TradeWinds expansion on St. Pete Beach clears first hurdle
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Mar 19, 2024

The expansion plan for the 25-acre TradeWinds Island Resorts on St. Pete Beach is moving forward.

On Monday evening, the St. Pete Beach Planning Board unanimously approved both the conditional use permit and the development agreement for TradeWinds. The project will head to city commission for a vote on April 15.

This is the second major resort redevelopment project proposed on St. Pete Beach. One block away, the Sirata Beach Resort will soon be undergoing a significant expansion following approval from the city commission on Feb. 27.

Together, the projects will transform St. Pete Beach and bring modern hotel rooms, new meeting, event and retail space and various guest amenities to the sites.

The TradeWinds developer, South Florida-based 1754 Properties, proposes expanding the resort in four phases. The project will bring a net addition of 629 rooms in three towers; plans include demolishing and rebuilding 21 existing rooms.

The developer will also build multiple parking garages and meeting, conference, office, retail and restaurant spaces. Amenities that will be added to the site include three swimming pools and a kid’s center with a bowling alley.

At completion, the resort will have 1,596 rooms and 170,126 square feet of accessory space, including retail and restaurant space. There will also be multiple new beach access points for the public on the site.

Many residents spoke in support of the project, while others voiced concerns about the traffic impact and the extended timeline for completion. The developer said it could take up to 20 years to complete the project, as after each phase, they will wait for the new units to be absorbed into the market before beginning the next phase.

The development team includes Nunzio Marc DeSantis Architects, Perry-Becker Landscape Architects, Harris Civil Engineering and Stearns Weaver Miller.