Bayou Bonita is an established single-residential neighborhood in south St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, set on low ground around a bayou and creek system that drains toward Tampa Bay, near Bartlett Park and the Old Southeast. The main ZIP is 33705. This guide covers the broader Bayou Bonita area, including the adjacent Bayou Bonita Park plat.
Homes are predominantly single-family and largely mid-century, with much of the core platted and built out from roughly the 1920s through the 1970s, and a range of sizes and conditions across the area (neighborhood guides, 2026). There is generally no mandatory HOA, consistent with an older in-city neighborhood, though you should confirm per parcel with title and the Pinellas County Property Appraiser.
The defining reality of Bayou Bonita is flood. South St. Petersburg sits low, and Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the fall of 2024 brought record storm surge and a historic rainfall event that flooded thousands of city homes. Bonita Bayou and neighboring Bartlett Park were named among the city pilot neighborhoods for its post-storm resilience and flood task force work, so elevation, flood zone, and prior flood history must be verified for the specific home.
The most important single item is the city of St. Petersburg 49 percent substantial-improvement rule. Under the city floodplain ordinance, cumulative repairs and improvements that reach 49 percent or more of the structure pre-damage market value, excluding land, can trigger a requirement to bring the entire structure into current code, which may mean elevating the home. This is stricter than the FEMA 50 percent default, and it shapes how owners repair, rebuild, or tear down here.
