April 27, 2023

City of St. Petersburg launches new electric bike share system in partnership with Lime

April 27, 2023/ Anthony Close

If you’re in downtown St. Petersburg, you may notice bright green electric bikes neatly corralled throughout the city. That’s because the City of St. Petersburg recently partnered with Lime to deploy 300 new shared e-bikes in downtown St. Pete.

The cost to use the electric bikes is similar to downtown’s existing electric scooters. The bikes cost $1 to unlock and $0.39 per minute, which is Lime’s lowest rate in Florida.

Lime is deploying their Gen 4 E-Bike which includes several features such as an adjustable seat, integrated smart lock, 350-watt motor with 2-speed transmission, a 25-mile lithium-ion battery, cell phone holder, and a front basket.

April 25, 2023

Massive indoor pickleball club coming soon to Pinellas Park

April 25, 2023/ Brian Zucker

The Pickleball Club, a Sarasota-based company that develops and operates private membership-based high-amenity indoor pickleball facilities throughout Florida, will be opening an expansive pickleball club in Pinellas Park.

The company is under contract for its seventh site, an 8.07-acre parcel located at the Gateway Centre Business Park in Pinellas Park. The land purchase is expected to close in December 2023 for $1.75 million.

The 40,000-square-foot climate-controlled facility, which is slated to open in early 2025, will offer members 16 indoor pickleball courts made of the same material as those found at the U.S. Open Tennis Championships. The new club will also feature an outside activity area, players’ lounge mezzanine, a pro shop, and a cafe.

April 25, 2023

Chabad Center for Jewish Life and Learning commences construction in downtown St. Pete

April 25, 2023/ Brian Hartz

It was a beautiful day this past Sunday as the Chabad Jewish Center gathered with friends and community members to celebrate the groundbreaking of its new state-of-the-art facility that will serve as a hub for Jewish culture and education in downtown St. Pete. To the accompaniment of the traditional “Siman Tov” tune, shovels were turned to commemorate the momentous occasion.

The new two-story, 13,000-square-foot Chabad Center for Jewish Life and Learning, which is being constructed at 533 4th Street North, will include a sanctuary, social hall, classrooms, kosher kitchen, library, and rooftop deck. The building was designed by Mike Muroff of Purdy + Muroff Architecture and Heshy Hecht of HH Designers.

Celebrating the groundbreaking was a crowd of 300, including St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, City Council members Gina Driscoll and Ed Montanari, and other dignitaries.

April 21, 2023

Historic boutique hotel Cordova Inn breaks ground on expansion in downtown St. Pete

April 21, 2023/ Brian Zucker

A year and a half after being announced, the Cordova Inn’s planned expansion has broken ground.

The owners of the historic boutique hotel, New Hotel Collection and TDZ Capital Partners, held a ceremonial groundbreaking this morning at the hotel, which is located at 253 2nd Avenue North in downtown St. Pete.

The five-story expansion will more than triple the number of available rooms from 32 to 97 while also adding a restaurant to the first floor and a 5th-floor rooftop bar.

Between the old and new wings will be a lushly landscaped mid-block courtyard. Both the courtyard and porch will be open to anyone, whether they are staying in the hotel or not. The addition will also expand the front porch of the Cordova Inn into a dramatic wraparound balcony with lush streetscaping.

April 21, 2023

SunRunner celebrates record ridership, announces new station near Beach Drive in downtown St. Pete

April 21, 2023/ Anthony Close

“Beach to Burg” is a tagline used by the SunRunner bus rapid transit system, the $44-million, 10.3-mile route that debuted in October and links downtown St. Petersburg to St. Pete Beach via dedicated lanes running along 1st Avenue North and 1st Avenue South.

But soon the slogan may need to be “Beach to Bay.” That’s because the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA), which oversees the SunRunner — Tampa Bay region’s first and only bus rapid transit line — plans to add a new station near Beach Drive, one of St. Pete’s most popular areas for shopping and dining and just a block away from the St. Pete Pier and the Tampa Bay waterfront.

In announcing the new station, PSTA also announced that it plans to purchase two new buses and put them into service along the SunRunner route. The new buses will make service more reliable and ease congestion on peak days.