Trump won Pinellas County while losing Hillsborough County, but in the past, Hillsborough County was the more Republican of the two. In 2012, Obama won Pinellas County by about 6 points. It contains a lot of urban areas since it is in the Tampa metro area and is home to the city of St. Petersburg. It is 76% white. How did Trump win it this time?
You ever been to Pinellas? It has some areas, Clearwater for instance, that rival the Redneck Riviera.
Short answer: Bikers.
Longer answer: I'd bet the data would show, as in other parts of the country, a substantial number of long-term and late-cycle nonparticipants registering and voting in 2016.
Interestingly, Trump essentially replicated Obama's 2012 vote total, so the ~5K Clinton underperformed from 2012 was her margin of defeat.
Obama: 238,966
Romney: 213,192
Clinton: 233,327
Trump: 238,746
