July 29, 2025

Fire Flow St. Pete to bring infrared-heated hot yoga and sculpt classes to downtown St. Pete

July 29, 2025/ Brian Zucker

A modern, locally owned hot yoga and sculpt studio is preparing to open next month in St. Pete.

FireFlow will officially debut to the public on Saturday, August 2nd at 290 9th Street North.

Behind this exciting new venture is Selin Arsezen, a well-known figure in St. Pete’s yoga community who holds a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher certification (RYT-500).

Selin taught power yoga and sculpt classes locally in St. Pete for several years before deciding to create her own space.

The new 2,500-square-foot boutique studio will feature premium shock-absorbing floors for enhanced comfort and safety, along with high-quality infrared heating panels.

July 28, 2025

New renderings revealed for Convivial St. Pete, a 170-unit retirement community coming to the Skyway Marina District

July 28, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

Convivial St. Petersburg, a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) planned for the city’s Skyway Marina District, has released its final architectural renderings.

The visuals offer the most detailed look yet at the design, amenities, and layout of the 170-unit senior living campus, which is expected to break ground in 2026.

The $172.5 million development is being led by Convivial Life, a Florida-based nonprofit organization that owns and operates senior living communities across the state.

The St. Petersburg campus will be located at 4595 34th Street South and marks a significant new entry into the local senior housing market.

The community will consist of two nine-story residential buildings, The Madison and The Lexington, connected by a skybridge with views of Boca Ciega Bay, downtown St. Pete, and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

July 28, 2025

Mazzaro’s is expanding with Zagara, an authentic Sicilian gelato and granita shop in St. Pete

July 28, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

The family behind St. Petersburg’s iconic Mazzaro’s Italian Market is about to sweeten the city once again.

This August, they’ll debut a new Sicilian-style gelato and granita shop called Zagara, located just steps away from their beloved market on 22nd Avenue North.

Named after the Italian word for “orange blossom,” Zagara will be housed across the street from Mazzaro’s at 3001 22nd Avenue North, inside the same building as Casa di Mazzaro, a specialty kitchenware store and tea shop.

“We visited Sicily last year and were inspired by the old-world markets, their style of gelato, and wanted to introduce it to St. Pete,” said Cindy Richmond, owner of Casa di Mazzaro and sister of Mazzaro’s owner, in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “We discontinued our cooking classes at Casa di Mazzaro in October to replace the kitchen space with this new concept.”

July 25, 2025

St. Pete officially ends Rays redevelopment deal, approve Tropicana Field repairs

July 25, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

One year after entering into a $6.5 billion redevelopment deal with the Tampa Bay Rays and national developer Hines, St. Pete City Council unanimously voted on Thursday to terminate the agreement.

The deal would have allowed the 86-acre Historic Gas Plant District be to redeveloped into a new mixed-use neighborhood with nearly 8 million square feet of space, including a $1.3 billion baseball stadium.

City Council’s vote was largely procedural, as the Rays and Hines had announced in March that they were withdrawing from the deal after missing key project milestones.

Mayor Ken Welch, who was a strong supporter of the project, addressed the termination in a statement following the vote.

“While the Rays’ decision is terribly disappointing, our mission was to adapt and refocus on our primary objective – the progress of our city,” said Welch. “And part of that mission is accomplished by today’s City Council vote.”

July 24, 2025

A new neighborhood bar The Green Room opens next to Tchotchke in south St. Pete

July 24, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

A new neighborhood bar has quietly opened in south St. Pete.

Located at 3920 6th Street South, The Green Room is a new bar from Matthew Firosz, owner of the adjacent diner Tchotchke. The diner opened last year in the former Munch’s space, which had operated for 70 years before closing.

The Green Room takes over a former Phillips Air Conditioning & Heating office, now reimagined as a laid-back, no frills hangout.

Inside, the space feels comfortable and worn in, with classic wooden wainscoting below deep green walls that are collaged with framed artwork and random knick knacks from Firosz’s personal collection.

A trio of dartboards are located in the back by the bathrooms.

At the heart of the space is a 14-seat L-shaped bar, topped with thousands of pennies and stocked with over 50 varieties of bourbon.

July 23, 2025

The Nolen, a 23-story condo tower in downtown St. Pete, opens to residents

July 23, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

After nearly three years of construction, residents have started moving into the Nolen, a 31-unit luxury condominium tower in downtown St. Pete.

Located at 126 4th Avenue Northeast, the community has sold 30 of its residences, with just one home still available. Closings began last week, and 80% of homeowners are expected to move in over the next few weeks.

The Nolen was developed by DDA Development and Backstreets Capital, the same team behind The Salvador, which opened in 2017. They are also currently developing The Central, a 2.1-acre mixed-use project in St. Pete’s EDGE District.

July 23, 2025

Popular chicken finger chain Raising Cane's announces opening date for its first St. Pete location

July 23, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

Louisiana-based fried chicken chain Raising Cane's is nearly ready to serve its crispy chicken tenders and beloved signature sauce to St. Pete residents.

The growing franchise is set to debut on Tuesday, August 5th at 2700 Tyrone Boulevard North, located in a new outparcel building at Tyrone Square Mall.

Festivities will kick off in the morning, with a giveaway from 8 to 9 a.m. for a chance to win free Cane’s for a year. The official ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 9:30 a.m. Guests can also enjoy free Raising Cane’s swag, a live DJ, and chicken tender samples.

July 23, 2025

Cathie Wood's ARK Invest to move headquarters to EDGE District in downtown St. Pete

July 23, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

ARK Invest, a leading global investment firm known for its focus on disruptive innovation, will relocate its downtown St. Pete headquarters to the EDGE District.

Tampa-based Ellison Development announced Wednesday that ARK Invest, which is currently headquartered at 200 Central Avenue, will occupy 13,000 square feet on the 11th floor of Halcyon, a new office building expected to break ground later this year at 1301 Central Avenue.

Halcyon represents the first Class A office building constructed in downtown St. Pete since the 1980s.

The 11-story, 130,000-square-foot office building is one of the main components of The Central, a 2.1-acre mixed-use development that will also contain a 168-room Marriott Autograph Collection hotel, 14,000 square feet of retail space, a 42-unit affordable housing community, and a newly opened 540-space parking garage.

July 22, 2025

$27 million penthouse sale at Waldorf Astoria Residences in downtown St. Pete shatters Tampa Bay condo record

July 22, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

A local business leader has purchased a two-story penthouse atop the planned 50-story Waldorf Astoria Residences tower in downtown St. Petersburg for $27 million.

Planned for 150 2nd Avenue South, the Waldorf Astoria Residences will be the city’s tallest building and the first five-star branded condo tower in St. Petersburg. The project will include 163 condominiums, 73,000 square feet of Class A office space, 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, and a wide range of luxury amenities.

The sale of the 11,000-square-foot rooftop unit has shattered the record for the most expensive condominium ever sold in the Tampa Bay area.

The previous high in St. Pete was an $8.25 million penthouse at Saltaire, located next to the proposed Waldorf Astoria tower in downtown St. Pete, which sold in 2024. In Tampa, the record is an $11.6 million penthouse at the Ritz-Carlton Residences, sold in 2021.

July 22, 2025

A Rosie the Riveter-themed restaurant and bar to replace The Avenue in downtown St. Pete

July 22, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

A new restaurant and bar inspired by the cultural icon Rosie the Riveter is coming to downtown St. Pete, replacing The Avenue, which closed in February after 13 years in business.

Tampa’s Riveters, a concept celebrating female empowerment and the women who worked in factories and shipyards during World War II, will bring its historical theme and made-from-scratch menu to 330 1st Avenue South later this year.

The 3,925-square-foot space will be transformed into a sports bar featuring World War II memorabilia, including Rosie the Riveter posters, veteran patches, and wings from crashed bomber jets mounted on the walls.

The female staff, called “Rosies,” wear red bandanas and denim tops inspired by the iconic poster, while the male staff wear military and tactical-style uniforms.