February 27, 2026

Empath Health site in Largo sells for $19 million, 376-unit apartment community planned

February 27, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

The largest multifamily housing owner, manager, and developer in the U.S. has acquired a 21.8-acre property in Largo, where it will build a new apartment community.

Greystar Real Estate Partners purchased the property at 5771 Roosevelt Boulevard for $19.25 million from Empath Health, according to a deed recorded on Thursday with the Pinellas County Clerk’s office.

The development group also took out a $68 million construction loan from CIBC Bank USA.

For Empath Health, the sale is one step in a broader plan to modernize operations and better align physical spaces with current workforce needs and community care.

“This is not a downsizing,” said Jonathan Fleece, President and CEO of Empath Health in a statement lsat year. “It’s a right-sizing. The sale enables us to invest more meaningfully in our colleagues and the systems that support compassionate care, while staying firmly planted in the communities we serve.”

Empath will shift administrative functions currently based at Roosevelt to other support sites in Palm Harbor and St. Pete. There will be no disruption to patients or family services.

February 27, 2026

$26 million Sprowls Horizon Sports Park now open in Pinellas Park

February 27, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

It’s time to lace up the cleats and play ball.

The long-anticipated Sprowls Horizon Sports Park will officially open this weekend, bringing a new premier youth sports campus to Pinellas Park.

The park is named after former Speaker of the Florida House Chris Sprowls for helping secure state funding and advance the vision for the sports park.

Spanning 40 acres at 4015 62nd Avenue North, just off U.S. Highway 19 and Interstate 275, the new complex replaces the former youth center with a state-of-the-art destination designed to accommodate tournaments, competitions, and community events.

The $26.5 million campus features six baseball and softball fields modeled after Florida Major League Baseball spring training venues, a turf soccer field, a central plaza with a new concession stand, a playground, and a rebuilt outdoor hockey rink.

February 26, 2026

$13.2 million penthouse under contract at proposed Roche Bobois Tower could shatter Tampa Bay condo record

February 26, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

A penthouse in a planned 29-story luxury tower in downtown St. Pete is under contract — and if it closes, it would shatter Tampa Bay’s condominium pre-sale record.

The residence sits atop the proposed Roche Bobois St. Pete Tower, a $200 million, 164-unit development from Valor Real Estate Development in partnership with French luxury furniture brand Roche Bobois.

The 4,840-square-foot penthouse is under contract for $13.2 million — or $2,727 per square foot.

If the deal closes, it would easily surpass the current Tampa Bay pre-sale record: a $4.94 million contract at The Nolen, which equated to $1,494 per square foot and remains the region’s highest-priced new construction condo sale to date.

In July, an 11,000-square-foot penthouse at proposed 50-story Waldorf Astoria Residences St. Petersburg went under contract for $27 million, or $2,454 per square foot.

February 26, 2026

11 affordable townhomes completed as Habitat for Humanity wraps up The Grove in South St. Pete

February 26, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

Earlier this month, Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside celebrated the completion of The Grove, an 11-unit affordable townhome community at 1805 18th Avenue South in south St. Pete.

The project, located three blocks east of Tangerine Plaza, was made possible after the City of St. Petersburg donated the property to Habitat in 2024.

“The Grove will be a community where children play safely, families thrive, and neighbors genuinely support one another,” said Mike Sutton, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside, as he handed keys to seven new homeowners during the dedication ceremony.

The new homeowners include a Pinellas County Schools educator, a James B. Sanderlin Neighborhood Family Center specialist and ordained minister, a Cannes Community Health employee, a JPMorgan Chase HR specialist, a Miller Electric apprentice electrician, and two Avera Health professionals.

The remaining families are expected to receive their keys in the coming months.

St. Petersburg City Councilmember Corey Givens Jr., who grew up near the site, spoke about the transformation he has witnessed firsthand.

February 25, 2026

Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine opens in the EDGE District of downtown St. Pete

February 25, 2026/ Kyla Fields

One of Central Florida’s most well-known Turkish restaurants has officially arrived in downtown St. Pete.

Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine is now open at 1246 Central Avenue on the ground floor of EDGE Collective, bringing Anatolian flavors and an Istanbul-inspired vibe to the EDGE District.

Dinner service is currently offered from 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4 to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with the lunch hours to be added in the future.

The 5,200 square foot restaurant takes over the space formerly home to Furnish Me Vintage, a longtime furniture and home decor shop that closed in 2019.

On the south side of the building, Amorino Gelato has plans to debut in March or April.

February 25, 2026

Four Seasons could be coming to downtown St. Pete

February 25, 2026/ Brian Zucker

First came the announcement of Roche Bobois-branded residences. Then the Waldorf Astoria Residences. Could Four Seasons be next for downtown St. Pete?

According to sources familiar with the discussions, a development group has begun evaluating potential sites in downtown St. Pete for a possible Four Seasons-branded project.

Importantly, Four Seasons itself is not out scouting land. Rather, a developer is studying sites and conducting preliminary feasibility work for a potential project affiliated with the global luxury hospitality company.

The effort remains highly exploratory. No site is under contract. No formal plans have been filed with the City of St. Petersburg. Key details including height, unit count, design, and pricing have not been determined.

Sources say the developer’s early focus has centered on sites near Beach Drive, particularly those with strong water views, and that the developer recently submitted offers to purchase every unit in a Beach Drive condo tower as part of a potential redevelopment strategy.

February 24, 2026

Hilton Bayfront in downtown St. Pete to be sold to prominent developer for $96 million

February 24, 2026/ Anthony Close

In a deal that could reshape downtown St. Petersburg’s skyline in the years ahead, Delray Beach-based Kolter Group is under contract to purchase the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront on the downtown waterfront.

The 15-story hotel, which offers sweeping views of Tampa Bay, is expected to remain open for now. Long term, however, the three-acre site carries significant redevelopment potential.

Located at 333 1st Street South, the property sits across from Al Lang Stadium, The Dalí Museum, and the Mahaffey Theater, and just steps from Central Avenue and Beach Drive.

The hotel was originally built in 1972 and renovated in 2014. It includes 333 guest rooms, 33 meeting rooms, and approximately 47,710 square feet of event space.

According to a February 20th, 2026 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the owners of the Hilton Bayfront, Ashford Hospitality Trust subsidiaries St. Petersburg Florida Hotel Limited Partnership and Ashford TRS Lessee II LLC, entered into a purchase and sale agreement on December 12th, 2025 to sell the property to Kolter Group Acquisitions LLC for $96 million.

February 23, 2026

St. Pete plans to close sidewalk gaps and connect neighborhoods with new master plan

February 23, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

Have you noticed how some sidewalks in St. Pete abruptly end while others are missing altogether? The City of St. Petersburg is looking to change that.

St. Pete is developing a Sidewalk Master Plan to evaluate the city’s existing sidewalk and curb ramp network within the public right-of-way.

The process will involve identifying gaps through a GIS-based inventory system and improving accessibility for residents with disabilities.

“For years, we’ve been building sidewalks on the sides of arterial roads, and that’s essentially complete,” Evan Mory, the city’s Transportation and Parking Management Director, said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “If there are gaps in those areas, it’s usually due to right-of-way issues or other factors that don’t make it feasible.”

The city is now shifting its focus toward expanding sidewalk connectivity in other parts of St. Pete and enhancing overall mobility.

February 23, 2026

Hot Spot Diner takes over former First Watch space in West St. Pete

February 23, 2026/ Kyla Fields

A new family-owned diner has opened in west St. Pete, bringing traditional breakfast and lunch fare to the former First Watch space on Tyrone Boulevard.

Hot Spot Diner quietly debuted earlier this month at 4045 Tyrone Boulevard and is now open daily from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Owner John Hazakis, a longtime diner operator based out of the Northeast, took over the space at the end of 2025.

He says he has opened eight diners over the last 40 years and recently relocated to St. Pete to be closer to family.

There is a large concentration of diners in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, which is typically referred to as “the diner capital of the country.”

These small, family-operated restaurants are known for their straightforward American food and affordable price points, two qualities that Hazakis is bringing to his newest diner in St. Pete.

February 20, 2026

Downtown St. Pete’s Albert Whitted Airport could see future air taxi service

February 20, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

Would you trade bridge traffic for a 10-minute flight across Tampa Bay?

That scenario may not be as far off as it sounds. Companies around the world are racing to launch electric “air taxis,” and St. Pete could eventually be part of that conversation.

More than a century after the world’s first commercial airline flight lifted off from the downtown waterfront, city leaders are exploring how the next evolution of aviation could take shape at Albert Whitted Airport in downtown St. Pete.

After nine months of meetings, the City of St. Pete’s Advanced Air Mobility Task Force released its final recommendations on how the city can prepare for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), which is the use of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft known as eVTOLs, or “air taxis”.

Think of it as Uber or Lyft, but in the air.

Unlike traditional helicopters, eVTOLs are battery-powered, quieter, and designed for lower operating costs.

According to the task force report, most leading AAM aircraft under development will carry between two and six passengers, fly between 60 and 200 miles, and operate at altitudes between 500 and 3,000 feet.

The first eVTOL aircraft are expected to receive FAA certification within the next one to two years.