Rumba Island Bar & Grill abruptly closes St. Pete location

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Rumba Island Bar & Grill abruptly closes St. Pete location

Rumba Island Bar & Grill has abruptly closed its St. Pete location at 6445 4th Street North, leaving employees and customers with little explanation.

Employees tell St. Pete Rising they arrived for work earlier this week expecting a normal shift, only to find the restaurant locked and learn that it had permanently closed.

An employee at the restaurant's Clearwater location also confirmed the St. Pete location's closure.

The outdoor dining patio furniture has been removed, chairs are stacked inside the restaurant, and there is no notice explaining the closure at the 5,300-square-foot building.

Rumba Island Bar & Grill, which also operates a location in Clearwater, is owned by Indian Shores-based Baystar Restaurant Group.

Baystar Restaurant Group, led by restaurateur Frank Chivas, has operated restaurants in Pinellas County for more than two decades, including Salt Rock Grill and Island Way Grill.

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29-story condo tower approved for 4th Street South in downtown St. Pete

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29-story condo tower approved for 4th Street South in downtown St. Pete

A Clearwater-based developer has received approval to build a new 29-story residential tower in downtown St. Petersburg.

Valor Capital plans to construct a $70 million, 165-unit condominium tower on the northeast corner of 4th Street South and 4th Avenue South, just two blocks from the Publix-anchored University Village retail plaza.

At a Development Review Commission meeting on Wednesday, commissioners unanimously approved a floor area ratio (FAR) bonus and a building height bonus for the project, known as the Roche Bobois Residences. Construction is expected to begin in 2026.

The approval follows a prior site plan approval for the project by the St. Petersburg City Council, acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency, in July.

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Aldi to replace Winn-Dixie on 4th Street North in St. Pete

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Aldi to replace Winn-Dixie on 4th Street North in St. Pete

A major shakeup is coming to one of St. Pete’s long-standing grocery stores.

After serving the community for 35 years, the Winn-Dixie at 11100 4th Street North in the Bayview Shopping Plaza is set to close on August 3rd and undergo a $1.7 million renovation to become an Aldi.

The conversion is part of the German-based discount grocery chain’s continued expansion across Florida and the U.S., following its March 2024 acquisition of Southeastern Grocers and the rollout of new Aldi stores in former Winn-Dixie locations.

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29-story condo tower planned for 4th Street South in downtown St. Pete, replacing earlier condotel proposal

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29-story condo tower planned for 4th Street South in downtown St. Pete, replacing earlier condotel proposal

A Clearwater-based developer is moving forward with revised plans for a high-rise residential tower in downtown St. Pete, significantly altering a previously approved design.

Valor Capital is seeking city approval to amend its original proposal for the Roche Bobois Residences, a project initially envisioned as a 25-story, 152-unit condotel tower.

The development is slated for the northeast corner of 4th Street South and 4th Avenue South, just two block from the Publix-anchored University Village retail plaza.

The revised plan reimagines the project as a 29-story condominium tower with 165 residential units, 4,103 square feet of commercial space, and 103 parking spaces (83 in a parking garage and 20 surface spaces to the west of the tower).

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80-unit affordable housing project Flats on 4th moves forward in north St. Pete

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80-unit affordable housing project Flats on 4th moves forward in north St. Pete

An undeveloped parcel at the southwest corner of the intersection of 106th Avenue North and 4th Street North will be developed into 80 affordable apartments reserved for seniors.

The project, dubbed Flats on 4th—a previously approved four-story mid-rise building designed for low-income seniors earning between 40% and 60% of the area median income (AMI).

The Pinellas County Housing Finance Authority purchased the land for the project earlier this month, as Trustee of the land trust, for $2.94 million using Penny for Pinellas funds, a voter-approved one-cent sales tax designated for infrastructure improvements.

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Popular burger chain Cook Out submits plans for first St. Pete location

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Popular burger chain Cook Out submits plans for first St. Pete location

Cook Out, the Southern fast-food favorite known for its char-grilled burgers and barbecue, is one step closer to opening its first Florida restaurant, located in St. Petersburg.

The North Carolina-based chain has filed plans with the City of St. Pete for an $800,000 buildout at 9595 4th Street North.

The 3,146-square-foot building previously housed a Boston Market, which closed in 2023. It sits across from the Baypoint Commerce Center.

St. Pete Rising first reported Jeremy Reaves, CEO and son of the chain's founder, purchased the property in September 2024 for $2.6 million.

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Chef Ted Dorsey’s highly anticipated Sunshine City Tavern opens next week in St. Pete

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Chef Ted Dorsey’s highly anticipated Sunshine City Tavern opens next week in St. Pete

Chef Ted Dorsey, known for launching some of the area’s most popular restaurants, is set to open a new throwback neighborhood restaurant and bar on Monday, March 24.

Brisket fresh from the smoker, locally sourced seafood, and inventive cocktails take center stage at Sunshine City Tavern, located at 4351 4th Street North.

The 3,500-square-foot space was most recently home to Oaks on 4th, which closed in late 2023.

Designed as a tribute to St. Pete’s history, the tavern features a modern coastal aesthetic with teal walls, white wooden tables, wicker chairs, and a vibrant mural by local artist Kaitlin Ramirez, also known as Swirly Painter.

Dorsey, a restaurant industry veteran with decades of experience, has previously opened Sonata, The Mill, Ciro’s, Boca, and Copperfish.

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Drew Brees-backed cheeseburger concept Smalls Sliders coming to St. Pete

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Drew Brees-backed cheeseburger concept Smalls Sliders coming to St. Pete

Louisiana-based cheeseburger sliders concept, backed by former NFL legend Drew Brees, is set to debut one of its first Tampa Bay restaurants in St. Pete.

Smalls Sliders will open its first local location at 8624 Fourth Street North in north St. Pete, near the 92-unit townhome community Terraces at 87th, according to plans submitted by franchisee Purple Square Management.

Smalls Sliders refers to its restaurants as "cans" because they typically consist of a 750-square-foot shipping container converted into a bright orange drive-thru, serving made-to-order all-beef cheeseburger sliders, seasoned waffle fries, and shakes.

The “cans” are constructed offsite in a climate-controlled factory and later “dropped” at various restaurant locations. They feature a double-lane drive-thru, a walk-up window, and outdoor patio seating.e

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21-story apartment tower proposed near USF in downtown St. Pete

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21-story apartment tower proposed near USF in downtown St. Pete

A local developer has proposed to construct a 21-story, 213-unit apartment building directly across from the University of South Florida in downtown St. Pete.

St. Pete-based real estate company Stadler Development has filed a site plan application with the city for a $67 million tower that is expected to rise on a 0.69-acre property at 446 4th Street South, which is currently home to a 5,000-square-foot commercial building occupied by Fresenius Kidney Care American Dialysis Center.

“This site will deliver the demand for the Innovation District. The whole community, including students and hospital workers, should be well-served by this project,” Stadler Development Managing Partner John Stadler said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.

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