The Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg was established on June 17, 1968. Situated on Florida's west coast, along the Gulf of Mexico, the diocese covers 3,177 square miles in five counties: Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus. The principal cities of the diocese are St. Petersburg, Tampa, and Clearwater. The diocese serves a total population of approximately 2,900,000, of whom over 425,000 are Catholic.