Welcome to USCG Sector St. Petersburg
600 8TH AVE, S.E.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL 33701
(727) 824-7534
Coast Guard Base St. Petersburg was commissioned on the north side of Bayboro Harbor in 1924. Sixteen cutters ranging from 75 to 125 feet were stationed here for the purpose of conducting anti-smuggling patrols. The base was decommissioned in 1933 to coincide with the lifting of Prohibition.
The Coast Guard commissioned a station on the south side of Bayboro Harbor in 1928 and an air station was commissioned on the north side just six years later. The air station was constructed by the Works Projects Administration and was home to as many as 19 sea and scout planes during the height of World War II. The hangar and oversized boat ramp are examples of the facilities that remain from the original air station.
When Air Station St. Petersburg relocated to Clearwater in 1976, Group/Station St. Petersburg moved into the vacated facilities on the north side of the harbor. The south side was converted into cutter moorings for aids to navigation tenders and medium endurance cutters. Group/Station St. Petersburg now encompassed both the north and south side of Bayboro Harbor totaling more than 22 acres. In 1997, the facility underwent a reorganization that defined Sector St. Petersburg as the host command, responsible for the entire facility.
Sector St. Petersburg has become one of the Coast Guard's largest commands, with an area of responsibility encompassing over 400 nautical miles of coastline along Florida's west coast and the third largest U.S. port for domestic trade. In terms of total trade volume, including both domestic and foreign, the Port of Tampa ranks 12th nationally. The Sector's five multi-mission small boat stations, two patrol boats, two aids to navigation cutters, and one aids to navigation team have responsibility for five primary operational missions: Search and Rescue; Marine Safety; Maritime Law Enforcement; Ports, Waterways, and Coastal Security; and Living Marine Resources. Each year Sector St. Petersburg personnel conduct, on average, more than 2600 rescue cases, assisting more than 7000 people and preserving property valued at 39 million dollars. The integrated Coast Guard team that carries out the sector's operational missions is comprised of over 825 Active Duty and Reserve Military Members, 27 Civilian, and 1800 Auxiliary personnel.