Downtown St. Pete may see its first significant office development in 12 years
/Downtown St. Pete may get its first new office building in nearly three decades if the city accepts an offer from UPC Insurance to expand it’s headquarter’s to a lot along 1st Avenue South. The city has long discussed offering Jabil this site in an attempt to lure them into building a new corporate headquarters in Downtown St. Pete. However, when Jabil ultimately chose to rebuild and expand its existing office complex in North St. Pete, UPC took notice and began exploring plans of their own.
On July 19, 2018, the City of St. Pete received a letter from UPC Insurance stating their desire and intent to acquire the entire 800 block of 1st Avenue South for the purposes of constructing and occupying a new corporate headquarters.
UPC Insurance currently owns a 42,000 square foot building across the street at 800 2nd Avenue South, which formerly housed the Downtown St. Pete AAA office, as well as a smaller 8,000 square foot building at 724 2nd Avenue South. They also currently lease a parking lot from the city which is adjacent to their 800 2nd Avenue South building.
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A familiar Pinellas County doughnut shop is coming to South Pasadena.
Fray’s Donut House will open at 1200 Pasadena Avenue South, taking over the former Dunkin’ location just down the street from Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish.
The shop is expected to open in January 2027.
Serey Siev, who will co-own and operate the shop with his wife, Phiny Long, purchased the building for $925,000, according to Pinellas County property records.
The building will receive mostly cosmetic updates before reopening, including the installation of Fray’s familiar white sign with red and black lettering.
The South Pasadena location will serve more than 30 types of doughnuts, from glazed, chocolate frosted, cinnamon sugar, Boston cream, rainbow sprinkle, and old fashioned varieties to cronuts, apple fritters, and éclairs.
The shop will also serve muffins, cinnamon rolls, breakfast sandwiches, espresso drinks, and drip coffee.