Pinellas Park is a city located in central Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The man who conceived of "Pinellas Farms" and the accompanying "Town of Pinellas Park" was a Philadelphia publisher turned developer named Franklin A. Davis contracted to buy on option, 21 sq. miles of wilderness land located seven miles northwest of St. Petersburg. Davis returned to Philadelphia to set up a land promotion and sales operation. Davis' crews cleared hundreds of acres in 1910, they built three large "model farms" to demonstrate the fertility of the soil. Purchase of a $250.00, 10-acre farm brought with it a lot in the as yet imaginary town of Pinellas Park. Many houses were erected in the first months, built with lumber from the developer's sawmill. In 1911 Colony houses were erected for early residents to stay in while their homes were being built. Colonel O.N. Byers opened a well stocked general store which doubled as the town's post office in 1912. This is where the settlers could buy most needs locally.
1912 was the year Pinellas Park proudly showed off its very own railroad station, a major step on the road to economic growth. In 1912 the Pinellas Park bus line was formed. A ride in to St. Petersburg on the "Jitney" cost 10 cents. The first church in town was a Methodist church built in 1912 and was soon joined by Presbyterian Church and Sacred Heart. What made Pinellas Park's developers different from most Florida land promoters was that they believed their claims, and moved their families here to join the pioneer effort. They immediately built roads, digging large drainage canals and erecting City utilities. Pinellas Park's Early Public Works division between 1912-1915 built its own electric generating station, a one-cylinder engine that provided service from dusk until midnight. On October 19, 1914 the City of Pinellas Park sent their incorporation to Tallahassee, and on May 15, 2015 Pinellas Park became their own charter. Today we strive to provide superior yet cost-effective municipal services to our community through teamwork, a "can-do" attitude, continual improvement, and genuine respect for all people.
