Extreme south St. Pete - good or bad? (Tampa, St. Petersburg: for sale, apartment complex)

[tricon7]

I found a home for sale about a block off of Pinellas Point Drive, which is extreme south St. Pete. I'm home shopping with a budget of around $240k. The area seemed nice per Google Street View and satellite view, but looks can always be deceiving. We have children under 10, so a safe neighborhood is paramount. It would also be nice to have something close to shopping, but I don't think anything is really near this area. I guess you can't have everything.

This spot is definitely close to the bay, but what would be the nearest beach? I see "St. Pete Beach" near there to the west on satellite view, but I don't see any public beach access? What about the nearest pier?

[jambo101]

Nearest beach would be PassaGrille or Ft Desoto.Ft Desoto having 2 piers, Passagrille having one small one at the very south end. Also both ends of the old Skyway bridge have been turned into fishing piers.
Its a safe area but as you notice shopping can be a 15-20 minute drive over to St Pete Beach area.

[Pinballdad]

Not pass a grille. Nearest beach is right down 54th st. to St Pete beach. Pass a grille is left turn and 3 miles further. Nearest pier is sunshine skyway (where I live) or go north to downtown St. Petersburg to fish at one of six waterside parks. Area around here is as safe as most areas in Pinellas county...some bad apples everwhere. There are some beautiful homes and condos (what I own) around here. Bottom of Pinellas county is not as bad as many make it out to be. I get tired of the " south of central Ave is horrible" comments. True some streets below central are non appealing but then further south turns into a very nice bedroom type community ( very little shopping like strip malls) but is generally very safe.

[KPB]

The only real experience I've had w/ that neighborhood was while working there for about a year on a house being built by Dwight Gooden on the corner of 67ave S and 30th st. It was a very quiet neighborhood. Myself and the other different trades would leave there tools inside overnight and on weekends and never had anything dissapear. I'd say it was a safe neighborhood IMO.

[girlsunshine]

That area at one time was very desirable but no longer. The elementary school would be Bay Point Elementary which is a magnet school and is pretty fair however the middle school which is Bay Point Middle is HORRIBLE, you do not want to send your children to this school. Lots of bullying, poor administration and not the best instruction going on there. The high school is Lakewood high which has a CAT (technology) program but it too is not among the best. There is an apartment complex directly across the street from the middle school which is notorious for selling drugs and the overall environment is unhealthy. The resale value of your home is also not something you want to have to deal with as most folks know the area and have moved away. I hope this helps and please do your research because everyone has opinions and ultimately you are the one that will have the final say. Good luck!

[druthb00]

In addition to the poor schools is also the fact you have no choice but to drive through everything between not-so-great to basically terrible neighborhoods to get anywhere.

Try Seminole instead - close to beaches and a much better area overall. Not to mention a non-flood zone.

[CubsFan20]

Originally Posted by druthb00

In addition to the poor schools is also the fact you have no choice but to drive through everything between not-so-great to basically terrible neighborhoods to get anywhere.

Try Seminole instead - close to beaches and a much better area overall. Not to mention a non-flood zone.

That's the problem with all of south st pete, including everyone's beloved gulfport...

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by CubsFan20

That's the problem with all of south st pete, including everyone's beloved gulfport...

Yes, that is what I have noticed as well. Plus I don't see anything remarkable about Gulfport anyway. I did think Pinellas Point was nice, but wow so close to ghetto and terrible schools. I think to get nicer neighborhoods away from downtown you have to head west close to beaches. A lot of people don't mind living in areas on the south side, I have relatives in Old SE on the water and love it, but many people don't want to have to deal with nearby not-so-nice areas.

[alaskan adventurer]

I grew up on the Point, 50 yrs ago left in 1975 for a adventurer to Alaska and never left. we did buy a winter home on Big Bayou (South side) two years ago and love it. Yes you will drive through the "Hood" to get home Yes you will shop with the hood . As far as raising kids there not us.
Hi,Az,Costa Rica for early retirement. We like Tampa Bay boating, best sailing in the U.S. I had a city cop told me last mo. that if I did not like the sound of gunfire in the night then move off the south side! Sorry but this is thee reason the house your looking at is 240K instead of 450

[Leenme]

Seminole, Dunedin, Palm Harbor, Safety Harbor, Belleair, are preferred communities in Pinellas County Fl.
You can find pockets of comfort and security in most of the cities, like the "Pink Streets" section of Pinellas Point, but most often in gated communities or further removed from the problem areas. Crime is high in St Petersburg and the highest concentration of crime is in So St Petersburg, which is why Gulfport has such a high crime rate, St Pete's neighbor to the west.
As demographics continue to change, and the gulf water rises along with the outlandish insurance rates, and let's not forget the lack of investment and resent sewer failures, the debilitating conditions will only increase and the value of property and quality of life will be diminished.
Investing in the South Side is a big risk.