Which beaches near St. Petersburg look safest today?
St. Petersburg sits on a peninsula between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, with world-class beaches on its western barrier islands. St. Pete Beach, Fort De Soto, Treasure Island, and Pass-a-Grille are all within 15-30 minutes.
Start with beaches that have good current samples, then use historical risk and distance as tie-breakers.
Closest beach currently showing a good sample: St. Pete Beach (7 mi)
Pick from the good samples first
Use the current sample to narrow the list, then choose the beach with the steadier history if conditions feel uncertain.
Distance is straight-line, not drive time
Some barrier-island routes take longer than they look. Treat the mileage here as planning context, not an ETA.
After heavy rain, wait 72 hours
That rule matters even more if your best-looking option sits near drains, canals, inlets, or urban runoff.
Useful Ways To Browse Beaches Near St. Petersburg
Different views for freshness, long-term quality, current readings, and caution signals.
St. Petersburg Water-Quality Shortcuts
Use these when a St. Petersburg beach day needs a faster central Gulf water-quality decision than the full distance list.
Top exact beach winner
Madeira Beach current sample
Open the Madeira page first when you are choosing among the central Gulf barrier beaches and need current sample context.
Top Pinellas park check
Fort De Soto current sample
Use the Fort De Soto page when the park beach looks like the better backup but rain, sample age, or route time still matter.
City beach check
St. Pete Beach current sample
Open the city-name beach page when you want the closest familiar Gulf option with the current badge and sample date.
City utility view
Cleanest beach checks near St. Petersburg
Use this view when you want the strongest current samples across the nearby Pinellas and Tampa Bay set.
County comparison
Compare Pinellas County
Zoom out when Madeira, Clearwater, St. Pete, and Fort De Soto all look plausible and you need the county view.
Regional backup
Compare the Tampa Bay area
Use the regional page when bay beaches and Gulf barrier-island beaches need to be compared together.
Best Bets Near St. Petersburg Right Now
Rain guide →These picks are sorted by current status first, then by historical spike rate, then by distance.
Good sample + stronger history
St. Pete Beach
Pinellas County · 7 mi away
Good sample + stronger history
Picnic Island Beach
Hillsborough County · 8 mi away
Good sample + stronger history
Treasure Island Beach
Pinellas County · 8 mi away
Good sample + stronger history
Madeira Beach
Pinellas County · 10 mi away
Good sample + stronger history
Sand Key Beach
Pinellas County · 17 mi away
Good sample + stronger history
Caladesi Island State Park
Pinellas County · 22 mi away
All Beaches by Distance from St. Petersburg
All monitored beaches →Use this list when you already know how far you want to drive. The smarter short list is above.
St. Pete Beach
Pinellas County · Gulf Coast · Tested Jul 7
7 mi
0% poor results
Picnic Island Beach
Hillsborough County · Gulf Coast · Tested Jul 8
8 mi
0% poor results
Treasure Island Beach
Pinellas County · Gulf Coast · Tested Jul 7
8 mi
0% poor results
Madeira Beach
Pinellas County · Gulf Coast · Tested Jul 7
10 mi
0% poor results
Fort De Soto Park Beach
Pinellas County · Gulf Coast · Tested Jul 7
11 mi
8% poor results
Ben T. Davis Beach
Hillsborough County · Gulf Coast · Tested Jul 8
15 mi
8% poor results
Davis Islands Beach
Hillsborough County · Gulf Coast · Tested Jul 8
15 mi
25% poor results
Indian Rocks Beach
Pinellas County · Gulf Coast · Tested Jul 7
15 mi
8% poor results
Sand Key Beach
Pinellas County · Gulf Coast · Tested Jul 7
17 mi
0% poor results
Clearwater Beach
Pinellas County · Gulf Coast · Tested Jul 7
18 mi
8% poor results
Caladesi Island State Park
Pinellas County · Gulf Coast · Tested Jul 7
22 mi
0% poor results
Honeymoon Island State Park
Pinellas County · Gulf Coast · Tested Jul 7
24 mi
0% poor results
Beaches Near St. Petersburg That Need More Caution Today
Avoid-today view →No poor or advisory-level beaches in the current nearby set
That is encouraging, but it still is not a live all-clear. Recent rain and stale sample timing should still make you cautious.
Browse This Coastline
These county and regional pages are useful when you want to keep exploring beyond one city search.
Regions
Water Quality Near St. Petersburg
All ratings on this page are based on enterococcus bacteria testing through Florida's Healthy Beaches Program. A reading of 35.4 CFU/100mL or below is treated here as a good sample. Readings at or above 70.5 CFU/100mL are poor and can trigger resampling; Florida issues an advisory if the follow-up result also remains above the threshold.
These are monitored beaches, not live sensors. Sample timing matters. If it has rained heavily since the latest nearby sample on July 8, 2026, lean more conservative even when a beach still shows a good status here.
If you want help interpreting a warning, a moderate result, or a stale sample, read understanding advisories and bacteria testing explained before you lock in a drive.
Disclaimer: Water quality data sourced from the Florida Department of Health Healthy Beaches Program. This is an independent project — not affiliated with Florida DOH or any government agency. Always check with Florida DOH for official conditions.