Bridge Clearance in Pinellas County: What It Actually Means Before You Buy Waterfront
Most buyers ask about the bridge. Almost none of them know their own boat's air draft. Here's what you actually need to know about bridge clearance in Pinellas County before you buy.
About the Author
Carly Majorana
Waterfront and luxury real estate specialist at NextHome Gulf Coast in St. Petersburg, Florida. CLHMS Guild Member. $30M+ in Gulf Coast waterfront sales in five years. Serving buyers and sellers in St. Pete Beach, Tierra Verde, Treasure Island, St. Petersburg, Bayway Isles, and Pinellas Point.
We took my boat to the Blind Pass bridge at high tide to check something.
Buyers were under contract on a waterfront home in St. Pete Beach. They had a 23-foot center console with a T-top. The bridge on Gulf Blvd between St. Pete Beach and Treasure Island has an 11-foot fixed clearance. Fixed — meaning it never opens. You either fit or you don't.
We cleared it. They closed. But that's not really the point.
The point is: we checked. Most buyers searching for waterfront homes in Pinellas County don't. They figure it out after moving the boat in — usually at high tide, in a channel they can't reverse out of.
Why bridge clearance isn't a simple number
Bridge clearance is measured at MHW — mean high water. That's the average of high tides, not the highest possible tide. The published number is approximately your worst-case scenario under normal conditions.
What you're comparing that number against is your boat's air draft — the height from the waterline to the highest fixed point. Not the boat's length. Not the beam. Air draft. This is the number that determines whether a waterfront property actually works for your boat.
A 30-foot center console with a T-top runs about 8–9 feet of air draft. No problem on most Pinellas waterways. A 34-foot sportfish with a hardtop might run 13–14 feet. A 40-foot motoryacht with a full flybridge? You're getting into 17–18 feet, and Treasure Island becomes a real conversation before you write an offer.
Sailboats are their own category. A 40-foot sailboat with a standard mast is 55–60 feet tall. It's not clearing anything on this list without the mast coming down — and even then, only if the timing is right.
The bridges you need to know in Pinellas County
Whether you're buying waterfront property in St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, Tierra Verde, or anywhere along the Pinellas barrier islands, here's the current clearance picture:
Blind Pass Bridge — Gulf Blvd, St. Pete Beach to Treasure Island
Type: Fixed
Clearance: 11 feet
The most restrictive bridge on this list — and the one most buyers overlook because it doesn't look dramatic from the road. A fixed bridge means no opening. If your boat doesn't fit, you're routing around through the ICW. Critical information for any buyer looking at waterfront homes or canal properties in St. Pete Beach with a larger center console, cabin cruiser, or anything with a hardtop.
Corey Causeway — St. Pete Beach
Type: Bascule (drawbridge)
Closed vertical clearance: 23 feet
Opens: On the hour, :20, and :40 past — weekdays 8am to 7pm, weekends 10am to 7pm. On demand outside those hours.
Mile 117.3 on the Gulf ICW. Your first bridge heading north from St. Pete Beach. Scheduled openings during peak hours mean you may wait up to 20 minutes.
Treasure Island Causeway
Type: Bascule
Closed vertical clearance: 21 feet
Opens: On demand — hail on VHF Channel 9, or signal with one long blast and one short.
The tightest clearance of the bascule bridges. Comes up most often when buyers are looking at waterfront homes for sale in Treasure Island. Opens reliably on demand.
John's Pass Bridge — Madeira Beach
Type: Bascule
Closed vertical clearance: 27 feet
Opens: On demand, 24/7
Not on the ICW — this is the Gulf-side pass connecting Treasure Island to Madeira Beach. Most powerboats clear it without requesting an opening. Best bascule clearance in this area.
Pinellas Bayway — Structure E (Tierra Verde)
Type: Fixed
Clearance: 65 feet
No longer a drawbridge. The old bascule was replaced with a new high-level fixed bridge that opened in 2021. Zero bridge waits for Tierra Verde buyers. Not a clearance concern for virtually any recreational powerboat.
Gandy Bridge
Type: Fixed
Clearance: 65 feet
Tampa Bay crossing between St. Pete and Tampa. Not a clearance concern for Gulf-side boaters.
The thing most buyers get wrong
They ask about the bridge. They don't know their own boat's air draft.
Boat dealers quote LOA prominently because it matters for slips and trailers. Air draft is buried in the spec sheet — or missing entirely. When I'm working with buyers purchasing waterfront real estate, I ask them to pull that number before we start touring homes. It narrows the list immediately and avoids the conversation no one wants to have after an offer is accepted.
If you're buying waterfront without a boat yet, you're buying optionality. Bridge clearance tells you what your future boat options are — and what you're closing off. A canal home in St. Pete Beach with Blind Pass access works beautifully for a center console. It is not where you keep a 40-foot sportfish with a tower.
A note on tidal variation
Pinellas County has a small tidal range — typically 1 to 2 feet. Bridge clearances here don't swing dramatically the way they do on the Georgia coast or the Chesapeake. But it's not zero.
If your air draft is within a foot of the published clearance, check the tide tables before you transit. NOAA's free tide prediction tool at tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov gives predicted hourly heights for St. Pete Beach. For the Blind Pass bridge at 11 feet, this isn't a tidal question — it's a fixed clearance question you answer before you ever leave the dock.
What this means when you're buying or selling waterfront
For buyers looking at waterfront homes for sale in Pinellas County, bridge clearance is a property-specific constraint that affects value, utility, and resale. A home with Blind Pass access and an 11-foot clearance restriction appeals to a specific buyer — and repels others. Knowing that before you make an offer is basic due diligence.
For sellers of waterfront property in St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, and Tierra Verde, your bridge clearance situation is a disclosure item — and a marketing one. Listing agents who understand it can frame it correctly. Those who don't create problems at the inspection table.
As a waterfront real estate agent who actually uses the water, this is part of every buyer consultation I do. If you're searching for waterfront homes in Pinellas County — whether in St. Pete Beach, Tierra Verde, Treasure Island, or Pinellas Point — bridge clearance should be on your checklist before you schedule a showing, not after you close.
Frequently asked questions about bridge clearance in Pinellas County
What does closed clearance mean on a drawbridge?
It's the vertical distance between the water surface (at mean high water) and the underside of the bridge when fully down. If your air draft is under that number, you pass without calling anyone. Fixed bridges like Blind Pass have a single permanent clearance — 11 feet, no exceptions.
Do all Pinellas County bridges open on demand?
No. Blind Pass and the Pinellas Bayway / Gandy are fixed and don't open at all. Treasure Island Causeway and John's Pass open on demand. Corey Causeway follows a scheduled pattern — on the hour and at :20 and :40, weekdays 8am–7pm and weekends 10am–7pm — and on demand outside those hours.
What if my boat's air draft is close to the clearance — is it safe to try?
For fixed bridges, close isn't good enough — there's no opening to request. For bascule bridges, if you're within a few inches, factor in tidal variation and anything you might be underestimating: radar dome, antennas, outrigger tips in the up position. When in doubt on a bascule, request the opening. It's free.
How do I find my boat's air draft?
Check the manufacturer's spec sheet under height or air draft. If it's not listed, measure from the waterline to the highest fixed point. Radar arch, antennas, outriggers — include anything that can't retract.
Is the Pinellas Bayway drawbridge in Tierra Verde still there?
No. Replaced with a fixed 65-foot bridge that opened in 2021. No more bridge waits for Tierra Verde. This was a meaningful quality-of-life upgrade for boaters who live there — and it removed a constraint that used to factor into Tierra Verde waterfront home values.
Does bridge clearance affect waterfront home value in Pinellas County?
Yes. A waterfront property with restricted bridge access appeals to a narrower buyer pool — mainly lower-profile powerboats. Homes on open water or with no clearance constraint have broader appeal. This sometimes gets priced in by the market; often it doesn't. It can create real value for buyers who understand what they're purchasing and know it fits their boat.
