March 18, 2025

Multi-million-dollar renovation completed for 12-story City Center office tower in downtown St. Pete

March 18, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

The 12-story City Center office tower in downtown St. Petersburg has a fresh, modern look following a multi-million-dollar renovation.

The 242,115-square-foot Class A office building at 100 2nd Avenue South now features a contemporary atrium lobby, upgraded amenities, and state-of-the-art facilities.

The building, owned by Feldman Equities and its joint venture partners City Office REIT Inc. and Tower Realty Partners, has officially completed its renovation. This week, the owners unveiled a first look at the upgraded amenities and modernized features.

March 14, 2025

St. Pete investor offers $260 million to buy 86-acre Tropicana Field site

March 14, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

Prominent Tampa Bay investor Thompson Whitney Blake is offering the City of St. Petersburg $260 million in an all-cash deal to buy the Gas Plant District following the Tampa Bay Rays' abrupt announcement of abandoning the stadium agreement.

"We, along with all of the other residents in town, have listened to a decade of dialogues, debates, pundits, and prognosticators, lawyers, and talking heads... In our opinion, this project needs someone to do what my mom has always said, 'put your money where your mouth is.' So, here we go," Blake, CEO of private equity firm Blake Investment Partners, wrote in a letter to Mayor Ken Welch and the St. Petersburg City Council.

The offer letter was sent on Thursday, March 13, shortly after the Tampa Bay Rays announced on social media that they were withdrawing from the $1.37 billion deal to build a new stadium in downtown St. Petersburg. The team cited unforeseen challenges from back-to-back hurricanes and prolonged negotiations as reasons for their decision.

March 14, 2025

Tierra Verde Marina faces demolition for private boat club and expanded boat storage

March 14, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

A retail plaza, home to several local businesses, and a boat yard located just beyond the Pinellas Bayway Bridge at the entrance to Tierra Verde may be demolished to make way for a private boat club and expanded boat storage.

On Monday, Michael Coffey, Executive Vice President of Greenleaf Capital, presented a preliminary redevelopment plan for the Tierra Verde Marina, located at 100 Pinellas Bayway South, during a Tierra Verde Community Association meeting.

Tampa-based Greenleaf Capital, the real estate division of HCI Group, Inc., purchased the seven-acre marina property for $5,000,100 in 2011.

Coffey outlined a phased plan to demolish the existing facilities and construct a larger boat storage facility, a modern boat club with a new restaurant, bar, and pool, as well as upgraded landscaping, security, and additional amenities.

March 12, 2025

Century-old Playhouse Theatre to be demolished for redevelopment in the Grand Central District

March 12, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

Boarded-up windows and crumbling stucco line the exterior of the former Playhouse Theatre—a once-thriving venue for the latest Hollywood movies and traveling performers.

The long-vacant, 100-year-old theater at 1850 Central Avenue may soon be demolished to make way for a new development featuring office space and retail.

The site is located next to an Interstate 275 overpass and adjacent to the Trails Crossing development, a proposed linear park featuring public art and event spaces that is being studied for the area under I-275.

March 11, 2025

Corner Kitchen and Coffee House to take over Sweet Brewnette in Madeira Beach

March 11, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

The quaint Sweet Brewnette Cafe in Madeira Beach was one of many businesses that fell victim to Hurricanes Milton and Helene that hit Florida last year. However, a new cafe will rise in its place.

Similar to the beloved Sweet Brewnette Cafe, which is relocating to Panama City Beach, Corner Kitchen and Coffee House will serve made-from-scratch breakfast and lunch items, pastries, and coffee inside the corner building at 13999 Gulf Boulevard when it opens later this month.

“What Sweet Brewnette did was remarkable, and when I saw the space was available, I jumped on it,” said Corner Kitchen and Coffee House owner Jonathan Olejnik, who will run the new cafe with his fiancé, Victoria Helton.