The oldest street running through Pinellas Park is named “Park Boulevard”; this is where in 1914 the original few businesses were located when Pinellas Park was formally incorporated. Nowadays “Park Boulevard” hosts a string of businesses all varied in the goods and/or services offered. The types of stores are very diverse ranging from car dealerships to thrift stores.
Pinellas Park tutors recognize Frank Allston Davis as the ’founder’ of Pinellas Park. He originally hailed from Vermont, and relocated to Pennsylvania where he worked as an agent for several publishing firms before he founded his own publishing company the “F. A. Davis Company.“ His firm specialized in publishing medical materials, which is how he came to be at an American Medical Association meeting in 1885, and how he came to hear of the benefits of living in a warmer climate, and specifically the benefits of the Pinellas peninsula.
After hearing and reading more about the Pinellas peninsula region, Davis decided to visit the area, as he himself had been suffering from some minor ailments. On staying for a short time in Tarpon Springs, he felt that his health had improved and he wrote about it in his medical journal. He heavily advertised the Florida area in his publications, promoting the health benefits of moving to the state, and many Philadelphians inspired and in the need for an improvement in their own, or their family’s health followed suit. According to Pinellas Park tutors, Davis mingled and was in time introduced to other wealthy and educated men in the district, and formed a business association with the Disston family who owned a great deal of land in the area. With their investment Davis set about improving the amenities available in the area including bringing electricity to Tarpon Springs, improving the phone system and constructing a trolley system to Disston City. All of these improvements made relocating to the area that much more desirable. He also created entertainment in the form of a steamboat that held 500 passengers and was birthed at the Electric Pier in St.Petersburgh.
Davis shifted focus specifically to the Pinellas Park region when he butted heads with a local land developer and business tycoon who purchased the railroad, which scuppered Davis’ development, plans. When he had further issues with plans over the St.Petersburgh waterfront area he decided to relinquish his interests there. Davis bought the land where Pinellas Park is located from Hamilton Disston. With his now adult son working by his side, he heavily advertised the area in his publications and began drawing people to move to the area from both Ohio and Pennsylvania.