That's not only our opinion — although it is also our opinion — it's the result of a PlacesForBikes evaluation. In Florida, St. Petersburg is tops with cyclists; of almost 500 cities across the US, the 'Burg ranks 22nd (shocking: we beat Newark). And we're gaining on the rest of the country: that same survey says St. Petersburg ranks 11 in the "acceleration" category, which means "the pace at which conditions are improving for bicyclists."
No shock, really, when the mayor himself rides a bike — he's ridden with this reporter twice, and the pace he kept suggested one, this reporter is pretty much out of shape and two, the mayor isn't paying lip service to cycling — he really loves to ride his bicycle. Add to that bike lanes, bike shares and miles of public waterfront along which biking is a flat, salty joy, and now we're a little put out that we didn't rank higher nationally.
The other Florida cities ranked — in order of "next best" to "hitchhike instead" are: Miami, Tallahassee, Key West, Tampa, Venice, Gainesville, Jacksonville, The Villages (which we're pretty sure ranks #1 for souped-up, STD-laden golf carts, but that's a whole other survey), Orlando, Estero, Fort Lauderdale, Aventura, Melbourne, Melbourne Beach, Vero Beach, Clermont and Seminole. How the hell did we beat Gainesville? I mean, we'll take it, but that's… well, actually, that's a sign of how amazing we are.
Here's more info about the city's rating, and if you want to see how other cities across the country stack up, you can read more here.
This article appears in May 17-24, 2018.