— A recent Powerball winner was arrested after officials said he kicked a deputy in the face during a fight at the TradeWinds Resort on St a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office deputy arrived at the hotel to break up a fight between 50-year-old James S was also arguing with other patrons inside the hotel and appeared "very intoxicated." Farthing then kicked the deputy in the face The deputy then told Farthing to turn around and put his hands behind his back The deputy said Farthing then attempted to flee on foot out of the hotel Farthing was arrested and is facing multiple charges including resisting an officer with violence and battery on a law enforcement officer Fightmaster was also arrested for disorderly intoxication The hotel staff told officials they want to press charges The Scripps News Group in Lexington, Kentucky, reported that Farthing was the recent winner of the Kentucky lottery, splitting the $167 million prize with his mother and I feel like that's part of where the system failed" Henry Betsey Jr. is facing charges for marrying three Florida women in three different counties at the same time. Now saying the system that handles marriage licenses kept them in the dark Latest Pinellas County News from ABC Action News Report a typo Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More Pete Beach have been trying to figure out whether to repair or demolish two public buildings in Pass-a-Grille that were flooded by Hurricane Helen: the shuffleboard clubhouse and Merry Pier bait shop.  “We just want to save what we can of the old Pass-a-Grille,” said resident Alan Stalb Stalb is a member of the Pass-a-Grille Shuffleboard Club which has been lobbying the city to save their clubhouse The group showed up to a city commission meeting last week to make their case “You cannot play shuffleboard unless you have a place to store equipment,” said resident Peter Coleman “This is a city with very woefully few public structures … I think some efforts should be made in this case to try to bring this building back to life.” Public Services Director Camden Mills said the clubhouse was determined to be substantially damaged in the storm and it would cost about $176,000 to repair “We have received just under $83,000 from our insurance,” he said “I'd like to point out this is just the payout that we've received so far Pass-a-Grille Shuffleboard Club President John Gustafson said the clubhouse is registered as historically designated and should be saved The bait shop at the Merry Pier is the other structure that was determined to be substantially damaged To repair the bait shop it would cost about $96,000 he said the insurance payout so far has been $62,000 “The reason why the demolition cost of this structure is so much higher is just due to the complications of the building being over water,” said Mills “The intricacies of taking that apart without having any adverse impacts to the environment.” The bait shop was built in the 1970’s Matthew Foos said it would be a shame if the bait shop was torn down Tourists come here to fish and they go here to get all their supplies,” he said. “You can literally just park here and you can grab lunch here All of the commissioners indicated support for trying to keep the buildings but worried about the cost after being left cash strapped by last year’s back-to-back hurricanes Commissioner Karen Marriott said the bait shop and the shuffleboard clubhouse are part of the community fabric Pete Beach have had a lot to say about maintaining the character of St “I think it's absolutely accurate that these two buildings are prime examples of what that is.” Stalb said he’s a history buff and agrees with Marriott about the character of the community “There is a case to try to keep a Pass-a-Grille “This and the pier are two of the old style things that are still left.” The clock is ticking for the city to make a decision about the bait shop The FDEP emergency declaration that allows for state permit exemptions ends on May 31 The bait shop would need an FDEP permit because it’s located above water This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page COMMUNITY PARTNER officially reopened after six months of restoration following back‑to‑back hurricanes the beloved 97‑year‑old hotel has not only been restored but enhanced The phased reopening grants access to many of The Don CeSar’s signature spaces while the ground‑level areas are further enhanced All renovations should be completed by the summer The newly designed ballroom—set to be available for bookings in early 2026—will serve as a premier venue for events The remaining dining outlets—including Society Table The Don CeSar has long been a symbol of resilience and hospitality on Florida’s Gulf Coast,” said Barbara Readey “Our team has worked tirelessly to restore and enhance this treasured landmark ensuring that guests can continue to create unforgettable memories for generations to come.” The Don CeSar has been an icon of luxury and sophistication Originally designed as a lavish retreat for the elite the hotel quickly became a favorite destination for celebrities it served as a hospital for recovering airmen before being restored to its former glory as a premier beachfront resort The Don CeSar has remained a beloved landmark blending historic charm with modern elegance to offer an unparalleled guest experience Its latest revival not only marks a triumphant return but reinforces its role as a cornerstone of Florida’s tourism industry Book your stay on The Don CeSar’s website Stay connected to All Things Good in the Burg by subscribing today Since I Love the Burg launched in May of 2009 Pete Beach Commission heard from the Shuffleboard Courts and Merry Pier Bait Shack supporters One theme rang true during each presentation and discussion: St Pete Beach wants to maintain its character Public Services Director Camden Mills spoke on the damage sustained by both the Shuffleboard Building and the Merry Pier Bait Shack He shared the insurance payout compared to repair bids by contractors “We are still coordinating with insurance to try and get some more money,” Mills said “Both of these projects do have FEMA projects created for them so we are pursuing that option…If we were to demo and not rebuild we could still collect on what that would be worth and put that money to a different project.” A handful of meeting attendees shook their heads at the proposal Resident Bill Loughery made a statement about the bait shack to the Commission He estimates about $3,000 in materials to fix the floor we could get that place back open.” About the shuffleboard building maybe have an area for an office…not only is it cheaper “Is there a way for us to do it…like an owner would do it Where they pull their own permits and instead we would have volunteer workers?” Mayor Petrila asked “You’d have to have a volunteer architect and a volunteer a local builder,” City Attorney Brookes said Others came forward with reasons to keep the shuffleboard building “People are fascinated by it (shuffleboard),” resident Bonnie Gustafson said “We’ve made many friendships and have really enjoyed the opportunities that having the shuffleboard club has offered.” “I would implore you all to keep the character and charm of Pass-a-grille intact and try to get that [shuffleboard] building restored,” resident John Rude said.  Giordano & Associates (CGA) held two more Comprehensive Plan workshops last week on April 17 and 18 Some attendees expressed dissatisfaction with the program and the presenters after both workshops “I was very disappointed in the presentation,” resident Deb Schechner told the Commission “I don’t think [CGA] adhered to the directive the vast majority [who] wanted our sewer system and resiliency in place before any hotel development.” It seems like CGA Solutions is working for the hotels and developments.” the Commission questioned CGA about lower density “What if at the end of the day the community decides that they want less CGA told the mayor that this is something they deal with all the time They showed him a long list of coastal communities which they work on in the state that this is what they do,” the mayor continued make sure that we write revisions to the comprehensive plan that can withstand scrutiny.” “I had no reason to be disappointed with them until last week,” Mayor Petrila said And I had alarm bells going off in my head The conversation was not about ‘whether development’ it was about ‘when development’.” He talked about the legality of reducing density that Florida has very strict property rights laws and to say we’re going to reduce density and intensity there’s very real implications with that legally.” Mayor Petrila did not approve of Serna’s remarks It conflicted with the response Serna initially gave I’m not a big fan of non-committal answers,” the mayor said “…receiving a different answer when asking the same question [a] second time.” District 4 Commissioner Joe Moholland announced “The Florida Legislature is considering changing the rules on what cities can do as it relates to the comprehensive plan “It’s House Bill 1535,” said City Attorney Brookes may propose or amend its comprehensive plan… to enact more burdensome or restrictive provisions And they also may not adopt a moratorium which would put a temporary halt on growth Mayor Petrila decided to pause CGA’s process until after the Florida Legislature has voted “Let’s not spend any more money on it,” he said The Commission postponed the remaining CGA Workshops.  City Attorney Brookes gave the first reading of Ordinance 2025-11 concerning nuisance abatement “What this does is modernize and update our nuisance abatement provisions,” City Attorney Brookes said “Normal Code Enforcement is insufficient to remove all that junk and debris.” “The City can actually remove the junk and return the property into its non-nuisance condition and then seek a monetary judgement The magistrate would… give time to come into compliance then the nuisance can be abated by the city.” Commission will discuss the Ordinance again before the second reading Pete Beach Librarian Bonnie Traiman passed away suddenly on April 8 after a short illness “Bonnie loved working at the library,” Mayor Petrila said year after year with smiles and the knowledge that comes from being an avid reader.” Pete Beach Public Library — a job she loved so dearly that she never retired helped them use the computers and lugged their books from the outdoor book return She was affectionately known around town as ‘the Library Lady’.’’ by Derry Smith Support The Gabber Newspaper Your donations are tax-deductible to the full 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Learn more Kolter plans to build condos and a mixed-use development at the previously proposed Corey Landing site in st Pete Beach may become a new mixed-use condominium development with restaurants Delray Beach-based real estate developer Kolter Urban unveiled its vision for a property at the east end of Corey Avenue during a Monday evening community meeting at the Sirata Beach Resort Kolter showed renderings and a site plan for a 162-unit luxury condo development with 4,000 square feet of restaurant space Over the past decade Kolter has become one of the most prolific developers in the region. The company has developed several condo towers in downtown St. Pete, including ONE St. Petersburg, which opened in 2019; Saltaire, which opened in 2023; and the upcoming Art House Kolter has also completed condo developments in Tampa Kolter’s recent acquisitions include the former Corey Landing site plus two additional properties | kolter In late 2024, Kolter paid $9.85 million for the Corey Avenue parcel that was previously slated to be developed into Corey Landing a 243-unit apartment community with 10,000 square feet of retail space The Corey Landing proposal was submitted by South Florida-based Ram Realty Advisors and was approved in March 2022; however the company announced it was no longer developing the project in June 2023 Kolter purchased two additional properties —a 0.37-acre property at 75 Corey Avenue and a 0.23-acre property at 85 Corey Circle Charlie’s Transmissions currently occupies 75 Corey Avenue and The Blue Parrott restaurant and bar closed in August after 19 years in business at 85 Corey Circle Renderings show lush landscaping and wide sidewalks for the development that will encompass condos Kolter began designing their vision for a mixed-use destination that would anchor the east end of Corey Avenue and reconnect the community to the waterfront Similar to the original proposal by Ram Realty Kolter envisions a live-work-and-play destination Kolter is planning to develop owner-occupied condos the density of the development will be reduced from 63 units per acre to under 34 units per acre and the massing of the project will change from a single large building to four smaller buildings The four condo buildings will be eight stories with seven floors of residences above ground-floor parking and retail Corey Avenue would also be realigned with 34 public parking spaces and green space for residents and visitors to enjoy the waterfront while shopping and dining The waterfront development will have green spaces and focus on creating a sense of community at the site | kolter “We look forward to collaborating with the City of St Pete Beach to develop a mixed-use property that honors the unique beauty of the waterfront and captures the character of the community,” Brian Van Slyke Kolter will be submitting a request to amend the existing Conditional Use Permit that was approved in 2022 for Ram Realty Advisors’ Corey Landing proposal The developer anticipates submitting the request in the coming months Once submitted it will need to be approved by the St the developer may still pursue the development plans that were approved in 2022 Elise Batsel and Kevin Reali of Stearns Weaver Miller have been hired as Kolter’s legal team Also involved in the development are architects Robert Hall and Claudia Bernal of GROH Architecture and Scott Gilner of civil engineering firm Kimley Horn A construction timeline and further details about the project have not yet been announced A site plan for the proposed development | kolter Want to be the first to know what’s coming soon to the Sunshine City Sign up to receive the latest news straight to your inbox Contact - Terms of Use - Privacy Policy© 2024 St Petersburg invites you to its vibrant downtown and gorgeous beaches If there was ever a sign that business was coming back to the Pinellas beaches, it might be this: Malio’s Beach House, an offshoot of the iconic Tampa steakhouse, is now open in St. Pete Beach. A gin martini with blue cheese-stuffed olives is served at Malio's Beach House, a new restaurant in St. Pete Beach. [ HELEN FREUND | Tampa Bay Times ]The storm, and Hurricane Milton, which followed in quick succession, was enough to cause the pair to pause and reconsider. Was this really the right time to open a restaurant — here, now? But they decided to move forward: This was their home — their neighborhood, too — after all. “We decided that the hospitality of St. Pete Beach was more important,” said Jen Iavarone. “We are here for (the locals), first and foremost.” The swanky lounge area at Malio's Beach House includes a bar with seating for 20 people. [ Courtesy of Malio's Beach House ]Much of the ethos and general vibe of the original Malio’s has been extended to the new St. Pete Beach restaurant, albeit with a beachy chic twist. Warm, amber hues light up the swanky dining room, outfitted with midnight-colored walls, light wood and gold accents. Like the flagship, there is a dress code: “business casual” and “country club chic.” Subscribe to our free Do & Dine newsletter You’re all signed up!Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started. The menu is identical to the Tampa location, and the food is priced accordingly. Cocktails range from $14 for the signature Malio’s Mule to a $22 spin on the Vesper Martini, while appetizers include blackened scallops with balsamic glaze ($26), ahi tuna tartare ($24), prime tenderloin carpaccio ($24) and a jumbo lump crab cake, served with lemon basil aioli ($28). Steaks run the gamut from a $53 6-ounce prime petit filet to a whopping 28-ounce prime cowboy ribeye, priced at $147. Sides include the popular smoked gouda macaroni and cheese ($16), jalapeno creamed corn ($16), baby portobello mushrooms ($15) and “Potatoes Malio” ($28), which features smoked Gouda, lump blue crab meat and truffle mashed potatoes. A classic wedge salad is served at Malio's Beach House, a new upscale restaurant and steakhouse in St. Pete Beach. [ HELEN FREUND | Tampa Bay Times ]For now, the restaurant is arguably the most high-end spot in St. Pete Beach and surrounding area. The nearby Don CeSar hotel is still closed and undergoing renovations after suffering extensive damage during the storms. Administrators from the nearby hotel have come to welcome the restaurant the past few weeks, the Iavarones said, and the couple is already in talks about future collaborations. In general, the biggest response so far has been from locals, and from longtime Malio’s fans in Tampa who have traveled across the bridge to celebrate the new location. The response has been so positive, in fact, that the couple have had to extend their reservation-only policy until at least mid or late March, just to make sure the staff and kitchen are well-equipped to handle it all. But the bar, which seats approximately 20 people, is now open to walk-ins. “We’re still getting all of our wheels greased,” Jen Iavarone said. “We want everyone to have a five-star experience. We’re just super excited after years of wanting to expand that we’re finally open.” Unlike the Tampa flagship, the beachside location won’t offer lunch. But eventually, the couple hopes to add a brunch service, likely by summer. For now, Malio’s Beach House is open for dinner 4-10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, 4 p.m.-12 a.m. Friday and Saturday and 4-9 p.m. Sunday. Helen Freund is the food and dining critic, reporting on and reviewing restaurants throughout Tampa Bay. Reach her at hfreund@tampabay.com. Pete Beach Commission meeting included a discussion on permitting that resulted in a change of fees District 4 Commissioner Joe Moholland made an announcement and Commission made a unanimous decision about a new city clerk Commission had a serious conversation about the success so far of the City’s permitting process Director of Community Development Laura Canary reviewed data and explained pros and cons about the situation FEMA recorded 1781 National Flood Insurance Policy (NFIP) claims filed by St NFIP paid out almost $208 million on those claims the Community Development Department sent out approximately one thousand notification letters These letters went to homeowners who received NFIP money but do not have a permit on file “So we’ve sent out a thousand letters to people that there’s reason to believe that they have done unpermitted work?” Commissioner Moholland asked “It’s reason to believe they had some damage in the home that may require a permit.” “The key to this first outreach is to make contact with everyone,” said City Manager Frances Robustelli “Because the goal is that through this FEMA audit… they (FEMA) want to see people making progress And if progress is ‘I’m waiting to see if I’m going to demolish my home and rebuild’ [or] ‘I’m waiting [for] Elevate Florida,’ all those answers are OK.” The City encouraged residents who received a letter to email responses or questions to permits@stpetebeach.org Canary stated that the City has already received about 150 responses Mayor Petrila explained that the City follows the playbook of other cities that have gone through the same scenario “We’re making it as easy as possible for individuals,” he said Fort Myers Beach and some of the other ones… [are] going to listed homes on Zillow and looking at here’s a house that’s completely brand new And yet we have determination that said you had two feet [of water] but there was no permit.” He explained that homeowners will have a difficult time repairing their homes without a permit “It’s a lot easier to deal with it now,” Mayor Petrila said The City’s website states “Replacing drywall without a permit may result in a requirement to remove it if evidence shows the level of water in the area may have risen above your receptacles.” If a homeowner does not comply with the City and make amends for their unpermitted work the City website states the following consequences: Commissioner Moholland wondered about the danger of accepting every appeal by homeowners deemed more than 50% substantially damaged is there a risk that we have not denied a single appeal?” “In the meeting that we had with Tidal Basin and FDEM it was very apparent that we were not the only community that had issues with the information that was received,” said Canary somehow it’s going to make us look like we haven’t really been serious about it,” Moholland said “We got dealt a short stick by Tidal Basin.” Commissioner Moholland was also the first commissioner to bring up the possibility of extending the free waiver “From a strictly budget reserve perspective for this particular account,” Moholland said “If we extended the free permits… for two or three months we would probably stay within the floor of $2 million.” “There are some unknowns out of these 1,000 letters,” City Manager Frances Robustelli said “We have not put in the projection yet of a high volume poor response from the thousand people that we still have outstanding.” “I would propose that we extend the permit fee waiver until June 1 of hurricanes season it’ll be a 50% waiver rather than a 100% waiver.” Commission will vote on a resolution for the extension of permit fees at the April 22 Commission meeting In 1968, our founder, George Brann, started The Gabber Newspaper, then called the Gulfport Gabber, to hold Gulfport City Council accountable. Read more of our city council coverage, and learn about our policies on reporting, fact-checking, and funding by Derry Smith Filed Under: News Tagged With: — It has been exactly six months since Hurricane Helene's storm surge flooded the Tampa Bay area Pete Beach Commissioner Betty Rzwenicki wants to make sure the city is better prepared for the next storm because it's been stress on those who work in our city,” she said “We got to get better to help people get back into their homes and their businesses back up and operating.“ Rzwenicki has been laser focused on hurricane mitigation because she lives in the low-lying Don CeSar neighborhood The District 2 commissioner rode her bicycle around the neighborhood the day after Hurricane Helene’s storm surge flooded the island on Sept 26 to shoot video of damaged homes for her evacuated constituents “That heightened emotion of people not being able to see what has happened to their house and whether they still have a home,” she said “That was their question: ‘I want to know if I still have a home?’ So I said I will go around and I'll start videotaping the whole neighborhood.’” Rzwenicki said she wanted to make sure the city has a solid emergency plan in place “I was one frustrated resident and commissioner when I first came on board, was because we hadn’t reviewed our emergency plan,” she said on Dec we were emailed it the same week of the storm We could be coming into another hurricane and not ever debriefed of a post storm.” the city has established a task force which will plan on preparing for the next hurricane “They established a task force which is comprised of citizens “Having a set plan in place will help people get to their homes sooner About 30,000 structures in Pinellas County were damaged by Hurricanes Helene and Milton last year about 85 percent of all structures were damaged but Rzwenicki argues everyone on the island was affected “Everybody had some form of damage,” she said “Whether it was interior or exterior accessory structures.” Many of those flood survivors have been upset by the slow pace of permits being issued by the city Rzwenicki said part of the problem was using the state contractor which was funneled through Pinellas County to all beach cities Interim Community Development Director Denise Sanderson alluded to that issue during a commission meeting in January “I’m not sure if it was brilliant or the biggest mistake to come together under multiple jurisdictions for a single process,” she said we could not have gone out and done these assessments from our own team.” Sanderson recommended the city enter into a contract with a different vendor for next hurricane season to give the city better options moving forward “I do think we probably should look at going under contract much like we have with the aftermath to anticipate debris removal,” said Sanderson “I believe we should explore and negotiate a contract in advance of a disaster for this kind of activity.” Sanderson also recommended the city get a different Substantial Damage Estimate calculator tool “I think the most common phrase to describe FEMA’s SDE tool is that it’s ‘glitchy,’” she said It created duplicate records quite often.” Sanderson said she heard about an SDE calculator tool called Forerunner which imports information from public data sources Rzwenicki said getting rid of the city’s one-year lookback rule helped some residents get approved to rebuild A lookback rule takes into account permitted work done on a home in a certain time period which counts towards overall hurricane damages It often pushes homeowners over FEMA’s 50 percent rule which requires homes to be elevated or demolished and built to code Rzwenicki said she was always opposed to having a lookback rule and pushed to eliminate it “No look back from the beginning before sitting on the commission until present,” she said Pete Beach commissioner said she’s trying to help her community recover from the worst disaster in the beach town’s history A weekly roundup of notable local real estate news The 2,394 gross square-foot structure was built in 1945 It is situated on a 0.09-acre parcel of land Two vacant lots on either side of the restaurant one with .024 acres and the other with .15 acres Located in a CG-2 (Commercial General) zoning district the property can accommodate a variety of commercial uses personal services such as a salon or fitness center The site has been rendered unusable and the property is being sold as-is The owners’ parents purchased the three parcels in 1989 for $526,100 The listing is provided by Brad Kuskin with the GoCommercial Group at Compass Shore Acres home with dual docks lists for sale A four-bedroom, six-bath waterfront home located at 1855 Bayou Grande Boulevard NE has listed for sale with an asking price of $3.49 million 12,297 gross square-foot residence was built in 2008 and sits on a 0.37-acre double lot It offers 110 feet of waterfrontage and panoramic views of Tampa Bay and Weedon Island Preserve The 5,884 square feet of living space across the top two floors provides formal living and dining rooms Other features include Italian travertine floors six separate HV/AC zones and over 3,000 square feet of open balconies seven-car garage with new polyurea floors sits on the lower level An elevator offers access to all three floors a kitchen and dual docks with pilings and 12,000- and 10,000-pound lifts purchased the property in 2010 for $1.425 million  Dunedin bar owner purchases former military museum next door under the registered name Baustert Properties III 5 on the purchase of property formerly owned and occupied by the National Armed Services & Law Enforcement Memorial Museum at 500 Douglas Ave. a live music and karaoke bar located next door not-for-profit corporation that helped to honor men and women who have served in the armed forces state and local law enforcement personnel and first responders artifacts and other memorabilia dating from the Revolutionary War to the present range in size from 900 to 9,000 square feet They are situated on a 0.67-acre parcel of land purchased the property in 1998 for $295,000 Tierra Verde home sells for 29% below asking price Following a year on the market, a two-story waterfront Tierra Verde home sold Feb. 12 for $3.2 million, 29% below the original asking price of $4.5 million. The 7,413 gross square foot property is situated on a .45-acre cul-de-sac at 624 Pinta Dr. Built in 1985 it features 5,657 square feet of living space with five bedrooms Highlights include a gourmet kitchen with professional-grade appliances The home was last purchased in 2017 for $1.663 million The listing was provided by Libby Salamone with Compass Florida LLC Team Wheaton with Coastal Properties Group represented the buyer Six-unit property for sale near Crescent Lake A three-story property built in 1910 and transformed into six separate living units has entered the market for $1.335 million. Located at 1335 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street N. it provides 3,802 gross square feet on a 0.15-acre lot The four one-bedroom/one-bath and two studio apartments across 2,531 heated square feet have recently been renovated and offered as short-term rentals can easily be converted into a one-bedroom/one-bath unit.  There is also a separately metered 672 square-foot detached garage that offers potential additional income The property is elevated 40 feet above sea level sustained no interior damage from recent hurricanes and is zoned CRT-1 allowing both residential or commercial use purchased the property in 2019 for $450,000 The listing is provided by Tyler Carpenter with Carpenter Realty Croup An office building located at 9200 Seminole Blvd. $300,000 below the list price and identical to what the seller paid in 2023 when purchasing the property from former owner and occupant American Automobile Association The two-story structure was built in 1982 and features 15,200 heated square feet the property provides parking for 106 vehicles and ample space for operations or future expansions The listing was provided by Matt Shaw with Berkshire Hathaway Florida Properties Group Real estate agents: Please forward all news for Places This Week to Amy Kagan at amy@stpetecatalyst.com. Thanks Add your idea below. Review Catalyst posting guidelines here. By posting a comment, I have read, understand and agree to the Posting Guidelines Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value" Students rocket toward STEM careers at community hub Pete mayor begins building reelection war chest  Places This Week: A waterfront estate in Dunedin The Catalyst honors its name by aggregating & curating the sparks that propel the St Pete engine.  It is a modern news platform, powered by community sourced content and augmented with directed coverage your perspective and your spark to the St Pete Catalyst and take your seat at the table Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_4" ).setAttribute( "value" Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2020 The St Petersburg Group Enter the details of the person you want to share this article with one of many victims of crushing damage from Hurricane Helene offering a freshly remodeled pool area and pink beachside chairs after several feet of storm surge buried the area in sand A view toward the beach at the Don CeSar hotel in St which recently reopened after completing repairs and renovations following hurricanes Helene and Milton last year [ MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE | Times ]Guests splash in the pool at the newly reopened Don CeSar hotel on April 2 in St [ MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE | Times ]Only the ground floor of the Don was severely damaged But that level is home to the century-old building’s electrical and mechanical systems Guests couldn’t return to the hotel’s unscathed lobby or upper floors until those systems were restored The concierge desk in the lobby of the Don CeSar hotel [ MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE | Times ]“The first challenge was just stabilizing the building in terms of airflow,” she said “But then they had to figure out how they were going to rebuild the electrical What followed was a rush of permits — which many St. Pete Beach residents and businesses struggled to acquire quickly — construction and inspections to restore the hotel for spring break season. After an official late March reopening, the hotel was already hosting a guest’s wedding the next day, Readey said. Right now, guests have access to upper-floor rooms, the lobby-level restaurant — currently operating as the Society Table — the bar, a temporary coffee shop, the spa, a fitness center and some stores. The ice cream shop and ground-level retail are expected to return mid-May. In July, the Society Table will shift back downstairs and the hotel will bring back its fine dining option, Maritana. A gift shop located off the lobby at the Don CeSar hotel was ready for guests by March 28. [ MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE | Times ]Keep up with Tampa Bay’s top headlinesSubscribe to our free DayStarter newsletter Guests enjoy air conditioning and television in a poolside area at the Don CeSar hotel [ MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE | Times ]Some St Pete Beach businesses were counting on the Don’s return That includes Tig Khachaturyan’s Sola Bistro and Wine Bar we’re staying at the Don and we’re so excited,‘” he said During the first week of the Don’s reopening Khachaturyan hasn’t seen a flood of new visitors But he’s holding out hope for a busier April after March sales were down about 20% compared to last year and staff did not respond to a Tampa Bay Times request for the inn’s expected opening date Beach businesses that have reopened lately report similar trends it took six months to fix the air conditioning system and construct an outdoor bar and dining area from scratch after Helene washed everything away He waited more than three months for the city permits he needed The bar is slowly returning to normal, Vario said. Despite local chatter about the spot reopening the 17-room Saint Hotel opened its ground floor in January Manager Kendall Fronczak remembers the first time since the storms hit that St Pete Beach felt packed as it should be peak season: Valentine’s Day weekend though not quite at the same levels as last year It’s hard to complain when a permanently closed Woody’s Waterfront sits like a “skeleton” just down the street on St. Pete Beach, Fronczak said. Caution tape hung limply off its gutted blue-and-magenta facade on Thursday, while fishermen stepped over scattered planks of wood in the parking lot to cast lines over the seawall. Woody's Waterfront announced it would not reopen in January. Surrounded by recovering businesses, the property looks like a "skeleton," Saint Hotel manager Kendall Fronczak said. [ Shauna Muckle ]Affixed to a fence surrounding the distressed property was a sign with massive, bolded red letters. Shauna Muckle is reporter covering tourism, transportation and technology. She can be reached at smuckle@tampabay.com. Pete Beach Mayor Adrian Petrila put it bluntly: Residents will have to limit water usage for over a week as the city recovers from Hurricane Milton “Our sewer system is at a complete standstill,” Petrila said in a video posted to Facebook on Thursday “It is beyond capacity and so we really need you and everyone not to flush your toilets Petrila said the system failures were “catastrophic.” The city is working on a short-term solution by getting backup generators running and bypassing the damaged parts of the sewage system residents will have to control their water usage as much as possible Pete Beach inundated the electrical components of their lift stations – which help push water through the pipes in the sewage system This is where the flow is pumped under the bay to the city of St the sewage will be just “sitting” there until it can be pumped out it could cause backflows into residents’ homes “If someone uses their dishwasher or their sink or something they could see backflows into their home,” he said “So that's why we strongly advise to limit your water usage as much as possible until we get the service back online.” The city is also working on a long-term project to fix the system electrical equipment and backup generators But this will likely take 18 months and cost over $6 million Mills said there haven’t been any “adverse impacts,” to the environment from the sewage system being offline “We're hoping that people you know are heeding our warnings and continue to do so until we put the notice out that the system is online and safe to use,” he said Petrila urged those in the area to be patient as the city works to fix the issues “It is going to take time,” he said in a video posted to Facebook So we're going to be asking for your patience.” now has a new owner—a prominent and well-established local hotelier 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 The 0.89-acre multi-building property along gulf boulevard |Loopnet Nestled on the beach between two condominium buildings, the pink and teal hotel is less than half a mile from Bowden's Miramar Beach Resort at 4200 Gulf Boulevard, which he plans to expand with a new building addition and rooftop restaurant The 6,677-square-foot Beach Haven Villas hotel, built in 1949, is “one of a very few small properties left on the beach that retains its charming personality” and recently underwent renovations, according to the hotel’s website However, the parcel is advertised as a “redevelopment project” by KW Commercial and the 0.89-acre property is zoned Large Resort (LR) which is one of the most intense zoning districts and allows 50 units per acre including direct private beach access | Loopnet the boutique hotel boasts 78 feet of direct Gulf frontage and amenities Five of the motel units have been remodeled as well as six individual cottage-type structures containing two one-bedroom apartments in each One of the cottages consist of a one-bedroom apartment that connects to a two-bedroom apartment sip owner christiane hall will relocate her business to the 5th Ave Loft Apartments building in downtown st Pete Beach and bringing its curated wine selection and events to downtown St Currently operating until the end of March at 6710 Gulf Boulevard Sip will relocate to a 700-square-foot space on the ground floor of the 5th Ave Loft Apartments at 442 2nd Street North in downtown St The space was previously home to Must Wine Loft, a European-style wine and cheese destination that closed late last year. Justine Fite, Amber Bennet, and Aaron Oetting of Keller Williams’ Wittner Wollman Group represented the tenant in the transaction “It’s time to leave the beach,” Sip owner Christiane Hall told St Pete Beach location is known for its signature wine wall featuring a selection of white and red wines a variety of flatbreads and charcuterie boards and the popular "Sipyard" outdoor patio—complete with umbrella-covered seating Sip owner Christiane Hall in the new space at 442 2nd Street North in downtown St We’re in a small building set back from Gulf Boulevard right next to Rick’s Reef—a popular full-service seafood restaurant that serves alcohol People wouldn’t even glance in our direction the hurricanes took a financial toll on us,” Hall explained “We needed a space that would allow for a quick turnaround and a rebrand—something I’ve wanted to do for the past two years.” The shop will feature a 20-bottle wine dispensing machine with several taps for ½- Pete Beach crowd preferred house wines and shied away from higher-end selections we’ll introduce more elevated wines and tastings,” Hall said pete beach offers premium organic wines and an expansive food menu with small bites complementing the wines | sip It will continue to offer customer favorites such as spinach dip and its beloved charcuterie boards and flatbreads and with the panini press and refrigeration space available we’ll be able to expand our menu while still keeping it fresh and on the lighter side,” Hall added While the new location won’t have a sandy Sipyard like the original as well as indoor seating and a 10-foot-long wooden bar the new boutique wine bar will continue hosting public and private events it is holding an “everything must go” sale offering discounts on food and wine bottles Be sure to follow Sip on Instagram and Facebook for updates on the grand opening of Christiane’s One of the many flatbreads and wines available | sip Pete Beach may soon charge its non-resident riders The Freebee Shuttle service launched as a free service for residents and tourists of the area — which is estimated to cost the city about $750,000 a year Recently there have been some discussions by the city commission on whether or not to charge visitors for the service say charging travelers could impact what they spend on their trip half of our customers are visiting our beautiful beach and the other half are people who live here,” owner of Café Soleil, Lauren Chezaud said such as a new building to call home for her business and improved transportation for locals and tourists alike “We absolutely love the Freebee Service,” said Chezaud “We never want that to disappear because it’s been so helpful for not only tourists but people who live here.” For an area still in recovery mode from back-to-back hurricanes Chezaud says the beach should be doing everything it can to be as welcoming to guests as possible “A lot of the people who use that service are spending money on the small businesses here on the beach is limiting their budget for their vacation time,” she said “We should make it a priority to keep that service free so they feel welcome to our beach.” City commissioners are still discussing the proposal Commissioners have agreed to give the city manager permission to work with Freebee to enact a non-resident fee and authorize advertising The city manager has a minimum of 30 days to come back with a proposal before the commission Pete Beach Mayor Adrian Petrila was publicly called out by two of his fellow commissioners this month who said he has been insulting them at city meetings “It’s upsetting the mayor claims we’re all together and he’s not modeling it,” said Commissioner Betty Rzewnicki “I’ve had to swallow the pill for quite some time.” while talking about creating a social media policy for elected leaders Petrila said one of the reasons he brought it up was because Rzewnicki was a ‘lead’ for the social media platform Nextdoor and he was worried about censorship “There were several residents that have made statements that Commissioner Rzewnicki that you are a moderator on Nextdoor,” he said “Because if an elected official is now involved on an online platform deciding what stays on what stays off… what First Amendment issues do we have?” Rzewnicki pointed out she can only flag derogatory posts and does not have the power to remove anything from the site “What they do is when there’s derogatory postings It’s several neighborhoods that are in the area,” she said Rzewnicki said she was in favor of having a social media policy because elected leaders have been using their official titles when releasing personal opinions She called out Mayor Petrila for sending a letter on Feb stating she was “handpicked” by her predecessor I know you signed it as the mayor of the city sending it to a whole district of people here,” she said “How horrible is that to demean me of why I’m sitting here.” ran unopposed and was not handpicked by anyone while discussing a second vote on a proposed noise ordinance Commissioner Karen Marriott said Mayor Petrila implied she had no integrity for stating the process was rushed and recommended the issue go back to a workshop “So what you’re telling me is that you are disagreeing with me because you are critical of decisions I’ve made in the past?” she asked I’m just saying you’re not living up to your principles that you say one thing and then you do something completely different in public.” A visibly angry Marriott fired back, “That is completely false and I find that very insulting I have sat here for a year and listened to you insult me and claim that I have ulterior motives and that I do not have integrity and I have had enough of it I am trying to do the best for the citizens.” Rzewnicki was attending that meeting virtually and said the internet cut out when she wanted to speak up She then backed up Commissioner Marriott on Feb 25 for calling out the mayor two weeks earlier “I did want to commend… Commissioner Marriott,” she said “Because I have about had it as-well-as many others of hearing the mayor continuously ridicule every time I open my mouth for anything.” Petrila did not respond to the comments made towards him by his fellow commissioners The mayor also did not respond to a request for an interview from Spectrum Bay News 9 by our deadline who’s running to replace Commissioner Lisa Robinson said the atmosphere on the commission was the same as the city right now: toxic and divided This crisis from the from the storm has just started.” Commissioner Marriott said it’s all very unfortunate “We owe people the best of ourselves and not the worst,” she said Commissioner Rzewnicki said she was surprised to be insulted by the mayor after the Marriott incident “To continue to do it after being called out at the last meeting is disturbing,” she said “I support Karen and back her because I know the feeling.” Pete Beach residents have been waiting for months to get approval for permits to fix their homes after Hurricanes Helene and Milton Pete Beach home for the past four and a half years but he has been living out of a trailer in his driveway since storm surge from Helene destroyed the inside of his home trying to get permits to make that happen has been a long and frustrating process for Engle but they are telling me it's going to be two months to get a permit to start working,” Engle said Get rid of the red tape and start rubber stamping permits and move this along,” Engle said He says that it’s the same story for many on his block who are hearing anywhere from two to four months to get the proper permits Pete Beach city officials but hasn't heard back yet Pete Beach commissioners say more discussion is needed before they move forward with a proposed noise ordinance business owners and music lovers showed up to city hall Tuesday night to speak out against the ordinance They said they were concerned it would hurt St Pete Beach's live music scene and their livelihoods The ordinance would prohibit sound that could be heard 200 feet from the property line between the hours of 10 p.m Pete Beach Mayor Adrian Petrila told the crowd he's received complaints from neighbors about loud music and asked attendees to help come up with a solution the 100 of us are going to have a better idea than the five of us by ourselves,” Petrila said How can we address the issues that we have and how can we also address the concerns that many of you have?" Some musicians said they are no closer to a resolution Local musicians walked from Chill Restaurant & Bar to @StPeteBeachFL City Hall. They tell me they’re concerned about what a noise ordinance the city discussed last month will mean for live performances and that it may further hurt their livelihoods post-hurricanes. @BN9 pic.twitter.com/DPnfXi5SF3 "Without more measurements to figure out a better solution to understand what we need to do,” said musician Taylor Jansen The ordinance is not scheduled yet to go before the commission for a second reading Commissioners said they'd like to hold a workshop first Vice Mayor Joe Moholland told the crowd there has to be a way to enforce ordinances. He says right now, a business that features live music can do pretty much whatever they want. That got a vocal response from attendees. @BN9 #bn9pinellas pic.twitter.com/8UA0ZoUwzm Pete Beach may soon hold town hall meetings and workshops Mayor Adrian Petrila this week proposed a 12-month moratorium on all commercial development which could put the brakes on a recently approved half-billion dollar development project The mayor says more community involvement is needed to learn what residents – those who live and work in the city – want for the future of St The pause could affect two of the city’s biggest development projects Those plans include nearly 1,000 hotel rooms combined Petrila was the only city commission member who voted against those expansion projects earlier this year all of the other city commission members who supported the projects resigned at the same time, due to a financial disclosure requirement from the state “I was a lone voice for a long time,” Petrila said the voters should dictate what the agenda of the commissione is and the commission's agenda should always reflect what the voters want," Petrila said “So I don't know why that's taken so long to get this implemented again I've been asking for this for a year and a half I’m happy to see that it’s finally happening.” The city is facing several lawsuits revolving around these issues The commission will hear from land use attorneys and the firm working on the city’s comprehensive plan at a Sept They’ll provide the framework for the proposed moratorium The mayor says the whole process could take 60 to 90 days for the city commission to reach a final vote Spectrum News reached out to the owners of Tradewinds Resort The owners of Sirata Beach Resort did not respond to our request for an interview — Fire Station 22 in Pass-a-Grille has sat empty since being flooded by Hurricane Helene last September and will soon be demolished Pete Beach Fire Chief Jim Kilpatrick.  “The storm just kind of expedited those decision points for us.” The fire station was originally built in 1974 Kilpatrick said a study in 2011 deemed the roof to be inadequate He said other problems include overhead doors which don’t meet code walls that leak and a catastrophic generator failure “When I came on board the fire department in 2002 they were talking about taking that station down,” he said “So at every catastrophic event we’ve lost access to that station.” Kilpatrick said last year’s back-to-back hurricanes have provided a funding opportunity “A silver lining to this disaster,” he said “I don’t want to move past this window of opportunity and not take advantage of every dollar that we can get from outside the city.” A new fire station is estimated to cost $12 million the city commission approved the demolition but has not yet approved any funding to build a new station Linda Chaney previously secured a $2 million grant for a new station and he’s confident they’ll find more funding “I think the community will join us in one voice They want this structure rebuilt,” he said the Fire Station 22 firefighters have been working out of a temporary facility located in a parking lot near the Don CeSar resort FEMA covered the $57,000 monthly cost to rent the portable steel structure through Feb “It’s basically like an envelope shape when it gets on the site and then it unfolds into these modules,” said Kilpatrick The city currently pays for 25 percent of the cost while FEMA covers the remaining 75 percent Kilpatrick said they will soon switch to a double-wide trailer which will cost much less at $7,000 per month “The novelty is kind of worn off of this station,” he said “We’re going to try and make it more comfortable for a longer term.” The fire chief said it will likely take about two years to build a new Fire Station 22 Pete Beach man was left in limbo after receiving two damage assessment letters from the city – one saying he can repair his home and the other essentially saying it will need to be demolished though it took multiple inquiries to the city including a request for clarification from Spectrum Bay News 9 Sean Bryan moved into his St Pete Beach home in 2019 it was heavily damaged by storm surge during Hurricane Helene “I bought this house – I planned to retire here I planned to live here forever,” Bryan said he had to gut his home and remove dry wall he was stuck in limbo as to what he could do next Bryan finally received a “Non Substantial Damage” determination letter from the city essentially giving him the green light to start hiring contractors to begin to fix up his home appliances and get my personal property back,” Bryan said This one was titled “Substantial Damage Assessment,” which meant his home either had to be raised as even FEMA said that his home wasn’t heavily damaged “We were able to get somebody out there – so the FEMA representative came out and came in the property and they gave me like 300 dollars for cleaning and sanitation assistance because they deemed it was not substantially damaged during the hurricanes and was not uninhabitable,” Bryan said He reached out to the city – who he says told him that the 2nd letter – stating the house sustained substantial damage – is the correct one Spectrum Bay News 9 reached out to the city for clarification and a representative said that 2nd letter was a clerical error and the first letter stating he did meet the threshold to start repairs is the correct one Bryan was thrilled that he can now move forward with his life and begin to fix up his forever home The city says it has been overwhelmed with assessments more than 1,700 permit applications have been submitted for storm related damages They say if to appeal any letters from the city residents can contact the Community Development Department at (727) 363-9241 or email permits@stpetebeach.org Editor's note: A previous version of this article stated to contact Pinellas County to appeal letters this has been corrected to direct residents to the city of St Cool vibes pub & grub will open a second location on st The Cool Vibes Pub & Grub restaurant in St Petersburg known for its divey sports bar atmosphere and elevated bar food which will continue operating at its flagship location at 5488 58th Street North will open a second spot dubbed Cool Vibes on the Beach at 6800 Sunset Way fronting the bright pink Gulf Winds Resort The late-night Cool Vibes on the Beach restaurant is set to open before Spring Break owner Jessica OConnell said in a conversation with St Cool Vibes serves the standard bar food and its own fun twist on certain dishes | cool vibes pub & grub The building was previously home to other concepts including RockHouse Live, which closed and recently moved its Clearwater operations to Indian Rocks Beach due to the devastation of hurricanes Helene and Milton at Clearwater Beach Cool Vibes on the Beach will be a family-friendly restaurant with a full liquor bar The building boasts nearly 9,000 square feet of space providing the Cool Vibes team ample space to seat 200 to 300 diners add “selfie stations” and more room to host their karaoke and game nights on select days as they do in St Although the restaurant offers bar food staples like wings Cool Vibes also offers unique items like Jake's St Louis-style pizzas (made fresh from Tarpon Springs) and their creative twist on quesadillas like the Chicken Cordon Blue OConnell said she and her business partner Jessica Gray plan to add more seafood items at the St “While we are building out the new location Both will have tropical themes and be more restaurant-centric,” OConnell said The restaurant will continue to carry its weekly deals like Whiskey and Wing Wednesday when customers can enjoy 10 bone-in chicken wings and fries for $10 and $3 whiskey specials Cool Vibes on the Beach will be open seven days a week until 3 a.m Be sure to follow Cool Vibes Pub & Grub on Facebook and Instagram for the St Pete Beach opening announcement and the latest menu offerings the thunderbird beach resort prior to hurricane milton’s arrival | Thunderbird Beach Resort The iconic Thunderbird Beach Resort a Treasure Island landmark for the past 68 years is set to be completely demolished and rebuilt after sustaining catastrophic damage caused by last year’s back-to-back hurricanes was among many properties hit hard by Hurricanes Helene and Milton which left behind piles of debris and over 80% of extensive structural damage forcing the immediate closure of the beloved beachfront destination In a social media post on April 10th “After extensive evaluations and much deliberation we were left with no choice but to move forward with a full redevelopment of the hotel “We are committed to rebuilding the Thunderbird Beach Resort with the same heart and charm that guests have come to love—while enhancing the property to be more resilient to the challenges posed by severe weather The resort’s iconic name and neon signage will remain and our redesigned beachfront resort will continue to offer direct beach access and the welcoming atmosphere that has defined the Thunderbird for decades.” the post continued “Our new plans reflect a thoughtful balance of preservation and progress While the structure and layout will evolve the spirit of the Thunderbird will live on We look forward to sharing updates throughout this journey and can’t wait to welcome you back once the new Thunderbird Beach Resort is ready.” The 106-room Thunderbird Beach Resort is located at 10700 Gulf Boulevard in Treasure Island | Google Maps Originally built in 1957 as the 64-unit Thunderbird Motel at a cost of $750,000 the resort has long been a staple of the area Preliminary plans filed with the City of Treasure Island and the Southwest Florida Water Management District propose demolishing the entire property—including several two- and three-story buildings—and constructing a new four-story resort with a redesigned layout These plans are still pending approval and permits While the resort’s appearance will change dramatically both the Thunderbird name and its historic neon signage will remain The property will also retain its 310 feet of linear beachfront and direct access to the beach A site plan reveals a single U-shaped building rising to 48 feet that will house all 106 hotel rooms—the same number as before A new 2,400-square-foot pool will anchor the central courtyard which will also feature cabanas and a poolside bar serving food and drinks The new resort will not include guest rooms on the ground level the first floor will offer 126 surface parking spaces beneath the structure along with a 1,750-square-foot lobby and office space The second and third floors will each have 38 guest rooms while the fourth floor will include 30 rooms The resort was purchased in 2021 by Avi and Gilad Ovaknin under the entity Thunderbird TI Holdings LLC for $25.5 million The Ovaknins also operate Surf Style Retail Management which runs more than 60 surf shops across Florida including several along the Pinellas County beaches The redesign is being led by Clearwater-based Plisko Architecture and engineering firm Clymer Farner Barley Inc Pete Beach changed the Public Works Department to the Public Services Department This change does not increase the fiscal year 2025 budget “This transformation to the Public Services Department underscores our commitment to delivering exceptional reliable services to our community,” said Public Services Director Camden J “Our goals include improvements to infrastructure maintenance and to foster growth opportunities within our organization that better serve present and future needs.” Pete Beach also has several vacancies that they are looking to fill One specifically is the Assistant Public Services Director The next steps involve internal and external job postings and existing positions being reclassified “I am excited and supportive of Camden’s vision for the  future of the Public Services Department and how it aligns with big-picture strategies for the city,” said City Manager Frances Robustelli. “We are stewards of the taxpayer dollars and moving in this direction supports that core public service commitment.” To learn more about St. Pete Beach’s Public Services Department, please call 727-363-9243 or email jspeiser@stpetebeach.org.  For more business news, subscribe to The Weekly and The Beach Barnacle, our two weekly newsletters. Make thegabber.com your homepage to stay up-to-date on all the news happening in Gulfport by Rachel Rubin Filed Under: News Tagged With: , If passed on second reading in the next few weeks, plainly audible music or other sounds would be prohibited at 200 feet between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and 500 feet at all other times. City Attorney Gretchen “Becky” Vose told commissioners the city currently has two standards for noise violations that have not been effective in controlling excessive noise in the city. “This ordinance provides a legally defensible and easy-to-apply additional third standard, that is a nuisance-based clearly audible standard to curb excessive noise in the city,” she said. Under the current code, she said, there are two standards for a noise violation. “Those standards currently are decibel-based measurement and that is really problematic,” she said. “… Code enforcement said they try to enforce the decibels and in fact they were unsuccessful in doing it.” The difficulty, she said, is that officers must determine what the background level of the noise is, which is problematic. The second standard, she said, is the loud and raucous standard that has been approved by the U.S. Supreme Court and which many cities use. “The definition of that is any sound that because of its volume, level, duration and character, annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, health, peace or safety of reasonable persons of ordinary sensibilities,” she said. “That’s tough, that’s pretty subjective.” A plainly audible noise ordinance being added to the city’s noise ordinance “is kind of a practical commonsense way of dealing with noise,” she said. “The proposed ordinance prohibits excessive noise that is plainly audible at a distance and you can choose the distance,” she told commissioners. “This would be in addition to your two standards. I’m not proposing that you get rid of the other standards that are in your ordinance. But it’s an objective, it’s a non-content-based standard that has actually been upheld by the Florida Supreme Court. It does work; it’s not perfect.” The city attorney explained that under the new ordinance, “the officer would use their ordinary auditory senses without a hearing aid or microphone. They have to have a direct line of hearing to identify the source of the offending noise.” Commissioner Karen Marriott said, “Though I strongly agree with this ordinance in spirit, I think there’s some significant problems with it. … I think we’re trying to control a couple of bad actors in this city by creating problems in a lot of other places.” Marriott said she checked on noise complaints, and five or six were about loud music coming from bars, while eight or 10 complaints were from residents complaining, “The birds outside are too loud and I want someone to do something about it,” or “My neighbor’s wind chimes were too loud.” Subscribe to our free Stephinitely newsletter Commissioner Joe Molholland cited a personal problem with a nearby neighbor who has a pool party in the middle of the day during holidays, “ruining the quality of life.” “Residents’ quality of life and lifestyle is severely impacted by people that don’t act right,” he said. “If you let 5% of the people do whatever the heck they want, you end up destroying people’s quality of life.” Mayor Adrian Petrila said he has had to answer late-night phone calls in which residents complain, and some cry, about living with noise from music. Said Petrila: “With this ordinance, and the previous ordinance that gives us the ability to issue fines, we actually have some teeth now here we can enforce. We finally have a solution. … I don’t think it’s a haphazard ordinance. This has a real need behind it.” Attorney Elise Batsel, who has represented several resort hotels, said it “seems like it’s a skeleton of an ordinance to fill in.” Added Batsel: “Tampa has a plainly audible standard, but they have a lot of guardrails. Tampa had measured data studies behind what they ultimately adopted. This ordinance needs more definition sections. It doesn’t distinguish between commercial and residential areas. There are many commercial businesses that would be in violation of the ordinance right away. It doesn’t exempt protected speech. It lacks a provision regarding the duration or length of time before a violation can be issued.” Petrila said: “The ordinance is designed to address a real need the city has, specifically for residents. We have several bad actors that are simply refusing to be persuaded by reason, by pleading, by begging, by anything. Now we have an ordinance before us that can address a real need that our residents have. I think this is an opportunity for the commission to show that we really do respect our residents and we do want to provide for them a good quality of life.” Petrila suggested the ordinance stipulate a sound has to be heard at least 200 feet away from 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and 500 feet at all times. The ordinance narrowly passed 3-2 on first reading with Petrila voting for the ordinance, along with Commissioners Lisa Robinson and Joe Mulholland. Commissioners Marriott and Betty Rzewnicki voted against. Pete Beach waterfront bar and restaurant that’s been closed since 2024’s back-to-back hurricanes The owners made the announcement on the restaurant’s Facebook page Tuesday morning roughly three and a half months after the business suffered catastrophic damage during Hurricane Helene “It is with a heavy heart that we have decided to sell Woody’s,” the owners said in a statement “This has been our family business for the past 35 years We have spent many hours reviewing options and have decided it is time for someone else to build their vision We are (grateful) for each one of you and glad we were able to be a part of you and your families memories.” which overlooked Blind Pass and boasted views of the Gulf of Mexico was beloved for its prime waterfront location Their tagline — “So close to the water your burger’s going to get wet!” — wasn’t always hyperbole what started as a tiny bait house for anglers evolved to a wildly popular bar and restaurant with a strong following for their Buffalo wings and burgers lively locals scene (with frequent live music) and killer margaritas Like other restaurants in and around the St. Pete Beach and Sunset Beach area, Woody’s was all but destroyed during last year’s hurricanes. A visit to the restaurant in the aftermath of the storms revealed a gutted teal and pink facade sidling a sand-covered lot, and the restaurant has remained closed since. The margaritas — and sunsets — at Woody's Waterfront in St. Pete Beach were legendary. [ HELEN FREUND | Tampa Bay Times ]Many locals, including myself, have fond memories of Woody’s. It was where I went after a long day of work, to sip Jai Alai and eat fried clams while watching the sunset. It was the scene of first dates (and later, second and third dates) and always a reliable place to bring out-of-town visitors. It’s where I sat after a day at the beach, watching dolphins jump and play right in front of me, thinking: I can’t believe how lucky I am to live here. There’s no word yet on future owners or plans for the restaurant. But this much is for sure: We’ll all miss Woody’s dearly. NFL fans can join a free three-day draft party and beach festival at TradeWinds Island Resorts RumFish Grill's Sports Deck hosts the draft viewing kickoff at 8 p.m Guests can watch first-round selections while dining The next day brings team activities across the beach The Street Team sets up zones where fans snap photos with props Captain Fear makes surprise visits throughout "With free entry, family-friendly attractions, and one of the best beach views in the country, the Bucs Beach Bash is a can't-miss event for fans across Tampa Bay," said Andrew Harlan to That's So Tampa Kids bounce in inflatable castles while adults compete for prizes The team mascot mingles with the crowd all afternoon known for "I Love This Life" and "Feels Like a Party," wrap up the weekend with an 8:15 p.m Those who spring for VIP access get a two-night stay plus extras VIPs also access private bar sections during shows Add-on VIP passes and drink tickets are available when booking online or by phone Sports Deck visitors track their team's picks between bites and drinks Watch for Captain Fear's appearances across three days Street Team members run games and hand out prizes at various spots Past events drew fans from across Tampa Bay Pete Beach Commission considered changes to the City’s Comprehensive Plan Giordano & Associates (CGA) held a workshop on March 18 Residents voiced concerns and suggestions about changes to the Comprehensive Plan (CP) The City Commission is considering the Large Resort (LR) and Town Center Coquina West and Corey Circle (TC-2) areas The City Commission will schedule six more workshops The plan is to have one within every three weeks for the next few months The City will post the next meeting date on their website The Comprehensive Plan is a local municipality document required by the state that provides guidelines for development It includes guidelines for preserving the natural environment and the quality and nature of the city or town titled “Future Land Use,” of the CP The Commission will establish that the Future Land Use section’s goals and objectives match the community’s They will check this section against their own vision for growth as well Many attendees voiced that the city was big enough already The word “sustainable” is used nine times in Element II of the CP The City stated in the workshop reminder that these workshops are “to ensure future development aligns with the community’s needs and goals.” For more St. Pete Beach news, subscribe to The Weekly and The Beach Barnacle, our two weekly newsletters. Make thegabber.com your homepage to stay up-to-date on all the news happening in Gulfport as stated on pages 2-2 through 2-15 in the Comprehensive Plan Ensure that the residential character of the City is maintained and protected while: Encourage professionally acceptable coastal management techniques to ensure that maximum long-term benefits are attained in the use of the coastal zone by the residents of and visitors to the City The Land Development Code shall be amended and adopted to implement the goals Maintain full compliance with Chapter 2012-245 by participating in the County-wide planning process through representation on and coordination with Forward Pinellas and by ensuring consistency between the City and County-wide Comprehensive Plans This workshop started with introductions and explanations to a sparse crowd It began with about 20 participants with more people arriving throughout the event.  As Consultant Dave Dixon attempted to start a discussion on density They spoke of the city’s population being dense enough the roads being too congested and worries over the wastewater system.  A silence ensued as Dixon asked the participants to take out their cell phones The large screen at the front of the room displayed a multiple-choice question: “What kind of housing do you think we need more of Dixon asked the audience to participate by marking their choice via text Participants watched the answer percentages grow and shrink Dixon posted an open-ended question on the screen: “What change or addition would make St Pete Beach a better place to live or visit?” Their answers appeared on the large screen: “More environmentally friendly,” “Less trashy loud bars and hotel rooms with more condos and more restaurants,” “Access to the beach,” “Build to maintain a natural look,” “Walkable areas,” “Equal consideration given to business development and residents,” or “Smaller housing and commercial development with environmental studies on each new structure.” The answers went on Dixon then invited the attendees to tables headed by the rest of the CGA team The consultants stood by tables filled with posters The posters had titles like “Vision of Development: Commercial” and “Themes and Issues.” The consultants asked the participants to place different colored dots next to statements on the posters Attendees placed red dots by prioritized statements the consultants gave the group the opportunity to place colored dots on their preferred image of structure type for Corey Avenue The participants continued working on different posters at different tables discussing with the consultants as they did.  Did the workshop accomplish what CGA hoped it always starts the same,” said Consultant Luis Serna by Derry Smith — Residents and business owners on St Pete Beach are demanding that leaders get a more effective process when it comes to issuing permits to repair properties People said they were so frustrated when they headed to city hall Tuesday night were all represented at Tuesday's gathering They walked from a post office down to city hall with a simple message — speed up the process Waterfront views and a long list of things to do It’s the same story for so many business owners on St And then I have a lot of employees that not only lost their houses but they’ve now lost their jobs,” said Vario closed for months and they are waiting on the biggest ticket in town we put permits in for one address and we’re just now waiting to hear back from the city in hopes to get a permit soon so we can get open.” “Soon” is a tricky timetable for people like Vario Like a lot of home and business owners on St he said the city needs to speed up the process Spectrum News spoke with city officials about what residents are calling the slow permitting process we received 300 percent greater the number of permits that we did last year,” said St Pete Beach Public Information Officer Marc Portugal He said the delays in getting permits are linked to a number of things like incomplete applications or more permits than they have the manpower to process “Storm related permits are more complicated than a typical repair permit because there are considerations such as the FEMA packet and the 50 percent rule,” said Portugal He said they’ve gotten 11 out of the 18 additional staff they requested from the state that would provide more building inspectors it’s a process he’s hoping the city gets a grip on fast for the sake of the people who live and work there Especially those gathering and demanding more from city leaders “It’s going to help us at least feel some hope Whether it helps the city move along faster or not at least we’ll have hope that we’re able to do something rather than just sitting in our flooded-out homes that are ripped apart,” Vario said Pete Beach are still taking a hit from hurricanes Helene and Milton This is usually a busy season with tourists and holiday shopping According to McKinsey & Company, nearly 60% of Florida's small businesses were in the path of Hurricane Milton including those that were already recovering from Hurricane Helene Damage from Helene and Milton could cost tens of billions of dollars to fix “This is what we do when we are waiting for customers,” said Breezy’s Beach Shop Owner Jessica Breese who uses idle time to create products for her inventory she said only one customer had walked into her business that day. She says it’s not business as usual since the back-to-back storms spring break where you don’t even sit down You stay open later than you usually would,” said Breese She reopened her store after closing it for a month “Everyone’s favorite design is the little turtle,” she mentioned She is now sustaining business through online sales and loyal customers “There have been people that come down every year that have been supportive people on my Facebook page that have been very supportive,” said Breese. But “We’re getting people from all over the world it’s always fun to hear where people are from,” she said “I’m hoping that the news gets out that it’s getting better here get some people down here to pump the economy back up and give us little guys a chance,” she added “I think it’s going to be a big boom all at once and you’re not going to be expecting it,” said Breese She does expect this community to bounce back and thrive again See list of beach businesses that have reopened since the storms. Information from the Associated Press was used in this report the City and residents discussed ordinances and resolutions The City unanimously approved Ordinance 2024-15 looking at historic structures in the City The ordinance allows historic structures to be eligible for substantial damage repairs in order to return to pre-storm conditions with no improvements or changes to the original structure.  Ordinance 2024-13 allows for residents limited by setbacks to elevate their homes A setback is the minimum distance between the border of a lot Although zoning laws restrict residents near setbacks from elevating their homes The City unanimously approved the ordinance The City discussed Ordinance 2024-16 and 2024-17 together The first ordinance discusses the lookback period for permitting This means that when applying for a substantial improvement permit the City would assess improvements made in the past year as part of the permit as it meant many residents weren’t able to meet the FEMA 50% rule.  The City discussed two options for this ordinance The first option reduces the lookback period to one year The effective date for both options is Sept the day before Hurricane Helene came through Ordinance 2024-17 allowed the City to immediately adopt the ordinance by Patrick Heinzen — Employees at two Gulf Boulevard hotels recently learned their wait to get back to work will continue longer than expected The Bellwether Beach Resort and The Beachcomber are among the businesses damaged during Hurricane Helene They're now not expected to open until summer "It's pretty devastating," said Bill Pruitt Pruitt used one word again and again when explaining what kept him at his job all this time "It's a really fun place," he said patrons can enjoy live music day and night at Jimmy B's three bars when it's open Whether they stay there at the hotel or whether they're locals — bring a huge local crowd It's just been a good place to work," Pruitt said Hurricane Helene brought the fun to a screeching halt in September but Pruitt said he didn't think they'd still be closed this far into 2025 "We thought we were going back mid- to late-December 'We don't know when we're opening,'" he said He told Spectrum News the latest update he and his co-workers got was that it could be July before the Beachcomber reopens Pruitt said unemployment ran out in December and while he's applied for disaster unemployment assistance you don't save to be out of work for ten months," he said Both the Beachcomber and the Bellwether are owned by Pyramid Global Hospitality A WARN notice filed by Pyramid last month for the Bellwether lists July 1 as the reopening date Bellwether managing director Shaun Kwiatkowski said in a statement "Like so many of our friends and neighbors Bellwether Beach Resort & The Beachcomber were severely impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton Our teams continue to navigate the complex and long recovery that has come from these historic storms The significant damage the resorts sustained has led to delays in reopening and we deeply regret that our associates have been directly affected by that Our goal is to welcome them — and our guests — back as soon as possible We will continue to communicate with and support our colleagues however we can Bellwether and Beachcomber remain focused on creating opportunities for them to engage with us and each other and offering support as they maneuver their own personal recoveries Our associates are the spirit of our resorts and we can't wait to move forward with them together." interim CEO for the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce said the chamber has been following the recovery progress of businesses all along the beaches "Not overwhelmingly shocking," Miller said of the extended furloughs and it is heart wrenching to hear the stories of the businesses around us on the beaches and the struggles they're having to get reopen." Miller said some of those struggles include getting their hands on products and equipment she said a lot of positive progress has been made on the barrier islands since Helene "Everyone is doing everything they can to get everyone back online because it's a community They need residents to support the businesses," Miller said While Pruitt waits for the Beachcomber to reopen he said he's looking for work - but it's been tough He said he'd like the hotels to come up with a better way forward for employees "For them to figure out a way to get the bars open quicker and if it was going to be a liability issue how did they not know all those months ago How did they not have some type of plan in place some type of continuity of operations plan in place?" he asked "The main thing in the beginning was to get everybody back to work as soon as possible because like I said - not everybody has money saved like that corporate director of public relations for Benchmark Pyramid Luxury & Lifestyle said the furloughs impact 107 employees at the Bellwether and 51 employees at The Beachcomber — Residents and business owners in St Pete beach are frustrated after Hurricane Helene flooded their homes and It’s a familiar story but one they’re hoping will be addressed in a meeting with city officials Monday Café Soleil is a business on the beach that’s struggling I wouldn’t even know where to start right now,” said owner Lauren Chezaud Hurricane Milton’s intense rain and winds came in It’s the last thing Chezaud thought she would be coming back to after evacuating I didn’t realize the extent of the damage until contractors came in and told me that we had mold all over that they had to destroy everything we had built here the decorating we put into the place,” she said so she shifted her focus to helping her neighbors Her cafe served as a drop off spot for donations for Helene victims But a lot of those items got destroyed during this latest storm too “We started collecting donations for people who needed them So we had a lot of donations here that we were hoping to be able to give to people when we reopened “Everyone is without a job right now. I found no other solution than to start a GoFund me page so we can keep our team on board Chezaud said her worries didn’t end at her cafe She also lives a few blocks from her business and she’s taking all of her other concerns to city leaders at a community meeting we want to bring to their attention that a lot of us — and it’s not only the small businesses — as residents we don’t feel safe here anymore,” Chezaud said Pete Beach Public Information Officer Marc Portugal said leaders are prepared to hear concerns from business owners and residents at their community meeting and it’s an invitation to make sure that we the residents and the businesses are all on the same page so that we can move forward in the recovery process,” he said It’s a recovery process Chezaud said her neighbors are struggling with and one they’re hoping will be made just a little easier with support from the community and local leaders The community meeting with St. Pete Beach City Officials is at City Hall at 5:30 p.m It’s also being streamed online for those who can’t attend Leaders say they plan to address the debris pickup Residents are encouraged to present their concerns or any other third-party online fundraiser is not managed by Spectrum Bay News 9 or Spectrum News 13 For more information on how GoFundMe works and its rules View images from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 5th annual Bucs Beach Bash at TradeWinds Island Resorts at St 2025 - Young attendees wearing creamsicle hats during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Attendees at the QB Toss during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Young attendees during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Attendees take photos during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Fireball activation during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Good Greek Moving Company activation during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Captain Fear during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Attendees with Captain Fear during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Kids participate in games during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Cornhole tournament during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Attendees play games during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Kids put on a football uniform during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Signage flag during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Pirates in the water during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Emeka Egbuka draft card during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Emeka Egbuka draft card and flag during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Moffitt Cancer Center activation during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Country Thunder activation during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Coast Guard flyover during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Beach chairs during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - A general view during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Fifth Third Bank activation during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Helmet and uniform during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Attendees take photos in the giant helmet during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Kids use the QB toss during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Limbo competition during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Limbo tournament during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Kids wave flags during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Coloring station during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Captain Fear with the cornhole tournament champions during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Cornhole tournament champions during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Child plays with a football during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Child wears cheer equipment during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Andersen activation during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Attendees order drinks during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Pirate Flag performs during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Attendees watch as Pirate Flag performs during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Kids play jenga during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Buccaneers flag in the water during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Draft card and beads in the water during Bucs Beach Bash draft card and beads in the water during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Entrance signage during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - A general crowd view as Pirate Flag performs during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Flag waving at sunset during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Guard Luke Goedeke #67 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the LoCash meet & greet during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Signage at sunet during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Giant helmet at sunset during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Beach signs at sunset during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Beach chairs and flags during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Kids play games during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Kids play in the sand during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - A general view at sunset during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Buccaneers staff during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Glowsticks are handed out during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - The crowd watches LoCash perform at sunset during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - LoCash performs during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - The crowd watches LoCash perform during Bucs Beach Bash 2025 - Guard Luke Goedeke #67 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during Bucs Beach Bash View photos of WR Emeka Egbuka's first day as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer View images of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' NFL Draft Party on Thursday View images from the Bucs Cruise from March 7th to March 10th View images of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Jr View images from the Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation Passing the Joy Event on Tuesday View images of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Outside Linebackers holiday event on Monday View images of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' and Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough for this year's Holiday Home Build and Revival View images of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' rookies visit Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital on Tuesday View images of Captain Fear's Krewe featuring mascots from all of Tampa Bay's professional sports teams and the halftime game vs View images of the City of Tampa participating in a Red Out ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 14 game on Sunday View photos from the UA Rise Flag Football practice at Advent Health Training Center on Wednesday View images from the Buccaneers' players volunteering at Feeding Tampa Bay on Wednesday Phase II of the Buccaneers' 2025 offseason workout program began on Monday including on-field work and instruction leading up to mandatory minicamp from June 10-12  A look back at Baker Mayfield's finest games as a member of the Krewe View images from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Phase 2 Week 1 Workouts on Monday developed an unconventional draft process to identify talent with an emphasis on character That shift has led to unparalleled success for the franchise and its culture In the series "Mid-Round Gems" on NFL Network Bucky Brooks discusses how CB Jacob Parrish is the perfect fit for Todd Bowles' defense Go behind the scenes with Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka during his first 24 hours in the league tours the Bucs facility and meets the Krewe Bucs fans have questions about first-round reactions spots on the depth chart that need attention GM Jason Licht joins 'Path to the Draft' to discuss Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2025 rookie class and selecting first-round draft pick WR Emeka Egbuka the Buccaneers' second-round pick in last week's draft is on the way back from hip surgery and GM Jason Licht told ESPN's Pat McAfee that Morrison should be cleared for the start of training camp in July Senior Writer/Editor and Staff Writer/Reporter Brianna Dix talk about all the latest Bucs news in this week's edition of Bucs Insider The team discussed the Bucs' reported UDFA the NFC South's draft classes and their overall thoughts on the 2025 NFL Draft a look at how Tampa Bay's roster shakes out on the defensive side of the ball As first-round pick Emeka Egbuka joins the Buccaneers offense what will he add to the club's receiving corps a look at how the roster shakes out on the offensive side of the ball creating some room on the 90-man offseason roster View highlights from the incoming 2025 NFL Draft class of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Buccaneers' brass received a favorable review post-draft from a variety of outlets The Saints have a new head coach in 2025 and already have a potential change at quarterback brewing thanks to a Derek Carr shoulder injury and a high draft pick at the position Team Reporter Casey Phillips & Senior Writer & Editor Scott Smith discuss the Buccaneers' official 2025 NFL Draft class sharing what makes these six rookies exciting additions to the Krewe View images from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Phase 1 Week 2 Workouts on Monday The National Football League will release its full 272-game 2025 regular season schedule on Wednesday and single game tickets to the highly-anticipated Bucs' 50th season will go on sale that same evening Kolter recently purchased over 4.5 acres of land on the east end of COrey Avenue in ST Delray Beach-based real estate developer Kolter Urban has acquired 4.5 acres of waterfront property on St with the intention of developing a mixed-use residential project on the site Kolter has developed numerous condo towers in downtown St. Pete, including ONE St. Petersburg, which opened in 2019; Saltaire, which opened in 2023; and the upcoming Art House Kolter paid $9.85 million for a vacant property at the east end of Corey Avenue that was previously slated to be developed into Corey Landing a 243-unit apartment community with restaurants Kolter also picked up two additional properties that were not part of the former Corey Landing proposal—a 0.37-acre property at 75 Corey Avenue Kolter’s recent acquisitions include the former Corey Landing site plus two additional properties | Google Maps The specific details of Kolter’s redevelopment plan are not known at this time however a representative from the company confirmed to St Pete Rising that the project will contain condos Commercial space is also expected to be included Pete Beach to develop a mixed-use property that honors the unique beauty of the waterfront and captures the character of the community,” said Brian Van Slyke was first proposed by local developer William Karns after he paid $40 million for the site in 2006 Karns had a vision to revitalize the east end of Corey Avenue by constructing 110 condos the half-a-dozen properties were home to Leverock’s seafood restaurant Karns later sold the properties to Seminole-based Corey Landings Development and by March 2007 the project had been reconfigured to include 42 condos Pete condo towers (from left to right) — One St.Petersburg Although the project received approval from the city the plan required the vacation of a small road between the two remaining businesses in the area—The Blue Parrott and Charlie's Transmissions Many residents were not in favor of the project the city commission ended up voting down the request to vacate the street which resulted in the developers abandoning their plans Pete Beach required the owners to demolish all existing structures on the site a bankruptcy led NYC-based investment management firm Fortress Investment Group to purchase the property in 2019 and 15 years after the first plan was proposed Fortress partnered with Ram Realty Advisors and announced a new vision for Corey Landing more than 10,000 square feet of retail space Ram Realty Advisor’s Corey Landing proposal which would have featured 243 apartments and boat docks | Looney Ricks Kiss Architects Now with Kolter’s recent purchase of the Corey Landing site the east end of Corey Avenue may finally see the activation it has been waiting on for decades