ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The St. Petersburg Marina is a slice of paradise millions of people travel to every year.
Tucked into the corner of the glistening waters and boats sits Fresco's Waterfront Bistro.
It has been a staple on the waters for two decades. David Sockol took it over in 2003.
"So many ups and downs from the BP oil spill to the different hurricanes to the pandemic to as recently as last week with that storm," Sockol said.
The new challenge he's facing is the revitalization of the marina and where that puts his business.
"The city has proposed that the whole entire marina be redone, and so whoever gets the contract to do the entire marina a $67 million project can also bid and tell them what they want to do with Fresco's," Sockol said.
Due to its aging infrastructure, outdated configurations like the increased sizes of boats, and ongoing development around the city, officials began to look into a master marina plan in 2016.
Fast forward seven years, and two developers have put in bids to give the marina a makeover.
Safety Harbor Marina Development and Suntex Marina Investors have both put in bids for the project, both of which are factoring in Fresco's.
"I mean, there are people who started here as a server and now a manager with three kids, you know, several with kids, so this has been their life, and this provides their livelihood for their families," Sockol said.
Drawings of Fresco's proposed new structure have it sitting along the water as a two-story structure. The bottom still maintains a wooden deck that overlooks the million-dollar views of Tampa Bay.
The city's research will be presented to Mayor Ken Welch for further analysis, and the final selection will ultimately be sent to the council for approval. The goal is to have plans finalized by the end of the year.
