TradeWinds expansion will bring 'first of its kind' public rooftop terrace to St. Pete Beach
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Apr 8, 2024

The expansion of TradeWinds Island Resorts is made for photo opps: It will include a glass-floor balcony that juts off the 12th story, with views of St. Pete Beach and the resort's pools and amenity area.

The reveal of an Instagram-worthy rooftop appears to be a move to garner public favor ahead of a key vote for the project: St. Pete Beach City Commission will vote on the conditional use permit for the expansion on April 15 — the final approval developers need. While the St. Pete Beach planning board ultimately unanimously approved the conditional use permit and development agreement on March 18, the meeting saw a significant amount of input from the community both for and against the project.

The tower featuring the rooftop terrace is expected to be complete in five to seven years following approval from the city, a TradeWinds spokesperson said.

TradeWinds ownership said the roughly 4,800-square-foot rooftop view terrace will be the first of its kind in Pinellas County and emphasized the amenity would be open to the public and access will not be limited to TradeWinds guests or dining patrons.

A dedicated elevator will go directly up to the viewing platform, which will have multiple seating options and views of the Gulf Coast.

“As we talked to the city about beachfront views, we decided we’d create a vantage point where anyone could get a rooftop view of the beach,” Joe Smith of 1754 Properties, owner of the TradeWinds, said in a release. “Our goal has always been to invite the community into our property by making appealing community features, and this matches that mindset.”

The rooftop terrace was designed by Nunzio Marc Desantis Architects.

“The rooftop will be a one-of-a-kind spot along the Pinellas beaches,” Scott Eisenhart of Nunzio Marc Desantis Architects said in a release. “We are designing it to create an unparalleled view for the public and look forward to when it will be open for everyone to enjoy.”

The proposed expansion will add 629 net hotel rooms in three towers and 68,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space to the existing resort. The project will be completed in four phases. When complete, the resort will have 1,596 rooms and 170,126 square feet of accessory space, including retail and restaurant space.

“We have been planning our expansion with the community in mind every step of the way,” Smith said in a release. “We want to be a good neighbor while helping the St. Pete Beach economy by providing new facilities for visitors.”