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Friday, November 6, 2026

Ellison closes on old police HQ site for The Central

Plus, downtown condo buyers have more leverage and a Pass-a-Grille ferry hub is on the table.

The 5AM St. Petersburg team2 stories12 sources5 min read

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DowntownTop story

Ellison closes on the former police headquarters site, clearing the way for The Central

The Central is a $200 million project on 2.1 acres

$200 million
planned cost of The Central
$6.4 million
for the city's land sale
2.1 acres
for the development
531
spaces in the public parking garage

If you've eyed the old police headquarters site at 1300 1st Avenue North, construction can move ahead. Ellison Development closed on the property this week, clearing the way for The Central, its mixed-use project in the . The city's $6.4 million land sale was signed Nov. 3.

The centerpiece is , a 10-story office building with approximately 116,000 square feet of Class A space and more than 11,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. ARK Invest has announced plans to move its headquarters there, and Ellison says more tenant announcements are expected.

Halcyon would hold about 116,000 square feet of office space

Floor area of Halcyon's office space, beside places you know

Halcyon's office space116,000 sq. ft.10 stories
A football field57,600 sq. ft.end zones included
A Walmart Supercenterabout 180,000 sq. ft.

2 football fields would fit inside Halcyon's office space

Source: St. Petersburg Patch

View as table
Floor area
Halcyon's office space116,000 sq. ft. (10 stories)
A football field57,600 sq. ft. (end zones included)
A Walmart Supercenterabout 180,000 sq. ft.
  • Hotel: 165-room Central Hotel, a Marriott Autograph Collection property
  • Housing: 42 workforce apartments
  • Also planned: rooftop park, Central Plaza, Ya La'ford art installation
  • Garage: stays open during office and hotel construction

The sale leaves out 400 parking spaces across five floors of the garage, matching the number of public spaces promised when the proposal was selected in 2019.

Asked

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Asked

What are you most looking forward to at The Central?

Be the first to answer.

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Real Estate

Downtown condo buyers have more leverage as listings pile up

If you've been eyeing a downtown condo, you have more room to haggle. Downtown St. Petersburg had nearly 16% more homes for sale in September than a year earlier, and properties spent 27% longer on the market. Homes were listed a median of 118 days, according to Realtor.com.

118 daysmedian time downtown homes were listed for sale

That covers all types of downtown housing, not just condos.

Two new towers add to the supply. The 46-story Residences at 400 Central and the 42-story Art House brought a combined 545 condos downtown, and most have sold. At Art House, just nine of 244 remain with developer Kolter Urban, said Dave Moyer of Smith & Associates.

Just 9 of Art House's 244 residences remain with the developer

9Residences still available from the developer, out of 244

Source: St Pete Catalyst

View as table
Value
Residences still available from the developer, out of 2449
  • Active downtown listings: 188
  • Average sale price: roughly 3% below asking
  • Resale listings: 15 at 400 Central, 13 at Art House
  • 400 Central: roughly 85% of 301 residences sold, per one agent

Real estate agent Andrew Warren said developers are increasingly willing to negotiate. A three-bedroom developer-owned condo at 400 Central sold Oct. 26 for $1,615,000, $90,000 below asking. Ferg's Pavilion hosts free concerts Fri., Nov. 6 and Nov. 13 to thank World Series patrons.

News Notes · More

Sewers

St. Pete Beach commissioners unanimously approved plans Oct. 27 to rehabilitate three sewage lift stations damaged during Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The work includes elevated electrical equipment and backup generators. Resident Rich Bobel told Tampa Bay 28 that flooding "comes halfway up the driveway", depending on the storm. St Pete CatalystTampa Bay 28

$1.5 millionroughly, in contracted work on three sewage lift stations

The stations are in Belle Vista, near Corey Avenue and in Pass-a-Grille.

Dalí tonight

The Dalí Museum previews "Dalí: Disruption & Devotion" tonight from 8 to 10 p.m. in celebration of St. Petersburg Museum Week, with live entertainment, light bites and cash bars. Arts Everywhere, Pinellas County's month-long celebration of the arts, runs through Dec. 6. Creative Loafing Tampa

Ferry idea

At an Oct. 27 St. Pete Beach City Commission meeting, Forward Pinellas identified Merry Pier at 801 Pass-a-Grille Way as a potential hub for a ferry service connecting communities along Gulf Boulevard. The city is still repairing parts of the pier damaged by Helene and Milton in 2024. Beacon Media

Orange Belt

Orange Belt Collective is targeting a summer 2027 opening at 1501 Burlington Avenue North. The 10,000-square-foot hub for runners and cyclists will combine fitness spaces with a public café, a grab-and-go market and an outdoor gathering area. St Pete Rising

PIE plans

St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport director Mark Sprague told a Florida Economic Club gathering Wednesday evening that the airport is focusing on infrastructure enhancements. It is also exploring conceptual designs for a terminal that will eventually accommodate 4.5 to 5 million passengers. St Pete Catalyst

Home

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Content marked with an * is advertising.

Asked

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Asked

Would you ride a ferry along the Gulf beaches?

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Today’s puzzles

A new puzzle in each one every morning, played right here.

All 13 games

Quoted

Writers live twice.

— Natalie Goldberg

Things to Do

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Friday, Nov. 6

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Neighbors

Would you like to see a convention center built where trop field is now?

“I think it would bring a lot of exposure to st. petersburg and generate tax revenue too. What’s your thoughts?”

— A neighbor, Point Brittany

24 likes · 85 comments

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The Wrap

Fifty-one artists, one 16-by-16-inch wooden canvas each, and a single prompt: "go with the flow." On Saturday, Nov. 14, Green Bench Brewing's beer garden in the turns into an open-air gallery for Go with the Flow, a one-night-only show. It's free and open to all ages. Same prompt, 51 answers.

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5AM St. Petersburgto me · Fri., Nov. 66:00 a.m.

Ellison closes on old police HQ site for The Central

Plus, downtown condo buyers have more leverage and a Pass-a-Grille ferry hub is on the table.

The TLDR

  1. Ellison closes on former police HQ site for The Central
  2. Downtown condo buyers have more leverage
  3. The Dalí previews its new exhibition tonight
Read this edition

More stories this week

From 5AM St. Petersburg’s other editions

All the news
EconomyThe Rays' World Series run brought an estimated $40 million to Pinellas CountyThe Rays' World Series run brought an estimated $40 million economic impact to Pinellas County, according to figures from Visit St. Pete-Clearwater. About $22 million of it was direct visitor spending from Oct. 25 through 29, the five days that included three games against the Brewers.ArtsArt Everywhere is putting nearly 30 arts experiences around Pinellas County through Dec. 6If you're looking for something creative to do, Art Everywhere has plenty. Creative Pinellas picked nearly 30 artists and organizations for pop-ups in museums, galleries, parks, beaches and theaters. The lineup includes The Dalí Museum, The James Museum and Sunscreen Film Festival.BusinessViirtue moves its headquarters to First Central Tower as St. Pete's tech scene growsViirtue, a St. Petersburg telecommunications and AI company, recently moved its headquarters from 401 16th Street N. to 360 Central Ave. (First Central Tower). It started in 2017 in a small office with room for about six employees. Now it has approximately 70, about 20 of them in Florida.

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