Riviera Bay is a waterfront neighborhood in far northeast St. Petersburg. It runs from 4th Street North east to Riviera Bay and Tampa Bay, between about 78th and 99th Avenues North, just south of Gandy Boulevard. It is about 6 miles north of downtown St. Petersburg and about 17 miles from downtown Tampa by way of the Gandy Bridge, with Weedon Island Preserve across the bay. Most homes are mid-century single-family houses, and many sit on the water with private docks.
Living in Riviera Bay
The neighborhood takes its name from a 1920s plan by developer Eugene M. Elliott, who bought Weedon Island in 1923 and set out to make it the "Riviera of Florida." A dragline dredged and deepened the bay as part of that plan. The Riviera Bay area as described here matches the civic association's stated area. The city maps it as four neighborhood associations: Riviera Bay Civic, Riviera Bay HOA, Caya Costa and Renaissance. It also takes in the Rio Vista and Sun-Lit Shores sections.
Homes in Riviera Bay
Riviera Bay is mostly single-family homes. In MLS records for the area, the large majority were built from the 1950s through the 1980s, and ranch and Florida-style houses are the most common designs. A few 1920s houses remain, and some newer homes have been built since 2020. Townhouses, villas and a small number of condominiums round out the mix. About a third of the homes that have come up for sale here are waterfront, on Riviera Bay or on open Tampa Bay, and many of those have private docks. Private pools are common.
Parks, water and things to do near Riviera Bay
Riviera Bay Park, at 8131 Macoma Drive NE, is an 8.1-acre city park inside the neighborhood. It has two tennis courts, a basketball court, a playground, a community garden, a large pavilion and picnic shelters, an outdoor exercise zone, and lighted, accessible walking trails.
Weedon Island Preserve is about 2 miles away by road. It is a Pinellas County preserve of more than 3,000 acres on Tampa Bay, with a fishing pier, a launch for kayaks and canoes, boardwalks through the mangroves, and the Cultural and Natural History Center, which runs exhibits, classes and guided programs. Pinellas County lists part of the preserve's trail system as closed at this time, so check the county's park notices before planning a hike.
Getting around from Riviera Bay
4th Street North runs south to downtown St. Petersburg, about 6 miles or roughly 15 minutes by car. Downtown has the St. Pete Pier and its restaurants, the Museum of Fine Arts on Beach Drive, and The Dalí Museum. To the north, Gandy Boulevard leads to the nearly 3-mile Gandy Bridge across the bay to Tampa. Tampa International Airport is about 14 miles away and downtown Tampa about 17 miles.
