Sand Key & Belleair Beach
The island of Sand Key lies just south of Clearwater Beach, across the bridge over Clearwater Pass. A peaceful, residential community, Sand Key offers upscale condominiums, townhomes and single-family homes.
Less than a mile wide, the western side of the community has sandy white Gulf beaches and a row of high-rise condominiums. The eastern side faces the Intracoastal Waterway, with most properties including boat-docking facilities. Known as a quiet paradise (especially for boaters), Sand Key keeps most commercial activity centered on its north end, where its resort hotels are located and the Shoppes on Sand Key provide restaurants, shopping, banking and tourist information. Sand Key County Park, one of Florida’s finest waterfront parks, and the Clearwater Sailing Center are well known points of interest on Sand Key. In addition, a U.S. Coast Guard Station is located on the island.
Most Sand Key condominiums were built in the 1980s and 1990s. Two new buildings were recently completed, Bella Rosa and Utopia, taking Sand Key to full capacity. Sand Key offers some of the finest condo and waterfront living in Florida. And, it also offers public playgrounds, public tennis courts and plenty of places to go boating and sailing.
Belleair Beach is a quiet seaside community between Clearwater and Indian Rocks Beaches. Situated on a barrier island with Clearwater Harbor to the east and the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Belleair Beach offers miles of pure white sand beaches ideal for swimming, strolling, shelling and exploring.
Incorporated in 1950, Belleair developed on fingers of land reaching into the Intracoastal Waterway and was originally considered a “second home” destination. Today, it is home to many year-round residents who enjoy its close proximity to Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg metro areas.
Many of the 2,100 residents of Belleair Beach are avid boaters and enjoy launching their boats from their own back yards. There are all types of homes, including oceanfront condos, town homes, beach bungalows, single-family residences and multi-million-dollar mansions overlooking the Gulf.
Belleair Beach has four beach access locations with parking, along with the Causeway Beach area, a boat ramp and a municipal marina with 20 slips. It’s also an ideal golf destination, with more than 30 beautiful and challenging courses nearby. The Pinellas Trail is close, with 34 miles set aside for hiking, jogging, biking and rollerblading.
By law, there is no commercial property in Belleair. Belleair Bluffs, however, has fine dining, shopping and other services for residents of the island communities across the Intracoastal. Belleair Shore is perhaps the smallest town in Florida in both size and population, consisting of approximately 55 private residential homes along the Gulf. It is a quaint neighborhood, where every home is on the waterfront.
For more information visit cityofbelleairbeach.com.