or text us at 954-816-8820 and we’ll compare them side by side.

Official program page

We also offer FHA 100% financing: a 96.5% FHA first mortgage with a down payment assistance second behind it, which can cover the whole down payment so it doesn’t come out of your pocket. Call us before you write an offer on anything in Pinellas, and we’ll tell you which programs are funded and which one stacks best with your loan.

Property taxes and your homestead exemption

A Pinellas home you live in as your permanent residence qualifies for the Florida homestead exemption. It takes up to $50,000 off your assessed value, with the first $25,000 applying to all taxes and the second $25,000 to non-school taxes on value above $50,000. Under Save Our Homes, the assessed value can’t rise more than 3% a year or the CPI change, whichever is lower, and portability moves some or all of the built-up difference to your next Florida homestead.

Homestead goes by ownership on January 1, and the statewide deadline is March 1 of the year after you buy. Watch the Property Appraiser’s calendar, which has moved the date to the next weekday when March 1 fell on a Sunday. File online through the appraiser’s homestead e-file.

The rest of the Pinellas calendar runs like this: TRIM notices mail in mid-August, the late-filing and Value Adjustment Board petition deadline falls in September, and tax bills mail at the end of October. If your loan has an escrow account, the lender pays the bill from it.

Pinellas County Property Appraiser

County Courthouse, 315 Court Street, 2nd Floor, Clearwater, FL 33756

Phone: (727) 464-3207

Property search and exemptions: pcpao.gov

Tax bills and payments: Pinellas County Tax Collector

Storm surge, flood zones and insurance on the peninsula

On Sept. 26 and 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene pushed 5 to 7 feet of storm surge inundation onto the coast from the Anclote River south to Longboat Key. Sensors recorded 7.23 feet above mean higher high water at Fred Howard Park, 6.75 feet at Clearwater Beach and 7.26 feet at Madeira Beach.

Hurricane Milton came next, making landfall on Siesta Key on Oct. 9, 2024, as a Category 3. Hurricane conditions reached from Clearwater Beach southward, a gauge near St. Petersburg measured 20.40 inches of rain, the highest storm total in the country, and the wind tore the fabric roof off Tropicana Field. The National Hurricane Center noted that a track shift of less than 30 nautical miles north would have driven significant surge into Tampa Bay.

Storms have reshaped the coast before. Hurricane Elena sealed Dunedin Pass in 1985, joining Caladesi Island to Clearwater Beach.

  • On a barrier island or along the bay side of Pinellas, pull up the address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center before you make an offer. A home in a high-risk zone, one starting with A or V, needs flood coverage for any federally backed loan.
  • Evacuation zones here are based on storm-surge risk. Find yours at Know Your Zone or call 727-464-3800, sign up for Alert Pinellas for free text, phone and email alerts, and grab the county’s annual hurricane guide.
  • Get insurance quotes during your inspection period, not after. On the peninsula the roof’s age weighs most on the price, and a wind mitigation inspection can bring the premium down.
  • Every Florida residential policy must cover catastrophic ground cover collapse; full sinkhole coverage is offered for an extra premium.
  • After a storm, the county’s recovery information lives at Pinellas Recovers.

Jobs, schools and getting around

Pinellas has a strong manufacturing base alongside aviation and aerospace, defense, medical technology, financial services and information technology, and tourism is a major industry. Jabil, Tech Data and Raymond James Financial have their headquarters in or near the Gateway area in mid-Pinellas, and HSN, Valpak and Honeywell are big names here too.

Hospitals are major employers: Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and Bayfront in St. Petersburg, and Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater. Tarpon Springs still has a working sponge industry that dates to the 1880s.

Schools and colleges

Public schools are run by Pinellas County Schools, which can tell you which schools serve a given address.

Colleges include the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg College, Eckerd College and Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport.

Getting around

US 19 and SR 580 are the main routes, and the Gandy Bridge and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge cross Tampa Bay. When the Gandy opened in 1924, it roughly halved the trip to Tampa.

St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) is at 14700 Terminal Blvd., Clearwater, and Tampa International sits across Old Tampa Bay. Albert Whitted in St. Petersburg and Clearwater Air Park handle general aviation, and the paved Pinellas Trail gives you a car-free route down the county.

Beaches, trails and local favorites

Fort De Soto Park

Fort De Soto is the largest park in the county system, 1,136 acres spread over five connected keys. It has almost three miles of beach, more than 7 miles of waterfront, a beach area for dogs and two fishing piers, including the T-shaped Bay Pier finished in 2023. Its 12-inch mortar battery went on the National Register in 1977.

Honeymoon and Caladesi islands

Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island state parks lie west of Dunedin along St. Joseph Sound. Caladesi has been connected to Clearwater Beach since Hurricane Elena closed Dunedin Pass in 1985.

Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail

The Pinellas Trail runs about 45 to 47 paved miles on old railroad corridors from Tarpon Springs to St. Petersburg, through Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Clearwater, Largo, Seminole and Gulfport. The first section opened in December 1990.

Preserves and the Skyway pier

Weedon Island Preserve, Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, Brooker Creek Preserve and Sand Key Park are all in the county. Skyway Fishing Pier State Park sits at the Sunshine Skyway, whose original bridge collapsed in 1980 after a ship collision, killing 35 people.

Dalí Museum and the Grand Prix

The Dalí Museum at One Dalí Blvd. has been in St. Petersburg since 1982 and holds the largest collection of Dalí’s work outside Europe. Every March the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg opens the IndyCar season on downtown streets, partly on Albert Whitted Airport.

Spring training and Dunedin traditions

Spring training puts the Phillies in Clearwater and the Blue Jays in Dunedin, and Dunedin holds its annual Highland Games and a Mardi Gras celebration. Clearwater Marine Aquarium, made famous by Winter the dolphin, rescues and rehabilitates stranded sea animals.

Pinellas can claim the start of commercial aviation. On Jan. 1, 1914, Tony Jannus flew the world’s first scheduled commercial airline flight from St. Petersburg to Tampa.

Moving to Pinellas County: your first-month checklist

  • Electric: Duke Energy Florida, which has plant sites in the county at Bayboro and Higgins, and Tampa Electric both serve parts of Pinellas. The seller’s last power bill will tell you which one you’ll be paying.
  • Water and sewer: Pinellas County Utilities runs water, wastewater and reclaimed water systems; customer line 727-464-4000. Ask the seller for a water bill so you know which utility serves the address.
  • Property tax: bills come from the Pinellas County Tax Collector.
  • Homestead: e-file with the Property Appraiser by March 1 of the year after you buy, and check its calendar in case the date shifts for a weekend.
  • County questions: call (727) 464-3000, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, or go to pinellas.gov.
  • Hurricane season: look up your zone at Know Your Zone, sign up for Alert Pinellas and keep the county’s hurricane guide handy.

Buying or refinancing in Pinellas County with AAA Capital Funding

Buying a home

FHA carries most of our Pinellas buyers: 3.5% down, flexible credit guidelines, and it pairs with Home Key Plus and the statewide programs. Eligible veterans and service members can use VA with no down payment, and we close Conventional loans, Hometown Heroes, DSCR loans for rental property and FHA 100% financing.

As a licensed Florida mortgage broker since 1997 we lend statewide in all 67 Florida counties, and in Pinellas that means everything from Tarpon Springs to Tierra Verde. We shop your loan with multiple wholesale lenders and check the flood zone and insurance picture with you up front.

Refinancing the home you have

Refinancing can lower your monthly payment, free up cash for a new roof, storm repairs or a remodel, pay off higher-interest debt, or buy out another owner on the title.

Call 888-601-8344 and we’ll put the new payment, the cash you’d take out and the closing costs on one page, so you can decide what to do with your Pinellas equity from real figures.

Pinellas County questions we hear a lot

What is the FHA loan limit in Pinellas County?

Pinellas uses the Tampa Bay metro’s limits. The live table in the homes section lists the FHA limits for one to four units and the Conventional single-family limit, and since HUD and FHFA reset them every January, the table refreshes itself.

Is there down payment assistance in Pinellas County?

Yes. The Housing Finance Authority’s first-time buyer program includes Home Key Plus assistance as a 0% deferred second, the City of St. Petersburg helps buyers inside the city, and Hometown Heroes and FL Assist work countywide. Ask us which of these has money when you’re ready to write.

How do I find my evacuation zone in Pinellas?

Look up the address at Know Your Zone (kyz.pinellascounty.org) or call 727-464-3800. Pinellas zones are based on storm-surge risk, which is a different map from FEMA’s flood zones, so check both before you buy.

When do I file for homestead in Pinellas County?

By March 1 of the year after you buy, with the Pinellas County Property Appraiser. If March 1 lands on a weekend, check the appraiser’s calendar, which has moved the deadline to the following weekday.

Do I need flood insurance in Pinellas County?

Lenders require it on a federally backed loan when FEMA maps the home in a high-risk zone. Hurricane Helene put 6.75 feet of water above mean higher high water at Clearwater Beach and 7.26 feet at Madeira Beach, so get a flood quote on any Pinellas home, in a mapped zone or not.

Sources for this guide (31)
  1. U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Pinellas County, FL
  2. Pinellas County, Florida (Wikipedia, history, parks and economy)
  3. St. Petersburg, Florida (Wikipedia)
  4. Clearwater, Florida (Wikipedia)
  5. Dunedin, Florida (Wikipedia)
  6. Tarpon Springs, Florida (Wikipedia)
  7. Safety Harbor, Florida (Wikipedia)
  8. Pinellas Trail (Wikipedia)
  9. Pinellas County: Fort De Soto Park
  10. Pinellas County: First-Time Homebuyer Program
  11. Housing Finance Authority of Pinellas County
  12. Pinellas County: SHIP
  13. City of St. Petersburg: Homebuyer programs
  14. Florida Housing: Hometown Heroes
  15. Florida Housing: Homebuyer programs
  16. Florida Department of Revenue: Homestead exemption (PT-113)
  17. Pinellas County Property Appraiser
  18. Pinellas County Property Appraiser: Calendar
  19. Pinellas County Tax Collector
  20. Pinellas County Emergency Management
  21. FEMA Flood Map Service Center
  22. National Hurricane Center: Hurricane Helene report
  23. National Hurricane Center: Hurricane Milton report
  24. Florida Statutes 627.706: Sinkhole coverage
  25. St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport: About
  26. Tampa International Airport
  27. Pinellas County Schools (Wikipedia)
  28. Florida PSC: Electric service area map
  29. Emera: Tampa Electric
  30. Pinellas County Utilities
  31. Pinellas County government

AAA Capital Funding, Inc. NMLS #374739. Jason J. Sarji, NMLS #374700. Licensed Florida mortgage broker serving Pinellas County and all 67 Florida counties since 1997. Equal Housing Opportunity.

You work with the same person from start to finish, in every county in Florida.

We've been closing Florida loans since 1997, in all 67 counties. If you want to know what's possible in Pinellas County, call 888-601-8344 or text 954-816-8820. One call, under ten minutes. No application needed to start.

AAA Capital Funding, Inc. · NMLS #374739 · Jason J. Sarji, NMLS #374700