December 18, 2024

Pinellas County Commission approves $312.5M in bonds for new Rays stadium in St. Petersburg

December 18, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

After a two-month delay, the Pinellas County Commission has voted to honor its commitment to financially support the development of a new $1.3 billion Tampa Bay Rays stadium.

At a Tuesday meeting, county commissioners voted 5-2 to allocate $312.5 million toward the construction of the 30,000-seat ballpark. The county’s share will be funded through existing tourist taxes collected on hotel stays and short-term rentals.

Newly elected commissioners Vince Nowicki and Chris Scherer voted against the proposal, while Commissioners Chris Latvala, Kathleen Peters, Dave Eggers, Rene Flowers, and Brian Scott voted in favor of approving the bonds.

December 17, 2024

Local roaster opens first cafe inside Sans Market in St. Pete's EDGE District

December 17, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

After four years of micro-roasting out of a small garage in St. Pete, Sun Bear Specialty Coffee Roasters has opened its first cafe in the EDGE District.

Sun Bear has set up shop in the back of Sans Market, a zero-waste retail store located at 1037 Central Avenue, serving their farmer-forward single-origin coffee and espresso drinks.

The quaint cafe is outfitted with a wooden bar stacked on top of concrete blocks and a shelf stocked with retail bags of Sun Bear coffee beans sourced from international producers.

“I'm big on the farmers who produce the coffee and the process it goes through,” owner Kenny Beers said to St. Pete Rising.

December 16, 2024

Indoor golf lounge The Irons Club swings into downtown St. Pete

December 16, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

An urban indoor golf experience is opening in the Grand Central District of downtown St. Pete.

The Irons Club plans to debut early next year at 2140 Central Avenue.

The 4,000-square-foot facility, which was previously home to Euphoria Salon and Day Spa, will feature four state-of-the-art Trackman simulators each holding up to eight players and a putting green fronting Central Avenue.

There will also be a 9-seat bar with hightop tables serving beer and wine and a food menu serving American bar fare.

The Irons Club's private golfing simulation bays will be equipped with lounge seating, golf clubs, and the latest golfing simulation technology from tech company Trackman, which was created in 2003 by brothers Klaus and Morten Eldrup-Jørgensen and radar engineer Fredrik Tuxen.

December 16, 2024

It's official: St. Pete's Mirror Lake is now a historic district

December 16, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

The quaint Mirror Lake neighborhood in the heart of St. Pete's bustling downtown will now limit future development and changes to existing buildings.

After years of discussions and a long-winded debate during Thursday’s City Council meeting, councilmembers cast a 5-2 vote approving a local historic district designation for properties located within 200 feet of Mirror Lake, which has the largest collection of intact historic structures in St. Pete.

The approval was met with applause from a crowd of Mirror Lake residents who largely supported the citizen-initiated application, which was spearheaded by local preservation advocacy group Preserve the Burg, aimed at preserving the community's pedestrian-friendly low-rise character.

December 16, 2024

400 Central developer Red Apple Group acquires Mirror Lake tower site in downtown St. Pete

December 16, 2024/ Anthony Close

New York-based developer Red Apple Real Estate has closed on the purchase of a 0.94-acre parcel in downtown St. Petersburg.

The acquisition comes weeks after the company told St. Pete Rising it was under contract to purchase the site at 233 5th Street North. The purchase closed on December 13th for $13 million — $200,000 lower than the previously announced price of $13.2 million.

The sellers acquired the property in December 2021 for $15.5 million.