156-acre Wagon Wheel Flea Market property in Pinellas Park slated for massive redevelopment
/The former Wagon wheel flea market property at 7801 Park Boulevard North in Pinellas Park, which existed from 1966 to 2020 | facebook
More than six years after the Wagon Wheel Flea Market closed its doors, plans are taking shape to redevelop the sprawling property that was once home to one of Pinellas County's most popular weekend shopping destinations.
Pinellas Park-based Belleair Development Group is under contract to purchase approximately 156 acres at 7801 Park Boulevard North, where the Wagon Wheel and Mustang flea markets operated for more than five decades before closing in 2020.
Christian Yepes, owner of Belleair Development Group alongside his father, Carlos Yepes, confirmed the company is exploring options for a mixed-use development that could bring residential and commercial uses to the largely vacant property.
“We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to develop such a landmark in Pinellas County. We are currently in the midst of due diligence and are exploring mixed-use development options at the site,” Yepes said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.
The property is currently owned by the family of Hardy Huntley, who founded the Wagon Wheel Flea Market with his wife, Janet, in the 1960s.
An aerial outline of the 156-acre property in Pinellas park | southwest Florida Water Management District
Documents submitted to the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) provide an early glimpse into the redevelopment effort.
In an August 31st authorization letter, the property's owners granted Belleair Development permission to pursue government approvals for a mixed-use project that could include retail and residential development.
The authorization includes permission to seek site plan approvals, rezoning, land-use changes, development agreements, and annexation, along with environmental and geotechnical studies.
Belleair Development is also working with the City of Pinellas Park to annex the property, which is currently located in unincorporated Pinellas County.
On November 5th, the Southwest Florida Water Management District received an application requesting a formal determination of wetlands and other surface waters on the property.
A substantial portion of the site consists of undeveloped land, wooded areas, and lakes, making the environmental review an important step in determining how much of the property can be developed.
For longtime Pinellas County residents, the property holds decades of memories.
The Wagon Wheel's history dates to 1966, when Hardy Huntley, a used-car salesman, and his wife, Janet, began selling secondhand merchandise from a roadside stand along Park Boulevard.
The couple enjoyed visiting yard sales, collecting discarded items, and repairing things they could resell. What began as a small operation gradually grew into one of Florida's largest flea markets.
A 1968 photo of the wagon Wheel property | st. petersburg Times
Over the following decades, the Wagon Wheel expanded to include over 2,000 vendor booths, with merchants selling everything from fresh produce and clothing to antiques, collectibles, furniture, and household goods.
The market also absorbed vendors from the former Mustang Drive-In Flea Market, which operated nearby before its property was redeveloped.
Even a devastating fire in 1986 could not stop the Wagon Wheel. The market reopened the following day, and the Huntley family eventually rebuilt the damaged vendor stalls.
For generations of local residents, visiting the Wagon Wheel became a weekend tradition.
Shoppers wandered through rows of vendors looking for bargains, while hundreds of independent merchants relied on the market to operate their businesses.
Hardy Huntley died in 2013 at the age of 77, leaving the family business to his descendants.
The market continued operating until March 2020, when it temporarily closed during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
JANET AND HARDY Huntley, Founders of the Wagon Wheel Flea Market for over five decades before its closure in 2020 | Facebook
Three months later, the Huntley family announced that the Wagon Wheel and Mustang flea markets would close permanently after nearly 55 years in business.
The closure left hundreds of longtime vendors searching for new places to sell their merchandise and brought an end to one of the county's most recognizable commercial institutions.
Many former vendors eventually found a new home at the Pinellas Farmers and Flea Market, which began operating in Largo in 2021. The market has since relocated to Win! Derby, formerly Derby Lane, at 10490 Gandy Boulevard in St. Pete, where it continues to operate on weekends.
Meanwhile, the former Wagon Wheel property has remained mostly vacant, with portions of the old market structures still standing.
Its redevelopment would represent a major change for a prominent stretch of Park Boulevard that has remained relatively unchanged since the flea market closed.
The flea market had over 2,000 vendors | Fleamapket.com
For Belleair Development Group, the project would also be among its most significant undertakings in Pinellas County.
Founded in 1997 by Carlos Yepes, the family-owned development company has completed more than 400 commercial and residential projects throughout Florida.
Christian Yepes joined the company in late 2007, helping expand its portfolio of retail centers, residential developments, and other commercial properties.
The company owns The Shoppes at Park Place, a major shopping center in Pinellas Park, and has developed numerous commercial properties throughout the Tampa Bay area.
Yepes said he is grateful for the relationship Belleair Development has established with the Huntley family and considers it an honor to be entrusted with the future of a property that holds so much history in Pinellas County.
For now, Belleair Development remains focused on due diligence and determining what type of development would be appropriate for the site.
A timeline for construction has not been announced.
