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Trip from Fernandina Beach, FL to St. Petersburg, FL
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
5h 10m
Distance
255 mi
410 km
Drive Score
9/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$41
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
4h 57m
★
6 AM
5h 11m
8 AM
5h 38m
10 AM
5h 20m
12 PM
5h 18m
3 PM
5h 22m
5 PM
5h 36m
8 PM
5h 3m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Fernandina Beach, FL
Brent Singleton
St. Petersburg, FL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Fernandina Beach, FL to St. Petersburg, FL is 255 miles and takes about 5h 10m via I 75 and I 275, with a fuel budget near $41 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive primarily stays within Florida, making it a straightforward one-day trip. With most of the route on major highways, expect a steady pace for most of the drive. This trip is designed for efficiency, getting you from the Northeast coast of Florida down to the Tampa Bay area without much fuss.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
127.5 miles from Fernandina Beach, FL
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 2h 43m into the drive .
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 75 | 82.7 mi | 1h 28m |
| Sid Martin Highway | 39 mi | 48m |
| I 275 | 37.6 mi | 45m |
| US 301 | 37.5 mi | 47m |
| South 8th Street | 14.4 mi | 24m |
| West Beltway | 13.9 mi | 16m |
| I 10 | 11.9 mi | 12m |
| I 95 | 10.6 mi | 11m |
Longest stretch:
I 75
— 82.7 mi, about 1h 28m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Fernandina Beach, FL and St. Petersburg, FL.
1
Start on Ash Street
0.2 mi
·
51 sec
·
Ash Street
2
Turn right onto SR A1A; FL 200
14 mi
·
24 min
·
South 8th Street
3
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
47 sec
Toward I 95 South: Jacksonville
Use the left lane.
4
Merge onto I 95
11 mi
·
11 min
·
I 95
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Exit 362B
Toward I 295: West Beltway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Merge onto I 295
14 mi
·
16 min
·
West Beltway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
53 sec
Exit 21B
Toward I 10 West: Lake City
Use the slight right lane.
8
Merge onto I 10
12 mi
·
12 min
·
I 10
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
58 sec
10
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
37 sec
11
Merge onto US 301
0.1 mi
·
11 sec
·
US 301
12
Continue on US 301
37 mi
·
47 min
·
US 301
Use the left / straight lanes.
13
Keep slight left at fork onto US 301
39 mi
·
48 min
·
Sid Martin Highway
Use the left / straight lanes.
14
Turn right onto FL 326
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Northwest 70th Street
Use the right lane.
15
Continue on FL 326
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Northwest 77th Street
Use the straight lane.
16
Take the ramp
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 75 South: Tampa
17
Merge onto I 75
83 mi
·
1 hr 28 min
·
I 75
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18
Keep slight right at fork onto I 275
38 mi
·
45 min
·
I 275
Exit 274
Toward I 275 South: Tampa, Saint Petersburg
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
19
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
Exit 23B
Toward FL 595: Treasure Island, Florida Orange Groves Winery
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
20
Turn right onto FL 595
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
5th Avenue North
21
Turn left onto US 19
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
34th Street North
Use the left lane.
22
Continue on US 19
323 ft
·
14 sec
·
34th Street South
23
Arrive at destination
US 19
Trip Plan
To maximize daylight and avoid rush hour, aim to depart from Fernandina Beach in the morning. The 5h 10m drive time is easily manageable in a single day, so you have flexibility with your departure. Keep an eye on your fuel levels, especially during the 82.7-mile stretch on I 75, as services can be spaced out. With only one recommended stop and a relatively short duration, you can take your time or push through efficiently depending on your preference for rest breaks.
Morning Departure
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Evening Departure
A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 127.5 miles from Fernandina Beach, FL, or about 2h 43m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 82.7 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 56 miles or 1h 14m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 127.5 miles or 2h 43m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 4h 13m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near St. Petersburg, FL than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Fernandina Beach, FL so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Fernandina Beach, FL
This is one driving day of about 255 miles and 5h 10m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 56 miles from Fernandina Beach, FL.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.
The longest stretch is on I 75 for about 82.7 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
128 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 56 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 127.5 miles from Fernandina Beach, FL, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Before the longest stretch
Fuel checkTop up before I 75 if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 82.7 miles.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Stops Along Your Drive
Picked by where they fit in your drive — first break, midpoint reset, final stretch.
Pilot Travel Center
0.1 mi from route
Pilot Travel Center
0.1 mi from route
TA
0.1 mi from route
Pilot Travel Center
0.1 mi from route
Pilot Travel Center
0.1 mi from route
Pilot Travel Center
0.1 mi from route
Pasco County Rest Area Northbound
0.1 mi from route
Sumter County Rest Area Northbound
0.1 mi from route
Marion County Rest Area Northbound
0.1 mi from route
Pilot Travel Center
0.1 mi from route
Love's Travel Stop
0.1 mi from route
Love's Travel Stop
0.1 mi from route
Love's Travel Stop
0.1 mi from route
Flying J Travel Center
0.2 mi from route
TA
0.2 mi from route
Pilot Travel Center
0.2 mi from route
Love's Travel Stop
0.2 mi from route
Pasco County Rest Area Southbound
0.2 mi from route
Marion County Rest Area Southbound
0.2 mi from route
Wildwood I-75 Weigh Station Northbound
0.2 mi from route
Service Plaza
0.2 mi from route
Service Plaza
0.2 mi from route
Love's Travel Stop
0.2 mi from route
Love's Travel Stop
0.2 mi from route
Service Plaza
0.2 mi from route
Service Plaza
0.2 mi from route
Wildwood I-75 Weigh Station Southbound
0.3 mi from route
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 175 decision points cluster between mile 14.6 and 252.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
14.6 mi into trip
|
~25m in
Take the exit toward I 95 South: Jacksonville
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 95 South: Jacksonville
7
25.6 mi into trip
|
~37m in
Take the exit toward I 295: West Beltway
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 362B
Toward I 295: West Beltway
7
39.9 mi into trip
|
~54m in
Take the exit toward I 10 West: Lake City
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 21B
Toward I 10 West: Lake City
9
215.4 mi into trip
|
~4h 20m in
|
I 275
Keep slight right at fork onto I 275 toward I 275 South: Tampa, Saint Petersburg
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 274
Toward I 275 South: Tampa, Saint Petersburg
8
252.9 mi into trip
|
~5h 6m in
Take the exit toward FL 595: Treasure Island, Florida Orange Groves Winery
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 23B
Toward FL 595: Treasure Island, Florida Orange...
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$40.59 one way
$81.18 round trip
$4.04/gal
25.4 MPG avg
89 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.40 | $44.15 | $88.31 |
| premium | $4.72 | $47.42 | $94.83 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $56.30 | $112.60 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$41
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$66–$91
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 89.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $27 in charging · 0 stops · 66% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 76.5 | 0 | $26.78 | $12.24 |
| Efficient EV | 63.8 | 0 | $22.31 | $10.20 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 102 | 1 | $35.70 | $16.32 |
Gas CO2
89 kg
EV CO2
30 kg (66% less)
Plan for 0 charging stops, roughly every 270 miles. Allow 25-40 minutes per stop at a DC fast charger.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Fernandina Beach, FL
Morning in Fernandina Beach on Tuesday
Local time
6:50 AM
EDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Destination
St. Petersburg, FL
Morning in St. Petersburg on Tuesday
Local time
6:50 AM
EDT
Current temp
86°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
20 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
5h 10m on the road
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
National Parks Near This Route
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
De Soto National Memorial
National Memorial
In May 1539, Conquistador Hernando de Soto’s army of soldiers, hired mercenaries, craftsmen, and clergy made landfall in Tampa Bay. They were met with fierce resistance of indigenous people protecting...
17 mi from route
~43 min detour
Free
near mile 255
View on nps.gov
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
What kind of drive is this?
This route is mostly highway, with 71% of the drive on major interstates like I 75 and I 275. You'll encounter a longest stretch of 82.7 miles on I 75, so plan for extended periods of cruising. Expect a higher density of exits and merging traffic as you approach and move through populated areas, particularly on I 275 closer to St. Petersburg.
71% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
23 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 82.7 mi on I 75.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 75 and Sid Martin Highway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 14.6 miles in.
Driving Effort
10/10
High effort - long or complex enough to need steady focus all day
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a demanding drive. With 17 significant decision points across 255 miles, you will need to stay alert - especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 14.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 25.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 39.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Fernandina Beach, FL to St. Petersburg, FL, road signs begin pointing toward Saint Petersburg along the way.
Saint Petersburg
215.4 mi in
|
~4h 20m
|
via I 275
About the Cities
Arriving in St. Petersburg, FL
Full guide →Saint Petersburg sits at the base of the Tampa Bay peninsula in Pinellas County, Florida, and enjoys a more subdued social atmosphere than its larger cousin, Tampa. The city has tried to characterize the downtown as an arts and entertainments destination and you will find no shortage of arts and crafts stores, galleries, and museums along with cafes and boutique food shops all within a couple blocks of the Tampa Bay waterfront. With water on three sides of the city, St. Pete is a superb location for fishing, sailing, and wandering beaches.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 5h 10m. Total distance: 255 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 1 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
5h 10m drive, comfortable solo distance.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (71%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 82.7 miles on I 75. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 28 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at St. Petersburg, FL before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Only with planning. This is a long drive for kids — consider splitting it into two days rather than pushing through. Plan at least 1 meaningful breaks. There are 28 rest areas along the route for bathroom stops.
The main spots that need attention: at 14.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 25.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 39.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — De Soto National Memorial. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Not recommended in a single day. At 5.2 hours each way, a round trip means 10.4 hours of driving — that is an unsafe level of fatigue for most drivers. Plan at least one night at St. Petersburg, FL before the return drive.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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