By Peter Roos
ST. PETE BEACH
We are blessed with our share of Chambers of Commerce. The Best Beaches in the U.S. have two awesome groups, the Tampa Bay Beaches and the Treasure Island / Madeira Beach Chambers of Commerce. We have been active members of both for years. Then there’s Gulfport. Renee and Peter Roos appeared on the cover of the Gulfport Gabber in 2007 when Paradise NEWS was named The Greater Gulfport Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year. St. Petersburg, too, has an outstanding group. Ribbon cuttings and mixers are back and the weather’s been incredible. Visit them online, find out what is going on, and join in. We have been active members of all of them and they definitely contribute to our continuing success. The “Beaches Chamber” has a “Business Referral Team” (BRT) that meets early on the first and third Thursdays each month. That has been, hands down, the best investment of my marketing time. I’m really surprised it is not a larger group. There is no cost beyond chamber membership. Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce, 6990 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach 727-360-6957.
Check out their Visitor’s Guide, in print or online. www.tampabaybeaches.comThe city of St. Pete Beach has partnered with Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce to offer business improvement loans and grants through the St. Pete Beach Business Site Improvement Program (BSIP). This program will help local businesses meet and exceed local codes. www.tampabaybeaches.com
Strong local businesses help create a strong local community. With its new Business Site Improvement Program (BSIP), the city of St. Pete Beach will encourage private investment in local businesses and improve commercial areas. This program will help local businesses meet and exceed local codes. The launch and initial funding for this program is $50,000. Program guidelines and eligibility requirements are below:
Site Improvement Loans
Businesses seeking to make site improvements to meet code requirements may apply to receive an interest free loan for up to 50% of the total project cost up to $7,500 for up to four years.
Site Improvement Grants
Businesses seeking to make site improvements in excess of code requirements that improve the surrounding area may apply to receive a grant for up to 50% of the total project cost up to $7,500.
Eligible Projects:
Fat, oil and grease traps, accessibility improvements (ADA), outdoor beautification, parking improvements, fencing, public art, historic preservation compliance, garbage screening, facade improvements, awnings, painting, and signage.
TREASURE ISLAND
The Treasure Island Chamber added Madeira Beach a few years back. Their leadership recently changed and they have been rapidly adding members and activities. 10625 Gulf Blvd., Treasure Island, 33706 727-360-4121. Check them out online at www.islandneighborschamber.org
PINELLAS COUNTY
Future seawalls to be higher, stronger and better Despite more natural innovations like “living” shorelines, seawalls aren’t going anywhere in Florida except up. With thousands of miles of coastline facing two feet of sea level rise by 2060, some cities and counties are already calling for raising the standard heights of seawalls. And many of the seawalls to come in the decades ahead promise to be different, not only stronger and more durable, but better designed to both absorb waves and reduce damage to the adjacent sea or bay bottom. Others are designed to encourage sea life to inhabit honeycomb portions of the design. A major advance will be a move from steel to fiberglass rebar, which is expected to vastly extend seawall life in the future.
Eckerd Hall and Vinik’s Imagine LLC, among others, are vying to manage the new amphitheater that will be built in downtown Clearwater. The amphitheater is part of the city’s $84 million Imagine Clearwater development, which aims to transform Coachman Park on Drew Street into an urban waterfront park development for recreation and entertainment uses that would help attract residents and tourists to an underutilized part of downtown.
ST. PETERSBURG
Preserve the ‘Burg is excited about the movie selection and the great local musicians headlining the stage. Here is the highly-anticipated list of the season!
- May 5 – Summer of Soul with music by Kyah Robinson
- May 12 – The Rookie with music by Gulf Coast Cowboys
- May 19 – Cars with music by The Joint Chiefs
- May 26 – Casablanca with music by Boho Sideshow
Ascent St. Pete will celebrate its topping off on April 29. Rising higher than any other rental community in the Tampa Bay region, Ascent St. Pete provides residents incredible, 360-degree views of Tampa Bay as well as the Gulf of Mexico. The project will feature outdoor pool amenities at both the sixth and 36th floors. Ascent St. Pete is scheduled to open in January 2023 with final construction completion slated for May 2023.
Tesla has proposed to transform the Kane’s Furniture liquidation center in Lealman into a state-of-the-art delivery and repair center. The 100,000+ square-foot facility will be converted into an automotive store where customers can learn about different Tesla models, test drive, purchase, lease and have their vehicles serviced.
St. Petersburg-based Apogee Real Estate Partners, led by John Stadler and John Barkett, plans to build a $49 million 23-floor mixed-use tower at 155 17th St. S. adjacent the Pinellas Trail. The tower will have a café space, 204 apartments, a 300-space parking garage and a roofed “urban porch” along the trail, to include 4,600 square feet of retail space.
The Pinellas County Commission, together with dozens of business and community partners, broke ground in mid-February for a new, 45,000 square foot state-of-the-art business incubator. The facility, slated for completion in 2023, will drive economic impact by catalyzing future startups and technology companies in the Tampa Bay region. The ground-breaking ceremony was held at the site of the future ARK Innovation Center, which will house the incubator that will become known as the Tampa Bay Innovation Center, 1101 Fourth St. S, St. Petersburg. “The new ARK Innovation Center perfectly fits with the Pinellas County strategic goal of accelerating job growth in our economy. I am proud of the collective leadership and work to leverage our partnerships and grant opportunities to create this new incubator,” said Charlie Justice, chair of the Pinellas County Commission.