It’s nice to feel appreciated

St. Pete is regularly recognized as a business-friendly and inclusive community with a quality of life that makes the people who’ll make your company succeed want to live here.

2026

Tampa-St. Pete-Clearwater #2 for New Grads

St. Pete/Pinellas County ranks among Florida’s top markets for corporate investment, per Site Selection magazine

St. Pete named one of the top 5 best cities in America to start a business

Travel + Leisure names St. Pete one of the best cities in the U.S. for millennials

Travel + Leisure spotlights St. Pete as the best place to live in Florida

St. Pete earns spot on Southern Living’s 2026 destinations list

2025

St. Pete Receives Perfect Score from HRC Municipal Equality Index for 12th Consecutive Year

St. Pete One of 15 Places Where $100K Goes a Long Way

Top 25 Place to Live in Southeast

#1 – St. Pete is a Best-Run City in FL

U.S. News Names St. Pete a Best Place to Live in U.S.

#1 — St. Pete has Best Parks System in Florida; #14 in U.S.

#12 – St. Pete is #12 City in U.S. for Healthy Living

Forbes: There’s Something Happening In St. Pete, Florida

#1 – #1 in Florida, #6 in U.S. — St. Pete is Top City for Working Families

#2 – St. Pete is #2 spot for tech jobs and tech workers in Florida

2024

#1 – St. Pete is a Best-Run City in FL

#1 — St. Pete has Best Parks System in Florida; #14 in U.S.

#2 – St. Pete is #2 in FL, #18 in U.S. for Gen-Z Professionals in Mid-Sized Cities

St. Pete is Top Spot for Millennial Moves

#4 – St. Pete is #4 in Economic Growth in U.S. Mid-Sized Cities

St. Pete Top Spot for New Office Normal

#8 – Tampa-St. Pete-Clearwater Hotspot of Economic Growth

#1 — St. Pete has Best Parks System in Florida; #10 in U.S.

#2 – St. Pete is Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best

#1 – St. Pete is #1 in Work/Life Balance in Florida

2023

Top 15 – Tampa-St. Pete-Clearwater Top Metro for Tech Job Growth

#1 — St. Pete has Best Parks System in Florida

#8 – St. Pete is a Top City for Veterans and Their Families

Forbes Names St. Pete a Best Place to Travel

#15 – St. Pete is a Happiest Place to Live in U.S.

#5 -Tampa Bay is #5 Relocation Destination in U.S.

#8 – St. Pete is Best for Entrepreneurs

#7 – Tampa-St. Pete-Clearwater Best Place for Summer Travel

#1 – St. Pete is Best-Run City in FL; #1 Economy Nationally

#1 – St. Pete #1 in Florida for Work-Life Balance and Mental Health; #18 Nationally

2022

#1 – St. Pete Best City for Young Professionals in Florida

#5 – Tampa Bay Ranked 5th Best Place to Live in the U.S.

#1 – St. Pete Most Dog-Friendly City in America

St. Pete is Inclusive Coastal Destination

St. Pete Pier is Top Urban Design Project

#1 – St. Pete is Best-Run City in FL; 2nd Best Economy Nationally

#1 — St. Pete has Best Parks System in Florida

#4 —Tampa Bay Ranked 4th Cutting-Edge Metro for Startups

2021

#1 —St. Pete is top city for outdoor enthusiasts

Culture continues fueling ascension of St. Petersburg

#2 — Underappreciated American cities you should totally move to — Cheapest cities to live in under the radar

#1 — St. Pete has best parks system in Florida

#9 — Top 10 trending destinations in the US (Clearwater)

#6 — Tampa Bay lands in top 10 nationally for tech worker relocations

#22 — Tampa Bay area ranks among the best metros for STEM professionals

11 Florida firms have made it onto Fortune’s annual World’s Most Admired Companies list

#25 — St. Pete lands on “Best Places to Live and Work” list for filmmakers

2020

#2 — St. Pete Pier named 2020’s 2nd Best New Attraction in the Country by USA Today

USA Today 10 Best (2020)

#6 — SmartAsset’s “Best Places for Female Entrepreneurs

St. Petersburg makes ‘Conde Nast Traveler’ List of America’s Best Cities

The Fastest Growing Cities That Are Still Affordable for Homebuyers

#4 — Best Cities for Women Entrepreneurs

The 25 Best American Cities to Live In if You Want to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

The Best Places to Visit in Florida

2019

The best places to own a home – and pay less in taxes

#14 — Best Large Cities to Start a Business

#2 — Top 10 Cities to Celebrate LGBT Pride

Best Metros for First-Time Buyers

#15 — Top 20 Most Engaged and Responsive Local Governments

The Most Family-Friendly Cities

20 of the Top Places to Visit in the U.S. in 2019

2018

No.1 in Florida, No.13 in U.S. for Immigrant-friendliness

St. Pete Ranks No.1 in FL and 15 in U.S. for Parks System

Best Cities for Bikes

2018’s Best Cities for First-Time Home Buyers

2018’s Best Run Cities in America

St. Petersburg, FL, goes from senior rest home to hipster hangout

2018’s Best Cities for Soccer Fans

#1 – Best Cities for Women to Start a Business in 2018

The South’s Prettiest Cities 2018

Best Markets for First-Time Homebuyers

2017

The Country’s Best Beach is also a Secret Art Haven

20 Best Places to Live on the Coast

Coastal Living (November 2017)

Five Surprising Southern Food Towns

Garden & Gun (September 2017)

15 Affordable Labor Day Weekend Getaways

FlipKey (August 2017)

9 Best Southern Vacations For The Summer

FlipKey (August 2017)

2017’s Most Pet-Friendly Cities

10 Florida Travel Stops That Aren’t at Disney World

MSN (July 2017)

2017’s Best- & Worst-Run Cities in America

Best Towns in America

Affordable Southern Summer Vacations in the City

2016

Top 5 Design Destinations for December

The 10 Most Walkable Neighborhoods in Florida

Redfin (September 2016)

St. Pete, the not-so-surprising place for party people

The Dallas Morning News (September 2016)

19 Essential Museums to Visit to Learn About Black History

10 Top Dance Clubs in St Petersburg and Clearwater

USA Today's 10 Best (August 2016)

2016’s Best-Run Cities in America

5 Reasons Why St. Petersburg Is Becoming America’s Hottest City

Summer Savings: 24 Most Affordable Florida West Coast Beaches

2016’s Best & Worst Cities for Staycations

Five U.S. Summer Trip Ideas

2015

Stunning murals adorn St. Petersburg’s buildings

St. Petersburg, Florida: Experience Art

Redbook coverage of St. Petersburg – Most Romantic Fall Getaways

BLUE Ocean Film Festival opens new headquarters in St. Pete

Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg celebrates 50th anniversary with exhibition of woodblock prints

2014

5 Up-and-Coming U.S. Tourism Cities

Florida’s Hot Spots

AAA Living (July/August 2014)

Your Ultimate Vacation Destinations This Summer – Best Beach Destination 2014

U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals 2014-15

8 Underrated Beer Cities

Move Over Miami: The Best of St. Pete

Where To Go Now

Delta Sky Magazine (April 2014)

I’ll Have St. Pete With a Squeeze of Lime

Home, At the Other House That Ruth Built

St. Petersburg’s renaissance going strong

2013

Go For the Food: Fun Eats in St. Petersburg Fla.

The New York Times (December 2013)

St. Petersburg Named Top Spot to Retire

St. Petersburg Florida, A City built on Sunshine

10 Best Places to Retire

CNN Money (December 2013)

Sunny weather makes lively city more enticing

The Columbus Dispatch (May 2013)

Becoming St. Pete

New companies. New opportunities. New news.

Tampa-St. Pete-Clearwater region ranked #2 best metro for new graduates in 2026 ADP Research report

In a recent ADP Research analysis, the Tampa-St. Pete-Clearwater region landed the #2 spot among 53 major U.S. metros..

St. Pete named one of the top 5 best cities in America to start a business

Business environment, business costs, and access to resources add up to top score..

What will your company become when you Become St. Pete?

Find out how the St. Pete EDC can help you grow here.

Search articles, case studies, and more

We’re here to help

Mike Swesey at St. Pete EDC

Mike Swesey

President & CEO

Contact for site selectors and companies considering relocation to or expansion in St. Pete

Samantha LoGrasso

Business Recruitment Manager

Contact for general inquiries and  initial exploration of St. Pete as a business location

Morgan Lazzara

Chief of Staff

Contact for CEO, Board, committees

Visit us in St. Pete

The St. Pete EDC is located at 111 2nd Ave NE, Ste. 610, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.  Parking is available in the Plaza LAZ lot located next to the building; use GPS for 221 1st St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, which is near the entrance located on 1st Street N. between 2nd and 3rd Avenues.  

Parking is $5/hour for the first 3 hours and $20 thereafter; it is a card payment facility only (no cash). Visitor parking is on the 1st and 4th floors; please note there is no handicapped access from the parking garage above the first floor. 

There is also surrounding street parking; pay with ParkMobile or in the Sundial Garage located 2 blocks away.

Connect to St. Pete

We’ll put you in touch with the people, places, and programs you need to explore St. Pete as a new location for your business.

General Inquiries

We've moved! The St. Pete EDC office is now at 111 2nd Ave NE, Ste 610, St Petersburg, FL 33701