Beach resort with outdoor pool close to johns pass pier and highway 699 howard johnson st petersburg beach resort is in st pete beach on highway 699 a 10 minute drive west of i 275 and eckerd college and a 15 minute drive southwest of st petersburg the merry pier is an 8 minute drive south and has a fish market and shuttle to shell key island dolphins and arcades if you drive south for 5 minutes you can take speedboat rides to watch local bottlenose dolphins leap and dive located a 10 m