Publix to demolish, rebuild west St. Pete store
By Henry Queen
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jul 24, 2024

Publix Super Markets Inc. will close one of its St. Petersburg locations to make way for a new store.

The current supermarket, located at the intersection of 66th Street North and 38th Avenue North, will close on July 27. A spokesperson confirmed that the grocer will build a new store but did not provide a timeline.

Publix owns the store, which was built in 1976, according to Pinellas County property records.

City staff are reviewing permit applications for a new supermarket and liquor store at 3900 66th St. N submitted by Publix in late 2023. The site permit was issued and is on hold for a notice of commencement. The combined project cost exceeds $11 million, according to the building permit application.

The new store will be a traditional Publix that's on the larger end of the grocer's real estate spectrum at 55,454 square feet. There will also be a 2,100-square-foot liquor store on the southeast corner of the building. The current store totals 56,690 gross square feet.

The average Publix is between 45,000 to 49,000 square feet, but the grocer has prototypes as small as 25,000 square feet and as large as 60,000 square feet.

The Lakeland-based grocer has 1,376 grocery stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia and the Carolinas and 10 distribution centers.

Hawkins Construction Inc. is the general contractor for the new St. Pete store. Tampa-based Campo Engineering Services Inc. is providing engineering services.