Tampa restaurateur makes real estate moves on Davis Islands waterfront
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: May 9, 2023

A granddaughter of Publix Super Markets Inc. founder George W. Jenkins is making big real estate moves on Davis Islands.

Merrin Jenkins, co-owner of Willa's Restaurant in North Hyde Park, paid $6 million for the vacant waterfront lot at 82 Adalia Ave. on May 1, according to Hillsborough County property records. Jenkins bought 84 Adalia Ave., next door to the vacant lot, in 2019, property records show. A home is under construction on 84 Adalia Ave., and rumors on Davis Islands have swirled for months that the home is tied to the founding family of Lakeland-based Publix.

The lot at 82 Adalia Ave. is .26 acres, property records show. 84 Adalia Ave. is just over half an acre. The sellers are Bruce and Eileen Goldenberg.

Jenkins did not respond to a request for comment.

The home under construction at 84 Adalia Ave. will be just under 18,000 square feet, according to building plans filed with the city. Of that, roughly 9,400 square feet are under roof.

Historical Concepts, an architecture firm with offices in Atlanta and New York, designed the home, city records show. Clearwater-based Monogram Builders Inc. is the general contractor.

Davis Islands is one of Tampa's most exclusive neighborhoods, home to executives and professional athletes. Some of the Tampa Bay region's largest residential transactions in recent years have unfolded on the island, including a waterfront property that sold twice in 2022, breaking a record each time.