New express bus will connect downtown St. Pete directly to Tampa International Airport
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Getting from downtown St. Petersburg to Tampa International Airport (TPA) without a car is about to become much easier.
Beginning in October, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) will launch the 727, a new premium express bus service connecting downtown St. Pete directly to the airport.
The route will make nine stops throughout downtown, including stops at SunRunner stations, before traveling nonstop to the airport using the Howard Frankland Bridge express lanes.
“For years, one of the questions I have received is, ‘How do I get from downtown St. Petersburg to the airport without driving?’” PSTA CEO Brad Miller said during a joint announcement with airport officials Monday morning. “Until now, we didn’t have a very good answer. Today, we do.”
The daily service is being touted as a more predictable alternative to driving and parking, particularly during peak tourism periods when the airport’s garages frequently reach capacity.
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The City of St. Petersburg has closed a $6.4 million land sale for The Central, a planned $200 million mixed-use development in the EDGE District, completing a property transfer that had held up construction for months.
The deal was signed on Election Day, November 3rd, the same day Charlie Crist defeated Mayor Ken Welch, transferring portions of the former police headquarters property at 1300 1st Avenue North to entities affiliated with Ellison Development.
The closing clears the way for continued work on the 2.1-acre development, which will include Class A offices, a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel, retail space, 42 workforce apartments, and public gathering spaces.
“This is a big day for The Central and for the EDGE District,” Casey Ellison, president and CEO of Ellison Development, said in a press release. “The excitement surrounding this project has continued to grow, and this milestone brings us one step closer to delivering a destination that will create new opportunities and fresh energy to the neighborhood.”
For nearby businesses and residents, the most visible progress so far has been the 531-space public parking garage, which opened in June 2025 across from Ferg’s Sports Bar.
The sale excludes 400 parking spaces spread across five floors of the garage, matching the number of public spaces promised when the redevelopment proposal was selected in 2019.