St. Pete Beach approves $500 million expansion of TradeWinds Island Resorts
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After St. Pete Beach commissioners delayed voting on TradeWinds' proposed expansion plans last week, the owners have finally won their approval.
Following hours of debate that started Tuesday evening and bled into Wednesday morning, in a 3-2 vote, the commissioners narrowly approved a development agreement and conditional use permit (CUP).
The approval comes with a list of conditions for the redevelopment of the 25-acre beachfront resort at 5500 Gulf Boulevard on St. Pete Beach.
Commissioners Karen Marriott, Nick Filtz, and Richard Lorenzen voted in favor of the expansion plans. Mayor Adrian Petrila and Betty Rzewnicki cast the opposing votes.
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A permanent ferry dock at the St. Pete Pier moved closer to reality Friday, as the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority celebrated $850,000 in newly secured federal funding for the future Tampa Bay Ferry terminal.
PSTA leaders joined U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, and representatives from Hubbard’s Marina at the Pier to announce the funding, which will help support a new dock near the St. Petersburg Museum of History.
The permanent facility is planned to include a security gate, ticket booth, and ADA-compliant access. It is expected to accommodate two ferry vessels at once, according to Captain Dylan Hubbard of Hubbard’s Marina.
“This is a key piece in the puzzle,” PSTA CEO Brad Miller said during the event.
The federal funding, secured by Castor through the Fiscal Year 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill, comes as PSTA prepares to relaunch passenger ferry service between downtown St. Pete and Tampa later this year.