St. Petersburg’s park system remains among the nation’s best, but the city dropped five spots in the latest Trust for Public Land ParkScore Index as peer cities accelerated investment and expansion efforts.
The 2026 rankings place St. Pete 19th nationally, down from 14th last year. Tampa also slipped slightly, falling from 43rd to 46th. According to Trust for Public Land, the movement reflects gains elsewhere rather than deterioration locally.
“The rest of the country is catching on,” said Will Klein, Director of Parks Research at Trust for Public Land. “Even though St. Pete continued to increase its park investment this year, other cities did so more.”…