January 22, 2026

Williams Park improvements move forward in downtown St. Pete with focus on activation and safety

January 22, 2026/ Anthony Close

Plans to reimagine Williams Park in downtown St. Pete are starting to come into focus, with city partners emphasizing that the park’s future success will depend as much on daily activity and programming as on physical improvements.

Leaders with the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership shared updates on the effort during a recent media availability at the Cordova Inn, where they were joined by Dan Biederman, a nationally recognized urban placemaking expert whose firm, Biederman Redevelopment Ventures, has been brought in to help shape how the park functions once construction is complete.

“It’s remarkable the progress St. Pete has made over the last four decades,” Biederman said, noting the level of downtown activity compared to other cities. “There’s a lot going on here at 11 o’clock at night — you don’t see that in many places.”

Williams Park, which opened in 1888, spans an entire city block in the heart of downtown, bordered by 1st Avenue North, 2nd Avenue North, 3rd Street North, and 4th Street North.

Long considered the city’s “town square,” the park has faced challenges in recent years related to perception issues, aging infrastructure, and an underutilized bandshell.

January 22, 2026

Cordova Inn expansion and new rooftop bar open next month in downtown St. Pete

January 22, 2026/ Brian Zucker

After nearly three years of construction next door to one of downtown St. Petersburg’s most storied boutique hotels, the Cordova Inn’s long-awaited expansion is finally nearing the finish line, with the ownership team targeting an opening next month.

“We can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” co-owner Tommy Del Zoppo told St. Pete Rising during a recent sit-down interview. “We’ve been laser-focused on getting this done, and we’d like to open by February 15th. At this point it’s furniture, final finishes, and waiting on a few inspections.”

The five-story addition rising at 253 2nd Avenue North beside the 105-year-old Cordova Inn is designed to more than triple the hotel’s room count, taking it from 32 rooms to 97, including three luxury suites on the top floor offering panoramic views of downtown.

The expansion will also add a new ground-floor restaurant and a fifth-floor rooftop bar, both of which will be open to the public.

January 21, 2026

Famous Twitch streamer Tfue buys Woody’s Waterfront restaurant on St. Pete Beach

January 21, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

Woody’s Waterfront, the restaurant and bar that served St. Pete Beach for 35 years before closing in 2024, now belongs to a social media star.

The 28-year-old Twitch streamer and Florida native Turner Tenney, better known as Tfue, one of the world’s top esports gamers, has purchased the property at 7308 Sunset Way for $2.4 million.

Like many businesses on St. Pete Beach, Woody’s Waterfront sustained severe damage from Hurricane Helene in 2024 and was forced to close.

The laid-back, old-school Florida beach bar was owned by Roxene Riles and Marlo George, whose parents purchased the parcels in 1989 for $526,100.

"We have spent many hours reviewing options and have decided it is time for someone else to build their vision," the owners wrote on social media in January 2025, when they initially listed the property and two adjacent lots overlooking Blind Pass.

January 21, 2026

Health-focused Karma Juice Bar & Eatery coming to north St. Pete

January 21, 2026/ Kyla Fields

Fresh off announcing a new Grand Central District location, Karma Juice Bar and Eatery is planning yet another café—this time in north St. Pete.

Owner Josie Barber tells St. Pete Rising that plans are underway for Karma’s newest outpost, a 2,485-square-foot space at 201 Main Street North on the ground floor of the 17-story Park & Main apartment building within Echelon City Center at Carillon.

“I’ve never really taken on a project this big before; it’s quite a large space and we’re completely building it out,” Barber says. “It’s going to be a good place for us because the demographic of people that live there is very similar to our customer base.”

Barber plans to open Park and Main’s Karma later this year.

Karma has two existing locations, including one on 4th Street North in St. Pete and another in Clearwater.

January 20, 2026

204-unit affordable housing development in west St. Pete revived by Gravel Road Partners with county funding support

January 20, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

Washington, D.C.-based affordable housing developer Gravel Road Partners is resurrecting a long-stalled project that will bring 204 apartments and ground-floor retail to west St. Pete.

On Tuesday, Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved $6.71 million in Penny for Pinellas funding for a four-story apartment building planned at 6090 Central Avenue.

The new community, known as Sixty90, will reserve 60% of its units for households earning 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and below, with the remaining 40% offered at market rates.

Gravel Road Partners is taking over the project from local real estate firms DDA Development and Backstreets Capital, which purchased the three-acre site in December 2020 for $5.6 million from local businessman Bill Edwards.

The city approved plans for the four-story complex in 2021, and County commissioners also approved $3.5 million in Penny for Pinellas funding that year. That funding was later returned after the original development team paused the project amid shifting market conditions.

“We are incredibly proud to launch our third project in Pinellas County, a milestone that reflects our deep-seated commitment to this community. This project is a powerful testament to our partnership with Pinellas County and the City of St. Petersburg,” said Tyler Herbert, a partner with Gravel Road Partners, in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.

January 19, 2026

Gas Plant District redevelopment teams bolster partnerships ahead of proposal deadline

January 19, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

Prominent local developers competing to lead the redevelopment of the Gas Plant District in St. Pete are expanding their teams.

On January 4th, Mayor Ken Welch opened a 30-day window inviting developers and interested parties to submit proposals, following the receipt of an unsolicited proposal in October 2025 from ARK Ellison Horus.

Since then, investor Thompson Whitney Blake of Blake Investment Partners has announced he is also submitting a proposal.

ARK Ellison Horus and Blake are currently the only developers to publicly signal their intent to submit bids for the site, although additional proposals could still be submitted before the February 3rd deadline.

January 16, 2026

Texas-based coworking company Urban Office to open first Florida location in the Warehouse Arts District

January 16, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

An industrial building in St. Petersburg’s Warehouse Arts District is set to be converted into a modern coworking hub with more than 100 offices and retail space.

The nearly 24,000-square-foot property at 2301 3rd Avenue South was purchased on January 16th for $3.535 million by Lapin Development, led by developer Alec Lapin.

Alex Kamm, Joe Esposito, and Jon LaBudde of Axxos Commercial Group represented the buyer in the transaction, while Doug Waechter of JLL represented the seller.

The 61-year-old building was previously owned by the Louise Graham Regeneration Center, which operated a paper shredding business on site that employed adults with intellectual disabilities. The organization closed its operations in late 2025, leaving the property vacant.

Lapin plans to invest around $4 million to redevelop the building into Florida’s first Urban Office location, a coworking concept created by Houston-based developer Braun Enterprises.

January 16, 2026

St. Pete Innovation District unveils new master plan shaping future waterfront growth

January 16, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

The Innovation District, a 560-acre neighborhood on the southeastern edge of downtown St. Pete, is putting the final touches on a new master plan outlining a long-term vision for growth, including possible zoning updates that could lead to larger mixed-use developments.

The plan, which was presented during an open house on Wednesday night, is meant to be a flexible, long-term framework rather than a rigid set of instructions.

Developed in partnership with the City of St. Pete and Kimley-Horn, the plan emphasizes expanded waterfront access, climate resilience, mixed-use development, and stronger connections to downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.

First established in 2016, the Innovation District has become a hub for marine science, healthcare, research, and technology anchored by major institutions including the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital, Port St. Pete, and Albert Whitted Airport.

January 14, 2026

SkyWay Lofts completes 66 new affordable apartments in the Skyway Marina District

January 14, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

As the Skyway Marina District continues to grow, a local developer is bringing more affordable housing to the neighborhood.

Tampa-based affordable housing developer Blue Sky Communities has completed the second phase of SkyWay Lofts, adding 66 new apartments to the 1.19-acre property at 3800 34th Street South.

The new, four-story building is reserved for residents earning between 22% and 80% of the area median income (AMI), or roughly $16,000 to $58,000 per year for a one-person household. Notably, the monthly rent starts at $305 for a one-bedroom and one-bathroom unit.

The building is already at full occupancy with a waitlist available for applicants.

“Thanks to the City of St. Petersburg, the Skyway Marina District has been transformed into one of the premier neighborhoods of our city,” Scott Macdonald, Executive Vice President and Partner of Blue Sky Communities, said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday.

January 14, 2026

Dr. Kiran Patel sells Indian Rocks Beach waterfront site for $16M after condo plans stall

January 14, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

Clearwater-based real estate firm Prometheus Partners, which has been steadily scooping up sites along St. Pete’s Salt Creek, has made another land purchase — this time in Indian Rocks Beach.

Prometheus purchased the vacant parcels at 400, 404, and 408 Gulf Boulevard for $16 million from prominent Florida physician, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Dr. Kiran Patel, according to a deed recorded on Tuesday.

The 0.97-acre property, which is located across from the original Crabby Bill’s, was formerly home to the 45-key Gulf Towers Motel, which was demolished in early 2023.

Dr. Patel purchased the site in 2005 for $9 million, with plans to redevelop it into an eight-unit condo community called Sai Ocean Front Residences.

Pre-construction sales kicked off in 2024 with pricing starting at $6 million per unit.

However, Patel opted to list the property in September 2024 to focus on other endeavors, listing agent David Grieco told St. Pete Rising.