Which of Tampa, St. Pete has better parks? New rankings say it's not close
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We're kicking off the short week with another Tampa vs. St. Petersburg showdown.
State of play: You've voted for the region's best downtown, waterfront attraction and restaurant scene, and we even let ChatGPT weigh in on the cross-Bay rivalry.
- Today, we're turning to city parks, and since y'all can't be trusted to vote for anything but Tampa, we're letting the experts decide this one.
Why it matters: City parks serve as community meeting spots and civic spaces, offer room for exercise and fresh air, and can draw in new residents, but they require investment, attention and protection.
Driving the news: St. Pete has the best city park system in Florida — and ranks No. 14 nationwide, per a new analysis.
- Tampa, meanwhile, comes in at No. 43.
Between the lines: That's according to the 2025 ParkScore index, an annual ranking from the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a pro-park nonprofit.
- The report ranks the 100 most populous U.S. cities' park systems relative to one another based on five categories: acreage, access, amenities, investment and equity.
St. Pete scored well across the board, starting with access: 78% of its residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park.
- The city outpaced the national average for investment — spending $213 per capita each year on its parks — and for equity, with 81% of its people of color within a 10-minute walk of a park.
Tampa got dinged for its acreage, with only 9% of the city's land used for parks.
- Access is decent: about 64% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park.
- Spending is middle-of-the-road, too. Tampa puts about $140 per capita each year into public parks and recreation.
Yes, but: This year, both cities slipped in the rankings. In St. Pete, acreage, access and investment all declined from last year.