April 24, 2024

St. Pete Beach approves $500 million expansion of TradeWinds Island Resorts

April 24, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

After St. Pete Beach commissioners delayed voting on TradeWinds' proposed expansion plans last week, the owners have finally won their approval.

Following hours of debate that started Tuesday evening and bled into Wednesday morning, in a 3-2 vote, the commissioners narrowly approved a development agreement and conditional use permit (CUP).

The approval comes with a list of conditions for the redevelopment of the 25-acre beachfront resort at 5500 Gulf Boulevard on St. Pete Beach.

Commissioners Karen Marriott, Nick Filtz, and Richard Lorenzen voted in favor of the expansion plans. Mayor Adrian Petrila and Betty Rzewnicki cast the opposing votes.

April 24, 2024

Popular Orlando restaurant Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine to open in St. Pete’s EDGE District

April 24, 2024/ Brian Zucker

An authentic Turkish restaurant serving chargrilled chicken kebap, fresh babaganoush, and slow-braised lamb shank is coming to Central Avenue this winter.

Bosphorous, which refers to the body of water that lies in the center of Istanbul and connects Europe to Asia, will take over a portion of the ground floor of the former Furnish Me Vintage building across the street from Hawkers Asian Street Food.

The building, located at 1246 Central Avenue, is part of a larger mixed-use development known as the EDGE Collective being brought to life by Miami-based PTM Partners and DoveHill Capital Management. Anchoring the project is a 163-key Moxy Hotel by Marriott, which is slated to open in June.

April 24, 2024

Construction begins on 60-unit affordable housing project in south St. Pete

April 24, 2024/ Anthony Close

Construction has begun on the Bayou Court Apartments, a new affordable housing development in south St. Pete.

Situated near the southeast corner of Lake Maggiore at 4201 6th Street South, this new three-story affordable housing community is poised to address the housing needs of low- and moderate-income households in south St. Pete.

Gravel Road Partners, a Washington D.C.-based workforce and affordable housing developer, acquired the two-acre property in 2022 for $1.7 million.

April 23, 2024

Texas iced tea franchise HTeaO brews plans for first drive-thru in Pinellas County

April 23, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

Iced teas with bold fruity flavors from Sweet Georgia Peach to Mango Tango will be served at HTeaO's new planned Largo store.

Texas-founded franchise HTeaO, an indoor and drive-thru iced tea restaurant chain, plans to expand its Florida footprint with a new storefront at 3460 East Bay Drive.

HTeaO has over 100 drive-thru stores throughout the U.S., offering 26 flavors of unsweetened and sweetened tea, as well as iced coffees and chai lattes, which are available for purchase by the gallon.

April 23, 2024

304-unit apartment development filed under Florida's Live Local Act proposed for 22nd Avenue North in St. Pete

April 23, 2024/ Anthony Close

The City of St. Petersburg has received its first development application filed under Florida’s Live Local Act. The proposed development is located at 3100 22nd Avenue North and currently consists of a retail plaza that houses JB Factory Flooring and Studio Physique, a fitness studio.

The 7.27-acre site is owned by ZSPR PROPCO of Tampa, LLC and is under contract for purchase and development by Houston-based The Hanover Company, a private real estate developer.

A purchase price was not disclosed.

The proposed Hanover development will include 304 apartments which consist of 196 one-bedroom apartments and 108 two-bedroom apartments. All the units will rent to households earning at or below 120% of the area median income (AMI).