I concur.
Clearwater beach is definitely the closest which is approximately 35 miles away
You definitely would want to go to Clearwater Beach around 45 min from there.
There are small beaches on Tampa Bay you can get to in 30 minutes or less but they're not as nice as the beaches on the Gulf.
Closest beach would be Ben T Davis on Rocky Point a good 30 to 45 ride
45 min to an hr from Clearwater beach, and 1.5 hrs to St Pete Beach.
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