52-story mixed-use tower proposed for downtown Tampa’s Trump site

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A 52-story mixed-use tower is planned for the most notorious piece of land in downtown Tampa.

A development group led by Tampa investor Larry Feldman has filed plans with the city to build a tower with on the former Trump Tower site, the 1.47 acres at the intersection of South Ashley Drive and East Brorein Street.

The plans call for ground-floor retail, a restaurant and bar space fronting the Tampa RiverWalk. Above that will be seven stories of parking totaling more than 600 spaces. Floors eight… …read more

Westshore apartment boom continues with $56M new development (Rendering)

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Westshore’s next apartment community has broken ground on the former Without Walls International Church property.

Richman Group of Florida Inc. said Tuesday it is under construction on Grady Square, a $56 million development that will bring 300 new apartments to the heart of a dense commercial area, at North Grady Avenue and West Columbus Drive (see map embedded below.)

The four-story development will be a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments ranging from 574 to 1,628 square feet.… …read more

$45M apartments break ground in North Hyde Park

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After profiting on its first apartment development in North Hyde Park, an Atlanta group has broken ground on another complex across the street.

Pollack Shores Real Estate Group is under construction on Havana Square, a 274-unit apartment complex across North Rome Avenue from NoHo Flats. Pollack Shores developed NoHo Flats in summer 2014 and sold it a few months later for $57.25 million or $184,084 per apartment.

Pollack Shores closed on the land for Havana Square on July 15, paying $4.5 million… …read more

Riverview woman sentenced for wire, ID fraud

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Ronika Paris was sentenced to three years in federal prison for wire fraud, aggravated identity fraud and making false statements to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The office of U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III announced the sentencing on Friday morning and said the court entered a $17,979 money judgment against Paris, a Riverview woman. She pled guilty in April. The judge also ordered her to pay more than $70,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.

Court… …read more

Exclusive: Inside Skyhouse Channelside, downtown Tampa’s newest high rise (Video)

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With panoramic views of the city skyline and Port Tampa Bay, downtown Tampa’s newest high rise is open in the Channel district.

The first residents moved into the 23-story, 320-unit Skyhouse Channelside on June 26, when the developer opened floors four through 14. The remaining apartments opened July 10, and so far, 45 are occupied. A total of 107 are leased.

The timing of the tower’s opening probably couldn’t be better for the developer, Atlanta-based Novare Group. The Skyhouse broke ground in… …read more

5 things to start the day: What to do with your own private island, and Lakeland Regional’s ‘wired’ status

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It’s almost the weekend. Hope your Thursday yields an even better Friday. In case you missed it, Hillsborough commissioners voted yesterday to remove the Confederate flag from the county government center.

Here are five things to start your day:

I guess it works

The founders of one of Tampa Bay’s fastest-growing companies in the past few years have literally purchased their own private island. Mark and Cindy Pentecost, founders of It Works! in Palmetto, purchased Little Bokeelia Island, off the… …read more

TD Bank: First-time homebuyers on the upswing in Florida and nationwide

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Debt and stagnant wages cut the number of first-time homebuyers during the recession, but a new survey from TD Bank indicates that’s changing.

The survey shows nearly one in five potential first-time homebuyers are actively looking to buy. About 62 percent of potential first-time buyers expect to purchase a home within the next two years; among millennials, ages 18-to-34 years old, that number rises to 67 percent.

TD Bank polled more than 1,000 Americans looking to buy their first home within… …read more

How the It Works! founders will use Little Bokeelia — and their ranch and golf course — to drive sales

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Mark Pentecost thought he’d lost out on buying Little Bokeelia Island twice.

The founder of It Works! and his wife, Cindy, first made an offer on the 104-acre island three years ago. Little Bokeelia, which is off the Lee County coast between Sarasota and Naples, hit the market priced at $29.5 million in 2012.

The sellers weren’t able to make a deal at that point and dropped their asking price to $24.5 million in 2014. Earlier this year, they offered it for an immediate sale — all serious offers… …read more

It Works! founders buy Little Bokeelia Island

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The founders of It Works! have acquired Little Bokeelia Island for a steep discount to the list price.

Mark and Cindy Pentecost closed on the island on Wednesday morning for $14.5 million. The property, off the coast of Lee County between Sarasota and Naples, includes 104 acres, a 1920s-Spanish-style estate home with attached guest wing, as well as a cluster of several old Florida cottages that have been restored.

The island had been listed for sale for years, starting with an original asking price… …read more

Permitting logjam pushes back opening of Hawkers Asian Street Fare in St. Pete

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Downtown St. Petersburg’s construction boom has caused the owners of Hawkers Asian Street Fare to move back their opening about eight weeks. They are now projecting the Orlando-based brand to make its Bay area debut in mid-fall.

“The permitting office is overloaded, which is ultimately a good thing because there’s a lot of businesses coming,” said founding partner Kaleb Harrell. “Plus, with a building that age, you can always expect something unexpected. We’re going to need a bit more… …read more