Sirata Beach Resort completes $25 million renovation, will become a Tapestry Collection by Hilton hotel

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Sirata Beach Resort completes $25 million renovation, will become a Tapestry Collection by Hilton hotel

The Sirata Beach Resort, one of the most popular hotels on St. Pete Beach, is in the midst of a significant transformation as it transitions into a Tapestry Collection by Hilton property.

The 382-key resort at 5300 Gulf Boulevard, located directly on the Gulf of Mexico, has completed the first phase of renovations, a $25 million upgrade to guest rooms, suites, the lobby, and the fitness center at Sirata Beach Resort. The work is designed to enhance amenities for both vacationers and corporate retreats.

The property is owned by Kentucky-based Columbia Sussex, which purchased the property in late 2022 for $207 million. The Sirata Beach Resort will transition to the Tapestry Collection by Hilton following the completion of Phase II. The Tapestry Collection is a curated portfolio of boutique hotels known for their local character and distinctive style.

There are currently two other Tapestry Collection by Hilton properties in the Tampa Bay area: Hotel Flor and Hotel Alba, both located in Tampa.

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Southern Grounds to open cafe and restaurant on Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete

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Southern Grounds to open cafe and restaurant on Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete

Southern Grounds and Co., a Jacksonville-based coffeehouse franchise focused on building community around high-quality food and drinks, is expanding to downtown St. Petersburg.

The bright, modern coffee shop will open Monday, August 18th next to The Melting Pot inside the newly built two-story building at 695 Central Avenue.

St. Pete’s coffee scene continues to grow, with each shop offering a unique experience. Southern Grounds aims to be more than just a coffeehouse, blending elements of a tapas bar and restaurant to create a co-working-style community gathering space.

The new 2,430-square-foot location features a clean white aesthetic accented by colorful, Florida-inspired murals painted by local artist Matt Kress. The open floor plan offers a mix of couch and table seating designed to encourage connection and conversation.

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Korean fried chicken restaurant bb.q Chicken to open in Pinellas County

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Korean fried chicken restaurant bb.q Chicken to open in Pinellas County

A Korean fried chicken franchise promises to transport St. Pete foodies to the streets of Seoul, bringing the global sensation of its sweet, spicy, and sticky wings to Pinellas Park.

bb.q Chicken, short for “Best of the Best Quality,” will open a new outpost at 7860 US Highway 19 North, taking over the space previously occupied by Tijuana Flats, which shuttered amid the Tex-Mex chain’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

The bb.q Chicken restaurant will be in the multi-tenant building located in a shopping center anchored by Ashley’s Home Furniture. This will be the brand’s first restaurant in Pinellas County and its second in the Tampa Bay area, joining a Tampa location at 3805 Northdale Boulevard that opened in 2023.

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Developer seeks approval for 168-unit apartment community on 8th Avenue Southeast in Largo

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Developer seeks approval for 168-unit apartment community on 8th Avenue Southeast in Largo

A 168-unit affordable apartment community is planned for a portion of a 15.5-acre property in Largo, adjacent to another affordable housing project already underway on the site.

Tampa-based Southport Financial Services, working with Moore Bass Consulting, is seeking site plan approval from the City of Largo to build the complex at 800 8th Avenue Southeast, on the corner of 8th Avenue SE and Donegan Road.

The project, called Largo Station, would be built on 5.7 acres on the western portion of the property next to Allora, a 240-unit apartment community being developed by global real estate firm Trammell Crow Residential (TCR). The remainder of the property is occupied by Allora’s first phase. When both phases are complete, the site will have 408 apartments.

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Home of the Week: A 1947-built Dutch West Indies-style home steps from Coffee Pot Bayou in Old Northeast

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Home of the Week: A 1947-built Dutch West Indies-style home steps from Coffee Pot Bayou in Old Northeast

A meticulously renovated 1947-built home in St. Petersburg’s Old Northeast neighborhood is St. Pete Rising’s Home of the Week.

Located at 2925 1st Street NE, the 1,304-square-foot residence is just steps from Coffee Pot Bayou and Coffee Pot Park, in a neighborhood known for its tree-lined streets and a mix of historic and modern architecture.

Blending Dutch West Indies design with modern upgrades, the home features artisan-crafted Bahama shutters, a distinctive architectural entryway, and a backyard wood-burning fireplace.

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St. Pete-Clearwater Airport moves forward with redeveloping 128-acre Airco site

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St. Pete-Clearwater Airport moves forward with redeveloping 128-acre Airco site

A former golf course property spanning 128 acres next to the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) is set to be redeveloped, beginning with the construction of a new taxiway that will lay the groundwork for a future aviation business park.

For the past two decades, PIE has been working toward redeveloping the county-owned property known as the Airco site. The site is the largest contiguous piece of developable land in Pinellas County. PIE is now moving forward with selecting a contractor for the first phase of the project, a new taxiway located off Ulmerton Road.

“The taxiway is the first step to redeveloping the property and providing the infrastructure for future businesses there, especially aviation companies, which we’ve seen a lot of demand for,” said PIE Public Relations Director Michelle Routh in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.

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Real estate investor purchases another property near Salt Creek in St. Pete for $6 million

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Real estate investor purchases another property near Salt Creek in St. Pete for $6 million

Clearwater-based real estate company Prometheus Partners, which has been quietly assembling acres of contiguous property just south of downtown St. Petersburg, has acquired another site.

Through its affiliate, Prometheus Franchise Restaurant Holdings LLC, the group purchased the 24,500-square-foot warehouse at 1499 Beach Drive SE for $6 million from Cato Holdings LLC.

Built in 1959, the art deco-style building sits on 1.37 acres near Salt Creek. It currently houses the Salt Creek Arts Center, a maker space offering studios and galleries for local artists, as well as moving company Swift Moves.

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Historically St. Pete: How the 100-year-old Jungle Country Club Hotel became Admiral Farragut Academy in west St. Pete

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Historically St. Pete: How the 100-year-old Jungle Country Club Hotel became Admiral Farragut Academy in west St. Pete

At St. Pete Rising, we are constantly providing comprehensive coverage on everything new and coming soon to the Sunshine City, but we think it’s also important to take a look back at our city's rich history.

Historically St. Pete, a monthly column on St. Pete Rising written by Executive Director of the St. Petersburg Museum of History Rui Farias, covers everything from the legend of underground mobster tunnels to the buildings and people that created the Sunshine City.

Follow us each month as we explore how these projects shaped St. Pete into the city we know and love today.

This month we explore the history of the 100-year-old The Jungle Country Club Hotel, located at 501 Park Street North, and how it became home to St. Petersburg’s Admiral Farragut Academy.

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Four-story boutique hotel planned for Pass-a-Grille in St. Pete Beach

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Four-story boutique hotel planned for Pass-a-Grille in St. Pete Beach

A new boutique hotel has been proposed for a waterfront property on Pass-a-Grille in St. Pete Beach.

Local developer DevMar Development, which has built several projects in St. Pete, is seeking site plan approval from the City of St. Pete Beach to construct a four-story, 17-unit hotel called Helios at 702 Pass-a-Grille Way.

The 0.35-acre property is currently home to a small one-bedroom short-term rental, which would be demolished to make way for the new development.

All 17 units will feature two bedrooms and range from 909 to 1,112 square feet, more than twice the size of a typical hotel room.

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Three-story apartment community proposed for southern tip of Pass-a-Grille in St. Pete Beach

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Three-story apartment community proposed for southern tip of Pass-a-Grille in St. Pete Beach

A hurricane-damaged apartment complex on the southern tip of Pass-A-Grille could soon be redeveloped into a new eight-unit residential community called Barracks by the Sea.

Located at 100 Pass-A-Grille Way in St. Pete Beach, the 0.28-acre property is owned by Barracks by the Sea LLC, who purchased the site in 2021 for $2.25 million.

The property sits directly across from the Intracoastal Waterway and currently consists of three residential buildings, two of which were originally constructed in the early 1940s as army barracks and later converted to permanent residences.

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