Building a State: Florida’s Path from Territory to Union
March 3, 2026
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March 5, 2026The Pinellas Federation of Women’s Clubs played a pivotal role in advancing women’s suffrage in Pinellas County. More than social organizations, these clubs were civic engines, supporting libraries, schools, public health initiatives, and reform efforts. By the late 1910s, many members had fully embraced the fight for voting rights.
Among them was Katherine Bell Tippetts (pictured at right), a local activist who, with her husband William, managed the Hotel Belmont. In 1919, Tippetts (pictured) hosted hundreds of suffragists at the Belmont ahead of the Kermess parade. That moment is now recognized on the National Votes for Women Trail at Central Avenue and 6th Street.
On March 4, 1919, suffragists organized by the Federation marched in the Kermess parade, placing their cause before one of the county’s largest public crowds. While Florida’s Legislature resisted broader suffrage measures, local activists focused on securing municipal voting rights town by town.
Their strategy succeeded. Women won the right to vote in St. Petersburg, Pass-a-Grille, Clearwater, Dunedin, and Tarpon Springs before the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. Although Florida delayed ratification for decades, Pinellas women were already casting ballots, shaping a defining chapter in the county’s civic history.