Sara Salty

Towns / St. Pete Beach area

Golf Carts in St. Pete Beach, Pass-a-Grille, Treasure Island and Gulfport

St. Pete Beach has let registered golf carts on most city streets since 2013. Treasure Island and Gulfport could not be verified. LSVs are legal on roads posted 35 mph or less.

Plain golf cart (no tag)

Limited

St. Pete Beach: most city streets, under the city registration programme. Treasure Island and Gulfport: nothing official found; treat as no. Not on Gulf Blvd.

LSV (tagged, titled, insured)

Yes

Roads posted 35 mph or less in all three cities. Not on the Pinellas Bayway or Pasadena Avenue; on Gulf Boulevard only where it is posted 35 mph or less.

County
Pinellas County
Who sets the rules
Three city commissions
Last checked

Partly checked: some points rest on local reports. Not sure what counts as a golf cart or an LSV? Read the Florida law explainer first.

The short version

St. Pete Beach, which includes Pass-a-Grille, is one of the few Gulf coast cities with a real golf cart programme: the commission voted in September 2013 to allow carts on most city streets, and the city runs a registration and application page today. Treasure Island and Gulfport are a different story; we found no ordinance or city page for either, so treat plain golf carts there as not permitted until a clerk tells you otherwise. An LSV (low-speed vehicle: the tagged, titled, insured kind that every rental company on this coast actually rents) may use any road posted 35 mph or less in all three cities. The thing most people get wrong is Gulf Boulevard. It is a state road, closed to plain golf carts, and open to LSVs only on stretches posted 35 mph or less. Read golf cart vs LSV under Florida law if the distinction is new to you.

Who makes the rules here

Pinellas County is the county, but each of these cities sets its own street rules under s. 316.212: St. Pete Beach (with Pass-a-Grille at its southern tip), Treasure Island and Gulfport. The City of St. Petersburg on the mainland is different again: its visitor page says a golf cart must be converted to an LSV to be driven on its streets, and links a conversion procedures document.

Gulf Boulevard through St. Pete Beach and Treasure Island is SR 699, a state road. Under s. 316.212(2) a plain golf cart may not travel along a state road at all; it may only cross one at an approved intersection with a designated local street. Rental operators bar LSVs from the Pinellas Bayway and Pasadena Avenue, which points to postings above 35 mph. Confirm block by block.

Unincorporated Pinellas County has its own list of designated golf cart communities (Bardmoor North, Baywood Village, Crystal Beach, Freshwater/Lakeshore Estates North, Highland Lakes, Lake Shore Estates, Ozona, Palm Harbor and West Lake Village), none of which is on this stretch of coast. The county’s rules there, a valid driver licence, a cart incapable of exceeding 20 mph, night equipment per statute, belts advised but not required, and DUI law in force, are a fair guide to how Pinellas agencies think about carts generally.

Plain golf carts

St. Pete Beach. The Tampa Bay Times reported on 6 September 2013 that the commission voted to let golf carts roll on most city streets. The city maintains a “Golf Carts – Registration & Application” page and an FAQ, and a 30 July 2022 notice reported by the St. Pete Standard confirmed carts are permitted subject to city policies. Those city pages block automated readers and we did not read them, so we cannot tell you the ordinance number, the registration fee, or the exact list of permitted and excluded streets. Register with the city before you drive, and ask for the current street map when you do. The state baseline still applies: sunrise to sunset unless the city permits night use and the cart has lights and a windshield; brakes, steering, mirror and reflectors; a learner’s permit or licence under 18 and photo ID at 18 and over.

Treasure Island. We found no city ordinance, page or news report designating any Treasure Island street for golf carts. Operators rent LSVs there, which is not evidence of a golf cart designation. Until the city clerk confirms one, treat plain golf carts as not permitted on public roads.

Gulfport. Nothing found for the Florida city; our searches kept returning Gulfport, Mississippi and Gulf Breeze. Same answer: treat plain golf carts as not permitted until the city confirms otherwise.

LSVs

An LSV may use any street posted 35 mph or less and cross a faster road at an intersection (s. 316.2122). It must be titled, registered and insured, and the driver must hold a driver licence. Rental operators in St. Pete Beach and Pass-a-Grille run on exactly those terms and add their own list: no Pinellas Bayway, no Pasadena Avenue, no sidewalks, bike paths, utility paths or beach, and park only in legal car spaces.

Florida seat-belt and child-restraint law applies inside an LSV. Operators require belts for everyone, five-point car seats for small children and no lap children, and police on this coast cite drivers, not rental companies, for violations. Many “golf cart rentals” here are lifted LSVs; a lift does not change the legal category or the equipment the vehicle must carry.

Bridges and getting on and off the island

The Pinellas Bayway and Pasadena Avenue are off-limits to rental LSVs by operator rule, and we found nothing suggesting an LSV may legally use either. One operator describes the Treasure Island Causeway as “LSV-friendly”; we could not confirm the posted limit, so look at the sign before you cross. Plain golf carts stay off every bridge here; none is a designated local street.

Renting here

Published terms as of October 2026 from St. Pete Beach operators: drivers 21 or over with a licence and proof of personal auto insurance; belts for all; proper car seats. Rates seen: about $75 to $85 per day with a three-day minimum and free delivery from one operator; $595 to $695 per week for a four-seat lithium LSV from another, with a $100 delivery charge on rentals under five days. For Treasure Island one operator sets a five-day minimum. The driver, not the company, gets the ticket. GolfCartNearMe lists rental companies by town at golfcartnearme.com, and our renting guide explains deposits, waivers and why your own auto policy is primary.

Parking, paths and the beach

Park in a legal car space and pay what a car pays. No sidewalks, bike paths, utility paths or sand, on either the registered golf cart or the LSV. Gulf Boulevard crossings are the one place a St. Pete Beach cart meets state road rules; use the crossings the city shows you, not the nearest gap in traffic. Salt spray along Gulf Boulevard is constant; the salt-air care routine covers the monthly rinse and terminal check.

What we could not confirm

  • The St. Pete Beach ordinance number, registration fee and exact permitted-street list. Read the city’s golf cart page and FAQ, or ask the city clerk.
  • Whether Treasure Island has designated any street for golf carts. Ask the Treasure Island city clerk.
  • Whether Gulfport has designated any street for golf carts. Ask the Gulfport city clerk.
  • Posted limits on Gulf Boulevard block by block and on the Treasure Island Causeway.
  • Whether any of the three cities has authorised night operation for golf carts.
  • Current rental rates beyond the October 2026 snapshot above.

Sources