July 31, 2025

Retro Florida motel-themed bar No Vacancy closes after six years in the EDGE District

July 31, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

After more than six years serving up tropical drinks and Florida-themed fare, No Vacancy has permanently closed in downtown St. Pete.

The Old Florida motel-inspired bar and restaurant at 937 Central Avenue announced its closure in a heartfelt social media post, marking the end of an era for one of the EDGE District’s most recognizable hangouts.

“After 6.5 unforgettable years, our everyday vacay comes to an end,” wrote owner Stephen Schrutt. “From the bottom of our hearts, Thank You, St. Pete! You stayed with us through it all. From the challenges of Covid, and the growth of our city. Thank you for being part of it, none of this was possible without our flock.”

No Vacancy opened in January 2019 in the former home of Kings Street Food Counter, another concept from Schrutt’s Hunger + Thirst Restaurant Group.

July 31, 2025

The Violet Stone’s new, larger location is officially open in St. Pete

July 31, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

St. Pete’s favorite Philly-style pizza joint, The Violet Stone, has officially opened in a much larger, more prominent location. So say goodbye to long lines, sold-out signs by noon, and eating pizza on the hood of your car.

The new restaurant, located at 2609 Dr. MLK Jr. Street North, debuted on Wednesday, and brings with it an expanded menu, upgraded kitchen, and seating for up to 100 guests, both indoors and out.

The Violet Stone has come a long way since it launched as a food truck in 2022. After outgrowing the truck, owner Daniel Fekete set up shop in a small 800-square-foot space in Kenwood.

That original space had no air conditioning and just a few chairs and tables. Now, the team is settling into a 2,100-square-foot spot that finally matches Fekete’s vision for the restaurant.

July 30, 2025

Exclusive: 87-room Marriott Tribute Portfolio hotel proposed for John’s Pass Village in Madeira Beach

July 30, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

A new boutique hotel is in the works for Madeira Beach’s John’s Pass Village, offering visitors a new place to stay in the heart of the popular waterfront shopping and dining destination.

Prominent developer Bill Karns, who is also leading the Madeira Beach Town Center project, and Marcus Winters, owner of Caddy’s Restaurant Group, are proposing an 87-key Marriott Tribute hotel directly across from the iconic John’s Pass boardwalk.

The site, located on the southwest corner of 129th Avenue East and Pelican Lane, is owned by Karns and is currently being used as a 180-space surface parking lot.

The proposed six-story hotel will be a “condo-hotel,” a hybrid model that blends hotel and condominium features. Individual units will be available both for purchase and for nightly rentals.

July 30, 2025

Former Tampa Bay Times printing plant to be redeveloped with apartments and townhomes in North Kenwood

July 30, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

A major redevelopment is coming to North Kenwood, where the former Tampa Bay Times printing plant once buzzed with activity for over 60 years.

Dallas-based real estate firm Crow Holdings, founded in 1948 by legendary developer Trammell Crow, has filed plans to build a 392-unit garden-style apartment complex at 1301 34th Street North just south of Sam’s Club.

The plans, submitted on Monday to the Southwest Florida Water Management District, call for six four-story apartment buildings, a clubhouse, and 577 surface parking spaces.

The property went under contract on July 1st, according to CoStar.

Since all three parcels are zoned Industrial Suburban (IS), residential development would only be allowed through the Live Local Act or Section 17.5 of St. Petersburg’s land development regulations. Both options require that at least 40% of the residential units be set aside as affordable housing for households earning up to 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI).

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.