BlaakLane.com provides chauffeur service in St. Petersburg, Florida, for arrivals at St. Pete-Clearwater International (PIE) and Tampa International (TPA), transfers to St. Pete Beach and Clearwater Beach, Port Tampa Bay cruise days and nights downtown on Beach Drive. The reservation engine shows a fixed fare for your trip before you confirm. A vetted local affiliate drives, and the confirmation names the operator and chauffeur.
Booking in St. Petersburg
Book on this page or at /book/. Enter a flight number for airport pickups, or a hotel, venue or address, then pick a vehicle. The fare is fixed and covers the chauffeur, fuel and included waiting; gratuity goes on the booking at actual cost. There is no meter and no race-weekend surge. Our Toronto desk, open 24/7, assigns a vetted Tampa Bay affiliate that works to the BlaakLane.com written standard. Group movements for conferences, weddings at the Vinoy or suites at a game are planned by a coordinator and confirmed in writing.
Two airports: PIE and TPA
St. Pete-Clearwater International (PIE) is about 10 miles north of downtown, on the bay side of the peninsula near Clearwater. It is a compact, single-level terminal used mainly by leisure carriers. Pre-arranged cars pick up curbside at the arrivals exit and the ground transportation lot on the west side of baggage claim, and your chauffeur texts the exact spot. The drive downtown takes about 20 to 30 minutes. Details are on fly2pie.com.
Tampa International (TPA) has far more routes, including transatlantic flights. It is about 20 miles from downtown St. Pete across the Howard Frankland Bridge on I-275, typically 25 to 40 minutes, and much slower if there is an incident on the bridge. Cars collect at TPA's designated commercial pickup area on the baggage claim level.
At both airports a meet and greet inside with a name board is an add-on; add-ons are only available in selected locations. Flights are tracked, with 30 minutes of waiting on domestic flights and 60 minutes on international arrivals from the moment you land.
Private flyers can land at Albert Whitted Airport, the small general aviation field right on the downtown waterfront, or at PIE and TPA. See private aviation.
| Route | Distance (approx.) | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| PIE to downtown St. Petersburg | 10 miles | 20-30 min |
| TPA to downtown St. Petersburg | 20 miles | 25-40 min |
| Downtown to St. Pete Beach | 10 miles | 20-30 min |
| Downtown to Clearwater Beach | 22 miles | 35-50 min |
| Downtown to Port Tampa Bay cruise terminals | 23 miles | 30-45 min |
| Downtown to Innisbrook, Palm Harbor | 30 miles | 40-55 min |
Downtown, the waterfront and the beaches
Downtown St. Pete faces Tampa Bay along a long chain of waterfront parks. Beach Drive holds restaurants and The Vinoy Resort, the pink 1925 hotel by the marina. The St. Pete Pier reaches out into the bay, and the Dalí Museum sits on the south waterfront beside the Mahaffey Theater. Central Avenue runs west through the Grand Central District and the EDGE District, with galleries and the Warehouse Arts District to the south. On the Gulf side, St. Pete Beach is reached over the Corey Causeway or the tolled Pinellas Bayway, and is home to The Don CeSar, another pink landmark hotel. Pass-a-Grille, Treasure Island and Madeira Beach run north toward Clearwater Beach.
Games, races and festivals
- Late February or early March: the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, an IndyCar street race around downtown and the Albert Whitted runway. Streets close for the weekend, so cars drop and collect at agreed points outside the circuit.
- March: the Valspar Championship, a PGA Tour event at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor.
- April to September: the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, which reopened for the 2026 season after repairs from Hurricane Milton.
- April: the Mainsail Arts Festival on the waterfront.
- June: St. Pete Pride, one of the largest Pride events in the Southeast.
Visit St. Pete/Clearwater publishes the current calendar. See event transportation for multi-vehicle plans.
Cruises from Port Tampa Bay
Ships sail from Port Tampa Bay terminals at the Channel District in Tampa, about 30 to 45 minutes from downtown St. Pete. Chauffeurs drop at your terminal curb and collect after disembarkation. A pre-cruise night at a St. Pete hotel with a morning transfer is a common plan.
Which vehicle?
Standard Sedans for one or two; Luxury Executive Sedans for client meetings in the Carillon office park; executive SUVs for beach luggage and three passengers; Standard Black SUVs and Sprinter Vans for families, wedding parties and teams. Partner stretch limousines and Rolls-Royce, Maybach or Bentley cars are available for weddings. See the fleet and rates.
Beach weddings and waterfront events
St. Petersburg is a popular wedding city, with ceremonies at the Vinoy, the Don CeSar, the Sunken Gardens, the Museum of Fine Arts and on the beaches of Pass-a-Grille. A typical plan pairs a partner Rolls-Royce or stretch limousine for the couple with Sprinter Vans or a minicoach to move guests between hotels, the ceremony and the reception. Beach access points have limited drop-off space and some streets on the barrier islands are narrow, so the coordinator checks each stop and confirms timings in writing. See wedding limousine and group transportation.
Intercity trips
- Tampa: 20 to 25 miles, 25 to 45 minutes.
- Sarasota: about 40 miles over the Sunshine Skyway, 45 to 60 minutes.
- Orlando: about 105 miles, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes.
- Fort Myers: about 120 miles, 2 hours to 2 hours 20 minutes.
See intercity transfers.
Driving on the Pinellas peninsula
Driving is on the right. Three bridges, the Howard Frankland (I-275), the Gandy and the Courtney Campbell, connect St. Pete and Pinellas County with Tampa, and weekday peaks from about 7:00 to 9:00 and 16:00 to 18:30 slow all three. US-19 is the main north-south surface road. Afternoon storms are common in summer and hurricane season runs June to November.
Offices, conferences and who books here
Downtown St. Pete has grown into a business district of its own, with offices along Central Avenue and First Avenue North, the Carillon office park near the Gandy Bridge, and a steady stream of medical visitors to the hospitals around Bayfront, including Johns Hopkins All Children's. Typical clients are Fortune 500 travel managers, airline crews on layovers at PIE and TPA, cruise passengers staying a night before sailing, and wedding planners at the waterfront hotels. Regular travel can run through corporate accounts with monthly invoicing and traveller profiles.
International arrivals through Tampa
Transatlantic and Canadian flights land at TPA, where passengers clear US Customs and Border Protection before baggage claim. The included 60 minutes of waiting on international arrivals starts at touchdown, which covers a normal queue. Visa-waiver travellers need an approved ESTA before they fly, as explained on CBP's site. The chauffeur tracks the flight, sees any delay and adjusts without a call from you.
Cancellation
No charge more than 72 hours ahead; 10% at 72 hours or less; 50% at 48 hours or less; 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show.
