Vinik buys more land in downtown Tampa
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Dec 12, 2014

Tampa Bay Lightning Owner Jeff Vinik has added to his downtown Tampa real estate holdings.

The holding company for Vinik's real estate endeavors, Strategic Property Partners, said Friday it had closed on a four-acre parcel at the southeast corner of Florida Avenue and Whiting Street, bordered by Morgan Street to the east and Brorein Street to the south.

Tampa developer Bob Abberger, who joined Vinik's real estate development team in September, had targeted the site for a mixed-use office tower with hotel rooms. Stymied by the recession and a stagnant office market, Abberger and his team were never able to put together enough tenants to prelease the tower, and the deal never came to fruition.

The site is entitled for for 450,000 square feet of office space and 350 hotel rooms.

Vinik already owns about 25 acres between downtown Tampa and Channelside in the area around Amalie Arena.

The site will not be part of the development plans SPP will announce on Dec. 17.

"We believe this property is a solid-long term investment," Jim Shimberg, SPP chief operating officer, said in a statement, "but we currently have no plans for long-term vision other than its current use - parking."

Ashley Gurbal Kritzer is a reporter for the Tampa Bay Business Journal.