ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — It could be the beginning of a resurgence on St. Pete Beach as the first new hotel submits plans to the beach community in more than 6 years.
The 6-story Miramar Beach Resort hopes to feature a restaurant, rooftop pool and lounge…overlooking the spectacular view of the Gulf of Mexico.
It would be just the second new hotel to be built on St. Pete Beach in the past 20 years.
Tony Satterfield, the Vice President of Operations at the Alden Suites says it’s very exciting.
“For the first time in a long time I think you’ll start to see redevelopment and new development. We can only hope what we saw a few years ago with a hotel building boom in Clearwater Beach will happen here. This is really going to open everything up. You’ve got quite a few new owners waiting to move forward on projects,” he explained.
For 6 years, all development on St. Pete Beach has been put on hold. The city’s sewer system is currently unable to handle any additional capacity.
Now, sewer system updates are expected to start in late October, paving the way for hotels to finally submit plans for renovations or new construction.
Sheldon Blake at the Plaza Beach Resort says that could have an impact on the entire community.
“This is great. We’ve been waiting patiently for a long time. It’s going to allow us to grow the infrastructure of our resort and other resorts in St. Pete Beach. Even for resorts not ready to remodel, this opens the doors for them to expand or make changes in the future,” he added.
The changes, hotel managers say, could be crucial as St. Pete Beach compete against Clearwater Beach, which has dozens of new, or remodeled hotels.
“We have quite a few old hotels in St. Pete Beach. If we could see a complete new build, it would benefit all of us,” Satterfield added.
St. Pete Beach leaders plan to enforce height restrictions and limit the number of rooms that can be built, which will help to keep the charm that draws thousands of people to its sparkling coastline.
The sewer project should wrap up in 2022 — just in time for Miramar Beach Resort to potentially open their doors, if all goes as planned.
The new resort will present plans to St. Pete Beach’s planning board in December and could be approved by city council in January or February. From there, Mayor Al Johnson says it would take about 15 months to construct.
“I’ve lived on the beach here for more than 22 years now and the area for 40 so and I’m just tickled to death to see things going. It’s time,” Mayor Johnson explained.
