March 20, 2025

Chef Ted Dorsey’s highly anticipated Sunshine City Tavern opens next week in St. Pete

March 20, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

Chef Ted Dorsey, known for launching some of the area’s most popular restaurants, is set to open a new throwback neighborhood restaurant and bar on Monday, March 24.

Brisket fresh from the smoker, locally sourced seafood, and inventive cocktails take center stage at Sunshine City Tavern, located at 4351 4th Street North.

The 3,500-square-foot space was most recently home to Oaks on 4th, which closed in late 2023.

Designed as a tribute to St. Pete’s history, the tavern features a modern coastal aesthetic with teal walls, white wooden tables, wicker chairs, and a vibrant mural by local artist Kaitlin Ramirez, also known as Swirly Painter.

Dorsey, a restaurant industry veteran with decades of experience, has previously opened Sonata, The Mill, Ciro’s, Boca, and Copperfish.

February 21, 2025

Drew Brees-backed cheeseburger concept Smalls Sliders coming to St. Pete

February 21, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

Louisiana-based cheeseburger sliders concept, backed by former NFL legend Drew Brees, is set to debut one of its first Tampa Bay restaurants in St. Pete.

Smalls Sliders will open its first local location at 8624 Fourth Street North in north St. Pete, near the 92-unit townhome community Terraces at 87th, according to plans submitted by franchisee Purple Square Management.

Smalls Sliders refers to its restaurants as "cans" because they typically consist of a 750-square-foot shipping container converted into a bright orange drive-thru, serving made-to-order all-beef cheeseburger sliders, seasoned waffle fries, and shakes.

The “cans” are constructed offsite in a climate-controlled factory and later “dropped” at various restaurant locations. They feature a double-lane drive-thru, a walk-up window, and outdoor patio seating.e

January 09, 2025

21-story apartment tower proposed near USF in downtown St. Pete

January 09, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

A local developer has proposed to construct a 21-story, 213-unit apartment building directly across from the University of South Florida in downtown St. Pete.

St. Pete-based real estate company Stadler Development has filed a site plan application with the city for a $67 million tower that is expected to rise on a 0.69-acre property at 446 4th Street South, which is currently home to a 5,000-square-foot commercial building occupied by Fresenius Kidney Care American Dialysis Center.

“This site will deliver the demand for the Innovation District. The whole community, including students and hospital workers, should be well-served by this project,” Stadler Development Managing Partner John Stadler said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.