One city, two shorelines
Clearwater, home to 117,292 people in 2020, is the county seat of Pinellas. The Gulf lies to the west and Tampa Bay to the southeast, with the Intracoastal Waterway separating the mainland from Clearwater Beach. Harbor Oaks, an early 1900s neighborhood, overlooks Clearwater Harbor.
On the night of September 26, 2024, Helene pushed the water at Clearwater Beach to 6.67 feet above the normal high tide line. The old record, 4.02 feet, had stood since the 1993 Storm of the Century. Water levels along the Pinellas coast generally ranged from 4 to 7 feet, and the National Weather Service blamed 12 Pinellas deaths on storm surge drowning.
Pinellas County's flood tools
Flood Map Service
An interactive map with FEMA flood zones, hurricane evacuation zones and storm surge information.
Floodplain Management
Call (727) 464-7700 or email floodplain@pinellas.gov with questions about a property.
Elevation certificates
The county offers an elevation certificate lookup. These certificates are used in the building permit and flood insurance processes.
The county warns that most homeowners policies do not cover flood damage, and it says flooding can follow several inches of rain in a short time. Ask your agent what your own policy says.
Not every Clearwater leak comes from a storm
Plenty of water damage starts smaller: a supply line under a sink, a water heater, a washing machine, an AC drain. In a condo, the water may come from the unit above. Either way, the first step is the same. If it is safe, shut off the water, then call (844) 906-3984 and say what happened.
Say whether you are on the mainland or the beach, and what happened.
Other Tampa Bay towns
- All of Florida
- Tampa
- St. Petersburg
- Brandon
- Riverview
- Largo
- Palm Harbor
- Wesley Chapel
- Plant City
- Valrico
- Land O' Lakes
- Tarpon Springs
- Lutz
- Ruskin
- New Port Richey
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