Keiser University's Pinellas County campus could become a 355-unit apartment community

/
Keiser University's Pinellas County campus could become a 355-unit apartment community

Keiser University's Clearwater campus could be redeveloped into an apartment community under a proposal currently being reviewed by the City of Largo.

North Carolina-based Aventon Companies has submitted a preliminary site plan application to the city to redevelop the approximately 12-acre property at 16120 U.S. Highway 19 North into a 355-unit apartment community.

The property, which is under contract with Aventon, is owned by Clearwater-based Crown Pointe on 19 LLC, an entity controlled by Colliers Executive Vice President John Gerlach.

Whether the project ultimately moves forward, however, remains uncertain due to ongoing litigation between the university and its landlord.

According to a lawsuit filed June 10th in Pinellas County Circuit Court, Keiser alleges Crown Pointe improperly terminated its lease in an effort to facilitate the sale or redevelopment of the property. The university is seeking to preserve its lease rights while the case proceeds.

Read More

State awards St. Pete $2 million for Shore Acres stormwater improvements

/
State awards St. Pete $2 million for Shore Acres stormwater improvements

Shore Acres will receive a new stormwater pump station and upgraded drainage infrastructure after the City of St. Petersburg secured a $2 million state appropriation for flood mitigation projects in one of the city's most flood-prone neighborhoods.

The funding, included in Florida's Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget, will support the Shore Acres Denver Street Storm Damage Improvements project.

Sponsored by Senator Nick DiCeglie and Representative Lindsay Cross, the project will improve the capacity of the stormwater system to move water through the area along Denver Street NE between North Dakota Avenue NE and Pennsylvania Avenue NE.

The work includes upsizing portions of the stormwater system and installing a new pump station to reduce surface flooding and improve drainage during major storm events.

The total project is estimated to cost $5.8 million. The state appropriation will cover $2 million, with the remaining $3.8 million funded through local sources. Construction is expected to be completed by Oct. 30, 2028.

City officials said the state appropriation will accelerate the project under the city's St. Pete Agile Resilience (SPAR) initiative, allowing construction to begin earlier than originally planned.

DiCeglie said the funding was prompted by the repeated flooding and storm damage Shore Acres experienced during Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Read More

Community-centered Café Ora to open this fall at Looking Glass Initiative in south St. Pete

/
Community-centered Café Ora to open this fall at Looking Glass Initiative in south St. Pete

A community-centered café will open this fall in South St. Pete as one of the first businesses inside the Looking Glass Initiative, a two-block adaptive reuse project along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street South.

Located at 908 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street South, Café Ora will serve espresso drinks made with locally roasted beans from St. Pete-based Look Alive Coffee, breakfast sandwiches and pastries by day, and beer, wine, and neighborhood programming later in the week.

The café is designed to serve as a gathering place for residents, nonprofits, and local organizations.

“It’s a love letter to Campbell Park, Bartlett Park, 13th Street Heights, and Historic Roser Park,” Café Ora founder Meiko Seymour said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “To everybody right here in this vicinity, we intend to be your neighborhood spot. This project has to be owned by the community, by those that live in these neighborhoods.”

Café Ora is envisioned as a "third space", a place outside of home and work where neighbors can gather and connect.

Read More

Six-story Marriott hotel approved for John’s Pass Village on Madeira Beach

/
Six-story Marriott hotel approved for John’s Pass Village on Madeira Beach

Madeira Beach commissioners unanimously approved plans Wednesday for a six-story, 87-room Marriott Tribute Portfolio hotel in the heart of John’s Pass Village.

The 4-0 vote approved the project's development agreement, rezoning request, and associated right-of-way vacation. Commissioner David Tagliarini was absent.

The $150 million project, led by local developer Bill Karns in partnership with Caddy's owner Marcus Winters, will transform a 1.5-acre surface parking lot at the southeastern corner of 129th Avenue East and Pelican Lane into an 87-room boutique hotel with restaurants, retail space, a rooftop pool, a public park, and a parking garage.

The hotel will operate under Marriott's Tribute Portfolio, a collection of independent boutique hotels, and will function as a condo-hotel, allowing individual buyers place their units into a rental program when not using them.

Designed by Tim Clemmons of Place Architecture, the building draws inspiration from the traditional fishing village character of John's Pass, incorporating colorful exterior siding, metal roofs, shutters, and architectural details intended to complement the surrounding waterfront storefronts and restaurants.

Read More

Rumba Island Bar & Grill abruptly closes St. Pete location

/
Rumba Island Bar & Grill abruptly closes St. Pete location

Rumba Island Bar & Grill has abruptly closed its St. Pete location at 6445 4th Street North, leaving employees and customers with little explanation.

Employees tell St. Pete Rising they arrived for work earlier this week expecting a normal shift, only to find the restaurant locked and learn that it had permanently closed.

An employee at the restaurant's Clearwater location also confirmed the St. Pete location's closure.

The outdoor dining patio furniture has been removed, chairs are stacked inside the restaurant, and there is no notice explaining the closure at the 5,300-square-foot building.

Rumba Island Bar & Grill, which also operates a location in Clearwater, is owned by Indian Shores-based Baystar Restaurant Group.

Baystar Restaurant Group, led by restaurateur Frank Chivas, has operated restaurants in Pinellas County for more than two decades, including Salt Rock Grill and Island Way Grill.

Read More

One of the world's largest Beatles collections opens next month in downtown St. Pete

/
One of the world's largest Beatles collections opens next month in downtown St. Pete

The Penny Lane Beatles Museum, containing one of the world's largest permanent Beatles collections, will debut in downtown St. Pete on August 5th.

The new 2,100-square-foot museum will be located at 146 2nd Street North on the ground floor of the Palais Royale office building.

The nonprofit museum announced its move to St. Pete last year and closed its Dunedin location in June.

The new St. Pete space is four times the size of the museum's former Dunedin location, allowing the organization to significantly expand both its exhibits and programming.

Visitors entering the new museum will be greeted by a reception area, gift shop, and a small stage featuring Ringo Starr's drum kit.

Read More

Lucky Cup Coffee to open second St. Pete location at The Factory after whirlwind first year

/
Lucky Cup Coffee to open second St. Pete location at The Factory after whirlwind first year

When longtime friends April Lupkey and Lauren Kirk quietly opened Lucky Cup Coffee Co. inside the Galaxy Hotel in downtown St. Pete last summer, most of their customers were hotel guests.

Some days, they made just two drinks.

Then a friend ordered a matcha latte that wasn't even on the menu and shared it on social media.

The post took off, and the tiny hotel lobby café quickly became one of St. Pete's fastest-growing coffee shops.

A year later, the pair is preparing for its biggest step yet.

Today, Lucky Cup announced it’ll open a second location at 2606 Fairfield Avenue South inside The Factory, a massive creative campus in the Warehouse Arts District that is home to local businesses like FloridaRAMA, Daddy Kool Records, and St. Pete Athletic.

Read More

Beauty bar, café, and local makers market BB House opens in Seminole

/
Beauty bar, café, and local makers market BB House opens in Seminole

Residents can now grab a specialty coffee, browse locally made goods, and book a beauty appointment all under one roof in Seminole.

BB House, which celebrated its grand opening last month at 6080 Seminole Boulevard, combines a beauty bar, specialty café, and local vendor market into a single concept.

Mariah Miller and Karina Corrales, who both have backgrounds in the beauty industry, founded BB House to be an inclusive, family-friendly space.

They signed the lease for two connected storefronts in the Seminole plaza last summer.

One houses the café, lounge, and vendor market, while the other is home to private beautician studios.

Corrales operates the café through her coffee cart, Milk Madre, while Miller provides eyelash and eyebrow services through her business, Shape Space.

Read More

Hidden beneath Central Park, 22-seat cocktail parlor The Winfield opens in downtown St. Pete

/
Hidden beneath Central Park, 22-seat cocktail parlor The Winfield opens in downtown St. Pete

The Winfield, a 22-seat cocktail parlor hidden beneath downtown St. Pete's sprawling Central Park food hall, opens today.

While Central Park occupies nearly 27,700 square feet over five stories at 551 Central Avenue, its newest concept seats just 22 guests, offering an intimate experience unlike the bustling food hall above.

Director of Operations Robert Castellon describes both the menu and ambiance as “an homage to old Florida,” with dark-toned wood, floral wallpaper, and colorful accents.

The approximately 1,000-square-foot cocktail parlor pairs lesser-known spirits with Asian and Latin ingredients while incorporating modern mixology techniques like forced carbonation and clarification.

Beverage Director Silvia Fridegotto said bartenders have historically played an important role in introducing the public to emerging spirits, and The Winfield hopes to continue that tradition by helping guests discover unfamiliar bottles in an approachable setting.

Read More

St. Petersburg Catholic High School charts $64 million campus expansion

/
St. Petersburg Catholic High School charts $64 million campus expansion

St. Petersburg Catholic High School is preparing for the largest campus expansion in its nearly 70-year history.

On Wednesday, the St. Petersburg Development Review Commission approved a long-term master plan that will add new academic, athletic, and administrative buildings while modernizing existing facilities and campus infrastructure.

Over the past several years, enrollment has grown from approximately 285 students to about 550 as the school expanded its academic offerings.

To support those needs and address aging infrastructure, the college preparatory school at 6363 9th Avenue North is planning a multi-phase, $64 million campus expansion and modernization.

Wednesday’s approval allows St. Petersburg Catholic to construct 163,133 square feet of new academic, athletic, and administrative facilities, along with additional athletic fields, across 11 phases.

Read More