St. Pete Ranks 1st In State, 15th In Nation For Parks

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- When it comes to providing outdoor spaces for relaxing, playing and gatherings, St. Petersburg's got it made in the shade.

The Trust for Public Land, a national not-for-profit with a mission to "create parks and protect land for people," has ranked the city of St. Petersburg No. 1 in Florida and No. 15 in this year's national ParkScore rating.

The 2018 ParkScore index analyzed 100 of the largest U.S. cities using a mapping technology and demographic data to determine how well each city is meeting the need for parks.

Each city was scored in four different categories:

Acreage - median park size

Investment - spending per resident

Amenities - an average of six key park facilities on a per capita basis

Access - percentage of population living within a 10-minute walk of a public park

St. Petersburg ranked higher than several major cities known for their active and outdoor lifestyle including, San Diego, Denver and Austin.

"Our parks, which are as diverse as our people, are part of what make St. Petersburg such a special place,” said St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman. “It is why I have expanded our parkland during my time as mayor, and fought to preserve the sanctity of our parks, especially our treasured waterfront.”

"Our parks provide a place for the St. Pete community to get together for recreational activities and for youth to play, learn and explore,” said Mike Jefferis, leisure services administrator for St. Pete. “From exercise zones and free yoga in the park to annual festivals and movies in the park, St. Pete's parks offer something for everyone."

Kriseman went on to thank the Trust for Public Land for its recognition and the city’s parks and recreations team for the work it does to maintain and improve the city’s parks.

St. Petersburg has more than 150 parks encompassing 2,400 acres including six dog parks, three skate parks, eight wilderness preserves, 17 downtown waterfront parks and five beach parks.

Ranking higher than St. Pete nationally were Minneapolis; St. Paul; Washington, D.C.; Arlington, Virginia; San Francisco; Portland; Cincinnati; Chicago; New York City; Irvine, California; Seattle; Madison, Wisconsin; Boston; and St. Louis.

Image via city of St. Pete

(For more local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Tampa Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)