Floral Shops for Your Valentine's Day in the Tampa Bay, Florida Area

It is one of the busiest days of the year for florists. To get in on some great deals, choose from an array of various bouquets and arrangements and get reliable service and delivery on Valentine's Day here are five of the top floral shops in Tampa Bay you can trust. Many find it more convenient to call one of the wire services, especially if one lives out of the area or out of state.

Your best bet is to email or call on a local florist direct, because that is where the wire services go to. If a florist is a member of one of the wire services that is who they'll call on. In the past some of these wire services were so backed-up with online orders many of the recipients either never got their flowers or they came days after the holiday. Don't let that happen to your loved one on Valentine's. Come support your local florist and economy too with these five established floral shops.

1.) Moates Florist- Tampa, Florida

They are the oldest flower shop in Tampa. Opened in 1901 this family owned and operated florist is a member of the FTD Family of Florists. The standard delivery charge locally is $10 and $16 for the rest of the U.S. and Canada. State tax is at 7%. For Valentine's Day it is suggested to order early. The cut-off time for delivery on weekdays is 2 p.m. and 10 a.m. on Saturdays. Prices range on their Valentine floral arrangements from as low as $19.95 for a single stem rose in a squared red bud vase to $94.99 for an exquisite vibrant red Rose Bouquet. Moates Florist certainly has the best prices in Tampa Bay for Valentine's Day. 5034 Nebraska Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33603. (813) 239-3535.

2.) Jennie's Florist Tampa- Tampa, Florida

One of my favorite florists, and a popular West Tampa landmark, is offering free local delivery until February 12. From February 7 - 11 is when the free deliveries take effect. This applies to on-line delivery orders to those zip codes local to their stores. Ever since 1952 when Jennie Campisi sold fresh flowers from her husband's open air market at the corner of Columbus Drive and Habana Avenue this family owned and operated business has been going strong at the same location.

Their Premium Grande Rose Bouquet is at $29.99 without the vase. With the vase it is priced at $34.99, plus you can have your pick of an additional gift attached such as a balloon, teddy bear, etc. at an extra cost. If you want to go extreme you can order 100 roses in a ceramic pot for $399.99 either in all red roses or various colored ones. 2730 W. Columbus Drive Tampa, Florida 33607 (813) 872-8441

3.) Brandon House of Flowers- Brandon, Florida

This full service flower shop offers locally grown flowers. It also ships overnight around the world too. One of their best priced floral arrangement may not be red roses, the most popular choice of flowers on Valentine's Day from florists, it's their red Parrot Tulips bouquet priced at $38. You can get the bigger bouquets for $45 and $55. They offer same day hand delivery at $7. The same-day delivery cut-off time is at 12 p.m. from Monday through Saturday. 650 Oakfield Drive Brandon, Florida 33511. (813) 630-4465

4.) Andrew's On 4th Street Inc- St. Petersburg, Florida

For 15 years this family owned and operated business services the entire Tampa Bay area. They strongly suggest ordering one day before Valentine's, which falls on a Monday this year. They are closed on Sundays, so Saturday would be the very latest to get your order in. A local delivery fee is $8.95 per each order. One of their best sellers is the "Be My Love" bouquet at $47.95 featuring red roses, carnations, chrysanthemums and white lilies in a ruby red glass vase. They also carry the Faith Hill collection line of bouquets perfect for your Valentine. You can get some of the newest Valentine floral arrangements from Teleflora. 6101 N. 4th Street N. St. Petersburg, Florida. (727) 521-3562

5.) Hassell Florist, Inc- Clearwater, Florida

Their master designers are able to create the floral arrangement you request from this family owned business. Since 1959 they've done business as usual creating an outstanding reputation. Other than having a website and online ordering not much else has changed for Hassell Florist. You can find their Teleflora bouquets as well as their own creations. Their "Hugs and Kisses" bouquet is at $44.95 to the most lavish "P.S. I Love You" bouquet of red roses and pink tulips at $134.95. Their same day delivery times are by 12 p.m. during the weekdays and 10 a.m. on Saturdays. They only deliver in Pinellas County and parts of North West and West Tampa. 1679 Drew Street Clearwater, Florida 33755. (727) 442-8186

You may wonder why not pick up a bouquet of flowers at Publix's floral department? The problem with store bought arrangements is you don't know how old the flowers are. Oftentimes they come from a floral warehouse where they've been sitting for a long time. Also, many of these bouquets are near heat such as a cash register. That means they will not last as long as one from a florist who uses the freshest flowers possible. Rest assured these five local floral shops in Tampa Bay all have something in common to offer you for Valentine's Day. That is reliable delivers as well as making sure you get what you ordered. The best part of all, they're locally owned and operated.

SOURCES:

Tampa Florists, Locate- A-Flower-Shop

Would you recommend Hallmark Flowers?, WikiAnswers.com

Leena Rao, "FTD's Mother's Day Mishap", Tech Crunch

Moates Florist: Valentine's Day - 2/14, Moates Florist.com

Jennie's Florist Tampa, Jennies.com

Brandon House of Flowers - Valentine's Day..., Flower Shops of America.com

Andrew's On 4th Street Inc - Valentine's Day Flowers, Andrew's On 4th.com

Hassell Florist, Inc- Established 1959, Hassell Florist.com

Laura Schofield, "How to get the best deal on your Valentines Day flowers", eHow.com