City of St. Petersburg Receives Trail Town Designation from Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Jan. 16, 2026 – The City of St. Petersburg Greater Arts District was recently designated as a Trail Town by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (FDEP) Office of Greenways and Trails. St. Petersburg is the most recent city to receive this designation from FDEP and joins 22 other cities that are recognized as a Trail Town.

“The City of St. Petersburg is honored to receive a Trail Town designation from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection,” said Mayor Kenneth T. Welch. “This designation is a testament to what we’ve known all along – St. Pete is a vibrant community where residents and visitors can enjoy our thoughtfully-designed trails, active transportation, arts and culture community, and local businesses. I’m proud of the work our City team and our community partners did to secure this designation and for their ongoing efforts in making St. Pete one of the best places to live and visit.”

“The designation is an exciting milestone for the Pinellas Trail in St. Petersburg,” said Sunline Coalition Chair Tara Hubbard. “At Sunline, we believe the trail is more than a path – it’s a place. One that connects people, nature, and art, supports local economies, and invites stewardship at every step. We’re grateful to be part of a vision that puts people and place at the center.”

The Trail Town program through FDEP was established in 2018 to recognize communities with significant trail investments. A Trail Town is a community located along or in proximity to one or more long-distance non-motorized recreational trails and is a “vibrant destination where people come together.” Trail Towns are not stand-alone communities, they are linked by a long-distance trail corridor.

St. Petersburg was selected as a Trail Town because of the proximity to the Pinellas Trail which connects four arts districts in St. Pete: Warehouse Arts District, EDGE District, Central Arts District, and Waterfront Arts District. These districts promote art and cultural experiences throughout the trail and provides easy access to nearby local businesses.

The Trail Town application required an assessment of trail amenities to ensure that users have significant access to supportive infrastructure and services. For the St. Pete designation, this included emergency markers, trail courtesy reminders, access to restaurants and retail, bike racks, and public restrooms. The Pinellas Trail also serves as an ideal transportation facility and is adjacent to many iconic, local special events including Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, First Friday, Halloween on Central, Localtopia, the SHINE Mural Festival, and more.

In addition to quarterly meetings with other Trail Towns, the designation allows the City to participate in FDEP’s program promotion efforts designed to boost tourism and may assist in pursuing state grants by showing a readiness for receiving funds to implement trail-oriented projects.

The City of St. Petersburg applied for this designation in partnership with The Sunline. The Sunline is a community lead concept for sections of the Pinellas Trail to improve connectivity, enhance greenspace, and activate community spaces. The Sunline’s goal is to unite communities and stakeholders to transform the Pinellas Trail into a vibrant, biodiverse corridor that supports trail-oriented development. More information on The Sunline is available at www.thesunline.org

A recording of the Trail Town presentation from the January 15 City Council meeting is available here: www.stpete.org/government/meetings___agendas/recorded_city_meetings.php

A link to the Trail Town presentation from the January 15 City Council meeting is available beginning on page 12: www.stpete.org/Agendas 

More information on FDEP’s Trail Town program is available here: https://floridadep.gov/parks/ogt/content/trail-town-program