Come off the Howard Frankland Bridge and head west on Ulmerton Road, and Feather Sound is the first neighborhood you reach in Pinellas. It sits right on Old Tampa Bay beside St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport, with the Feather Sound Country Club golf course at its center.
Builders filled in the community through the late 1970s, ’80s and into the ’90s, so it’s a real mix: single-family homes, large townhomes and condominium buildings, often a few streets apart. Its recorded elevation is about 3 feet above sea level. That combination of low ground, open water and several kinds of buildings shapes how we approach roofing here.
What the Bay Does to a Roof
Old Tampa Bay is wide open to the east of Feather Sound, and wind crosses that water with nothing to slow it down. Homes along the shoreline and the edge of the golf course feel it first. Uplift pulls hardest at the corners, rakes and ridge, so those areas get the closest attention when we inspect or install.
Bay air also carries moisture and salt, which works on exposed metal over time. Drip edge, flashing, vent collars and fasteners are the parts that show it. On Feather Sound jobs we use corrosion-resistant fasteners and flashing and seal every penetration before the roof covering goes on.
Clearwater Mail, Pinellas County Permits
Feather Sound addresses carry a Clearwater 33762 ZIP code, but Feather Sound, FL is an unincorporated census-designated place. Roofing permits and inspections go through Pinellas County Building and Development Review Services, not the City of Clearwater.
You may also see the Feather Sound Community Services District on your tax bill. It’s a nonprofit that runs the county’s Feather Sound taxing unit for street lighting and recreation areas. It isn’t your HOA and doesn’t approve roofs, so any design review comes from your own association or condo board.
Condominiums and Townhomes With Shared Roofs
A good share of Feather Sound lives in condos and townhomes, and in most of those buildings the roof belongs to the association. If you own a unit and see a stain on your ceiling, the fix may need to go through your board or property manager before anyone climbs a ladder.
For boards, we inspect the whole building, lay out the options in writing and document conditions with CompanyCam photos that every member can see. Some larger buildings have low-slope sections, and our commercial roofing crews handle those membranes as well as the steep-slope sections over townhome rows.
When Flood Damage Changes the Scope
Low elevation near the bay means some Feather Sound properties sit in mapped flood zones. After a flood or storm, that can change what a roofing job looks like. In unincorporated Pinellas, if the cost to repair a damaged home reaches 49% or more of the structure’s value, the county considers it substantially damaged. At that point it has to be brought into compliance with current floodplain rules before it can be repaired.
A new roof by itself rarely creates that situation, but it can when the roof is part of a larger repair after water got inside. If your home took on water, ask the county about your property early. We’ll put your roofing costs in writing, line by line, so you have clear numbers for that review.
Tile and Metal Choices for Waterfront Homes
If your home has concrete tile, or you’re thinking about it, it’s a strong fit near the water. Tile doesn’t rust, it handles heat well, and the pieces are heavy enough to stay put when they’re fastened correctly. We install Eagle concrete tile and explain more about why tile suits waterfront homes on our blog.
Metal is the other option homeowners here ask about. Near salt air, the metal and finish matter more than the look, so we steer bayfront customers toward aluminum or properly coated panels with matching fasteners. Our metal roofing page walks through those choices.
Keeping Gutters Clear Under Mature Trees
Feather Sound has had decades for its landscaping to grow in, and the tree canopy over many streets is mature. That shade is welcome in August, but leaves and seed pods land in gutters and valleys all year. A clogged valley sends water sideways under the roofing instead of down to the gutter.
We install seamless gutters and guards sized for the amount of debris your trees drop, and we clean out valleys during inspections. See our gutters, guards, soffit and fascia services for the details.
Rain That Arrives Sideways
Storms coming across the bay tend to push rain horizontally, and that rain finds weak points a straight downpour would miss. Here are the spots we check first on a Feather Sound home after a blow:
- Wall-to-roof flashing: Where a second story or parapet meets a lower roof, wind drives water behind worn step flashing.
- Soffit and fascia: Loose soffit panels let wind-driven rain into the attic without any damage to the roof itself.
- Skylights and vents: Aging seals around penetrations are a common source of leaks that only appear in storms.
Our post on where wind-driven rain gets in covers more of them.
Get a Feather Sound Roof Inspection
Whether you own a townhome off Feather Sound Drive, sit on a condo board, or live on a golf course lot, we’ll tell you plainly what your roof needs and what it doesn’t. Call Mitchell Roofing Company at (727) 288-4650. We also serve homeowners in nearby Pinellas Park and farther down the bay shore in Gandy.
Frequently Asked Questions
My address says Clearwater. Do I need a City of Clearwater roofing permit?
No. Feather Sound is unincorporated, so reroof permits come from Pinellas County Building and Development Review Services. We file and track the permit as part of the job.
Does the Feather Sound Community Services District have to approve my new roof?
The district handles street lighting and recreation areas for the county taxing unit, not architectural review. Any approval you need would come from your own HOA or condo association, so check their rules before picking a material or color.
I own a condo. Who do I call about a roof leak?
Start with your association or property manager, since the roof is usually a common element. We can inspect for the board and report back with photos so the repair decision is based on what’s actually up there.
Is tile or metal better for a home near Old Tampa Bay?
Both can work well. Concrete tile won’t rust and suits the style of many homes here, while metal is lighter and sheds water fast. With metal, the choice of alloy, coating and fasteners matters more near the bay than it would inland.
Does flood zone status affect a roof replacement in Feather Sound?
A routine replacement usually isn’t affected. It becomes important when a home has been damaged and the total repair cost approaches the county’s 49% substantial damage threshold, so talk to the county early if your home took on water.