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Pinellas County Community Survey 2025

What the Community Said and What Pinellas County is Doing

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The County conducted a random, representative and nationally benchmarked survey to listen to the community and identify shifts in public opinion since the previous survey of 2024. The complete report is available here.

It’s a good place to live.

An illustration showing a pie chart with 86% filled in and the words "Excellent or Good Place to LIve," along with an illustration of a sunset, street and beach.An image with a pie chart with 85% of it filled in and the words "Recommended living in Pinellas County, an 8% increase over 2024." This is over an illustration of blue skies, severla houses and a sea wall with water.
86% of residents view Pinellas County as an excellent or good place to live, consistent with last year’s survey. 86% also expect to remain in the County for the next five years, an increase of 4% over 2024. 85% would recommend living in Pinellas County, a significant 8% increase from 2024.

What We’re Doing:

We continue to focus on improving the quality of life in Pinellas County by

  • Constructing four new parks.
  • Investing $22 million to enhance recreational opportunities.
  • Maintaining and improving bridges, roads and sidewalks, and continuing to expand the Pinellas Trail.

Residents saw many bright spots in the local economy.

An increasing majority of residents see our local economic health as strong. 91% view Pinellas County as an excellent or good place to visit, up from 89% the prior year. And while residents continue to report concerns about the cost of living, 27% see the cost of living as good or excellent, a significant increase of 8% over 2024.

An illustration showing a pie chart with 91% filled in and an illustration showing many depictions of enjoying the county, such as people canoeing, airplanes, and lifeguard stands at a beach.


What We’re Doing

  • Bringing visitors and their dollars to the county through the success of our five-year strategic plan for tourism.
  • Encouraging businesses to move to the county or expand through programs such as Employment Sites and tax exemptions, as well as small business support services.
  • Expanding our airport to increase capacity and provide better parking and traveler services.

Feeling the Impacts of the Storms

Prior to the survey, Pinellas had an unprecedented series of hurricanes that caused widespread flooding and damage. As a result, 17% more residents reported feeling unsafe from natural disasters. We also saw a 24% decrease in residents who rated stormwater management as excellent or good, the most significant survey response change from 2024.

An illustration with houses and rain on the top half and blue water on the bottom half with the words "17% Feeling More Unsafe from Natural Disasters."
An image of people doing repairs on the inside of their home with the words Pinellas Recovers: Hurricane Help That Puts People First. Delivering over $813 Million in Federal Storm Recovery Assistance. Recover.pinellas.gov

What We’re Doing

  • Planning for the launch of Pinellas Recovers programs funded through the federal CDBG-DR grant.
  • Protecting our shoreline by replacing sand eroded by the storms with a one-time beach nourishment project funded by Tourism Development Taxes and state grants.
  • Providing real-time flood forecasts using a new, countywide drainage model.
  • Consistently monitoring and clearing stormwater drainage systems in known flooding areas.
  • Improving buildings in order to provide additional emergency shelters.

An interest in traffic improvement and hurricane-related investments.

95% of residents rated investments in stormwater systems as essential or very important, an 8% jump from 2024. 91% said that investing in water and sewer systems is essential or very important, an increase of 5%. 86% regarded investment in traffic mitigation improvement as essential or very important, a 6% increase from 2024.

An illustration with a pie chart 95% filled in, the words "Stormwater System is Very Important" and an illustration of a house surrounded by water.
An illustration with a pie chart 91% filled in and the words "Water & Sewer Investement is Essential." This is next to an illustration of a house with the ground cut out so you can see pipes coming into and out of the house.
An illustration with a pie chart 85% filled in, the words "Traffic Mitigation Improvement is Important" and an illustration of cars and a bike on a road.

What We’re Doing

  • Secured more than $50 million in cost-sharing grants for upcoming stormwater drainage improvement projects.
  • Acquired partial grant funding to elevate 35 traffic signal control boxes on Gulf Boulevard to protect against flooding.
  • Investing approximately $56 million annually in roads, bridges and other transportation projects through a dedicated millage.