Construction cranes have become a common sight in downtown St. Petersburg over the past few years. An unprecedented growth spurt that began during the pandemic shows no signs of abating.

​Multiple much-anticipated developments, including the Residences at 400 Central and Art House condominium towers, are now welcoming residents following years of construction. However, a new year will bring a fresh slate of projects to the Sunshine City, and many will take shape away from the downtown core.

​Here are some planned or under-construction developments to keep an eye on in 2026:

​Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment

​The redevelopment of roughly 86 acres surrounding Tropicana Field will have a generational impact on St. Petersburg. Stakeholders expected to see a vibrant mixed-use and income community in place by now, in July 2024, when the city reached a historic agreement with the Tampa Bay Rays and its development partner, Hines.

​Stuart Sternberg exited an arduously negotiated deal in March 2025, after encountering hurricane-induced delays, and sold the team in late September. ARK Investment Management, Ellison Development and Horus Construction submitted a $6.8 billion redevelopment proposal to redevelop the Historic Gas Plant District about a week later.

​Mayor Ken Welch is considering the bid and will formally open a 30-day extension for additional offers on Sunday. St. Petersburg-based Blake Investment Partners, which submitted an unsolicited proposal in March, plans to present an updated vision.

​New York-based Red Apple Group, the development firm behind 400 Central, has also expressed interest in the massive project. Welch said Dec. 30 that he is “excited to see what we get there in addition to what I think is a strong proposal from ARK Ellison Horus.”

​“The one proposal that we have so far actually increases the amount of affordable housing, increases the minority participation,” Welch told the Catalyst. “So, it’s actually stronger than what we had with Hines and the Rays.”

​The Central

​Tampa-based Ellison Development is also building The Central about a half-mile away from the Trop, in St. Petersburg’s rapidly evolving EDGE District. The under-construction mixed-use development made headlines multiple times in 2025.

​Geoffrey Zakarian, star of “Iron Chef America, Chopped,” and “The Kitchen” on the Food Network, will helm The Central’s flagship restaurant. The development will also feature a 168-key Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel and a seven-story residential building with 42 workforce housing units.

​An 11-story office building, Halcyon, has ARK Invest as an anchor tenant. Stakeholders celebrated The Central’s 540-space public parking garage opening at 1301 Central Avenue in June.

​In September, Ellison announced that the structure’s rooftop garden would display a 76-million-year-old Gorgosaurus skeleton. However, vertical construction at The Central has seemingly stalled since the garage opened.

Derby Lane

​Sagi Genger, CEO of Rally Development, wants to transform the 131.5-acre Derby Lane site into an entertainment destination. The property at 10490 Gandy Blvd. was formerly home to a greyhound racing track and continues to host a poker room, markets and festivals.

​Genger and his team are now marketing the property and “trying to figure out what makes the most sense – both for the community and for us.” He called it the “most important site for development in the area” in late November.

​“This is a multi-100-million-dollar, if not a multi-billion-dollar, development project,” Genger said. “To have so many acres available in the middle of a metropolitan area is very, very unusual.”

​He expects to “reach conclusions” on the property’s future in February or early March, after reviewing proposals. He said the possibilities are “almost endless” for a site that has long been considered a potential home for a new Rays stadium.

​Sky Town

​Local leaders celebrated the commencement of construction on the most extensive mixed-income development in Pinellas County’s history in mid-October. The $800 million, multi-phased Sky Town Apartments will eventually feature 2,084 housing units, 80,920 square feet of commercial space, a 22,500-square-foot storage facility and 4,000 parking spaces at the southwest corner of 34th Street and 30th Avenue South.

​Altis Cardinal received $5.5 million from the county and $4.5 million from the city for Sky Town’s first phase, which includes 401 apartments, a Sprouts grocery store and nearly 12,000 square feet of retail space. The development firm will dedicate 60 units to households earning up to 80% of the area median income; 61 will have a 120% limit.

​“The Sky Town development marks a new era for the Skyway Marina District,” Welch said at the time. “This public-private project is an example of how forward-thinking investments can strengthen neighborhoods, attract workforce talent and expand opportunities for residents.”

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Mark Parker reports via St. Pete Catalyst. Republished with permission.

Fewer Canadians vacationed in the Sunshine State in the third quarter of 2025 compared to previous years.

VISIT FLORIDA said an estimated 507,000 Canadians came to Florida between July to September 2025, which is normally a busy tourism time at the theme parks and beaches. The 507,000 was a 15% decrease from Q3 2024 and a nearly 28% decrease from Q3 2019, Fort Myers-based WINK News reported.

Some Canadians have expressed anger and been turned off from visiting the United States because of President Donald Trump’s tariffs and his comments about annexing Canada.

VISIT FLORIDA said a total of 34.3 million tourists visited Florida in Q3 2025, an overall 0.3% increase from the same quarter in 2024.

Not mentioning the 15% Canadian dip in a press release, state leaders maintained a sunny outlook.

“Florida tourism remains strong and leads the nation,” said Bryan Griffin, President and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA in the press release. “VISIT FLORIDA is strategically focused on growing visitation from Latin America and Europe and maintaining Florida’s #1 market share of domestic tourists, and our strategy is working.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis was dismissive of any potential Canadian tourism declines last year.

“They said that the Canadians were going to stop coming to Florida. And I’m thinking to myself, ‘I don’t think that’s true, because who would want to be in Canada in the winter or spring when you could be in Florida? Like, if you can get here, you want to get here.’ And so we have the numbers,” DeSantis said during the 2025 Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism in late August.

Meanwhile, most of Florida’s tourists are coming from the rest of the United States.

“Preliminary estimates show that domestic travelers accounted for 91.7 percent of all visitors, with 31.5 million Americans traveling to Florida in Q3. Overseas visitation grew 3.2 percent from Q3 2024 to reach 2.3 million,” the press release said.

Canada’s tourists amounted to 1.5% of all of Florida’s travelers for the quarter, VISIT FLORIDA said.

A Jan. 5 civil trial over a high-profile Disney World lawsuit has been called off and the case voluntarily dismissed, court records show.

Emma McGuinness sued Disney in 2023 after she said she was seriously injured when her bathing suit formed a “wedgie” going down a Typhoon Lagoon water slide in 2019.

What happened next was she suffered “severe vaginal lacerations, a full thickness laceration causing (her) bowel to protrude through her abdominal wall, and damage to her internal organs,” McGuinness said in her lawsuit.

McGuinness had been celebrating her 30th birthday at the water park with her family when she was hurt.

Her lawsuit made national news with the word “wedgie” playing prominently in the headlines, including in the New York Times.

On the 214-foot slide, riders go down “near-vertical 5-story drop in the dark, reaching speeds approaching 40 miles per hour,” the lawsuit said. “Unlike other slide rides at Typhoon Lagoon, riders of the Humunga Kowabunga use the slide without a raft or tube. …  At the top of The Slide, riders are instructed to cross their legs at the ankles. Riders are not told why their ankles need to be crossed, the importance of doing so, or the risks of injury if one’s ankles become uncrossed.”

McGuinness argued Disney’s Humunga Kowabunga slide was more dangerous for women and she had not been warned her one-piece bathing swimsuit could go up.

“As Ms. McGuinness neared the end of The Slide, her body lifted up, she became airborne, and she was slammed downward against The Slide — which increased the likelihood of her legs becoming uncrossed or otherwise exposing herself to injury in using The Slide,” her lawsuit said. “The impact of The Slide and her impact into the standing water at the bottom of The Slide caused Ms. McGuinness’ clothing to be painfully forced between her legs and for water to be violently forced inside her. She experienced immediate and severe pain internally and, as she stood up, blood began rushing from between her legs. She was transported to a local hospital by ambulance for medical care and treatment and eventually transported to another hospital for the repair of her gynecologic injuries by a specialist.”

Disney denied McGuinness’ allegations and argued the ride was not only safe but riders were properly warned and received instructions how to go down.

Disney offered a list of defenses, including allegations that McGuinness “may have failed to use reasonable care” or her “injuries or damages pre-existed,” according to a 2023 court filing responding to her lawsuit.

Disney acknowledged two other incidents with similar injuries happened within three years leading up to McGuinness’ incident.

Within a month from each other in the Spring of 2017, two females “purportedly experienced bleeding to some degree from the groin area or rectum,” an April court filing said.

“At bottom, HK was not a new attraction and it was ridden by thousands (if not more) of guests in the three years preceding the incident,” Disney also said in a court filing.

During the litigation, McGuinness, a tourist, sought a virtual deposition so she wouldn’t have to travel back to Florida. Disney argued she should be required to appear in person. 

Circuit Court Judge Brian Sandor ruled in favor of Disney and ordered to come back to Orange County, a June filing said.

A short time later, Disney and McGuinnness failed to reach an agreement during a July 22 mediation, court records showed.

In August, McGuinness voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning she can not file the same complaint again. Her August deposition that she had been fighting with Disney over was canceled and so was her pending trial scheduled to start next week. There does not appear to be any mention of a settlement in the filings.

Neither her attorney nor Disney responded to a request for comment for this story.