The City of St. Pete has officially approved a major zoning change along the SunRunner corridor, clearing the way for taller buildings, denser development, and a shift toward more walkable neighborhoods.

On Thursday, City Council approved the SunRunner Bus Rapid Transit Overlay, with council members voting unanimously in favor of the measure and Councilmember Mike Harting recusing himself.

The approval marks the final step in adopting the new regulations.

At its core, the new overlay changes what can be built along Central Avenue west of 19th Street and nearby streets served by the SunRunner, the city’s 10-mile bus rapid transit line connecting downtown to the beaches.

The overlay creates a transit-oriented development district, giving property owners the option to follow a new set of rules designed to support transit use, increase development intensity, and allow a wider mix of uses than what is permitted under existing zoning.

Unlike a traditional rezoning, the overlay is optional, meaning developers can choose whether to use the new standards or stick with the underlying zoning already in place.

The overlay introduces one of the most closely watched changes: the elimination of minimum parking requirements.

Within the overlay and within a quarter mile of SunRunner stations, developers are no longer required to build a set number of parking spaces.

That shift gives property owners flexibility to decide how much parking is appropriate for a project, rather than following a fixed formula that can require more parking than needed.

“Parking mandates force property owners to build excess parking based on arbitrary formulas, not actual demand,” Activate St. Pete, an advocacy group promoting safer streets and enhanced public transit, wrote in a letter of support. 

Critics, however, have raised concerns about potential spillover parking in nearby neighborhoods and whether the change could outpace existing infrastructure.

“We are concerned about the impact in our neighborhood based on the reduction or elimination of parking,” Historic Kenwood Neighborhood Association President Nicholas Igneri said during the meeting.

Residents of the Central Oak Park neighborhood raised similar concerns.

Councilmember Lisset Hanewicz pointed to residential parking permit programs as a tool that has helped manage parking impacts in other neighborhoods.

She also noted that the overlay can be amended in the future if issues or new ideas arise.

Another one of the biggest changes comes down to how much can be built on a given site.

The city controls intensity using a metric called Floor Area Ratio, or FAR, which determines how much total building space is allowed relative to the size of a property.

Under the new overlay, those limits increase significantly, specifically near SunRunner stations.

In practical terms, that translates to larger buildings, more housing units, and more mixed-use projects combining residential and commercial space.

The overlay divides the SunRunner route into different station area types, each with its own scale and intensity.

Areas around 22nd Street and 32nd Street are classified as “Urban Station Areas”, with the highest density and tallest buildings, while locations like 40th, 49th, and 58th streets fall into “Neighborhood Station Areas” with more moderate development, and 66th Street is considered a “Village Station Area” with a lower overall scale.

Projects in the Urban Station Area have a base FAR of 4.0, but can qualify for a 1.0 FAR bonus, setting the maximum allowable FAR at 5.0.

As the overlay moves west, the Neighborhood Station Area and Village Station Area have a base FAR of 3.0 and a 1.0 FAR bonus, setting the maximum allowable FAR at 4.0.

FAR bonuses can be granted through contributing to the city’s Housing Capital Improvements Projects (HCIP) trust fund to support workforce housing, the purchase of transfer of development rights (TDRs) from a locally designated landmark site, or implementing specific streetscape design and retail frontage. 

“Contiguousness is important. Having a 5.0 FAR across Central makes a lot of sense,” commented Councilmember Copley Gerdes. “Being on the west side of St. Pete and wanting some of what Central has, we’re spreading it out.”

Jake Wollman, a commercial real estate agent at KW Commercial, also said a 5.0 FAR would benefit new investment and business along the corridor. 

Building heights also increase, with some areas allowing structures up to 150 feet tall.

Another key provision of the new overlay encourages preservation by allowing buildings that are 50 years or older to be excluded from certain density calculations if they are retained, creating a financial incentive to reuse existing structures rather than demolish them.

Design standards are another major component of the zoning change, with a clear emphasis on walkability and pedestrian experience.

New development along Central Avenue and near station areas must include ground-floor, pedestrian-oriented uses, limit curb cuts, and prioritize sidewalks.

Parking is pushed to the rear of properties, and buildings are expected to engage directly with the street, a shift away from more car-centric development patterns that have historically dominated parts of Central Avenue.

Ultimately, the proposal drew significant public input leading up to the final vote, with strong support from housing advocates, transit supporters, and business groups who see the overlay as a way to encourage continued smart growth west along Central Avenue.

At the same time, the overlay faced pushback from preservation advocates and some community members concerned about the potential impact on Central Avenue’s character.

Preserve the ‘Burg Executive Director Manny Leto warned that increased development intensity could lead to the loss of older buildings that house many locally owned businesses and contribute to the corridor’s identity.

However, with City Council’s unanimous approval, the overlay now moves into effect.

How the Central Avenue corridor ultimately evolves will depend on how developers and property owners choose to use the new zoning options.

The once-popular Harbor Master Tiki Grille may have never reopened after Hurricane Helene, but a brand new concept is taking its place instead. 

Christian’s on the Water, an outdoor restaurant and tiki bar overlooking Bay Pines Marina, will soft open this Saturday, May 16th at 11am at 4999 Harbor Lights Drive in Seminole.

The restaurant and bar will serve drinks only during opening weekend as it awaits final approval to begin food service on site.

The concept is the newest venture from Marc DeRusso and his wife Amelia, owners of DeRusso’s Pizzeria in Tierra Verde and St. Pete. The St. Pete pizzeria is located just down the street from the new restaurant.

DeRusso’s first restaurant, Bourbon Street Grill in Colonie, NY, has been open for 27 years. 

Christian’s on the Water will offers beer, wine, and frozen, wine-based cocktails, including margaritas. 

“Every day, people pass by the food trailer and ask when we’re going to be open,” DeRusso says with a laugh. “I've been in business for a long time, but this has been one of the most difficult places to get open, just because of the unique nature of both the tiki bar and food trailer.” 

Last summer, Bowline Marinas purchased the 7.9-acre Bay Pines Marina property. 

Its new owners approached DeRusso about taking over the former Harbor Master Tiki Grille space, which sustained damage during 2024’s back-to-back hurricanes and never reopened.

Over the last five months, DeRusso has refreshed the property with new furniture, air-conditioned portable bathrooms, renovations to the 22-seat tiki bar and shaded dining area, and landscaping upgrades to the turfed courtyard, which includes adding Adirondack chairs and cornhole. 

The outdoor restaurant plans to host live acoustic music seven days a week. A small retail area will sell branded t-shirts, koozies, hats, sunscreen, and towels.

A new 20-foot food trailer will serve what DeRusso describes as “coastal-inspired” dishes. 

While DeRusso’s other restaurants focus on pizza, Christian’s on the Water will offer a range of casual dishes, including grouper sandwiches, peel-and-eat shrimp, smoked fish spread, smash burgers, and rice bowls topped with pulled pork, beef, or chicken. 

The restaurant also plans to offer a “hook and cook” service, allowing fishermen to bring their catch to be grilled or fried.

Once fully operational, Christian’s on the Water plans to launch weekend breakfast service starting at 9 am on Saturdays and Sundays, offering egg bowls and breakfast sandwiches. 

The restaurant is accessible by car, by bicycle (due to its proximity to The Pinellas Trail), and by boat, offering a dozen slips for its customers to use while they dine and drink.

Following its soft opening period, Christian’s will be open from 11 am to 10pm on weekdays and until midnight on weekends. 

DeRusso tells St. Pete Rising that the restaurant is named after his late son Christian, and the business’ soft opening coincides with the anniversary of his passing.

He hopes the business will not only provide great food, drinks, and hospitality, but will serve as a living tribute for his son.

A new candle and floral shop centered around handcrafted goods and interactive experiences is coming to the Grand Central District.

Ember & Rose Designs, founded by Brandon Sexton and Mellisa Miyoshi, is opening its first brick-and-mortar location at 1916 Central Avenue. The space was previously occupied by SaltLight Art, which is relocating next door.

The business launched less than a year ago, with Sexton and Miyoshi producing candles and floral arrangements out of their home in Tampa.

Demand quickly outgrew the residential setup, leading the pair to relocate both their home and business to St. Pete.

“We love the locals and want to bring something special to this community,” Miyoshi said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. She also credited SaltLight Art owner Mary Long with helping guide them through the process of opening the storefront.

Interior buildout is expected to begin in June, with the shop targeting an August opening.

An existing mural by local artist Michelle Sasha depicting an octopus wrapping its tentacles around the building will remain as part of the storefront’s design.

Inside, the approximately 1,000-square-foot space will feature dark hunter green walls, gold accents, refrigerators stocked with pre-arranged bouquets and single-stem florals, and shelves lined with candles.

A five-seat high-top bar overlooking the workspace will allow customers to watch the candle-making and floral design process in real time.

“At the table, we are going to offer experiences such as classes on candle making, creating room sprays, and build-your-own bouquets and wreaths,” Sexton said. “We are not your typical flower and candle shop. We are bringing an experience. We want you to be able to create something that no one else has,” Sexton added.

The shop’s candles are hand-poured using a coconut-soy wax blend designed to provide a cleaner, longer-lasting burn. The current lineup includes six scents, many inspired by Florida.

Among them is Golden Grove, a citrus-forward candle inspired by orange groves and topped with a hand-poured wax lemon slice.

Another, Coastal Dusk, blends notes of coastal air and sun-warmed wood.

The business plans to eventually expand its offerings to around 10 candle varieties, including seasonal and specialty scents.

The candles are available in both 8-ounce and 12-ounce sizes, with burn times ranging from approximately 60 to 120 hours.

On the floral side, Miyoshi said arrangements will be highly customizable and designed around seasonal availability and customer preferences.

The shop plans to source blooms from regional wholesalers, including Fletch Wholesale in Pinellas Park and Carlstedt's Wholesale Florist in Tampa, while also incorporating vintage vases into select arrangements.

Miyoshi said her interest in floral design was inspired by her mother, who worked with faux flowers.

In addition to candles and florals, Ember & Rose may also offer gift baskets, gourmet chocolates, home decor, artwork from local makers, and leather goods crafted by Sexton’s father.

The shop initially plans to operate daily from 10 a.m. to 6 or 7 p.m. Local delivery will be available for floral arrangements, and candle orders will ship nationwide.

Even after opening the storefront, Sexton and Miyoshi plan to continue participating in local markets and pop-up events throughout St. Pete, including upcoming Makers + Shakers events at St. Petersburg Distillery.

Be sure to follow Ember & Rose on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on the latest offerings and grand opening plans.

CorePower Yoga, touted as the largest yoga studio brand in the U.S., is opening its first Tampa Bay location in St. Pete.

The company, which offers a range of yoga classes and instructor certification classes, has signed a lease at 965 Central Avenue in the EDGE District.

CorePower Yoga is expected to open its new studio in 2027.

The building, originally constructed in 1926, is currently vacant and was previously occupied by Flagship Bank, which relocated to 3303 4th Street North in 2025 after four years on Central Avenue.

The 4,200-square-foot building is part of a cluster of properties recently sold to Dallas-based investment firm 90Ten.

CorePower Yoga was founded by avid outdoorsman Trevor Tice, who turned to yoga for rehabilitation after suffering a serious rock-climbing injury in Colorado. Inspired by his recovery journey, he opened the first CorePower Yoga studio in Denver in 2002.

The brand has quickly grown with private funding and a franchise model, and currently operates more than 220 studios across 23 states.

The only CorePower Yoga in Florida can be found in Miami, with two more studios opening in South Florida in the coming year.

CorePower Yoga puts a twist on the traditional yoga studio model by offering a physically intense style of power vinyasa yoga that blends fitness, strength training, and traditional yoga poses.

Classes range from beginner-level flows to hot yoga, restorative and mobility-focused sessions, yoga sculpt classes with weights, functional strength training, and cardio-focused formats.

The company offers a tiered membership model along with drop-in options. Participants can purchase single classes, class packs, or sign up for unlimited all-access memberships.

Drop-in classes typically cost around $29 to $40, depending on the market, while unlimited monthly memberships in major cities like New York can exceed $200 per month.

The company also offers an at-home membership with both on-demand and live virtual classes. While it expanded its digital offerings in 2020, online classes first launched through CorePower Yoga On Demand in 2018.

In addition, the studio offers teacher training and certification programs, including 200-hour and 300-hour Yoga Alliance-recognized courses, along with specialty trainings such as Yoga Sculpt.

Beyond classes, the brand sells yoga-related merchandise through its online shop, including apparel, mats, towels, and accessories.

Follow CorePower Yoga on Facebook and Instagram for the latest announcements and studio openings.

Plans to build a 14-story hotel on a prominent half-acre site in downtown St. Pete have been replaced with a new proposal for a 21-story luxury condominium tower.

The city’s Development Review Services Division this week administratively approved a $60 million condominium project for a 0.53-acre site at 232 and 256 2nd Street North, located across the street from the Sundial shopping center and AMC movie theater.

Proposed by Kolter Group, one of the city’s most prominent high-rise developers, the new tower will feature 62 residences, 7,600 square feet of commercial space for a private membership club, and a 133-space parking garage, more than double the 62 spaces required by code.

Kolter Group bought the property for $7.5 million in late 2021.

The site previously contained a surface parking lot and a nearly 90-year-old building that housed Fit2Run, the running specialty store that relocated to a larger storefront at 801 Central Avenue in 2024.

The Fit2Run building was demolished in March.

In April 2023, the site was approved for a 14-story, 192-room Tempo by Hilton hotel with a 127-space garage. Kolter has shifted away from those plans due to current market conditions.

An earlier 2022 proposal, a joint venture with Ally Capital Group that would have demolished the adjacent Exchange Hotel, called for a 35-story residential tower paired with a 13-story hotel. The proposal was rescinded before receiving approval.

Designed by Coral Gables-based 10 Design, the new condo tower will stand 260 feet tall, nearly 90 feet taller than the previously approved hotel.

New renderings show the building and its open space oriented toward 2nd Street North and 3rd Avenue North, with a ground-floor lobby, commercial space, and a drop-off area along 2nd Street. Several floors of screened parking sit above the ground floor.

A residential amenity deck will be located on the sixth level, with residences stacked above. Units will feature large balconies and floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views of the downtown skyline.

The 133-space parking garage will be accessed from 3rd Avenue North and the alley on the south side of the property. The project also includes 66 bicycle parking spaces: 62 long-term spots inside the building and four short-term spots along the street frontage.

The property sits within the Downtown Center-1 (DC-1) zoning district, which regulates density through floor area ratio (FAR).

FAR measures how much total building space can be constructed on a site relative to the size of the property.

The DC-1 zoning district allows projects with an FAR of up to 3.0 by right. Projects designed with an FAR between 3.0 and 7.0 can be approved through the city’s streamlined approval process, while projects exceeding 7.0 FAR require approval through a public hearing process.

Kolter’s newly proposed condo tower is designed at 7.0 FAR, utilizing 4.0 FAR in bonuses and representing an increase from the previously approved hotel’s 4.31 FAR.

These bonuses include a 1.0 FAR bonus for contributing to the city’s Housing Capital Improvements Projects (HCIP) trust fund to support workforce housing, a 0.5 FAR bonus from the purchase of transfer of development rights (TDRs) from a locally designated landmark site, and an additional 2.5 FAR through a combination of eligible bonuses such as workforce housing support, historic TDRs, LEED certification or equivalent, streetscape improvements, or added open space.

One condition that carries over from the prior approval is the preservation of the large live oak at the northeast corner of 3rd Avenue North. To protect the tree, the developers will be granted a sidewalk variance reducing the walkway width at that corner from 10 feet to 5 feet.

The formal project name and construction timeline have not been announced.

The tower would be the latest addition to Kolter Group's expanding Tampa Bay portfolio. The group has built several luxury high-rises in downtown St. Pete, including Saltaire, Art House, and One St. Petersburg, and is currently constructing One Tampa, set to become Tampa's tallest residential tower.

Kolter Group also recently purchased the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront at 333 First Street SE for $96 million. The 15-story hotel is expected to eventually be demolished to make way for another condo tower.

A popular boho-chic boutique is getting a bigger home in the Grand Central District.

SaltLight Art is relocating next door into a space more than double the size of its current shop, creating room for more apparel, accessories, jewelry, and artwork.

The boutique is moving from Suite A to Suite B at 1916 Central Avenue, expanding from its current 1,000-square-foot storefront to more than 2,000 square feet.

The new space previously housed Chillum Mushroom and Hemp Dispensary, which closed in late April.

“When they closed, we saw this as a great opportunity to hop right over into this larger space and get a larger square footage without leaving our block and our neighborhood,” said Mary Long, who co-owns SaltLight Art with her husband, William, in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.

Long said she received the keys earlier this month and expects to open the new shop by the end of May.

The space is currently undergoing renovations as she refinishes floors, updates paint, installs light fixtures, and works with a local muralist on new signage.

The expanded storefront will allow SaltLight Art to better organize and display its inventory, which includes apparel ranging from linens to denim, leather handbags, jewelry, and accessories.

The boutique also plans to introduce several new jewelry artists and carry a wider variety of handmade goods.

Long creates much of the inventory herself, including Western-style felt hats adorned with ribbons, silk, and found feathers.

She also curates a collection of Old World-inspired jewelry featuring gold-plated necklaces, bracelets, and earrings accented with freshwater pearls and charms.

Long works with numerous vendors, such as Susan Shaw, known for her triple-plated 24-karat gold and sterling silver pieces embellished with European coins, coastal motifs, and semi-precious stones.

“My jewelry is more rustic, while hers is more refined. The pieces pair perfectly and complement each other in a layered look,” Long said.

Other items carried in the shop include Bed|Stu leather handbags and shoes, LeGrande Jewelry, and Buddha Love Clothing, a bohemian-inspired apparel line created by local artist Lisa Taylor.

“We are definitely crammed into our current space,” Long said. “People miss things because there’s so much inventory stacked on top of each other.”

The move also creates room for something that had become difficult in the current storefront: displaying artwork.

Over the past several months, Long has been working on a new series of abstract paintings with coastal influences that will debut in the new location.

SaltLight Art traces its roots back to the Longs’ homeless outreach initiative, William & Mary, which Mary funded through sales of her handcrafted jewelry while William worked a full-time job.

Over time, that evolved into an art gallery in the Warehouse Arts District and later a brick-and-mortar storefront at 649 Central Avenue, where Shoreline Sugars now operates.

That location closed during the pandemic in 2020 before the business reopened in the Grand Central District in 2023.

“I feel like Grand Central is the heart and soul of this city, and where you can find these mom-and-pop stores,” Long said. “This shop is really my outlet where I get to express myself.”

SaltLight Art will maintain the same operating hours after relocating, remaining open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Be sure to follow SaltLight Art on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on the latest offerings and for a grand opening announcement.

A popular local restaurant known for its oversized breakfast platters and robot food runners is heading to the Grand Central District this summer.

Buttermilk Eatery will open at 2601 Central Avenue, taking over the former Urban Brew & BBQ space, which closed last September after 12 years in business.

The new restaurant will feature approximately 1,400 square feet of indoor space alongside an expansive 3,000-square-foot covered patio on Central Avenue.

Locally owned and privately operated, Buttermilk Eatery currently has two other locations: one in north St. Pete that opened in early 2023 and another in Pinellas Park that followed in 2024. 

“We’re excited to keep growing locally and bring Buttermilk to the Grand Central District,” said one of Buttermilk’s owners in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “This neighborhood has a lot of energy, and we think the concept fits really well here.”

Traditional table service will be offered, though customers can also order directly from their phones by scanning a QR code at the table.

Also, one of the more exciting features of the restaurant is its robot food runners, that deliver meals directly to guests.

Despite the tech-forward setup, the restaurant still places a major emphasis on warm hospitality and service.

“There’s no lack of service,” the owner explained. “The restaurant is fully staffed, but the robot assistance gives our employees more time to focus on customers and provide better attention.”

Buttermilk describes itself as “a casual breakfast & lunch restaurant focused on providing fresh ingredients daily featuring pancakes, skillets and more.”

The menu is centered around breakfast and brunch comfort food, ranging from classic egg platters and pancakes to burgers, sandwiches, and omelets.

Signature breakfast items include thick-cut French toast, house-made buttermilk pancakes, Belgian waffles, eggs Benedicts, omelets, and customizable skillets.

Popular dishes include the Buttermilk Battered Chicken & Waffle along with the Dubai Chocolate Dream Cakes.

Savory dishes lean heavily into southern-style breakfast fare. The Down South Benedict contains chicken fried steak, sausage gravy, buttermilk biscuits, poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce, while the Country Skillet combines country fried steak, peppers, onions, cheddar-jack cheese, sausage gravy, potatoes, and choice of eggs.

The restaurant also offers a large selection of omelets, including the Mediterranean omelet with spinach, olives, tomatoes, onions, and feta cheese; the Market Veggie packed with broccoli, mushrooms, peppers, spinach, tomatoes, onions, and cheddar-jack; and the Butcher Block loaded with hardwood smoked bacon, diced ham, pork sausage, and cheddar-jack cheese. 

Buttermilk also serves a variety of lunch items, including the Brunch Burger topped with a fried egg, the Avocado Bacon Burger with freshly smashed avocado and bacon, the TBLT with oven-roasted turkey and bacon on sourdough, as well as fried chicken sandwiches and a Philly cheesesteak.

Eventually, the Grand Central location is expected to introduce a light dinner menu.

The restaurant will serve Lavazza espresso drinks, along with fresh juices and brunch cocktails, like bottomless mimosas.

“We are looking forward to bringing great food, warm hospitality, and a welcoming space to the community,” said the owner. “We are excited to welcome everyone through the doors and share something special with the neighborhood.”

Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on the latest offerings and grand opening event details.

Echelon

Echelon

Echelon

Echelon

Echelon

Echelon

Echelon

Echelon

Echelon

ClearView at Echelon City Center, a new 14-story luxury apartment tower in north St. Pete, has started welcoming its first residents.

The 363-unit development is located at 101 Main Street North at the southeast corner of Carillon Parkway and Main Street, in Echelon City Center at Carillon Business Park, less than 15 minutes from both downtown St. Pete and downtown Tampa.

Developed by St. Pete-based Echelon and Tampa-based Third Lake Partners, and built by KAST Construction, ClearView is the latest mixed-use addition to Echelon City Center, a 20.5-acre master-planned development which at full build out is expected to include up to 2,300 residential units, 150,000 square feet of retail space, office space, and a hotel.

Carillon Business Park is one of the Tampa Bay area’s largest employment hubs, known for its concentration of corporate offices. Some of the largest employers include Raymond James Financial, Franklin Templeton Investments, Catalina Marketing, Transamerica, and several defense and aerospace companies such as General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and L3Harris.

ClearView, which began construction in March 2024, was designed by ARC3 Architecture and includes apartments, townhomes, 20,500 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space, and a five-level parking garage.

Apartment layouts range from one to three bedrooms, from approximately 725 to 2,263 square feet. Residents can choose from four distinct designer color schemes according to their desired floor level.

Monthly rents currently range from a base price of $2,605 to $7,585 for two story townhomes on the ground floor with private two-car garages and two additional reserved spaces in the parking garage.

Residences include large balconies, quartz countertops, floor-to-ceiling windows, built-in wine cellars, Whirlpool appliances, and keyless entry. Select units also feature exposed concrete ceilings, walk-in showers, dual vanities, and dedicated office or den space.

The development also includes a collection of three-story townhomes. 

Most townhomes measure 1,708 square feet with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, while a larger 2,263-square-foot layout adds a den.  Each includes a private two-car garage and two guest parking spaces. Townhome rents start at approximately $6,385 per month.

Community amenities include a resort-style pool deck with private cabanas, outdoor grilling areas, fire pits, a 24-hour fitness center, yoga and wellness studio, co-working lounge, private meeting rooms, clubroom, library space, golf simulator entertainment lounge, and a dog washing station. 

Residents also have access to EV charging stations, rentable bike storage, dry cleaning lockers, and an access-controlled package room with 24/7 access.

The project is within walking distance of Blu Halo steakhouse and martini bar, Publix Super Market, TopGolf, Back Bar, and The Brothers Thomas Bespoke Cafe.

Echelon City Center also includes a community park with an entertainment stage and event lawn, and a dog park a short walk away.

For more information or to schedule a tour, visit ClearView’s website.

North Redington Beach has a new, Nashville-approved honky tonk. 

Located at 16905 Gulf Boulevard on North Redington Beach, Music City Beach Bar & Bites soft opened on April 24th, and has been quietly serving customers since. 

Sports bar Red's on the Boulevard previously occupied the space, which shares a plaza with The Frog Pond, a popular breakfast spot that’s been open since1982. 

The roughly 2,000 square-foot hospitality concept functions as a bar, restaurant, and live music venue all under one roof. 

There’s a stage for live performances adjacent to the entrance, and large windows that face the waterfront. 

The space is a throwback with walls adorned with wood paneling and several TVs showing sports.

Its walls are covered with Nashville-themed artwork, framed vinyl records, guitars, music memorabilia, and beach-themed decor. 

As for food, specialty pizzas, sandwiches, hot dogs, salads, tacos, and bar snacks like nachos and pretzels are on the menu, while its full-liquor bar offers a range of beer, wine, and your standard cocktail offerings. 

But the star of Music City is its live country music—with both Nashville-based artists and local musicians performing on its stage. 

This weekend, The Hammonds Band from Nashville will perform on Friday and Saturday night from 7-11 pm.

According to its social media, the new bar and restaurant will host live music seven days a week, with karaoke afterwards. 

Music City Beach Bar & Bites is owned by Rodney Collins, and his wife, Jennifer. 

Collins, who is an accomplished country music artist himself, also operates The Kokomo Country Palace in Indiana and The Music City Bar and Grill in Nashville, a similar concept to his newly-opened spot on North Redington Beach.

He also owns The Troubadour Nashville, another venue known for its country music performances. 

Music City is now open from 2 pm to 2 am daily. 

Follow Music City Beach Bar & Bites on Facebook to stay up to date on food and drink specials and live music schedule. 

A new exhibit at The Dalí Museum is giving visitors a preview of the museum’s planned $65 million expansion in downtown St. Pete.

Now on display is a 3D model and video tour of the proposed addition, which would bring approximately 35,000 square feet of flexible gallery space designed for immersive exhibitions that blend art and technology.

Construction is expected to begin this fall on the south side of the museum between the existing building and Dali Boulevard, with the expansion anticipated to open in September 2028.

Funding for the expansion will come from a combination of private donations, corporate sponsorships, grants, and a portion of Pinellas County tourist development tax revenue, also known as hotel bed taxes.

Once completed, several existing spaces inside the museum will be reconfigured.

The current gift shop will become an orientation area featuring a larger ticket counter and a customer service desk.

The gift shop will relocate to the current Raymond James Community Room on the first floor.

Visitors ascending the museum’s iconic helical staircase to the third floor will be able to walk through the existing galleries into the expansion’s Great Hall, a large flexible venue designed to function as a digital exhibition space during the day and an event venue accommodating up to 400 people at night.

The new addition will also include an outdoor terrace overlooking the downtown waterfront.

On the first floor beneath the Great Hall, plans call for a Learning Pavilion that can host educational programming for up to 90 K-12 students or be converted into a smaller event space for lectures and other programming.

“As you move around the building, there will be moments where the building starts to dissolve and then starts to reveal itself again, giving you moments of foreshadowing, different perspectives,” Trevor Lamphier of The Beck Group said during a Thursday media preview event.

The Beck Group, which built the museum’s existing structure, is designing the expansion in consultation with Yann Weymouth, architect of the current museum building.

“This is a hard act to follow — this is a very iconic, amazing building,” Lamphier said. “Figuring out the right tone to set with the expansion is really something we spent a lot of time thinking about. We wanted the expansion to be a complement, not a clone.”

Lamphier said the design team is using many of the same materials found on the existing museum, but in different ways.

Beck Architecture, Harvard Jolly/PBK, and Yann Weymouth

Beck Architecture, Harvard Jolly/PBK, and Yann Weymouth

Beck Architecture, Harvard Jolly/PBK, and Yann Weymouth

Beck Architecture, Harvard Jolly/PBK, and Yann Weymouth

Beck Architecture, Harvard Jolly/PBK, and Yann Weymouth

Beck Architecture, Harvard Jolly/PBK, and Yann Weymouth

“With the facade we tried to build on that complementary nature and are using the same materials of the existing building, but rendered with heavy texture,” he added.

The 3D model and video tour are part of The Architecture of The Dalí exhibit, which debuted May 2nd and explores the museum’s history, evolution, and future vision.

A second exhibit, Dalí in America, opens Saturday and examines how American culture helped shape Salvador Dalí into a global icon.

“They both involve a sense of transformation of how our building has transformed with the story we are telling, and how America was transformed by Dalí,” Museum Executive Director Hank Hine said during the press conference.

“What we hope people will take away is a sense of how a building can become a mechanism of art, and that evolves over time,” Hine added. “We want it to be a place for people to get new ideas and preserve that sense of social space, which is increasingly missing in our society.”

Today, the museum houses more than 2,400 works by Dalí, making it the largest collection of the artist’s work outside of Spain.

In recent years, the museum has expanded its focus on immersive technology through additions like the Dalí Dome, a 360-degree projection experience, and AI-powered exhibits featuring a life-like digital representation of the artist.

“We are the first museum to create a virtual reality exhibition and the first to use artificial intelligence,” Hine said. “I think we are going to be a pioneer, a new hybrid for museums to be experimental laboratories.”

More information about the museum, current exhibits, and the planned expansion is available at The Dalí expansion website.

St. Petersburg’s Development Review Commission (DRC) voted Wednesday night to approve a controversial redevelopment of the Tierra Verde Marina after hours of public comment and debate over traffic, hurricane safety, environmental impacts, and compatibility with the surrounding island community.

The approval narrowly passed with a 4-3 vote. Commissioners Charles Flynt, Sam Blatt, and Sarah Jane Vatelot voted against the project. Kevin Reali, Joseph Griner, Will Conroy, and David Hugglestone voted in favor.

Along with the approval, the DRC passed two conditions of approval. Commissioners unanimously voted to require a thorough noise study and limit noise levels to 60 decibels. They also approved operating hours for the marina and pool from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.

Today, the marina features 64 wet slips, 314 high-and-dry racks within a 58,000-square-foot indoor storage complex, a 24,000-square-foot shopping center, and a gas station.

The approved proposal would demolish the existing shopping center and gas station and redevelop the seven-acre marina property at 100 Pinellas Bayway South with two additional 72-foot dry-storage rack buildings, a public restaurant and rooftop bar, retail space, marina offices, and a private pool area for marina members.

The redevelopment would also include upgraded fueling infrastructure, expanded landscaping buffers, and stormwater improvements.

The new boat storage buildings would bring the total marina capacity to 500 dry spaces.

The project would be constructed in a single phase while maintaining continuous operation of the existing boat storage and marina.

Tampa-based Greenleaf Capital, which acquired the site in 2011 for $5 million, has revised the proposal multiple times following community opposition to earlier versions that featured taller structures and greater storage capacity.

City staff recommended approval ahead of the hearing, noting that the proposal complies with applicable Pinellas County land development regulations, which still govern the annexed property.

Staff also highlighted a roughly 70% increase in stormwater retention capacity intended to reduce runoff and improve post-storm drainage.

Wednesday’s hearing drew a huge crowd, most in opposition of the project, in addition to more than 200 emails submitted to the city prior to the meeting, according to the staff report.

Concerns raised by residents included evacuation safety, hurricane vulnerability, environmental degradation, traffic congestion, and noise.

Captain Sebastian Fahn, owner of Island Ferry of St. Pete and a Tierra Verde resident, warned commissioners about evacuation concerns tied to additional boat storage.

“Florida statutes have designated Tierra Verde as a coastal high hazard area,” Fahn said during the hearing. “So any development that adds even a minute of friction to our only exit… it’s going to violate that statutory cap.”

Environmental concerns also dominated much of the testimony.

Tierra Verde resident Tammy Parker argued that increased boat capacity would place additional strain on nearby seagrass beds and estuarine habitats.

Commissioners themselves voiced mixed opinions during deliberations, with several questioning whether the project was compatible with Tierra Verde’s scale and residential character despite acknowledging the application met the governing code requirements.

“I do think it's a compatibility question,” said Commissioner Reali. “A lot of the concerns of the public are very valid, but some of them are not really in our purview and some of them, while they feel really bad to the public, I think that they're actually answered in the affirmative in the application.”

Another commissioner raised questions over the visual impact of the proposed dry-storage structures.

“You’ve got a 300-foot-long, 72-foot-tall building,” said Commissioner Flynt. “That mass is really concerning to me.”

Commissioner Hugglestone also voiced concerns about the open-air design of the dry-storage rack buildings.

“I think the one thing that's stuck with me was the concern over the openness of these towers and the comparison between the safety of those and in comparison to an enclosed structure in a storm event,” he said.

Supporters of the redevelopment argued the project modernizes an aging marina while improving infrastructure at the entrance to Tierra Verde.

One marina employee and nearby resident told commissioners he welcomed the investment.

“I am the closest house to the proposed pool I would consider it an honor to wake up every morning to see a beautiful pool out there,” he said during public comment.

The overall tone from commissioners was less enthusiastic support and more reluctant acknowledgment that the project, despite concerns over height and massing, largely complied with the governing land use regulations.

Despite receiving approval from the Development Review Commission, the approval can still be appealed.

An iconic waterfront hotel on St. Pete Beach, which has operated for more than 50 years, now has new owners.

The Beachcomber Hotel, located at 6200 Gulf Boulevard, has been purchased by South Carolina-based OTO Development for $31.5 million.

The seller, Miami-based Gencom, acquired the hotel in 2018 for $24 million.

The 102-room Beachcomber is one of the most recognizable hotels on St. Pete Beach, known for its laid-back “Old Florida” vibe and Jimmy B’s Beach Bar, a popular live music venue that has become a staple for both tourists and locals.

OTO Development, a hospitality company that develops, owns, renovates and manages hotels across the United States, has not publicly detailed its long-term plans for the property.

“This is an exciting addition to OTO’s growing portfolio in the Tampa-St. Pete market,” said CEO Rob Rain in a press release. “The Beachcomber complements our nearby properties, positioning us to meet continued demand from the millions of tourists who visit St. Pete Beach each year.” 

The recent acquisition of The Beachcomber marks the steady growth of OTO Development’s footprint in Tampa Bay. 

The company already owns the AC Hotel by Marriott in downtown St. Pete, Hampton Inn & Suites in Ybor City, DoubleTree on North Redington Beach, and the Hilton Garden Inn on St. Pete Beach, which is located next to The Beachcomber.

“We are intrigued by the potential synergy between The Beachcomber and Hilton Garden Inn,” said Rain about the two hotels, which are home to two of the busiest beachfront bars in town—Jimmy B’s Beach Bar and Coconut Charlie's Beach Bar & Grill.

The hotel offers guests direct beach access with chairs and towels provided, two heated outdoor pools, over 2,100 square feet of meeting and event space, and access to its courtyard. 

The Beachcomber closed for about a year following the back-to-back hurricanes in late 2024. Both the hotel and its adjoining beach bar reopened in October 2025 after a major restoration was complete.

The century-old Playhouse Theater and Morph Nightclub properties in St. Pete’s Grand Central District could soon be demolished for a new affordable housing tower near downtown St. Pete.

Tampa-based affordable housing developer Blue Sky Communities has the 0.61-acre site at 1850 Central Avenue and 1833 1st Avenue South under contract for $6.25 million.

The deal is expected to close in March 2027.

Plans call for a 12-story, 150-unit affordable apartment tower, called JR Tower, with 3,000 square feet of commercial space.

“Getting affordable and workforce housing in downtown St. Pete is becoming increasingly difficult so this is an opportunity that doesn’t present itself often,” Blue Sky Communities Executive Vice President and CFO Scott Macdonald said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.

“I hope it will alleviate a lot of the challenges this area is seeing for staffing businesses. Additionally, we are excited for the residents to be able to utilize the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as JR Tower will be a quarter of a mile from a BRT station,” Macdonald added.

Blue Sky Communities plans to utilize Chapter 17.5 of St. Pete’s municipal code, which allows affordable housing developments on certain commercially and industrially zoned properties in exchange for long-term affordability requirements.

The site is currently zoned Corridor Commercial Traditional (CCT-2), which allows for mixed-use developments containing restaurants, bars, retail, office space, and small-scale residential uses.

The unit mix would include 97 one-bedroom apartments and 53 two-bedroom units.

The project would target households ranging from extremely low-income residents to workforce earners, with five units reserved for households earning 22% of the Area Median Income (AMI), 28 units at 30% AMI, 73 units at 60% AMI, and 44 units at 80% AMI.

Using current Pinellas County income limits, those AMI tiers roughly translate to the following annual household incomes:

• 22% AMI: approximately $16,000 to $18,000 for a single-person household

• 30% AMI: approximately $21,900 for one person or $31,290 for a family of four

• 60% AMI: approximately $43,800 for one person or $62,580 for a family of four

• 80% AMI: approximately $58,400 for one person or $83,440 for a family of four

Blue Sky Communities will also reserve 23 units for youth aging out of foster care.

The proposed development is expected to cost approximately $53 million.

Macdonald said the project hopes to receive approximately $25 million in tax credit equity and $11.4 million in subordinate debt financing through the Florida Housing Finance Corporation in June.

The development team also expects to pursue additional funding through the City of St. Petersburg’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program.

The tower will offer resident-focused programming such as after-school activities, employment assistance, and financial management services.

If the project moves forward, it would replace the long-vacant Playhouse Theatre building, which dates back more than a century.

The theater first opened in 1925 as the open-air Patio Theatre before later being converted into an indoor theater and renamed the Playhouse Theatre in 1934.

In the 1950s, the Playhouse continued to show family-friendly films. By the late 1960s, however, the theater had become an adult venue screening pornographic films, and it later operated as a bar during the 1990s.

Through its various iterations, much of the interior of the theatre was removed or stripped of its historic value.

The building does not currently carry a historic designation.

Over the years, several developers explored potential redevelopment concepts for the property, including a food hall, music recording space, and office uses.

Dr. Graves and Dr. Laryngakis, who work for Florida Urology Partners at 830 Central Avenue, purchased the property for $2.7 million in 2021.

In March of last year, demolition and building permits were submitted to the City of St. Petersburg for a separate redevelopment proposal that ultimately never moved forward.

While the affordable apartment tower is still in the early planning stages and specific details could change, Blue Sky Communities already has a sizable footprint in St. Pete’s affordable housing sector.

The company has developed several affordable housing communities in the city totaling roughly 589 units, including the recently completed phases of Skyway Lofts on 34th Street South near 38th and 39th Avenues South.

Blue Sky also previously completed Bear Creek Commons, an 85-unit affordable senior housing community near Gulfport.

Macdonald hopes to break ground on the new tower in the third quarter of 2027, with construction expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2029.

A Tampa sandwich shop known for its New York Italian-American chicken cutlet sandwiches is making its way to St. Pete’s Grand Central District.

Cousin Vinny’s Sandwich Co., recently recommended by the Michelin Guide, is preparing to open at 2063 Central Avenue, taking over the space formerly home to Little Philly, which closed in December.

The new sandwich shop is expected to debut by the end of 2026.

The menu features a variety of chicken cutlet sandwiches, such as the best-selling Thee Parmesan Don, a chicken parmesan sandwich with house-made red sauce, mozzarella, and grated parmesan.

A smaller lineup of Italian-American deli sandwiches and wraps are also available.

For partner AJ DeSimone, the move across the Bay has been a long time coming.

“Opening a second location in St. Pete seems like the natural progression of a restaurant that starts in Tampa…but we recognize that it’s a completely different market,” DeSimone said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “We’re not trying to ‘Tampa their St. Pete,’ but we want to be a part of their community and bring a type of cuisine that might not be available to them all of the time.”

DeSimone and co-owner Russell “Cuz” Leone grew up three blocks apart in Utica, New York, part of a tight-knit Italian-American community where food was central to daily life.

It’s the kind of place where delis and pizzerias are on every corner, and chicken cutlet sandwiches are a staple.

Along with Vincent “Vinny” Andriotti and Jake Schmidt, the group set out to recreate that experience in Tampa Bay.

None of them came from traditional restaurant ownership backgrounds, but they shared a clear idea of what they wanted to serve.

“We could find these types of sandwiches everywhere in New York, but they weren’t as common in Tampa Bay,” DeSimone said. “When we started the ghost kitchen in 2023, my goal was to see if people actually wanted something like this in Tampa.”

They launched Cousin Vinny’s out of a commissary kitchen on Nebraska Avenue, operating just a few days a week with online ordering and pickup.

The concept quickly gained popularity and led to a brick-and-mortar location that opened in Tampa’s NoHo neighborhood last year.

Within months, the shop earned a recommendation from the Michelin Guide.

“Any sandwich aficionado knows it's all about the bread and the fillings, and both are top notch here,” the guide’s write-up reads.

Each cutlet is hand-breaded, pounded thin, and fried until crisp, then served hot on toasted Italian bread with a garlic spread. From there, the sandwiches branch out.

The Tony Piccante combines the cutlet with spicy vodka sauce, roasted red peppers, ricotta, and melted mozzarella.

The Capo del Schmeet adds cherry pepper mayo, capicola, provolone, arugula, onion, and Italian vinaigrette for a sharper, spicier profile.

There is also a selection of sandwiches on house-made schiacciata bread, which is known as the cousin to focaccia.

The Tuscan-style bread, baked in-house, is thinner and crispier than focaccia and serves as the base for several standout sandwiches.

The Prosciutto Di Papo layers prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, arugula, roasted red peppers, and a roasted artichoke cream spread, finished with olive oil and balsamic glaze.

The Tomei & Mozz keeps things lighter with house-made mozzarella, tomato, arugula, pesto aioli, and balsamic.

Outside of sandwiches, Cousin Vinny’s offers a chicken Caesar wrap plus sides like meatballs, Caesar salad, and chips.

Desserts include cannoli cream pudding, black and white cookies, and brown butter chocolate chip cookies.

While the food is the draw, the story behind it continues to shape the brand.

Chef Vinny Andriotti has described the concept as a reflection of his upbringing and a tribute to his late father, who believed he was happiest in the kitchen, despite earning a degree in finance.

Now, as the team prepares to expand into St. Pete, they’re taking a measured approach to growth.

DeSimone said they’ve spent time in the Grand Central District getting a feel for the neighborhood, watching how it shifts block by block and how it continues to evolve.

“It’s an exciting time to be joining the neighborhood,” DeSimone said. “I think it’s only going to keep growing from here.”

Be sure to follow Cousin Vinny’s on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on the latest offerings and a grand opening date.

A California-based franchise known for hot chicken is expanding its footprint in Pinellas County. 

Dave’s Hot Chicken is headed to 4683 Park Boulevard in Pinellas Park, taking over a former Moe’s Southwest Grill, which closed earlier this year.

According to plans submitted to the city, Dave’s Hot Chicken is currently renovating the space—constructing new partition walls, ceilings, and bathrooms, revamping the plumbing and electrical systems, and installing a new kitchen exhaust hood and self-order kiosks.

The 2,300 square-foot, fast-casual restaurant will be able to seat 61 people.

Scott Strahm of King Chicken LLC, the local franchisee of this location, tells St. Pete Rising that the new Pinellas Park storefront will be open by July.

The fast-casual chain is known for its Nashville-style chicken tenders, which can be piled high on a slider or served on top of fries or mac and cheese.

Nashville-style chicken is characterized by its spicy kick from cayenne pepper-infused oil, resulting in a deep red color.  The spice level at Dave’s ranges from “naked” and “little mild” to its “reaper” flavor, and customers typically have to sign a waiver to tackle its spiciest tenders.

The restaurant recently debuted its “hot mozz” dish, a spicy rendition of a traditional mozzarella stick. Cauliflower sliders and tenders are also available as a vegetarian alternative to chicken.

A variety of sodas, shakes, and fruit slushes are featured on its drink menu.  

Last month, the company announced that it’s opening 150 new locations in 2026 alone, marking a sizable expansion for the franchise.

The company launched in 2017 in Pasadena, California, and quickly garnered popularity, with several celebrities like Drake and Samuel L. Jackson investing in the business.  

There are over 350 locations of Dave’s Hot Chicken throughout the country, with 24 storefronts in Florida alone.

Besides its upcoming Pinellas Park location, the only other Dave’s Hot Chicken in the county can be found at 2689 Gulf to Bay Boulevard in Clearwater.

Gulf Shore Care Center, a comprehensive rehabilitation and nursing facility, is expanding its footprint in Pinellas Park.

The 120-bed center, spanning over 44,000 square feet at 6767 86th Avenue North, plans to add an adjoining 20,000-square-foot building with 77 new beds—allowing the facility to serve more residents in need of care.

As part of the expansion, at least 77 surface parking spaces would be added to the property for a total of 130 spaces.

The original center was built in 1997 with 60 beds. An addition 60 beds were added in 2007.

During a Pinellas Park City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 21st, Councilmembers unanimously approved a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) and preliminary site plan approval for an expansion of the residential care facility.

General contractor Raymond Construction would construct the new building to the east of the existing facility.

Richard Jones of Virginia-based Jones + Jones Associates Architects, speaking on behalf of the property owner, said the State of Florida has already granted a Certificate of Public Need, a state-level approval required before certain healthcare providers can build, expand, or add major services.

It was also noted that the Pinellas Park Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of the project during its April 2nd meeting.

One resident in attendance, who lives behind a concrete wall separating the care facility from the surrounding neighborhood, expressed concerns regarding the noise from garbage trucks entering the property, as well as the eyesore of trailers.

Responding to the concern, Jones explained the trailers are temporarily parked on the site, as the care center is remodeling rooms. He also said there may be an opportunity to relocate the dumpsters to the portion of the property facing commercial uses rather than residential.

A construction timeline was not provided during the meeting.

Gulf Shore Care Center provides sub-acute medical care, therapy services, and 24-hour nursing support.

Its services include physical, occupational, and speech therapy, along with specialized care such as respiratory treatment, wound care, IV therapy, and post-stroke and cardiac rehabilitation, supported by on-site diagnostics, telehealth, and visiting medical specialists.

The facility also offers a range of amenities, including private and semi-private rooms, communal dining and lounge areas, outdoor spaces, and activity programming like fitness classes, outings, and live entertainment.

Developers vying to redevelop the 86-acre Historic Gas Plant District in downtown St. Pete made their first public pitch last Thursday at the Coliseum, as the City of St. Petersburg hosted an open house featuring presentations from the four shortlisted teams: ARK Ellison Horus, The Burg Bid, Foundation Vision Partners, and the Pinellas County Housing Authority.

Each group walked through its vision for the site before taking questions from attendees, offering a more direct look at how their proposals could take shape.

Much of what was presented has already been detailed in the teams’ formal submissions, which have been covered previously.

The more revealing portion of the event came during the Q&A, where developers addressed topics ranging from affordability and economic opportunity to phasing, infrastructure, and long-term community impact.

Mayor Ken Welch is expected to select one or more teams to move forward with in June, even as the St. Petersburg City Council recently voted 6-2 to pause the process.

The entire two hour event can be seen on YouTube. The City is requesting resident’s feedback on the presentations here.

Below is the Q&A session, which has been edited for clarity and length.

Question: How much funding are you asking from the city, county, state, and other public entities for your project in both cash and non-cash investments, including land donations, infrastructure support, grants, tax abatements, etc.?

ARK Ellison Horus

We are asking for $120 million from the city to seed the infrastructure.

What that money returns back to the city is about $400 million of public infrastructure that will be retained by the city. So there is a good return on that money.

We are also talking to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), who is partnering with us to help fund the Unity Bridge over the I-175 spur.

The Burg Bid

In our proposal, we are only asking for direct infrastructure funding from the Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) that already exists.

What the infrastructure budget comes out to, we’ll determine that publicly and ask for it from the CRA. That is the only public funding we’re asking for.

Foundation Vision Partners

Our proposal is different than the others in that we are not asking for any money for ourselves or for our proposal.

What we anticipate is that the city, in the first phase, which is all the land east of Booker Creek, will invest approximately $70 million of its own money into its own land.

So there is no capital or funding given to Foundation Vision Partners. It is money the city invests in itself such that when those parcels are developed, the infrastructure is put in place, and ultimately sold, the city reaps all of the benefits of those land sales.

Pinellas County Housing Authority

When we build affordable housing, we do it with a combination of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) loans, project-based vouchers, bonds, and tax credits.

We’re asking for a ground lease for this property.

Usually there’s a local government contribution, we know that mostly as Penny for Pinellas.

We won’t know what that contribution is until we sort through all the other funding sources.

Question: How many affordable and workforce housing units has your team delivered in St. Pete and Pinellas County? Is your team guaranteeing to build affordable and workforce housing, or will there be an opt-out clause? And what percentage is affordable versus workforce housing?

Pinellas County Housing Authority

We have a mission to provide quality, affordable housing and improve the lives of residents.

We do not build anything except quality, affordable housing. So there is no opt-out. There’s just success. And everybody’s invited to the ribbon cutting.

Foundation Vision Partners

The number of units built, the set-asides, and any opt-out clauses will be determined by the people sitting in this room.

As part of the master plan, both today and in future phases, the city and the community will make those determinations.

Because as part of our plan, when the city sells parcels in the future, it can dictate and change the use case for each parcel based on community needs at that time.

The Burg Bid

My name is Shawn Wilson. I’m the president of Blue Sky Communities and we are your hometown affordable housing developer based in St. Petersburg.

We have already built several affordable housing developments in the city totaling about 589 units.

Recently, we completed two phases of Skyway Lofts on 34th Street at 38th and 39th Avenue. We have Bear Creek Commons near Gulfport.

We also have roots going back three generations to the 1960s. In 1971, my partner and his father developed Rio Vista, which is about 300 units on 4th Street and 72nd/74th Avenue.

We have more than a 50-year, three-generation commitment to affordable housing.

ARK Ellison Horus

Based on our proposal, the total number of homes that are being built is 3,701 units. Of that, 863 are affordable (30%–80% AMI), 618 are senior affordable, and 444 are workforce (80%–120% AMI). The rest, about 1,700, are market-rate.

In percentage terms, about 40% are strictly affordable, and about 52% including workforce.

All units will be built on-site, none are off-site.

Question: How does your plan ensure that local small businesses will have real access to the development, both during construction and as long-term tenants?

Foundation Vision Partners

Because the city owns the land, the procurement process goes through the CCNA process. That is one of the most inclusive processes you can find from a legislative standpoint.

It absolutely has to include small, local, minority-owned businesses.

Because the city can sell parcels as small as 0.6 acres up to 16 acres or more, it allows scalability for small businesses to participate.

There’s also less burden on bonding and insurance for smaller developers.

We also have the ability to start people working sooner and scale workforce development across all phases.

Pinellas County Housing Authority

Has anybody here tried to hire a contractor lately?

Not only are they going to be involved, we need more people to show up and work. There is not a surplus of people building right now. Everybody's struggling with contractors.

So if you're living here locally and you want to work, we've got projects going. We're accepting applications today. We'd be happy to have you.

The Burg Bid

One thing we didn't mention. Our team alone already supplies hundreds of jobs in this region.

We want multiple opportunities for micro retail, market spaces similar to the Pier.

We’re bringing in partners, and this will be one of the largest access-to-capital opportunities in Tampa Bay.

We have a community investment fund with a matching program so locals can invest.

We also have a massive first phase, that includes housing, office, retail, parking, which supports job growth from the beginning.

We’re committing $3.3 billion in Women and Minority Business Enterpris (WMBE) work, along with mentorship programs to ensure local participation.

ARK Ellison Horus

That was the premise of our team coming together—small business encouragement and minority participation.

We estimate about $7 billion in construction, with about 40% going toward small and minority businesses.

We’ve partnered with Job Corps and other workforce programs.

We’re targeting 15% of retail for small businesses, those starting with food trucks or small shops.

Question: What percentage of your development is office space, and how will you create high-paying jobs?

The Burg Bid

We have 1.4 million square feet of office space out of a total of about 11.7 million total space.

To bring high-wage jobs to this community, we include this office space in every single phase of our development.

That allows us to plan long-term for companies that want to enter this market and provide access to space to meet them where they are. When they want to be here, we will have space for them to enter.

When we talked about the high-paid jobs, the partnership of the group that you have here today, you heard a lot of large numbers. This group is dedicated to being that flywheel that is creating innovation, that is creating access to capital in a way that Tampa Bay has not seen before.

We have already brought the team that is going to support that. We already have the capital in hand. We are not asking for money. We are ready to go. We are ready to bring those jobs here.

ARK Ellison Horus

14% of our development, as originally proposed, is office.

Innovation creates jobs. In the last nine months at Spark Labs, we've brought in over 45 companies, startups, and that has translated into over 75 jobs.

So there's a direct correlation to innovation as a long-term flywheel to create high-paying jobs and strong economic value that is sustainable.

These companies are choosing to be here. They're innovating here. We're benefiting as small business owners, as residents in this community, from the benefits of these innovations.

And the companies are hiring. They're working with our local universities. These individuals are staying here.

That's the flywheel that we're actively seeing at Spark Labs and that we'll be able to magnify by an order of about 10 times in our proposal.

Foundation Vision Partners

In our proposal, we do the horizontal development. We de-risk the vertical development component for all three of the groups standing up here.

And we would fully anticipate that whether it's the collaboratorium, whether it's the innovation lab, whether it's senior housing, that once we do our work, that all of the great ideas you're hearing from the other competitors tonight would be incorporated in the development that happens.

That those ideas are really impactful and important for our community.

Like Blake, I've spent a lot of time as an entrepreneur in the city creating jobs, and it's the most meaningful thing that we do as residents of St. Pete.

So under our proposal, the job creation ideas from both Blake and the ARK plan, which are really, really good ideas, can be implemented once we finish our horizontal infrastructure work.

Question: How does your plan connect to surrounding neighborhoods? Specifically, how does your design promote healthy, active, and safe connectivity?

Pinellas County Housing Authority

We selected our site strategically. It's about to be connected to the Pinellas Trail. It's got access to downtown, got access to transportation.

It's built with our partner, Evara Healthcare, who's going to have a health clinic on site.

So we took health and connectivity and put it at the top of our list.

Downtown St. Pete of the future is not going to be the downtown we see today. As it grows, our project is going to be connected to the entire neighborhood.

And let's not discount, I think it was 40 years ago, people were asked to leave or told to leave. And our project is specifically designed to welcome them home.

Foundation Vision Partners

You're not seeing pretty pictures with massive buildings or massive public parks because you haven't been part of the process to date within our plan.

When we talk about horizontal infrastructure, it's kind of a stale word, but it basically means what is the public realm experience that we all want?

We have a very robust idea about how to do community engagement first so that we're thinking about cohesion between the existing communities today and what will come next on this site.

We expect every single group up here, you all out in the community, to be part of that future, developing together.

Because connection and cohesion is one of the most important things that we can do to create vibrant, mixed-use experiences that are flexible enough over time.

Because remember, this is a 20, 30, 40, 50-year project that we're talking about.

As your needs shift, doing the horizontal infrastructure first allows us flexibility to create the connections we know we need today and the ones we don’t yet know we’ll need in the future.

ARK Ellison Horus

Leading up to our proposal, we spent probably eight months talking about how to make sure that this community touches all of its neighbors.

So we felt it was very important to connect to the south, north, east, and west.

To the south, we connect to Campbell Park with the Unity Bridge. We're doing a Main Street program down 16th and MLK, pulling Campbell Park into the Gas Plant District.

To the north, we are connecting into the Rails and Trails program, CSX into the EDGE District and Grand Central.

To the west, we're connecting to the Warehouse Arts District and inviting them in.

And to the east, we're connecting to the Innovation District, which ARK is already part of.

So we were very intentional in making sure the Gas Plant District connects to the city. There is no backdoor.

The Burg Bid

What you saw presented here was what we proposed in October. But since then, we have been going to the community asking for input, advice, criticism, and it has transformed significantly.

In the 30 days that we were reviewing this, we really took into account our history of knowing this city.

What we started with was: what is at the heart of the project? Let’s get the public space right. Let’s get the The Woodson African American Museum of Florida in the center of the site.

Some plans have shown the Woodson outside the site. We want it at the heart.

We’re going to have the Legacy Link connecting to Methodist Town, connecting underneath the interstate to the Deuces, to Manhattan Casino, and down 16th Street.

Everything you see in our plan is funded. We want to be careful not to show things that require outside funding that isn’t secured.

We are intentional about reconnecting historic bridges and connections.

We will continue to create those connections throughout the project and beyond.

Question: How are you incorporating resiliency into your plans? Will there be resilient green infrastructure and nature-based solutions such as restoring Booker Creek? Will your energy infrastructure include solar, geothermal, or LEED-certified buildings?

ARK Ellison Horus

In our plan and in all of our projects, sustainability is a significant driver in the decisions that we make, both horizontally and vertically.

Sustainability for our project goes far beyond the environment. We'll be looking at sustainability of health and wellness. How we sustain our health for our families and children.

We’ll also be looking at economic sustainability. How we leverage education to create upward mobility and income growth.

So sustainability is very important to us, and it means more than just environmental sustainability.

The Burg Bid

Sustainability is not just a word for us, neither is resiliency. It’s a way of life. We’ve baked this into our plan.

We have an urban canopy with eight-inch oak trees to reduce heat. We have a 13-acre park along Booker Creek for stormwater management and flood mitigation. We have green roofs. We have an event center that doubles as an evacuation shelter with generator power. We’re also aligned with the city’s St. Pete Agile Resiliency (SPAR) program.

Foundation Vision Partners

Sustainability and resiliency are important, but in our proposal, they are shaped by your voice.

With our horizontal infrastructure approach, the community and city can mandate sustainability features over time.

Renderings can show green roofs and solar panels, but those often get value-engineered out.

Our approach ensures those decisions are enforced through the development process.

Pinellas County Housing Authority

Everything we build is affordable. That means everything we use, including concrete, lumber, glass, costs the same as everyone else, but we have to figure out how to do it cheaper.

So we have to reduce utility costs, which means energy efficiency and water savings.

We always build to green standards.

We design for durability. We don’t want to rebuild for 50 years.

Shipley Do-Nuts, a classic no-frills Texas donut shop known for fresh, handmade treats and kolaches, is coming to St. Pete.

The chain will open at 4946 4th Street North in a space formerly occupied by Starbucks, which closed in late 2025 as part of a nationwide initiative to shutter stores lacking drive-thrus.

Shipley’s offers more than 40 varieties of donuts alongside kolaches, a beloved Texas pastry made with fluffy, slightly sweet dough and stuffed with a variety of savory fillings.

Shipley’s donut menu centers on its classic glazed along with a wide range flavors like chocolate, strawberry, cherry, vanilla, and maple, as well as varieties paired with sprinkles, coconut, or nuts.

There are also a selection of filled donuts, with creams and fruit jellies, alongside denser cake donuts in flavors like buttermilk and blueberry.

Shipley also has donut holes, apple fritters, bear claws, and cinnamon rolls.

On the savory side, Shipley offers nine types of kolaches, including sausage, ham, eggs, cheese, and/or jalapeños.

Kolaches originated in Central Europe, particularly in the Czech Republic, where they were traditionally sweet pastries filled with fruit, cheese, or poppy seed.

They came to Texas in the mid-1800s with Czech immigrants who settled in Central Texas and brought their baking traditions with them, eventually becoming a staple across the state.

Shipley also serves a lineup of coffee-based drinks, including hot brewed coffee, cold brew, and iced or blended espresso beverages like lattes and frappes. Matcha and chai lattes are also available.

An opening date has not been announced for the new St. Pete location, which will join neighboring businesses H&R Block, Pride Wax & Med Spa, and Nail Zone and Spa.

Shipley Do-Nuts stores are typically open daily from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The upcoming location will be Shipley’s first St. Pete storefront and second in the Tampa Bay area. Last year, the doughnut franchise opened an outpost on Ulmerton Road in Clearwater.

The new store will join the nearly 400 company-owned and franchised shops located across 13 states.

Follow Shipley Do-Nuts on Facebook and Instagram for the latest announcements and offerings.

A new sports bar and neighborhood pub quietly opened its doors in south St. Pete last week. 

Jackson’s, a new 3,840 square-feet restaurant, recently made its debut at 1700 34th Street South, just south of Gibbs High School and across from the newly opened Yo-Mama Fried Chicken.

It’s the newest eatery from local restaurateur Dan Soronen, who has owned and operated restaurants in St. Pete since 2005.

He says that Jackson’s offers affordable, quality food in a casual environment. 

“I live in South St. Petersburg, and there’s always talk about the area being a food desert for shopping centers and grocery stores. But on top of that, we really don't really have a lot of quality restaurants in the area,” Soronen tells St. Pete Rising. “So we wanted to open a chef-driven sports bar for everyone that lives here.” 

With a full-liquor bar and a sizable dining room that seats over 100 people, he hopes Jackson’s will fill the need for a locally owned, family-friendly sports bar in the area, noting that new residents in the booming Skyway Marina District need a go-to neighborhood spot. 

The restaurant’s name pays homage to his fiance’s family, and its culinary program is inspired by her hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 

With Chef Sean Ford, formerly of Little Philly and Tryst, helming the kitchen, Jackson’s serves a mix of Creole-inspired flatbreads, sandwiches, shareable starters, and entrées.

A few of its dishes include popcorn crawfish served with Creole mustard, boudin sausage, baked oysters, chicken and andouille gumbo, jumbo lump crab cakes, and blackened shrimp po’boys.

For larger-format entrees, Jackson’s offers three types of jambalaya, blackened shrimp, scallops or chicken over dirty rice, jalapeno-honey baked salmon, and braised bourbon short ribs.

Two types of pasta, a jambalaya-inspired fettuccine and blackened chicken and shrimp alfredo, are also on the menu. 

Its bar offers an array of beer, wine, and craft cocktails, like the saffron spritz made with L'Excuse Herbal Liqueur, elderflower, and prosecco, in addition to old school New Orleans cocktails like the Vieux Carré and Sazerac. 

Soronen describes the restaurant as having soft lighting with warm, wood accents and a comfortable, lounge-like atmosphere. There are 16 televisions throughout the space that will play professional sports games year-round. 

“Jackson’s is your quintessential neighborhood hangout. It’s for the foodies and everyone else who likes a quality meal and great drinks,” he says.  “We’re also trying to keep it as affordable as possible. I want our customers to be locals; I don't necessarily see it as a tourist destination.” 

While Jackson’s is his latest hospitality venture, Soronen has been associated with several other restaurants in St. Pete over the years, including the Old Northeast Tavern, Shackleton’s Folly, Brewburgers Taphouse, Old Key West Grill, and the Catalyst on the Deuces, which closed earlier this year and was replaced by Jay Que’s. 

Other partners associated with Jackson’s are local restaurateurs Bill Christie and Adam Schwerin, who operate Grumpy Gringo and Dockside Dave’s on Madeira Beach. 

During its soft opening, Jackson’s will open from 4pm to 10pm daily, with hopes to introduce brunch service in time for Mother’s Day on May 10th.

Head to Jackson’s Facebook page to stay up to date on the latest offerings.

St. Petersburg Distillery is expanding into the evening hours with a new speakeasy inside its Warehouse Arts District campus.

Tucked inside the distillery’s industrial warehouse at 800 31st Street South, a secluded second-floor space has been reworked into an intimate, 45-seat speakeasy that opens today at 6 p.m.

“This is when people want to come together and socialize, from six o’clock to midnight,” CEO Evan Brownstein said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.

The space, called 31 South, sits above the distillery’s production floor, where guests typically end their tours.

What was once a simple tasting area has been redesigned into a swanky lounge with dim mood lighting, vintage furnishings, a mix of gold and green accents, and jazz music playing overhead.

“The tours are all about educating our guests. We want this space to be where they can socialize and relax,” Brownstein said. “It’ll be a hidden gem within a hidden gem.”

The redesign was led by marketing coordinator Meridian Joy-Piper and VP of Operations Kiley Judge, who sourced much of the furniture and decor locally and incorporated historic photos throughout the space.

The cocktail menu combines both classic and more contemporary flavors built around the distillery’s house-made spirits.

The menu offers nine cocktails, such as a matcha latte martini, an elderflower lemon drop, and a coconut daiquiri.

Tippler’s Espresso Martini combines Banyan Reserve vodka with locally roasted coffee, house-made spiced vanilla syrup, and a Tippler’s orange cold foam, finished with cocoa and a dark chocolate truffle.

The Maple Old Fashioned takes a more traditional route, using Old St. Pete Sunshine Whiskey with real maple syrup and house-made bitters.

Guests can also opt for four- or six-flight tastings of the distillery’s whiskey, vodka, gin, and rum.

As for food, the distillery is working with chef Johnathan Rodriguez, formerly of Tampa’s Sal Y Mar, to develop a menu of small plates to complement the cocktail program.

The speakeasy will operate Thursday through Saturday evenings, while daytime tours and tastings will continue as usual.

Beyond the speakeasy, the distillery is continuing to reimagine its 28-acre campus.

Plans are underway to reorganize production and canning line operations to make room for a 350-person event space, set to host both private and public events when it opens later this year.

The broader vision is to create a neighborhood where artists, makers, and entrepreneurs can gather, with regular programming like the monthly Makers + Shakers Market helping activate the site.

The distillery is also preparing to roll out several new products this year, including an expansion of its Tippler’s line due to the success of its Tippler's Orange Liqueur, a 52-proof craft liqueur that uses real Florida Temple oranges.

The new Tippler’s flavors will include strawberry, grapefruit, and passionfruit.

The company is also developing two new whiskey lines, including a higher-end Muralist Series featuring limited releases in partnership with local artists.

Be sure to follow St. Petersburg Distillery on Facebook and Instagram for updates on new offerings, events, and more.