ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The long-stalled Central project in St. Petersburg’s EDGE District cleared a major hurdle this week after the city signed over the former police headquarters land to companies tied to the developer.
City Administrator Robert Gerdes signed two deeds on Nov. 3, and they were recorded Wednesday in Pinellas County records. The base price in the deal is $6.4 million, a figure that can be reduced by credits worked out as part of the redevelopment.
The $200 million plan has been on the drawing board since 2019. So far only one piece is finished: a 540-space parking garage that opened in June 2025 and will stay open while the rest is built.
Next up is Halcyon, an office building along Central Avenue now described as about 116,000 square feet over 10 floors with retail on the ground level. ARK Invest said in July 2025 that it would move its headquarters there. A 165-room Marriott Autograph Collection hotel, three fewer rooms than first announced, is also planned, along with a landscaped plaza between the buildings.
The project also carries 42 workforce apartments. Under a 28-page agreement signed with the closing, at least five of them must first be held for eligible city employees, and the office, retail and housing pieces must be done by Jan. 1, 2030, unless the city grants more time.
The city kept leverage if the work stalls again. Missing the office space could cost the developer $1 million, and failing to deliver the workforce housing could cost $6 million. On the financing side, City Hall agreed to carry as much as $4 million in seller financing tied to the deal.
The recorded papers do not say whether financing for the remaining buildings is in place or when crews will return to the site.
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