On June 14, country music superstar Luke Bryan became the first-ever major musician to perform at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, the spring training home of the Boston Red Sox. It marked Fenway South’s debut as Southwest Florida’s newest and biggest concert venue. The stadium can hold around 17,000 attendees. The Red Sox teased that more shows may come to the venue, but no additional acts had been announced as of press time.
Cross-country Collaboration
Tampa Bay’s not-for-profit health system BayCare is pairing with Northwestern Medicine — a Chicago integrated academic health system — to bolster its growing medical education programs. The collaboration aims to expand access to advanced medical treatments, enhance clinical research and improve training for physicians in West-Central Florida. “West-Central Florida deserves more access to academic medicine, and by entering into a strategic collaboration with Northwestern Medicine, we will accelerate our trajectory as an academic health system,” says BayCare President and CEO Stephanie Conners.
Soccer Central
The women’s professional soccer team Tampa Bay Sun may get a permanent home in Ybor City: a 15,000-seat venue within Ybor Harbor, announced as part of a forthcoming 33-acre mixed-use development headed by Tampa business mogul Darryl Shaw. Not even a month after the announcement, though, the new location was cast into doubt with the pending sale of the Tampa Bay Rays — a baseball team still on the hunt for its new home, which could end up in Ybor.
EDUCATION
- The Florida Legislature allocated $22 million to Florida Polytechnic University for its forthcoming 138,400-sq.-ft. Student Achievement Center and its initiative to boost enrollment to 3,000 students by 2030.
- Florida Gulf Coast University received a $22-million gift from the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation to expand instructional health care tech at its Marieb College of Health & Human Services. The university also collected a $100,000 grant from the PNC Foundation to create an outdoor classroom at the Naples Children & Education Foundation Early Childhood Development Center.
HOUSING
- Cameratta Companies started construction on the new Kingston community in Estero that, upon completion, will span more than 6,700 acres and hold up to 10,000 homes. At least half of the land will be restored with wildlife habitat and designated as preserves.
- Palm Beach real estate investment and management firm Sunrise Affordable Housing Group purchased The Indigo, an apartment building in downtown Clearwater, and will convert all 208 units into affordable housing through a $50-million project.
- Sarasota-based Renaissance Development Group broke ground on Bloom, an $86-million workforce housing community bringing 336 multifamily apartments to 5.7 acres of Fort Myers by mid-2027.
HEALTH CARE
- Lakeland Regional Health opened its 5,250-sq.-ft. Center for Behavioral Wellness, offering adult, child and adolescent psychiatry and therapy. It also launched a $50-million capital campaign to build a new women's and children's center.
- Collier County commissioners approved a $56-million behavioral health center with 87 beds developed in partnership with the David Lawrence Center, a nonprofit Naples mental health service.
CONSTRUCTION
- Stevens Construction completed construction of a 26,900-sq.-ft. industrial building for commercial marine contractor Kelly Brothers in Fort Myers, replacing its former 14,000-sq.-ft. building damaged by Hurricane Ian.
RECREATION
- Tampa broke ground on the first two segments of its Green ARTery, a planned 22-mile pedestrian and bicycle network around the city.
ENVIRONMENT
- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission plans to build a $11.7-million marine mammal pathobiology lab at Eckerd College to better investigate dolphin and manatee deaths and injuries.
- Pinellas County commissioners approved spending $125 million for beach renourishment projects along Treasure Island, Long Key-Upham Beach and Sand Key.
DEVELOPMENT
- St. Petersburg officials approved a $225-million project from local Echelon Development that will bring two 31-story towers with 824 apartments and 35,800 square feet of retail downtown.
REAL ESTATE
- A six-bedroom, 10-bathroom estate in Odessa marks the most expensive home ever listed in Tampa Bay at $38.5 million.
INDUSTRY
- New York real estate developer Stalwart Equities is creating Stalwart Business Park, a 3.4-million-sq.-ft. industrial park, in Plant City. A 1.8-millionsq.- ft. business park from Atlanta developer Robinson Weeks Partners is also coming to the city.
ENTERTAINMENT
- The city of St. Petersburg filed plans for a $4.8-million renovation of the Manhattan Casino, a landmark of Black history that hosted performers like Louis Armstrong before closing in 1968. The restored building will serve as an event rental space.
MUSEUMS
- The Florida Holocaust Museum, which closed last July for major renovations, will reopen to the public on Sept. 9.
HOTELS
- Tampa’s Gianco Companies will replace a storm-damaged 11-story building in downtown St. Petersburg with a 74-key branded hotel.
- Jeffery Beggins, a Century 21 broker-owner and developer, is spearheading two projects in Madeira Beach: a 56-room boutique resort, which will replace two small resorts demolished after last year’s hurricane season, and a 171-unit Marriott Autograph Collection hotel.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
“We are proud to be the first and only bank to obtain 100% carbon neutrality and LEED certification at all of our retail banking centers and remain committed to maintaining this standard at every future location we open.” — Alex Hagush, regional facilities manager at St. Petersburg-based BayFirst National Bank