May 09, 2025

New kava lounge Cozy Kava opens in the Grand Central District

May 09, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

A new bar has opened in St. Pete, but instead of shots and cocktails, it’s pouring shells of kava.

Derived from the ground roots of a South Pacific pepper plant, kava is known for its calming, anxiety-reducing effects—and it’s at the center of a growing scene in Pinellas County, where more than 50 kava bars have opened in the last decade.

This surge reflects a broader nationwide trend, as younger generations increasingly turn toward wellness-focused, alcohol-free social spaces.

Cozy Kava quietly opened last month at 2309 Central Avenue in the Grand Central District, formerly home to The MAR St. Pete, a performing arts incubator and studio that has since relocated to the St. Pete City Theatre.

May 08, 2025

60-unit Bayou Court opens in south St. Pete with affordable apartments for teachers and government workers

May 08, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

One year ago, city leaders and a local developer broke ground on a transformational project in south St. Pete that aimed to create more housing opportunities for teachers and faculty. Today, the community has officially opened.

The new 60-unit apartment community, Bayou Court Apartments, is located near the southeast corner of Lake Maggiore at 4201 6th Street South, directly behind Lakewood Elementary School.

The project, which recently welcomed its first residents, was made possible through a public-private collaboration between the City of St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, and Gravel Road Partners, a Washington D.C.-based workforce and affordable housing developer that acquired the property in 2022 for $1.7 million.

May 08, 2025

Florida Holocaust Museum announces reopening date for remodeled and reimagined museum in downtown St. Pete

May 08, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

After more than a year of closure, The Florida Holocaust Museum has announced it will welcome visitors back starting Tuesday, September 9th following an extensive renovation.

With a collection of over 25,000 artifacts, The Florida Holocaust Museum, located at 55 5th Street South in downtown St. Pete, is one of the largest Holocaust museums in the country and one of only three nationally accredited Holocaust museums.

The renovation project includes a new entrance with enhanced security features, an open-air second-story balcony, a theater that will house its interactive Dimensions in Testimony exhibit, and a temporary installation housing elements of the Elie Wiesel Collection.

The full Elie Wiesel exhibit, which will occupy the museum’s third floor, will come in a later phase of the museum’s building projects.

May 07, 2025

Here are the first renderings of Forbici Modern Italian coming to Sundial in downtown St. Pete

May 07, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

In February, Tampa Bay restauranteur Jeff Gigante announced his popular modern Italian restaurant Forbici would take over the 12,000-square-foot Sea Salt space at Sundial in downtown St. Pete. And now we have a closer look of what the restaurant will be like.

The restaurant originally planned to move into the ground-floor space previously occupied by Locale Market but shifted its plans to the second floor space at 183 2nd Avenue North following Sea Salt’s closure on December 31st.

Forbici is part of Next Level Brands, a Tampa-based restaurant group founded by restaurateur Jeff Gigante, real estate investor Andrew Wright, and attorney Joseph Guggino.

Expected to open by year’s end, renderings reveal that the 350-seat St. Pete location will mirror the flagship Forbici in South Tampa’s Hyde Park, which opened in 2019, but with a more refined and upscale twist.

May 06, 2025

Construction begins on 325-unit apartment community near YMCA in Grand Central District

May 06, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

Construction has officially commenced on a 325-unit apartment community that will anchor a new live-work-play neighborhood in St. Pete’s Grand Central District.

As first reported by St. Pete Rising, the five-story apartment building, dubbed The Henry at Whitney Village, is part of a larger development, which will also include a 32,000-square-foot pedestrian-only retail village and a 600-space parking garage for residents and visitors.

The mixed-use project will occupy 4.5 acres on the east side of the Jim & Heather Gills YMCA at 3200 1st Avenue South.

South Carolina-based multifamily developer Greystar Real Estate Partners purchased the property from the neighboring YMCA in February for $12 million.

The 25-year-old, 55,000-square-foot YMCA will undergo a major renovation funded by proceeds from the sale of the athletic field property.