Rents continue to soar in St. Petersburg where demand outpaces supply, but one local property management and development firm is addressing the economic issue by building innovative co-living spaces throughout the city.  

In a co-living space, house members share kitchens, living rooms, and other communal areas.  

St. Petersburg-based Docked Living, a co-living developer that delivers a membership-based housing subscription rather than a traditional lease, is flipping several dormant properties. The company is Florida's largest co-living developer. 

Docked Living is redeveloping a vacant parcel at 2830 18th Avenue South in St. Petersburg, which once housed a car wash, into four single-family homes, each with accessory dwelling units, for a total of 26 bedrooms.  

The company is also converting a former medical office into a single-family home that will come online in the coming weeks.

"In our designs, you don't see, hear, or know that anyone lives in the same building. It's a twist on a classic roommate situation. Everyone wants the economic benefits of a roommate, but not so much the roommate," Docked Living co-founder Mark Hunter said to St. Pete Rising, describing Docked Living as a private social club.  

"We cut rents in half and do it without government subsidies. We fully embrace that mentality of pushing the frontier of what is possible."

Since the company's founding eight years ago, the team has delivered over 100 co-living rooms within the city's limits.

"We create very private spaces where the interaction with others is a choice, not a requirement. To have full control over that, we vertically integrated. We do designing, engineering, and construction in-house," Hunter said.  

Docked Living invests in energy-efficient infrastructure to reduce sound transmissions and builds large kitchens and private bathrooms for every bedroom.

Through Docked Living's housing subscription, residents pay one all-inclusive monthly fee that covers utilities, WiFi, a cleaning service, complimentary coffee, furniture, appliances, kitchen supplies, and on-site laundry.

Nick Price, who joined Docked Living in 2020 as Head of Development, can relate to the struggle to find affordable housing as a young professional.

"There wasn't a turn-key housing solution while and after I was in school for $1,000 or less," Price said, explaining that post-graduation at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, he moved in with his parents.  

Today, many St. Petersburg workers live outside the city limits, commuting long distances due to the lack of supply and skyrocketing rents, or will often resort to finding a roommate.

Docked Living's existing co-living inventory is found throughout St. Pete's Harbordale, Wildwood Heights, Jordan Park, and downtown neighborhoods. 

Every home is unique, with some offering outdoor garden spaces and fire pits, solar panel roofs, or independent co-working spaces.  

"We mostly work with urban landfill sites, buying one to five lots that are together. We hope to build entire blocks and eventually a village," Hunter said.

The company is open to working with third parties to co-develop properties from the ground up.

"Over the next three years, we will invest $30 million into this niche-style, naturally-occurring affordable housing throughout the state," Hunter said.

The company has other active projects in Tampa and Lakeland.

"Gentrification has reached every neighborhood in our city. Everyone wants to move into a nicer place but doesn't want a higher rent," Hunter said.  

Docked Living is looking to acquire 20 acres in the Gainesville area to build a pocket neighborhood, and plans to enter the Winter Haven submarket in Central Florida.

Beyond the physical walls of the homes, Docked Living also builds partnerships with local businesses.  

In St. Petersburg, Docked Living members can receive discounts on goods and services at Grassroots Kava House, Sans Market, Thrive DTSP co-working hub, and The OAKHouse Day Spa, among other businesses.

Those interested in becoming a Docked Living member can visit the company's website.