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St. Pete Beach, Florida City HallPhoto: Gabriel Classon (gabeclasson on Flickr) · CC BY 2.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in St. Pete Beach · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in St. Pete Beach than in 76% of U.S. towns, led by coastal flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Pete Beach gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #266 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is coastal flooding (43%), then hurricanes (39%). Flood insurance has paid 3,119 claims here since 1978.

Coastal flooding 43%Hurricanes 39%River and rain flooding 14%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

more than 76%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#266 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
C−#266 of 638
in Florida · higher than 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Coastal flooding
43% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3,119
paid since 1978 · $347M
Flooded more than once
185
properties · 66 “severe repetitive loss”
Flood insurance
20% off
Community discount (class 6)

What stands out about St. Pete Beach’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

3,119 paid flood claims since 1978$347M in all; 185 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 99% of U.S. towns.20% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns St. Pete Beach residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6).Coastal flooding: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 42.9% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants15 homes raised above flood level; 1 building floodproofed; 1 building retrofitted against wind with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What St. Pete Beach faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Coastal flooding

43%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Hurricanes

39%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

River and rain flooding

14%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 98% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Lightning top 4% Strong wind Earthquakes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Winter stormsIce stormsLandslidesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind St. Pete Beach’s grade

Coastal flooding is 43% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. Pete Beach, and St. Pete Beach’s rate of coastal flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 39%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where St. Pete Beach sits
St. Pete Beach
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #266 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

St. Pete Beach’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Coastal flooding43%Hurricanes39%River and rain flooding14%Everything else5%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, St. Pete Beach has less expected damage per building than 58% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.1M a year in losses across St. Pete Beach: $4.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Helene in 2024, FEMA took 2,058 aid registrations from St. Pete Beach addresses (the town has 8,400 homes) and flood insurance paid 1,975 claims for $329M.
A small-area figure. St. Pete Beach covers 5 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does St. Pete Beach flood? Yes: 3,119 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. Pete Beach, from FEMA’s records: 371.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 4 claims1979: 9 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 133 claims1983: 1 claim1984: 0 claims1985: 452 claims1986: 2 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 13 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 1 claim1993: 63 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 18 claims1996: 219 claims1997: 5 claims1998: 7 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 15 claims2001: 4 claims2002: 4 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 3 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 14 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 6 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 58 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 89 claims2024: 1,997 claims2025: 1 claim2026: 0 claims198519962024
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Helene1,975 claims · $329M
  • Hurricane Elena444 claims · $3.2M
  • Hurricane Josephine216 claims · $3.3M
3,119
paid claims since 1978
$347M
paid to owners
185
homes flooded more than once
$111K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
Each house = 4 homesFEMA “severe repetitive loss” (66)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
Community discount20% off flood insurance

St. Pete Beach is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Pinellas County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
15homes raised above flood level
1building floodproofed
1building retrofitted against wind
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to St. Pete Beach

Disasters that paid out in St. Pete Beach itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of St. Pete Beach), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton1,194 households applied for aid$2.0M aid approved$1.5M to the City of St. Pete Beach for repairs
  2. 2024Hurricane Helene2,058 households applied for aid$15.2M aid approved$6.3M to the City of St. Pete Beach for repairs1,975 flood claims paid for it, $329M
  3. 2024Hurricane Debby22 households applied for aid$20K aid approved
  4. 2023Hurricane Idalia89 households applied for aid$220K aid approved$284K to the City of St. Pete Beach for repairs78 flood claims paid for it, $4.8M
  5. 2022Hurricane Ian80 households applied for aid$17K aid approved$183K to the City of St. Pete Beach for repairs
  6. 2017Hurricane Irma906 households applied for aid$260K aid approved$409K to the City of St. Pete Beach for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Show all 11
  1. 2016Hurricane Hermine1 households applied for aid$323K to the City of St. Pete Beach for repairs6 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2012Tropical Storm Debby43 households applied for aid$54K aid approved$196K to the City of St. Pete Beach for repairs14 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2004Hurricane Jeanne31 households applied for aid$36K aid approved$44K to the City of St. Pete Beach for repairs
  4. 2004Hurricane Frances18 households applied for aid$588 aid approved$99K to the City of St. Pete Beach for repairs
  5. 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley$57K to the City of St. Pete Beach for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in St. Pete BeachPinellas County only

Pinellas County has had 32 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pinellas County, 1999–2001.

Were you here?

Old photos of St. Pete Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the St. Pete Beach archive →
Next door

St. Pete Beach and its neighbors

St. Pete Beach is 5th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Treasure Island: hazard risk C−St. Petersburg: hazard risk C+South Pasadena: hazard risk C+Tierra Verde: hazard risk C+Treasure IslandSt. PetersburgSouth PasadenaTierra VerdeSt. Pete Beach
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Tierra VerdeC+more damage than 56%hurricanes—
South PasadenaC+more damage than 59%hurricanes378
St. PetersburgC+more damage than 61%hurricanes13,766
Treasure IslandC−more damage than 75%coastal flooding2,857
St. Pete BeachC−more damage than 76%coastal flooding3,119

Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Be ready

Get ready for what St. Pete Beach faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the tide surges
  • Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
  • Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
  • Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
  • St. Pete Beach residents get 20% off flood insurance.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in St. Pete Beach

Is St. Pete Beach at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Pete Beach has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #266 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is coastal flooding (43%) and hurricanes (39%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does St. Pete Beach flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3,119 claims in St. Pete Beach since 1978, $347M in all, or 371.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 185 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (1,975).

Is St. Pete Beach in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Pinellas County, 19.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in St. Pete Beach?

St. Pete Beach is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6), which takes 20% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in St. Pete Beach?

By FEMA money that reached St. Pete Beach, Hurricane Helene (2024): 2,058 households applied for aid, $15.2M approved, and $6.3M to the City of St. Pete Beach for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 1,975 paid, $329M.

Is St. Pete Beach at risk from coastal flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (43%), and St. Pete Beach’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. Pete Beach.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where St. Pete Beach’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.