The Bay Dolphin

The Ebay of Mortgage Foreclosures

That describes Pasco County's new system for auctioning off foreclosed properties online. It starts Nov. 1. Prospective buyers anywhere in the world will post their bids online, without having to monitor the auction live. The host site is http://www.Realauction.com. it will let them if they've won one of Pasco's many foreclosures. Online bidders must register and create an account holding a 5% deposit on any bid. The highest bidder pays a $27 fee to Realauctions. The county clerk charges a $70 fee to any owner uploading a property on the site.

Cloudy Saturday Morning in St.Pete.

It's a cloudy morning today, no hot sun wearing us down. The last two nights have been pleasant, not much humidity, and temps in the eighties. Our mayoral race has picked up.  There are ten candidates, and still without a clear front runner. Kathleen Ford appears to have the most supporters, and voting is a few days away. Most people agree that outgoing mayor Rick Baker has done a good job. On wednesday morning I was having breakfast at Atlanta Bread Company, and he was having coffee with a colleage. They were soon joined by another. He claims to be unsure about his future, but is checking around.

Ovation gets certificate of occupancy

The city of St. Petersburg awarded Ovation, the 27-story residential condominium tower downtown, its certificate of occupancy Friday, paving the way for residents to start moving in.

“The next step is to make the final preparations for the people who will soon call Ovation home,” said project Steve Coppins in a release, adding that the inspection process for its CO took six weeks.

Ovation is located on Beach Drive and Second Avenue Northeast overlooking downtown St. Petersburg’s waterfront. It was built by JMC Communities and was that company’s 12^th condo development in Pinellas County.

The $80 million project will have 45 residences as well as four penthouses with floor plans ranging from 2,374 to 5,329 square feet. JMC says 60 percent of the residences have been presold with prices beginning at $1.2 million.

JMC announced in August 2006 that it would move ahead with construction of the tower with a groundbreaking scheduled later that year and completion set for 2008 after it had received an $80 million loan commitment from Bank of America (NYSE: BAC). However, construction didn’t begin until February 2007, pushing its completion to this fall.

Earlier this month, longtime jeweler Bernie’s & Son said it would move into temporary quarters at 169 First Ave. N. before moving into Ovation Sept. 1. Also joining the retail side is Mindy Solomon Gallery, which will occupy 17,800 square feet.

The Journey Back

On Wednesday, August 12. Traveled back from Miami to St.Petersburg, Florida. Taxis in Miami are plentiful but expensive. Buses are frequent and now up to $2. They now have a reloadable card you can get and reload online.Great idea which saves your cash. At Government Center downtown You have dozens of bus lines, the downtown MetroMover and the MetroRail, which connects to the Tri-Rail, the Tri county passenger train which takes you all the way to North Palm Beach county. The is a godsend for the car less traveler, it saves you a lot of money, and stops near the Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach airports. Miami bus #42 stops at the Miami Airport terminal, runs south along LeJeune Road [ 42nd Avenue] to Coral Gables. Along LeJeune, you can get bus #J, going to Miami Beach North, or southbound to Coral Gables also. Advice for thrifty travelers. At LeJeune and NW 27th street is the Greyhound terminal, directly across from the American Airlines Maintenance base on the east side of the field. There you can get the Key West and Fort Lauderdale buses, which continue North or West to the Gulf Coast.

Miami the Magic City

Spending the day in Downtown Miami. Staying with family until wednesday, when I go back to St.Petersburg on Greyhound.  Walked to the Coral Way and SW 25th Avenue bus stop about 10am, about ten minutes later, bus #24 shows up. $1.50 and fifteen minutes later arrive at Government Center. The public library is across the street. Was there until one pm, Then hopped on the Peoplemover, got off at CollegeBayside station, where there is a McDonald's. Had lunch there and walked across Biscayne Boulevard to the Bayside shopping plaza, marina, and sightseeing boat terminal. Great place for strolling along outdoor shops and restaurants enjoying the breeze along the bay. Two pirate ship replicas charging $23 for adults for bay tours of one to two hours. Then headed south along the Bayfront park shore to the gigantic Hyatt hotel. There are fountains, outdoor benches, docks. With the imposing Miami skyscrapers on one side and the busy Port of Miami on another. There is a floating heliport about half a mile out, with a small two seat chopper on it.  If you are able to sit in the shade awhile, it's not bad, if not, the hot sun will tire you. Walked back to the People mover and back into the AC at the public library.

Tampa Bay History-Plant Hall

When railroad magnate Henry Plant opened the Tampa Bay Hotel in 1891, it was the first with electric power. It's spectacular Moorish architecture housed 511 rooms. It's guests included Teddy Roosevelt and Babe Ruth. Today the restored building is the centerpiece of the University of Tampa campus and the downtown Tampa skyline. http://www.tampabay.com

St. Petersburg wants to turn decaying block into artist haven

 The past three years have not treated the Crislip Arcade or its surroundings well.

The vacant, historic storefronts on the 600 block of Central Avenue reek of urine. Colorful awnings and signs have been replaced by mismatched paint globs and fresh graffiti. Indoors, piles of doll heads, dusty books, rattan chairs and other abandoned merchandise sit on peeling tiled floors.

But there's an ambitious plan in the works aiming to bring back some of the vibrancy the block enjoyed as a shopping mecca built during the 1920s land boom.

City officials want to transform the bleak block into an artist colony by fall.

Up-and-coming artists and established art houses alike are being sold on the vision, which calls on the property owner to rent out retail space at a reduced price in exchange for free renovation and restoration work from tenants.

"It's a mitzvah," said Bob Devin Jones, a founder of the Studio@620, which plans to open an annex location in one of the empty stores.

The community effort, still in its planning stages, is already being heralded as a model for historic preservation and urban revitalization by local leaders.

The plan calls for retail space to be leased for up to $5 a square foot. Security deposits and down payments would be waived, and no rent charged until each artist opened his or her shop. City Hall would speed up the permitting process for new businesses.

In exchange, tenants would clear out any debris themselves, slap on a new coat of paint and complete any other needed improvements.

"It's really just a labor of love for a lot of people," said City Council member Leslie Curran, an art gallery owner who is overseeing the effort. "Everyone is tired of looking at the property as it is."

Constructed in 1926, the Crislip Arcade at 645 Central Ave. was where old St. Petersburg did its shopping.

But most of the stores from 601 to 659 Central, including those in the arcade, were abandoned in 2006 to make way for a $35 million condominium project. The project quickly flopped, but by then, the block was a retail cemetery.

"You just kind of looked over one day and realized it was dead," said Jessica Samsel, manager of Suncoast Medical Supply, which sits across from the arcade.

Homeless people took over the block, turning storefronts into bathrooms. Historic preservationists called on City Hall to do something, anything.

Last year, Thomas Gaffney, a private equity investor who dabbles in real estate, purchased the stores for $2.3 million.

Flush with complaints, City Hall called a meeting four months ago.

Officials asked Gaffney what he planned to do with the land.

Nothing, he replied. He wanted to wait for the economy to recover and sell the land at a profit.

That wasn't the answer City Hall wanted to hear.

Officials quickly sold Gaffney on the idea of renting the property out for at least five years.

"They've made this happen. I am just the property owner," he said. "I have never been a landlord like this, but nothing would make me happier to see that block with a lot of little stores doing well. I feel it is a community service."

Not one lease has been signed, but a tentative grand opening has been scheduled for October. More than 50 volunteers showed up for a recent cleanup. They hauled away yards of junk. Any suitable scraps were set aside for a future yard sale. Proceeds will go toward renovation costs.

Potential tenants include a gaggle of artists, a yoga instructor, a tattoo artist and a marketing firm.

"It's an extremely good deal," said Jones, who has been looking to expand Studio@620, located a block away on First Avenue S, for some time. "The building is such a special place. It demands to be cleaned up."

The project could open doors for struggling artists, proponents said.

Catherine Weaver was forced to close her Uniquely Original gallery on 16th Street S earlier this year because of low sales.

Moving downtown could introduce her work to the artists and art supporters already attracted to the area, she said.

"I always wanted to be on Central, but I never could afford it," she said. "So this is an opportunity to get where I always wanted to be."

Cleaning up the soiled store won't be a problem, she said.

"It's like a blank canvas," she said.

Cristina Silva . Times staff writer

 

Key West Exposed

Surprise: Key West has no nude beach. A Key West official wants voters to decide if a nude beach should be allowed in the Southernmost City. On tuesday he will ask the commission to put the question on the October 6 ballot. It will ask voters if they support an exception to the law prohibiting nude sunbathing in the city. Florida Keys Free Beaches supports the exception.

USF Alternative Fuel Event

The HHO Games & Exposition Summer Games, named after the mixture of pure hydrogen and oxygen being studied to help improve fuel economy in vehicles, is coming to the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg July 17-19.

“This is our third event in less than a year, and that demonstrates the surging interest in alternative fuels that can help Americans get off the fossil-fuel treadmill that’s so costly at the pump and bad for the environment,” said organizer Joe Shea in a release.

Using hydrogen as a fuel produces no emissions and when burned in vehicles could save drivers between 30 and 40 percent on gasoline or diesel fuel, Shea said.

The event will allow inventors to showcase their work they hope could not only reduce gasoline usage but eliminate it completely. ExxonMobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) is working on advanced hydrogen technologies that reformulate gasoline and save up to 80 percent in fuel costs, while Shell Oil Co. has introduced a hydrogen-enriched gasoline mixture for sale at its stations.

The HHO Games & Exposition has attracted more than 3,000 visitors from around the world, and vendor and inventors from across the United States, Shea said. Cost of kits to allow HHO usage typically range from between $200 to $400 with another $100 to $200 for installation.

Sand Key Park

This 95 acre beachfront park is very popular during the sunny, temperate seasons. Offering a stunning view of the setting sun over the Gulf. Besides swimming and fishing, there's a boardwalk, playground, and picnic area. Restrooms and showers, plus umbrella and cabana rentals available. Open 7am til dark. At 1060 Gulf Boulevard in Sand Key. Just south of Clearwater Beach.