VA national cemetery
Bay Pines National Cemetery
St. Petersburg, Florida
Location
10000 Bay Pines Boulevard
St. Petersburg, FL 33708
Visiting
- Address
- 10000 Bay Pines Boulevard, St. Petersburg, FL 33708
- Phone
- 727-319-6479
- Visiting hours
- Open daily from sunrise to sunset.
- Office hours
- Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Closed on federal holidays.
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- Burial space
- Cremation Only
- Accessibility
- Not yet verified
- Official page
- cem.va.gov
Flowers and grounds policy, from the VA
Fresh cut flowers may be placed on graves at any time. Floral arrangements accompanying the casket or urn at the time of burial are limited to three for casket burials and one for cremation burials. Flowers will be removed when they become unsightly or it becomes necessary to facilitate cemetery operations such as mowing.
A limited number of floral containers are located in bins in front of the burial sections — they are available as a courtesy. These containers are recycled — please do not remove them from the cemetery.
Artificial flowers and potted plants will be allowed on graves for a period extending 10 days before through 10 days after Easter Sunday and Memorial Day.
Seasonal Holiday Decorations such as Christmas wreaths, potted poinsettias and other seasonal decorations may be placed on graves from December 1 through January 20.
No item or object may be attached to a headstone or marker in a national cemetery. Permanent plantings, statues, vigil lights, breakable objects, and similar items are not permitted on the graves. Items considered offensive, inconsistent with the dignity of the cemetery, or considered hazardous to cemetery personnel are prohibited.
Weapons Policy
VA regulations 38 CFR 1.218 prohibit the carrying of firearms (either openly or concealed), explosives or other dangerous or deadly weapons while on VA property, except for official purposes, such as military funeral honors.
Possession of firearms on any property under the charge and control of VA is prohibited. Offenders may be subject to a fine, removal from the premises, or arrest.
General information, from the VA
Military Funeral Honors
Bay Pines National Cemetery maintains a list of Veterans Service Organization units that may be contacted to arrange a military honor group in addition to or in lieu of the Department of Defense Military Funeral Honors. Please contact the office for information.
Directions from Nearest Airport
From Tampa International Airport/St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport by taking Interstate 275 south approximately 20 miles to St. Petersburg. Take Exit 25 (38th Avenue North) and go west on 38th Avenue North about five miles to Tyrone Boulevard. Turn right onto Tyrone Boulevard and proceed approximately 2.5 miles. Turn left at 95th (this is the east entrance to the VA property). Follow that road about ¼ mile and the cemetery will be on the left.
Pay your respects
Visitors to veterans’ graves sometimes leave a coin on the headstone to show that someone came. You can leave a symbolic coin here. No money is involved, and nothing about you is published. About the custom, and what each coin is said to mean.
History
Reproduced from the VA National Cemetery Administration’s page for this cemetery, retrieved November 11, 2026. This is the VA’s text, unedited; it is not independent research by this site.
Bay Pines National Cemetery is located on the grounds of the Veterans Administration Center (VAC) in Pinellas County, about 9 miles west-northwest of St. Petersburg, Fla.
On March 15, 1933, the cemetery was dedicated and officially opened as a burial ground for those who died in the Bay Pines hospital and domiciliary. The 21-acre site was laid out in 42 symmetrical sections. The first interment was made on April 25, 1933, and by January 1964, all available gravesites had been used. In 1984, in order to gain more grave space, the hedges that divided the center of the cemetery were removed and the space between the sections was utilized.
The cemetery was transferred from the Veterans Administration to the National Cemetery System on May 28, 1984, and reopened for interments on July 2, 1984.
The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 27, 2012, as part of the Bay Pines Veterans Administration Home and Hospital Historic District.
Monuments and Memorials
A large monument constructed of pink Etowah marble in 1937 is dedicated to "the memory of those who served their country" and stands at the entrance to the cemetery grounds.
A polished granite bench, dedicated to the memory of World War I veterans, sits opposite the cemetery entrance, facing the new POW/MIA monument.
A maple tree planted in Section 53 in 1976 commemorates the country's bicentennial.
Notable burials and memorials
Reproduced from the VA’s page for this cemetery, retrieved November 11, 2026, including Medal of Honor recipients where the VA lists them. Links lead to the VA’s own records. To correct an entry, contact the VA; to tell us our copy is out of date, report it.
MSG C. W. Bill Young (Korea). Young (1930–2013) was born in Harmarville, Pennsylvania, and later moved to Indian Shores, Florida. When he was 18, he joined the Army National Guard and served from 1948–1957. In 1970, he was elected to the House of Representatives as a Republican and would go on to become Florida's longest-serving member of Congress, serving 22 terms. He died at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he had been hospitalized after suffering a broken hip and fractured pelvis. (Section 50, Site 100)
Nearby veterans cemeteries
Sources
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration. Find a Cemetery: all national cemeteries, and each cemetery’s own page. U.S. government work (public domain). Retrieved November 11, 2026. Used for: name, address, phone and burial-space status, hours, policies, history and notable burials.
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration. Bay Pines National Cemetery (official cemetery page). Retrieved November 11, 2026.
- Map position: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration. VA National Cemetery Sites (dataset).