The first of two vessels that will launch the new Tampa Bay Ferry service arrived in Pinellas County on Monday, bringing the return of ferry service between downtown St. Pete and Tampa another step closer to reality.

The arrival comes as the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) has secured a $16.5 million federal grant to build a new 249-passenger vessel for the service, which is expected to launch later this year.

The 250-passenger Bay Breeze arrived at Tarpon Marine Service in Tarpon Springs on Monday and will now undergo inspections and refurbishment for passenger service.

A second vessel, the 149-passenger Bay Clipper, formerly known as the San Juan Clipper, is expected to arrive in Pinellas County within the next few weeks and will be refurbished at the same facility.

Popular West Coast coffee chain Dutch Bros Coffee is planning its first St. Petersburg location at the Tyrone Gardens shopping center in west St. Pete.

Plans have been submitted to the City of St. Petersburg for a new 986-square-foot Dutch Bros at 1050 58th Street North, fronting Tyrone Boulevard on the southwest side of the shopping center.

Like most Dutch Bros locations, the new coffee shop will be built around the drive-thru experience. Plans call for two drive-thru lanes and no indoor dining area.

An opening date has not been announced.

The new Dutch Bros will rise on the site of a 25,041-square-foot building that was recently demolished, making way for the coffee shop and two additional outparcel development pads along Tyrone Boulevard.

The St. Pete location is the latest piece of Dutch Bros’ growing presence in Pinellas County.

The owners of Sola Bistro & Wine Bar are preparing to open a new Spanish tapas concept next door to their longtime St. Pete Beach restaurant.

Bararam, a 1,100-square-foot Spanish-inspired restaurant and bar, is expected to open this fall at 6702 Gulf Boulevard, adjacent to Sola Bistro + Wine Bar.

The concept is the latest venture from Tigran “Tig” Khachaturyan and Chef Artem “Art” Kucherenko, who have owned and operated Sola since 2015.

Bararam’s food menu will feature traditional Spanish tapas, including ceviche, pan con tomate, rabbit croquetas, Spanish omelets, and gildas, which are small skewers typically made with peppers, olives, and anchovies.

The drink menu will focus on Spanish wines, beers, ciders, and sangria, along with vermouth and sherry.

“At Bararam, we will try to stick to classic Spanish food and drinks, like what you would expect to get if you were traveling in Spain,” Khachaturyan said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “But we’ll include little twists here and there that are going to be fun.”

Pre-leasing is set to begin Saturday, August 15th, with move-ins scheduled after the new year at the first apartment community in Sky Town, an $800 million mixed-use development underway in St. Petersburg’s Skyway Marina District.

The 401-unit iMMiX Apartments, located at 3201 34th Street South, are part of the first phase of the 34.3-acre development being built on the former Ceridian office campus.

Once complete, Sky Town will include 2,084 apartments, 69,000 square feet of retail anchored by a 23,000-square-foot Sprouts Farmers Market, and 120,000 square feet of self-storage across six phases.

Coral Gables-based Altis Cardinal, led by developer Frank Guerra, broke ground on the iMMiX Apartments in September 2025, with Jacksonville-based Summit Contracting Group serving as general contractor.

South Carolina-based multifamily developer Greystar Real Estate Partners, in partnership with St. Pete-based Blake Investment Partners, has topped out The Henry at Whitney Village, a five-story, 325-unit apartment complex under construction in St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District.

The building is located on 3.37 acres on the east side of the Jim & Heather Gills YMCA at 3200 1st Avenue South. Greystar purchased the property from the YMCA in January 2025 for $12 million.

“We are proud to have reached this important milestone and look forward to welcoming residents to the Henry at Whitney Village in Spring 2027,” David King, managing director for development at Greystar, said in a statement to St. Pete Rising.

The apartment complex is part of the first phase of Whitney Village, a five-acre mixed-use development on a portion of the YMCA property that will include apartments, retail, and a renovated YMCA facility.

The first phase also included an extensive renovation of the 25-year-old, 54,000-square-foot YMCA facility on the west side of the property, funded by proceeds from the property sale.

A new wine bar and bottle shop specializing in Old World wines is getting ready to open in South Pasadena.

Owners Michael De Salvia and Peter Celli are opening Dolcetto & Co. - Wine Merchant and Wine Bar at 6800 Gulfport Boulevard South, Suite 113, within a large shopping plaza that's also home to Walmart, CVS, Anytime Fitness, and Ace Hardware.

Dolcetto & Co. is expected to open this fall following renovations to the 2,100-square-foot space, which was formerly occupied by Books at Park Place.

The space will be divided roughly in half, with a four-foot barrier separating the retail bottle shop from the wine bar.

De Salvia says Dolcetto & Co. will specialize in traditional Old World wines from France, Italy, and Spain, with selections ranging from moderately priced bottles to premium offerings.

The next phase of the Rainbow Village redevelopment in Largo is taking shape, with four new apartment buildings planned as part of a long-term effort expected to deliver approximately 400 affordable homes to the community.

Newstar Development, in partnership with the Pinellas County Housing Authority, recently filed construction permits for Grand Oaks, the third phase of the four-phase redevelopment at 13224 Washington Drive in Largo’s Greater Ridgecrest neighborhood.

Grand Oaks will replace 62 older public housing units with four three-story apartment buildings containing 120 affordable apartments for families earning between 30% and 80% of the area median income (AMI).

The $48.7 million development will include 33 one-bedroom apartments measuring 741 square feet, 60 two-bedroom apartments measuring 1,066 square feet, and 27 three-bedroom apartments measuring 1,341 square feet.

Residents will have access to a clubhouse and community building with a fitness center, sports courts, green space, and an attached wellness center, along with a playground and youth recreation center.

St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) is shelving its terminal expansion plans in favor of a renovation project to modernize the existing facility.

Located in north St. Pete at 14700 Terminal Boulevard, PIE serves more than 2 million travelers annually and offers nonstop routes to more than 60 cities, primarily through Allegiant Air.

Since 2023, the airport has been preparing for an expansion that would add gates for existing and future airlines, consolidate Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints, and improve passenger boarding.

However, as engineers and architects developed schematic designs, the cost of the terminal expansion climbed from a projected $110 million to more than $200 million.

After meetings with airport staff, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the TSA, a new priority emerged: modernizing the current terminal and addressing aging infrastructure.

Tampa-founded coffee roaster Buddy Brew Coffee is crossing the bridge with its first Pinellas County cafe, opening inside the Sprouts Farmers Market at 7263 Seminole Boulevard in Seminole Plaza.

The new in-store cafe will celebrate its grand opening Friday, August 14th, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. Buddy Brew will offer $3 drinks throughout the day, and the first 25 guests will receive gift bags with exclusive merchandise, gift cards and other goodies. One guest will also win free coffee for a year.

The Seminole outpost is part of a new partnership between Buddy Brew and Sprouts that will bring 10 coffee bars to select Sprouts stores across Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida this year. Planned locations include Palm Harbor, South Tampa, Riverview, New Tampa, Trinity, Carrollwood, Valrico and South Sarasota.

The first Sprouts x Buddy Brew cafe opened June 17th at the Sprouts in Westchase.

The Seminole cafe will serve Buddy Brew’s handcrafted espresso drinks, cold brew, smoothies and specialty beverages, along with breakfast items and pastries.

Menu highlights include the Honey Lavender Flat White, Strawberry Matcha and Carrot Cake Latte, as well as the Berry Beach Smoothie, made with strawberries, mango, blueberries and pineapple.

A new spot for açaí bowls, poke, and coffee is coming to Treasure Island this fall.

Kaia Bowls will open in October at 111 107th Avenue, Unit A, in the same plaza as Gigi’s Italian Restaurant and Lana’s Lounge. The space was previously occupied by Vine and Grind, which relocated to 7230 Central Avenue and rebranded as Brick Road Olive Oil Company.

The 1,300-square-foot café will be Kaia Bowls’ seventh Tampa Bay location, joining existing shops in downtown St. Pete, Clearwater, Clearwater Beach, Madeira Beach, Safety Harbor and Ybor City. The company also operates one location in Illinois, with additional outposts planned for Gainesville and Miami.

Kaia Bowls offers sweet and savory bowls made with health-conscious ingredients. Its savory menu includes poke bowls with tuna, salmon, shrimp, chicken, or tofu, along with toppings such as avocado, rice, edamame, cucumbers, and seaweed salad.

Sweet selections include açaí, pitaya, chia pudding, coconut, and oatmeal bowls topped with fruit, granola, almonds, honey, peanut butter, coconut flakes, hemp seeds, and raw cacao nibs.

The menu also includes avocado toast, juices, and smoothies.

Pinellas Ale Works is expanding with a second location in Lealman.

The St. Pete brewery will open PAW Taps & Tails this fall at 5518 Haines Road North, taking over the former Dissent Craft Brewing Company taproom following its closure last summer.

The 2,400-square-foot taproom will serve as an extension of Pinellas Ale Works’ flagship brewery in the Grand Central District, which opened in 2016.

PAW Taps & Tails will feature up to 38 taps, communal seating, and retail space with dog-related merchandise, including toys, collars and treats. A food truck is also planned for the future, according to Brewery Liaison and General Manager Jeromy J. Dana.

The new taproom will also have a large parking lot, an amenity the flagship location lacks.

No major renovations are planned, but cosmetic updates will allow the taproom to offer significantly more seating than Dissent did.

Red Mesa Mercado’s west St. Pete location is permanently closing less than a year after opening.

The Red Mesa team announced on social media earlier today that its Cali-Mex restaurant at 6001 Central Avenue will close August 16th.

Red Mesa Mercado’s original location in the EDGE District at 1100 1st Avenue North, along with Red Mesa Restaurant at 4912 4th Street North, will remain open.

The 150-seat restaurant opened in October 2025 in the former Two Graces and Reading Room space.

It was Red Mesa Mercado’s second location and featured a full-liquor bar, table service, and a more sit-down-focused experience than the original Mercado’s window-service model.

Red Mesa first announced plans for the west St. Pete location in late 2022, and the restaurant took about three years to open.

Pinellas County will soon get its first Shake Shack.

The popular burger chain plans to open at 1165 Park Boulevard in Seminole City Center, a 37-acre, open-air retail and restaurant plaza in Seminole.

The restaurant will take over the former Pieology Pizzeria space, according to a recently issued building permit for a partial demolition and interior buildout.

Pieology closed in June 2025, after eight years in business. Its parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy that December.

Shake Shack currently has more than 690 locations worldwide, including more than 445 in the U.S. and more than 245 internationally, according to its June 2026 company update.

Shake Shack’s existing Tampa Bay area locations include International Plaza and Midtown Tampa, as well as a Wesley Chapel restaurant that opened in 2024 with the area’s first Shake Shack drive-thru.

A Japanese mini truck is being transformed into a mobile café that will soon serve specialty coffee around St. Pete.

Evangeline’s Cafe is expected to debut later this summer, serving espresso drinks, matcha, chai, and more from the bed of a converted kei truck.

Owner Evangeline Fox plans to take the mobile café to local markets, concerts, art shows, and other events throughout St. Pete.

Fox, 25, moved from Maryland in 2019 to attend Eckerd College. While studying there, she became immersed in the local hospitality scene and developed an appreciation for the city’s independent coffee shops.

That sense of community is what eventually pushed her to start a café of her own.

“My friends and I would go to local coffee shops all the time, and I just saw how naturally a community could form around something as simple as a cup of coffee,” Fox said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “For me, it’s all about how coffee can connect people.”

A former church property in St. Pete’s Lake Euclid neighborhood could soon become an affordable homeownership community.

Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside plans to build 14 affordable single-family homes at 2500 16th Street North, the former home of St. Bede Episcopal Church.

The church, constructed in 1952, was demolished in 2023.

Last July, Habitat purchased the vacant two-acre property from the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida for $1.4 million.

The local Habitat chapter initially considered building up to 39 townhomes on the site. However, following community meetings and financial analysis, the organization shifted to a smaller single-family home development.

“After numerous community meetings with the Lake Euclid neighborhood, and looking at multiple pro forma scenarios, we decided single-family homes were the best route for us,” Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside CEO Mike Sutton said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.

Belleair Coffee Company will replace The Blend’s former flagship cafe in the Old Northeast this fall.

The local coffee company, which has operated in Belleair Bluffs for ten years, is opening its third location at 1211 4th Street North, where it will serve house-roasted specialty coffee, baked goods, breakfast and lunch items, beer, and wine.

“I couldn't be more excited for this because that neighborhood is amazing,” co-owner Chris Whalen said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “I feel like they’re going to appreciate the kind of thing we're trying to do, which is an elevated coffee experience in a really comfortable atmosphere.”

Whalen said his team took over the 2,500-square-foot cafe this past Saturday and is targeting an early October opening after some cosmetic upgrades.

The Blend announced the closure of its 4th Street North location last week after six years in business, citing an effort to consolidate operations amid its ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy case.

A new drive-thru bakery specializing in naturally fermented sourdough bread is coming soon to Largo.

Seminole Sourdough is expected to open this fall at 12185 Indian Rocks Road, which was previously home to a golf cart rental company and Good Vibes Juice Co. before that.

Owner Tracy Hintz is still finalizing the menu, but past offerings have included roasted garlic and rosemary, jalapeño cheddar, pumpkin spice, kalamata olive and feta, and blueberry lemon.

Seminole Sourdough’s traditional plain loaf contains just three ingredients: water, flour and salt. The slow process behind each loaf can take more than 24 hours and includes bulk fermentation, shaping, cold proofing, baking, cooling, and packaging.

“Sourdough is truly a craft, and even after two years, I am constantly learning, experimenting and refining my process,” Hintz said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.

St. Petersburg has recommended six affordable housing projects for a combined $40.85 million in federal disaster-recovery funding, a major investment that would add or preserve 645 affordable apartments across the city.

The recommendations follow a competitive Request for Applications process through the city’s Affordable Rental Housing Program.

City Council is expected to finalize the awards on September 17th.

The money comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through its Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery program.

Congress appropriated the funding following Hurricanes Idalia in 2023 and Helene in 2024, and HUD awarded St. Petersburg $159.884 million directly for long-term recovery work.

HUD designated the entire city as a Most Impacted and Distressed area, allowing St. Pete to use the funding for housing, infrastructure, economic revitalization and mitigation connected to the storms.

A small specialty grocery store focused on organic, locally-grown foods is headed to St. Pete, offering a more direct connection to nearby farms, a curated selection of clean ingredients, and products you won’t typically find at larger grocery stores.

Lakeview Farm Store will open its second location at 1847 1st Avenue North in the Grand Central District, taking over the former home of educational nonprofit school Indi-ED, which relocated to 1619 11th Avenue North last spring.

The 3,540 square-foot space will be significantly larger than the company’s 1,000-square-foot Clearwater farm store.

The business is run by the Barbagelata family, who moved from Argentina to Pinellas County in 2021.

Their father worked as an agricultural engineer, connecting farmers to global markets, an influence that shaped the store’s approach to sourcing and food quality.

Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille in Jungle Terrace is closing this weekend, but the waterfront restaurant isn’t going away.

The restaurant at 8790 Bay Pines Boulevard will serve its final guests as Doc Ford’s Jungle Terrace on Sunday, August 2nd. It will then close from August 3 through August 9 for a remodel before reopening Monday, August 10th, as Boca Ciega Waterfront Bar & Grill.

The new restaurant will remain under the ownership and leadership of HM Restaurant Group, which also operates Doc Ford’s locations at the St. Pete Pier, Sanibel, and Fort Myers Beach.

The change follows an announcement on social media that initially appeared to signal the permanent closure of the Jungle Terrace restaurant.

However, the location is simply being rebranded with a new concept designed around its waterfront setting and neighborhood.

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 99-year-old YMCA building at 116 Fifth Street South and its nearly 75-year run as one of the city’s most popular community centers.

The Blend Coffee & Cocktails has quietly closed its flagship cafe at 1211 4th Street North after six years in business.

“The Blend Coffee has made the difficult decision to consolidate its St. Petersburg operations, which means its original Old Northeast location will be closing,” owner Stacha Madsen told St. Pete Rising. “While it’s always tough to see a neighborhood favorite leave a space that holds so many memories, this isn’t goodbye.”

Madsen said The Blend isn’t leaving St. Pete. The company will continue serving the community from its Magnolia Heights cafe at 3001 16th Street North and its drive-thru at 2760 34th Street North.

The Blend’s locations in Pinellas Park, Tampa, and Palmetto also remain open.

Madsen and her daughter, Nichole Richardson, opened their first local cafe inside the Tampa Bay Times building at 490 1st Avenue South in downtown St. Pete in December 2019 after relocating from Seattle.

Getting from downtown St. Petersburg to Tampa International Airport (TPA) without a car is about to become much easier.

Beginning in October, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) will launch the 727, a new premium express bus service connecting downtown St. Pete directly to the airport.

The route will make nine stops throughout downtown, including stops at SunRunner stations, before traveling nonstop to the airport using the Howard Frankland Bridge express lanes.

“For years, one of the questions I have received is, ‘How do I get from downtown St. Petersburg to the airport without driving?’” PSTA CEO Brad Miller said during a joint announcement with airport officials Monday morning. “Until now, we didn’t have a very good answer. Today, we do.”

The daily service is being touted as a more predictable alternative to driving and parking, particularly during peak tourism periods when the airport’s garages frequently reach capacity.

Mrs. Thelma’s Southern Cuisine, a new restaurant serving fried chicken, smothered pork chops, collard greens, candied yams, and other soul food staples, is preparing to open near Central Avenue in St. Pete.

The restaurant, located in a 1,200-square-foot space at 119 49th Street South, is expected to debut in late summer or early fall.

St. Pete native Cornicole Rollins-Holt will operate Mrs. Thelma’s with her husband, Melvin. The restaurant is named after Melvin’s late mother, Thelma, an avid home cook who dreamed of opening a restaurant of her own.

The Holts plan to honor her legacy by creating a welcoming neighborhood restaurant centered around homestyle cooking and Southern hospitality.

“Mrs. Thelma’s is one of those places where we want to offer that homey, cozy feel,” Cornicole said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “When we say our motto is ‘Just Like Mom’s,’ I want it to feel like you’re walking into your family’s house when you’re at the restaurant. As soon as you walk in, the smells will take you back.”

St. Pete Pier’s Marketplace, which sells everything from handcrafted goods and hot sauces to fresh flowers, may get a new look soon.

Operating Friday through Sunday, the Marketplace is home to nearly 30 tenants with seven permanent kiosks and 21 vendors operating out of 10-by-10-foot tents.

To improve the experience for vendors and create a unified design, the city is considering a plan to replace three tents with permanent kiosks each year, phasing out the tents over the next seven years.

“We’ve always wanted to have the kiosks,” Beth Herendeen, City Development Administration managing director, said during this week’s Workforce and Economic Development Committee meeting.

The tents were never part of the future vision of the 26-acre Pier District, which boasts modern amenities like a playground, splash pad, and landscaped paths.

Herendeen explained that since 2022, the additional kiosks were included in the city’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), a multi-year roadmap used to plan, prioritize, and fund major public infrastructure projects, facility upgrades, and large equipment purchases.

A new, all you-can-eat sushi restaurant quietly opened its doors last weekend.

Sushi Yama is now open at 7790 US Highway 19 North in Pinellas Park, around the corner from Bojangles and bb.q Chicken.

The sushi spot took over the 8,000 square-foot space previously occupied by Winghouse, which closed last summer.

Sushi Yama opened to the public on Saturday, July 18.

The sushi restaurant offers a wide variety of raw and cooked sushi rolls, sashimi, salads, hand rolls, and soups, plus hibachi dishes like teriyaki chicken, fried rice, yaki udon noodles, tempura, and katsu.

Unlike other all-you-can-eat restaurants, all of the dishes at Sushi Yama are made to order and brought directly to the table, ensuring a high quality dining experience.

Maple Street Biscuit Company in downtown St. Pete will soon become a new breakfast and brunch destination following a change in ownership.

Parent company Cracker Barrel announced Tuesday that it has sold Maple Street Biscuit Company to Louisville, Kentucky-based breakfast chain Biscuit Belly. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

As part of the acquisition, 16 Maple Street locations will close while Biscuit Belly will assume ownership of the remaining 35, including the restaurant at 662 Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete.

The acquired locations will be renovated and rebranded as Biscuit Belly restaurants over the next 18 to 24 months, with the first conversions expected to begin in January 2027. The deal will more than triple Biscuit Belly's footprint, bringing the chain to roughly 60 locations.

The City of St. Petersburg is one step closer to advancing projects aimed at reducing canal-related flooding and restoring local waterways, with Riviera Bay expected to be a primary focus.

According to the Riviera Bay Civic Association, the neighborhood's drainage canals have filled with sand and sediment over time, reducing their capacity to hold and move water and contributing to recurring flooding.

Earlier this month, the city announced that its request for authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood resilience, ecosystem restoration, and canal dredging was unanimously approved by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

The approval is included in the 2026 reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), the federal legislation that authorizes water infrastructure, flood control, and ecosystem restoration projects nationwide.

After serving patrons and sports fans for a decade, the popular local hangout Thirsty First will permanently close its doors.

Thirsty First, which has been a staple of downtown St. Petersburg’s nightlife scene since 2016, announced it will close the bar and restaurant at 515 Central Avenue.

A final celebration amongst friends and loyal guests will be held on Sunday, July 26, owner Greg Mikurak announced on Facebook and Instagram Monday evening.  

“When I opened Thirsty First, I hoped to build a great sports bar. What I never expected was to build a community and a family,” wrote Mikurak.

“Over the last decade, I've watched first dates turn into marriages, strangers become lifelong friends, championship celebrations shake the walls, and thousands of people choose to spend some of the best moments of their lives with us,” he continued. “We've celebrated victories, survived difficult times, and made memories that I'll carry with me forever.”