Strengthening infrastructure, accelerating hurricane recovery, expanding affordable housing, and advancing the long-awaited redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant District were among the major themes of Mayor Ken Welch’s 2026 State of the City address.

“Storms do not define St. Petersburg. How we recover defines who we are,” Welch said Wednesday at The Palladium in downtown St. Pete, describing 2025 as a year of recovery following Hurricanes Helene and Milton and 2026 as a year focused on resilience, equity, and forward progress.

Welch framed the city’s work around his Five Pillars for Progress: Housing Opportunities for All; Neighborhood Health & Safety; Environment, Infrastructure & Resilience; Equitable Development, The Arts & Business Opportunities; and Education & Youth Opportunities.

A new affordable housing community in Largo will bring 144 apartments to a vacant 4.9-acre site, providing much-needed homes for lower-income residents.

Last Tuesday, California-based Lincoln Avenue Communities joined City of Largo officials to celebrate the groundbreaking of Olea on 126.

The $54.6 million project, located at 6727 126th Avenue North, will feature two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments across three four-story, garden-style buildings.

Of the 144 apartments, 35 will be reserved for households earning up to 40% of the Area Median Income (AMI), 72 units for households earning up to 60% of AMI, and 38 units for households earning up to 80% of AMI.

Residents will have access to a clubhouse, outdoor pool, playground, and 174 parking spaces.

For nearly 35 years, the James B. Sanderlin Neighborhood Family Center has supported families in south St. Pete with pre-kindergarten, after-school tutoring, job training, and weekly food distribution from its campus at 2335 22nd Avenue South.

Now, the nonprofit is preparing for what leaders describe as a transformational expansion.

Newly unveiled renderings offer a glimpse of a new 40,000-square-foot education and social services building on the organization’s five-acre campus.

The project would nearly double the size of the existing building, which would be demolished to make way for the new facility.

“This has been a dream for a while,” said Executive Director Celeste Collins, who has led the organization for nearly eight years and once brought her own children to the center before taking the helm. “We want to make sure that the space is inviting, where families feel comfortable coming here, and that we can host large functions. This is a labor of love for the community.”

Two years after it was first announced, construction is set to commence on The Beachmaker, an eight-story, 161-unit Marriott Autograph Collection hotel in Madeira Beach.

Beginning in March, existing structures on the 2.5-acre site at 15000 Madeira Way will be demolished to make way for the new resort.

Over the years, the property has been home to a variety of local businesses, most recently Frabotta’s Beach Kitchen, which will close in mid-February, and Saltwater Hippie Beach Bar, which is relocating across the street to 15045 Madeira Way.

The new hotel is being spearheaded by local developer Bill Karns, who has partnered with Marcus Winters, owner of Caddy’s, and Jeff Beggins of Century 21.

Through Boca Ciega Land Co. LLC, the partners purchased the property for $13.5 million in 2022.