May 13, 2026

21-story luxury condo tower approved for former Fit2Run site in downtown St. Pete

May 13, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

Plans to build a 14-story hotel on a prominent half-acre site in downtown St. Pete have been replaced with a new proposal for a 21-story luxury condominium tower.

The city’s Development Review Services Division this week administratively approved a $60 million condominium project for a 0.53-acre site at 232 and 256 2nd Street North, located across the street from the Sundial shopping center and AMC movie theater.

Proposed by Kolter Group, one of the city’s most prominent high-rise developers, the new tower will feature 62 residences, 7,600 square feet of commercial space for a private membership club, and a 133-space parking garage, more than double the 62 spaces required by code.

Kolter Group bought the property for $7.5 million in late 2021.

The site previously contained a surface parking lot and a nearly 90-year-old building that housed Fit2Run, the running specialty store that relocated to a larger storefront at 801 Central Avenue in 2024.

The Fit2Run building was demolished in March.

April 08, 2026

17th annual St. Petersburg Jazz Festival swings into the Warehouse Arts District this week

April 08, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

The annual St. Petersburg Jazz Festival returns this week, offering a diverse line-up of bands and orchestras that will all be hosted within the Warehouse Arts District.

The jazz festival officially kicked off Tuesday, April 7th, with free-admission jazz workshops at St. Petersburg College, which is followed by four days of concerts with a mix of jazz styles and international influences.

Starting Wednesday, April 8th, a total of seven performances will happen at the Rosie Cohen Stage at the ArtsXchange, located at 515 22nd Street South.

All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m.

The annual festival is a nod to St. Pete’s rich musical roots, since the city has ties to the mid-20th century Chitlin' Circuit, a network of venues that provided safe spaces for Black musicians across the United States.

March 18, 2026

Global sailing race will make St. Pete its North American stop in 2027

March 18, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

St. Pete is set to take center stage on the global sailing circuit.

The Ocean Race, widely considered one of the toughest professional sporting events in the world, will make its first-ever Gulf Coast stop in 2027, with downtown St. Petersburg serving as the North American host for a new transatlantic leg of the race.

The announcement is a major win for the area, which will bring an internationally recognized event to the St. Petersburg Yacht Club and the University of South Florida St. Petersburg waterfront.

The 15th edition of The Ocean Race will begin in Alicante, Spain on Sunday, January 17th, 2027, sending a fleet of IMOCA 60-foot sailboats on a 14,000-nautical-mile opening leg to Auckland, New Zealand.

From there, teams will head to Itajaí, Brazil before arriving in downtown St. Pete for a scheduled stopover from May 4th through May 16th, 2027.

February 04, 2026

Construction begins on 264-unit affordable housing “unicorn” near St. Pete’s Warehouse Arts District

February 04, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

Construction is officially underway on one of St. Petersburg’s largest workforce and affordable housing developments.

On Wednesday morning, St. Pete-based HP Capital Group joined city and county officials, community partners, and stakeholders to celebrate the groundbreaking of Fairfield Avenue Apartments, a 264-unit apartment community at 3300 Fairfield Avenue South.

The development will serve individuals and families earning between 50% and 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI), a range that developers and officials say is increasingly difficult to accommodate in today’s housing market.

January 28, 2026

Orlando Health completes Institute Square, a new medical campus next to Bayfront Hospital in downtown St. Pete

January 28, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

Orlando Health has completed construction on Institute Square, a new medical campus just north of its 480-bed Bayfront Hospital in downtown St. Petersburg’s Innovation District.

The development spans an entire city block bounded by 5th Avenue South, 6th Avenue South, 7th Street South, and 8th Street South.

It includes a four-story Orlando Health Medical Pavilion, a three-story Orlando Health Women’s Pavilion, and a five-story, 817-space parking garage that also houses an imaging center and a wound care center.

Hospital leaders are expected to formally mark the opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on February 12th.

Construction on the project began in late 2023, led by Turner Construction Company. Orlando-based construction firm Finfrock built the parking garage.

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 12, 2026

Karma Juice Bar and Eatery coming to the former Craftsman House Gallery in the Grand Central District

January 12, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

The former Craftsman House Gallery, housed in a historic 1918 bungalow in the Grand Central District, will become Karma Kitchen and Bakery—a new concept from the owner of Karma Juice Bar & Eatery.

The reimagined property at 2955 Central Avenue will feature an indoor dining space, an outdoor edible garden, a bakery, and an expanded food and beverage program when it makes its debut in July.

For over a decade, Karma Juice Bar & Eatery has been a familiar name in St. Petersburg, known for its cold-pressed juices and health-focused offerings.

The new Central Avenue location will mark the brand’s third local outpost, joining existing Karma locations at 1804 4th Street North in St. Pete and 2095 Drew Street in Clearwater.

January 09, 2026

After hours of debate, 21-story, 370-unit luxury apartment tower wins approval in downtown St. Pete

January 09, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

A cluster of small affordable apartment buildings could soon be demolished to make way for a 21-story, 370-unit luxury apartment tower in downtown St. Petersburg.

After hours of debate, the city’s Development Review Commission voted 6-1 Wednesday evening to approve the project planned for a 1.3-acre site along 5th Avenue North between 4th and 5th Streets.

In addition to 370 apartments, the project, known as The Pelican, would also include 3,819 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and a 485-space parking garage.

St. Pete-based Stadler Development, led by John Stadler and his son Chris, is spearheading the $134 million project, which would share a city block with the Hollander Hotel and Trinity Lutheran Church.

Stadler is under contract to purchase the property from local investor Michael Andoniades, who owns the Hollander Hotel and several other properties throughout the city.

January 05, 2026

Nearly $100 million invested as developer continues buying spree along Salt Creek in south St. Pete

January 05, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

Clearwater-based real estate firm Prometheus Partners has acquired another property along Salt Creek, pushing its total investment in the area to nearly $100 million over the past year and a half.

Prometheus purchased a 4.63-acre property at 263 13th Avenue South for $28.215 million from Bayboro Partners LTD on December 31st.

The site is home to Bayboro Station, an 80,991-square-foot, three-story office building originally constructed in 1924 as one of St. Petersburg’s first power plants, and an adjacent surface parking lot.

Today, the building houses several tenants, including Pinstripe Marketing, Carbon Design & Architecture, and the Southeast regional headquarters of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries.

With this latest purchase, Prometheus has now spent more than $93.8 million acquiring nearly 23 acres in the Salt Creek area, making it one of the largest private landholders in the neighborhood.