Tampa Bay Rays stadium deal appears dead, city delays vote to fund Trop repairs

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Tampa Bay Rays stadium deal appears dead, city delays vote to fund Trop repairs

A plan years in the making to build a modern $1.3 billion ballpark for the Tampa Bay Rays in the heart of downtown St. Pete may be completely dead.

On Thursday, St. Petersburg City Council voted to delay a vote that would approve two bonds totaling $287.5 million in tax-exempt funding for the new stadium, following suit with the Pinellas County Commission which voted to delay their bond funding for a second time earlier this week.

The county commissioners and city councilmembers were hesitant to grant the bond resolution due to the Rays’ lack of communication.

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St. Pete’s largest shopping event Shopapalooza is back this Thanksgiving weekend

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St. Pete’s largest shopping event Shopapalooza is back this Thanksgiving weekend

The holiday season is upon us and it wouldn’t be complete without Shopapalooza! Now in its 14th year, St. Pete’s largest outdoor annual shopping event will take place at Vinoy Park on downtown St. Pete’s sparkling waterfront this Thanksgiving weekend – Saturday November 30th and Sunday December 1st from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

With over 350 local makers and small businesses, Shopapalooza is the perfect place to get your holiday shopping done and out of the way.

Best of all, admission is free! So, bring the entire family, including your pets and kids, for a weekend full of shopping, music, entertainment, and fun.

​Shopapalooza Festival is a production of LocalShops1 and co-sponsored by the City of St. Petersburg. This year's nonprofit partners are St. Pete Youth Farm and Jump for Kids.

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Miramar Beach Resort expansion, rooftop restaurant approved in St. Pete Beach

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Miramar Beach Resort expansion, rooftop restaurant approved in St. Pete Beach

A new 30-unit hotel tower is expected to rise at the Miramar Beach Resort, transforming the property along St. Pete Beach’s shoreline.

During a Tuesday St. Pete Beach planning board meeting, the members unanimously voted to support a conditional use approval (CUP) for the redevelopment and expansion of the resort at 4200 Gulf Boulevard.

The existing two-story, two-building resort, which has been a staple since 1953, would demolish 10 of the existing hotel units in favor of a new 76-foot hotel building at the rear of the site just behind the towering sand dunes.

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Developer behind 46-story 400 Central condo tower to redevelop Mirror Lake property into residential tower

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Developer behind 46-story 400 Central condo tower to redevelop Mirror Lake property into residential tower

After St. Pete Rising announced earlier this week that a prime redevelopment site on Mirror Lake was under contract, the developer behind Florida’s tallest residential tower revealed themselves to be the undisclosed buyer.

New York-based Red Apple Group is reportedly set to purchase the property for $13.2 million by the end of the year.

“As Mr. Catsimatidis alluded to recently, we are under contract to acquire this exciting piece of land near beautiful Mirror Lake in the heart of the Sunshine City’s downtown,” Kevin King, director of Florida operations for Red Apple, said in a statement to St. Pete Rising.

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A missed opportunity: St. Pete commission denies bid to convert historic church to event venue

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A missed opportunity: St. Pete commission denies bid to convert historic church to event venue

Bricks stacked inside the Euclid Methodist Church are crumbling and gaping holes puncture the ceilings, welcoming black mold throughout the walls in the historic church that one local couple is desperate to save and convert into an event venue with a bed & breakfast operation.

“We are entrepreneurs - you see the disrepair and work needed, but we see how this building can be a beautiful destination and serve the community in a new way,” owners Noam and Irene Krasniansky said to St. Pete Rising during a tour of the 100-year-old church at 919 10th Avenue North.

The fenced-off property, which was added to the St. Petersburg Register of Historic Places in 2004, borders the edge of the Euclid-St. Paul neighborhood where commercial businesses dot Dr. MLK Jr. Street and craftsman-style residences line 10th Street North.

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