Iconic tiki bar and restaurant Don the Beachcomber now open in Madeira Beach

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Iconic tiki bar and restaurant Don the Beachcomber now open in Madeira Beach

The tiki bar that started it all relaunches today in Madeira Beach with authentic tiki cocktails and Polynesian-themed dishes for everyone from hardcore tikiphiles to adventurous locals.

Don the Beachcomber, recognized as the first tiki bar and the genesis of tiki culture in America, has debuted on the ground floor of the Cambria Hotel at 15015 Madeira Way on Madeira Beach.

Donn Beach, an adventurer, businessman, and World War II veteran, opened the original Don the Beachcomber in Hollywood, California nearly 90 years ago. The restaurant and bar was inspired by his travels to the Caribbean and the South Pacific, where he was enchanted by the allure of the islands, their mystique, and their tropical flavors.

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Commissioners delay vote on massive expansion of St. Pete Beach’s Sirata resort

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Commissioners delay vote on massive expansion of St. Pete Beach’s Sirata resort

After a nearly 11-hour-long deliberation, the owners of the Sirata Beach Resort in St. Pete Beach will have to wait until next week to receive a verdict on a massive planned overhaul of the resort and the addition of two new waterfront hotels.

The St. Pete Beach City Commission meeting began at 4 p.m. on Wednesday and ended around 2:30 a.m. on Thursday morning after commissioners passed a motion to defer the vote to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27th.

Resort owner Columbia Sussex, a Kentucky-based hotel management company, is seeking conditional use permit (CUP) approval for the construction of a 290-key luxury JW Marriott hotel, a limited-service 130-key Hampton Inn, and renovation of the existing 382-key resort at 5300 Gulf Boulevard.

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Construction begins on 33-story apartment building in downtown St. Pete

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Construction begins on 33-story apartment building in downtown St. Pete

General contractor KAST Construction has commenced construction on a massive new apartment building planned for an 0.88-acre site owned by St. Pete-based developer Echelon.

The 33-story development, tentatively titled “3rd & 3rd”, will rise at 235 3rd Street South at the northwest corner of 3rd Avenue South and 3rd Street directly across from the Publix-anchored University Village shopping center.

The building was announced on St. Pete Rising in September 2022 and is being developed in partnership with Tampa-based Third Lake Capital. It will include 268 apartments and over 15,000 square feet of ground floor retail space.

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Club Pilates to open north St. Pete fitness studio on 4th Street

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Club Pilates to open north St. Pete fitness studio on 4th Street

The building that formerly housed Wave Pool & Grill, at 347 62nd Avenue North, finally has a new tenant: Club Pilates, a Pilates studio franchise based in Irvine, California.

Club Pilates has several existing locations in Pinellas County including one at 120 Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg, 6800 Gulfport Boulevard South in South Pasadena, 40956 U.S. Highway 19 North in Tarpon Springs, and 10125 Ulmerton Road, Suite 3, in Largo, as well as several more in Hillsborough County.  

The opening date of the north St. Pete location is not yet known but signs are up and exterior and interior renovation work is under way. 

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Skyway Lofts II will add 66 affordable apartments to the Skyway Marina District

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Skyway Lofts II will add 66 affordable apartments to the Skyway Marina District

The development group behind Skyway Lofts, a 65-unit affordable housing community that opened in 2022, recently broke ground on Skyway Lofts II, which will bring even more affordable apartments to St. Petersburg's Skyway Marina District when it opens next year.

Tampa-based Blue Sky Communities, which has developed multiple affordable housing projects throughout Tampa Bay, has started turning dirt at 3900 34th Street North where a four-story building with 66 apartments will rise.

The group recently acquired the vacant parcel in a $2 million deal through a joint venture land trust with the Pinellas County Housing Authority.

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Home of the Week: Charming two-story, 1925-built home lists in Woodlawn

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Home of the Week: Charming two-story, 1925-built home lists in Woodlawn

A charming historic home in St. Petersburg’s Woodlawn neighborhood is St. Pete Rising’s Home of the Week.

Located at 1245 26th Avenue North, the two-story home has four bedrooms and two bathrooms across 2,297 square feet. The house is situated on a corner lot with a large covered, front porch and original features such as a mantle fireplace, original-style wood floors, ceiling accents, crown molding, and built-in cabinets.

Built in 1925, the home boasts 38 windows, allowing tons of natural light into the home. The first floor features multiple living spaces, a dining area, and kitchen, which includes modern cabinets, stone countertops, and black stainless-steel appliances, including a six-burner gas range.

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Done Deals: Construction begins on Sundial renovations, Affordable housing community opens, New pub coming to west St. Pete

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Done Deals: Construction begins on Sundial renovations, Affordable housing community opens, New pub coming to west St. Pete

Done Deals is a new weekly column by St. Pete Rising spotlighting recent real estate market insight and significant deals happening in the Sunshine City and beyond. The following information is sourced from public records and trusted intel.

Have real estate news to share? Send us an email at hello@stpeterising.com.

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A pair of restaurants to bring Mediterranean fare and wings to Seminole

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A pair of restaurants to bring Mediterranean fare and wings to Seminole

New restaurant tenants are joining Seminole City Center at 11201 Park Boulevard in Seminole.

Mediterranean fast-casual eatery CAVA and the New York-based Sugar Wing have secured spaces in the open-air shopping center.  

Sugar Wing operates four locations in New York City’s Upper East Side, West Village, East Village, and Battery Park as well as an outpost in Clifton, NJ. This will be the company’s sixth location and first Florida outpost, however a location is also coming to Carrollwood.

As for CAVA, this will be its second location in Pinellas County and sixth location in Tampa Bay. The franchise operates over 300 locations around the country.

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Crepeway Caffe to bring freshly-made crepes to St. Pete's EDGE District

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Crepeway Caffe to bring freshly-made crepes to St. Pete's EDGE District

Crepeway Caffe, a new venture from Konstantinos Chilias, also known as Chef Dinos, will open by the end of February at 1572 Central Avenue, where it will be part of the EDGE Eatery food hall.

The restaurant was originally going to occupy 907 Central Avenue, a space that was formerly the home of Now and Then, a vintage furniture shop.

Chef Dinos has owned and operated La Creperia Café in Ybor City for nearly 20 years. In an interview with St. Pete Rising, he said Crepeway Caffe’s menu will be similar to that of La Creperia Café.

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Specialty grocer The Fresh Market to open at Seminole City Center

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Specialty grocer The Fresh Market to open at Seminole City Center

The Fresh Market is taking over the former Earth Fare grocery store in the 424,000-square-foot Seminole City Center retail plaza at 7774 113th Street North in Seminole.

Earth Fare, a grocery chain that specializes in organic and health food, opened its 24,000-square-foot Seminole store in 2016; however, the company filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and shuttered 50 stores throughout the country. The grocer reopened in the open-air Seminole plaza in 2021, but it later closed and the space has remained vacant.

Build out on The Fresh Market is underway and is likely to open later this year.

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