St. Pete Beach approves $500 million expansion of TradeWinds Island Resorts

A rendering of the Tradewinds expansion that WILL BRING ADDITIONAL HOTEL ROOMS, POOLS, AMENITIES, PEDESTRIAN WALKWAYS, AND PUBLIC BEACH ACCESS POINTS | NUNZIO MARC DESANTIS ARCHITECTS

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.

TradeWinds, which operates the Island Grand and RumFish Beach Resorts, currently has 967 hotel keys, and 102,373 square feet of retail and restaurant space.

The four-phased expansion, which would take place over 20 years, will bring 629 new hotel rooms, 68,000 square feet of new restaurant and retail space across three new towers, and 2,113 parking spaces to the property.

A rendering of the hotel expansion and amenities | NUNZIO MARC DESANTIS ARCHITECTS

"We are thankful for the city commission's support as we move forward with this transformative project," TradeWinds owner Joe Smith said in a prepared statement.

"We've worked extremely hard to keep St. Pete Beach residents top of mind in our planning, and we'll continue to do so as the expansion begins."

A presented timeline shows construction would commence in 2025 and wrap up by 2043.

However, Smith said a plan will be submitted to the city soon and construction for the first phase would take 12 to 18 months.

This initial phase encompasses the construction of a 12-story 154-key hotel on the south side of the property facing the Seamark condominiums. It will have a two-story beachfront restaurant, a pool, and a six-story parking garage.

As part of the many development agreement conditions, the parking garage will have faux plants shielding the levels of parking. The pools will also close by 9 p.m.

The hotel will sit at an angle so that the views of Seamark residents are not disturbed.

A rendering shown at the April 15th meeting of the entrance of the resort property at completion | NUNZIO MARC DESANTIS ARCHITECTS

South Florida-based 1754 Properties, the ownership group behind TradeWinds, is working with Texas-based Nunzio Marc DeSantis Architects, Orlando-based Harris Civil Engineers, and Perry-Becker Landscape Architects.

The group is also working with structural engineer Thornton Tomasetti, Inc., which worked on assessing the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside, Florida, to address any issues with the design and construction of the project.

The property is within the Gulf Boulevard Redevelopment District, which recognizes the importance of temporary lodging uses and discourages high-rise residential development by incentivizing hotel redevelopment with additional density.

The total floor area ratio (FAR) is 1.47, with buildings reaching 116 feet in height. The developer is not seeking any variances and will nearly double the required setbacks for the towers, garages, and commercial buildings.

A rendering of the expansion and a new restaurant, which the design of may change | NUNZIO MARC DESANTIS ARCHITECTS

The new hotels, will have amenity decks with pools, restaurants, and music, which will have a decibel restriction.

There will also be a 4,800-square-foot rooftop viewing deck on phase one’s 12-story hotel that will be open to the public.

1754 Properties' legal representative Elise Batsel, a partner at Stearns Weaver Miller in Tampa, addressed looming questions from Mayor Petrila who voiced various concerns, including the 20-year agreement term, which exceeds the term of most development agreements.

Batsel explained that the 20-year agreement ensures the project can move forward amid unexpected issues such as a pandemic or a red tide event, which may cause hotel occupancy to plummet. She argued that given the scale of the redevelopment, the 20-year development agreement term allows the developer to outlast any economic uncertainty.

With the long-term agreement, the developer will have to provide three different beach access points, and stormwater improvements, among other infrastructure benefits.

Petrila shared a different perspective, stating the development agreement "would tie the hands of future commissioners for the next 20 years." Commissioner Karen Marriott argued that the 20-year horizon is realistic and voted in favor.

Economist Greg Pepitone, hired by the developer, previously said that over the 20-year phased development period, the resort will generate $3.5 billion in sales for local businesses. It would also generate $409 million in state and local taxes.

The developer will fund dune restoration behind Coral Reef Beach Resort, the Alden Resort, and the Breckenridge Club at TradeWinds as part of the first phase.

Working closely with the nonprofit Sea Turtle Trackers organization, they installed a decoy turtle nest on the beach behind the hotel. The mock nest is designed to trick predators and protect the eggs in real turtle nests nearby.