Local hotelier buys Old Florida hotel property on St. Pete Beach

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Local hotelier buys Old Florida hotel property on St. Pete Beach

The 18-key Beach Haven Villas hotel, located on the picturesque shores of St. Pete Beach, now has a new owner—a prominent and well-established local hotelier.

Kevin Bowden, owner of St. Pete Beach's Miramar Resort and Cambria Hotel on Madeira Beach, purchased the Art Deco-styled hotel at 4980 Gulf Boulevard from Beach Haven LLC in a roughly $6.24 million deal. Beach Haven LLC is a local small business whose President is Carolyn Thatcher.

Bowden took out a $4.65 million mortgage loan from St. Pete-based real estate specialty finance firm Directed Capital in the transaction.

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Upscale rooftop bar and restaurant Sparrow sets opening date in the EDGE District

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Upscale rooftop bar and restaurant Sparrow sets opening date in the EDGE District

An expansive new rooftop bar and Asian-fusion restaurant with a 1960s retro vibe is making its debut at the newly opened Moxy Hotel by Marriott in St. Pete's EDGE District.

The 4,000-square-foot Sparrow is nestled on the top of the boutique hotel at 1234 Central Avenue, will open to the public on Friday December 20th.

Jake Wurzak, president of Wurzak Hotel Group, which manages the 163-key Moxy Hotel, describes Sparrow as an upscale bar “but not a velvet-rope kind of vibe,” adding, “we are bringing it to St. Pete because it has been so successful in Fort Lauderdale. And we think a lot of what we did in Fort Lauderdale will do fantastic in St. Pete. We're making some additional enhancements, as well.”

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13-story hotel and apartment building proposed for St. Pete's Grand Central District

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13-story hotel and apartment building proposed for St. Pete's Grand Central District

A 13-story building featuring 60 apartments and 60 short-term rentals is slated for the 10,000-square-foot property at 1663 1st Avenue South in downtown St. Pete.

The St. Petersburg City Council, meeting as the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), unanimously approved the plans on Thursday, finding it consistent with the Intown West Redevelopment Plan (IWRP).

The plan will go before the Development Review Commission on December 4th.

The property is currently developed with a commercial building that was previously the home of Sunshine Kitty Catfe, Tampa Bay’s first cat café which debuted in 2019, and the Dolman Law Group, which has an office in Clearwater.

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