TradeWinds Island Resorts on St. Pete Beach plans upscale expansion
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jul 14, 2022

TradeWinds Island Resorts, which has operated in St. Pete Beach for more than 60 years, is planning a massive expansion.

1754 Properties, owner of the resort, will add a mixed-use project to the existing resort called Next Generation TradeWinds. The expansion will include approximately 18,000 square feet of street-level retail space, 33,000 square feet of conference space and 650 new upscale guest rooms.

Three new swimming pools, three new parking garages and a new 30-foot wide direct beach access are also part of the expansion, which will be built in phases.

A timeline for construction has not been set, and the project is still subject to city approvals. Joe Smith, CEO and founder of 1754 properties, said the group will hold its first official meeting with the neighborhood on July 14, though they have already reached out to “the vast majority” of the surrounding neighbors.

This expansion will “allow the resort campus to attract a new demographic,” Smith told the Tampa Bay Business Journal. The expansion is privately funded and will bring more than $19 million in additional annual tax revenue to the city. It will create approximately 300 new permanent jobs and 500 construction-related jobs.

“We just saw a tremendous demand in the market for upscale accommodations on the beach that don’t really exist today,” Smith said.

Smith said the focus is on luxury, not density, and that the expansion plan is slightly more than half of what is permitted by the city’s code. The projected number of hotel rooms is 37% below the allowable permitted additional guest room capacity of the site, according to its website.

The development team for the project includes Nunzio Marc DeSantis Architects, Perry-Becker as the landscape architect and Harris Civil Engineering. Unique amenities like a surf zone and kids club will also be included, as will upgrades that Smith said will impact the entire community, not just the guests.

The plan is to nearly double the size of the sidewalks on Gulf Boulevard, add parking garages to reduce the crowding on Gulf Boulevard and invest in a multimillion-dollar stormwater system that will fix the flooding that currently pools near the entrance of the property, which will fix a variety of traffic issues near the site.

They also intend to create an internal roadway to keep traffic off Gulf Boulevard. Smith said the proposal includes reducing the number of entrances and exits from the properties to Gulf Boulevard from nine to four, which he believes will reduce congestion.

Smith said 1754 is seeking retail tenants that will benefit the surrounding neighborhood as much as resort guests. Something that creates a great neighborhood experience, like a high-end coffee shop, will be the goal for the space, he said.

“We like to say that this will be an upscale family resort designed with the community in mind,” Smith said.