July 07, 2026

Lucky Cup Coffee to open second St. Pete location at The Factory after whirlwind first year

July 07, 2026/ Kyla Fields

When longtime friends April Lupkey and Lauren Kirk quietly opened Lucky Cup Coffee Co . inside the Galaxy Hotel in downtown St. Pete last summer, most of their customers were hotel guests.

Some days, they made just two drinks.

Then a friend ordered a matcha latte that wasn't even on the menu and shared it on social media.

The post took off, and the tiny hotel lobby café quickly became one of St. Pete's fastest-growing coffee shops.

A year later, the pair is preparing for its biggest step yet.

Today, Lucky Cup announced it’ll open a second location at 2606 Fairfield Avenue South inside The Factory, a massive creative campus in the Warehouse Arts District that is home to local businesses like FloridaRAMA, Daddy Kool Records, and St. Pete Athletic.

July 06, 2026

Beauty bar, café, and local makers market BB House opens in Seminole

July 06, 2026/ Kyla Fields

Residents can now grab a specialty coffee, browse locally made goods, and book a beauty appointment all under one roof in Seminole.

BB House, which celebrated its grand opening last month at 6080 Seminole Boulevard, combines a beauty bar, specialty café, and local vendor market into a single concept.

Mariah Miller and Karina Corrales, who both have backgrounds in the beauty industry, founded BB House to be an inclusive, family-friendly space.

They signed the lease for two connected storefronts in the Seminole plaza last summer.

One houses the café, lounge, and vendor market, while the other is home to private beautician studios.

Corrales operates the café through her coffee cart, Milk Madre, while Miller provides eyelash and eyebrow services through her business, Shape Space.

July 03, 2026

Hidden beneath Central Park, 22-seat cocktail parlor The Winfield opens in downtown St. Pete

July 03, 2026/ Kyla Fields

The Winfield, a 22-seat cocktail parlor hidden beneath downtown St. Pete's sprawling Central Park food hall, opens today.

While Central Park occupies nearly 27,700 square feet over five stories at 551 Central Avenue, its newest concept seats just 22 guests, offering an intimate experience unlike the bustling food hall above.

Director of Operations Robert Castellon describes both the menu and ambiance as “an homage to old Florida,” with dark-toned wood, floral wallpaper, and colorful accents.

The approximately 1,000-square-foot cocktail parlor pairs lesser-known spirits with Asian and Latin ingredients while incorporating modern mixology techniques like forced carbonation and clarification.

Beverage Director Silvia Fridegotto said bartenders have historically played an important role in introducing the public to emerging spirits, and The Winfield hopes to continue that tradition by helping guests discover unfamiliar bottles in an approachable setting.

July 03, 2026

St. Petersburg Catholic High School charts $64 million campus expansion

July 03, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

St. Petersburg Catholic High School is preparing for the largest campus expansion in its nearly 70-year history.

On Wednesday, the St. Petersburg Development Review Commission approved a long-term master plan that will add new academic, athletic, and administrative buildings while modernizing existing facilities and campus infrastructure.

Over the past several years, enrollment has grown from approximately 285 students to about 550 as the school expanded its academic offerings.

To support those needs and address aging infrastructure, the college preparatory school at 6363 9th Avenue North is planning a multi-phase, $64 million campus expansion and modernization.

Wednesday’s approval allows St. Petersburg Catholic to construct 163,133 square feet of new academic, athletic, and administrative facilities, along with additional athletic fields, across 11 phases.

July 02, 2026

Mayor Welch selects team to redevelop Historic Gas Plant District in downtown St. Pete

July 02, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch has selected The Burg Bid team, led by St. Pete-based Blake Investment Partners, to redevelop the Historic Gas Plant District.

The proposal envisions an estimated $8.1 billion mixed-use redevelopment featuring more than 3,600 affordable and workforce housing units, a new Woodson African American Museum of Florida, parks, hotels, office space, retail and workforce development facilities across the 58-acre site.

The announcement marks the city's first major redevelopment decision since the collapse of the previous redevelopment agreement between the Tampa Bay Rays and Hines in early 2025.

Welch announced the selection Wednesday following a months-long competitive process that drew nine unsolicited proposals from development teams across the country.

July 01, 2026

Heart + Paw veterinary clinic opens first Florida location in restored historic St. Pete home

July 01, 2026/ Kyla Fields

A historic home along Central Avenue has found a new purpose as the first Florida location for veterinary care provider Heart + Paw.

Heart + Paw is now open at 6366 Central Avenue inside the restored 1925 Strum House, the preserved centerpiece of Strum Place, a nine-unit luxury townhome development in west St. Pete.

Headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, Heart + Paw operates more than 30 veterinary hospitals across 11 states.

The new clinic offers comprehensive veterinary care and grooming services for dogs and cats, including surgery, dentistry, radiology, vaccinations, wellness care, and end-of-life services.

July 01, 2026

Rreal Tacos acquires former Red Mesa Cantina building in downtown St. Pete

July 01, 2026/ Brian Zucker

One of downtown St. Pete's most recognizable restaurant properties has a new owner.

Atlanta-based Rreal Tacos has purchased the former Red Mesa Cantina building at 128 3rd Street South, where it plans to open three restaurant and bar concepts under the Rreal Tacos brand.

The ground-floor restaurant is expected to open in early 2027, with the remaining concepts opening in phases.

Founded in Atlanta in 2015, Rreal Tacos is known for Mexican street food inspired by Mexico City, with a menu centered around tacos served on handmade tortillas pressed to order.

Guests can also expect burritos, quesabirria tacos, tortas, enchiladas, fajitas, ceviche, street corn, loaded fries, and house-made salsas, along with an extensive selection of tequila, mezcal, and craft margaritas.

The more than century-old building was originally constructed as St. Petersburg's first fire station and most recently housed Red Mesa Cantina for 16 years before the restaurant closed in June.

June 30, 2026

Owners of Malio’s Prime Steakhouse to open coastal seafood restaurant Moon by Malio’s in Pass-a-Grille

June 30, 2026/ Kyla Fields

A fine dining restaurant focused on wild-caught seafood will take over a prized location in St. Pete Beach's Pass-a-Grille.

Moon by Malio's will open at 109 8th Avenue on the ground floor of the boutique Berkeley Beach Club hotel.

The space was formerly home to The Dewey, which suffered damage from the back-to-back hurricanes in 2024 and never reopened.

Moon by Malio's owners Derek and Jen Iavarone describe their newest concept as the "playful little sister" of their other two restaurants, Malio's Prime Steakhouse in downtown Tampa and Malio's Beach House on St. Pete Beach.

Their newest restaurant is expected to open in September.

Moon by Malio's will occupy roughly 4,000 square feet of the Berkeley Beach Club across its dining room, patio, and rooftop, seating about 200 guests total.

June 29, 2026

Demolition permit filed for future site of 50-story Waldorf Astoria Residences St. Petersburg

June 29, 2026/ Brian Zucker

A demolition permit has been filed for the City Center office tower parking garage in downtown St. Pete, the future site of the 50-story Waldorf Astoria Residences St. Petersburg.

The garage, located at 150 2nd Avenue South, will be removed as part of the redevelopment. The office tower itself is not included in the permit and will remain.

The project, announced in June 2024, was approved by the St. Petersburg City Council later that year.

The 50-story tower, expected to become the tallest building in the city, is being co-developed by Miami-based Property Markets Group (PMG) and St. Petersburg-based Feldman Equities.

In addition to 163 luxury condominiums, the approximately $500 million development will include 73,000 square feet of Class A office space, ground-floor retail, and an extensive collection of resort-style amenities.

June 29, 2026

Seven visions emerge for three-acre Commerce Park site in south St. Pete

June 29, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

The City of St. Pete is one step closer to deciding the future of a three-acre property at Commerce Park in south St. Pete.

In April, the City issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a collection of 19 city-owned parcels along 22nd Street South in the Deuces corridor.

The site, which sits directly across from the Manhattan Casino, is within a historically significant area that once served as a hub for Black-owned businesses, restaurants, and entertainment venues before decades of disinvestment and the construction of I-275 reshaped the corridor.

The property has been the subject of multiple redevelopment plans over the past two decades, none of which have fully panned out.

The city began assembling the land in 2007 under Mayor Rick Baker with plans for a manufacturing and industrial employment center, but those plans stalled during the Great Recession.

A second push under Mayor Rick Kriseman brought plans for a manufacturing facility and a Euro Cycles dealership, and construction even began in 2018.

But the project ultimately fell apart, forcing the city to unwind parts of the deal.

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