More About Pinellas County
The name Pinellas is derived from the Spanish words Punta Pinal meaning point of pines. It was an accurate description for this area when Panfilo de Narvaez discovered it in 1528. This was 36 years after Columbus arrived in the Caribbean and 37 years before the founding of the city of St. Augustine.
Originally part of Hillsborough County, Pinellas County seceded to become a separate county in 1912. It is the second smallest county in the State of Florida, with a land area of 280 square miles. It is also the most densely populated county in the State of Florida. There are 3,347 people per square mile in Pinellas County. The next closest county with a highly concentrated population is Broward with 1,445 people per square mile.
Pinellas County boasts 35 miles of sandy beaches, two of which have been names the number one in the nation – Fort DeSoto County Park in 2005 and Caladesi Island State Park in 2008. The highest natural point in Pinellas County is 110 feet and is located north and east of the intersection of State Road 580 and Countryside Boulevard.
Tarpon Springs was the first incorporated city in Pinellas County in 1887. Additional firsts included Tony Jannus piloted the world’s first scheduled airline flight from St. Petersburg to Tampa on January 1st, 1914 making aviation history.
Pinellas County was also named first “Green County” or local government in Florida by the Florida Green Building Initiative in 2007. The county has 14 regional parks covering 3,591 acres that average over 13.5 million visitors each year.