Hurricanes are still top of mind across St. Pete — as storm repairs, redevelopment, and storm hardening projects continue across the Sunshine City.
We’re sharing three of the latest projects:
Potential St. Pete boutique hotel
Could the Burg score its first boutique hotel? Gianco Cos. wants to replace the tower at 300 Central with a new 70-room hotel, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reports. The current 1920s-era 11-story tower suffered damage during Milton, and is awaiting repairs.
The developer wants to turn the downtown parcel into an “upper-class style” hotel with a restaurant and lobby space. The design isn’t finalized, but pulls inspiration from the building’s mid-century modern architecture.
The project still needs a site plan approval.
Johns Hopkins All Children’s eyes storm hardening projects
As we near another hurricane season, All Children’s is beefing up its storm protections.
Leaders said the hospital will spend ~$34 million on hardening facilities, after the facility suffered $1.51 million in damages from heavy wind + water intrusion during Milton + Helene.
The plans include: moving the steam line to a new 28,000-square-foot facility, digging separate wells for fire protection, cooling towers and emergency water, and strengthening exterior doors, according to St. Pete Catalyst.
Tropicana Field repairs update
The City of St. Pete just secured an $85 million loan from Bank of America for its ongoing disaster recovery efforts — namely, fixing the Trop’s shredded roof, according to St. Pete Catalyst. Last week, City Council okayed the $22.5 million repair process.
A reminder: The City is required to get the stadium repaired per its contract with the Rays. The total pricetag is in the $56 million range.
When will the Rays take the field at the Trop again? The City estimates the repairs should be done by April 2026.
