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St. Petersburg has a rule that protects our waterfront. If the city wants to lease public waterfront land for longer than a short term, voters decide. That rule is worth keeping, and a "yes" vote on Charter Amendment #2 does not weaken it.

Here is what it changes. Under the City Charter, Port leases are capped at 10 years unless voters approve more in a citywide referendum. Charter Amendment 2 would raise that cap to 25 years, the same limit Albert Whitted Airport has had since 2004, when voters raised it from five years. Giving the Port the same terms as its neighbor is sensible.

Here is what it does not change. The ballot language says the amendment "would not change the permitted use of the Port." It does not approve residential development at the site, and it does not approve any redevelopment of the Port. It changes one number, the maximum lease length. Every lease would still go through the city administration and City Council. The amendment does not hand anyone a blank check. It lets the city negotiate from a stronger position.

The University of South Florida St. Petersburg (USFSP) is moving forward with a new 7,500-square-foot veterans center on its downtown waterfront campus, replacing a temporary office with a permanent home for one of Florida’s largest student veteran populations.

Construction is expected to begin this summer, with the building scheduled to open in September 2027.

The $7.5 million project will rise at 100 5th Avenue South, the former site of USF's Family Studies Center, which was destroyed during the 2024 hurricanes.

The center will include private offices for staff, a student lounge, private study rooms, a training room, meeting spaces, and a dedicated veterans coffee area designed to give student vets a place to gather between classes.

"We call it wrap-around services," said Todd Post, Assistant Director of Veterans Success at USFSP, who is overseeing the project.

In a deal that could reshape downtown St. Petersburg’s skyline in the years ahead, Delray Beach-based Kolter Group is under contract to purchase the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront on the downtown waterfront.

The 15-story hotel, which offers sweeping views of Tampa Bay, is expected to remain open for now. Long term, however, the three-acre site carries significant redevelopment potential.

Located at 333 1st Street South, the property sits across from Al Lang Stadium, The Dalí Museum, and the Mahaffey Theater, and just steps from Central Avenue and Beach Drive.

The hotel was originally built in 1972 and renovated in 2014. It includes 333 guest rooms, 33 meeting rooms, and approximately 47,710 square feet of event space.

According to a February 20th, 2026 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the owners of the Hilton Bayfront, Ashford Hospitality Trust subsidiaries St. Petersburg Florida Hotel Limited Partnership and Ashford TRS Lessee II LLC, entered into a purchase and sale agreement on December 12th, 2025 to sell the property to Kolter Group Acquisitions LLC for $96 million.