Expansion plans for TradeWinds Island Resort released, residents worry it will cause traffic nightmare

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. - The long-awaited expansion plans for TradeWinds Island Resorts on St. Pete Beach have been released.

The TradeWinds’ owner, 1754 Properties, submitted an application for a conditional permit Tuesday to the St. Pete Beach City Commission for the hotel expansion. The plan includes a few new buildings with more than 600 new rooms, 33,000 square feet of conference space, nearly 18,000 square feet of new retail space, three new pools and three new parking garages.

According to 1754 Properties, 629 rooms will be new and 21 current rooms will be renovated, totaling 650. The owner says the expansion is estimated to bring in $19 million in local tax revenue. 

RELATED: Over-development concerns drive residents to oppose TradeWinds expansion

Edna Hicks is part of a group called Protect St. Pete Beach made up of residents. It formed last year after they heard about the resort’s plans to expand. Hicks said they worry the development will take over their small beach town.

"I moved here in 2020," she said. "I looked all up and down the beach all the way to Clearwater, all the towns coming down, and this was the one that really had a small-town feel. We do not want to become Clearwater or, you know, I don't want to spend 45 minutes driving, an hour, driving a mile and a half. We don't want to become Clearwater or Miami Beach."

Hicks said the expansion will create a traffic nightmare on Gulf Boulevard.

"I can go across town in 15 minutes right now. Now, I have to say that during peak traffic, it has been 30 minutes, 45 minutes," she said. "Imagine if we double or triple the number of cars on the road."

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1754 Properties said it listened to the concerns brought by the community last year at meetings about the project. New buildings will be set back 180 feet from Gulf Boulevard. 

It’s expanding public beach access, reducing the number of entrances and exits at TradeWinds from nine to four, reserving an area for the city’s boardwalk project in front of TradeWinds for guests and community use, investing in a state-of-the-art, multi-million-dollar stormwater system to reduce flooding on Gulf Boulevard and widening sidewalks to try to reduce traffic.

Hicks said she believes they’re listening, but she wishes they’d just renovate what they have instead of adding more.

"It goes back to the same thing. The highway, or Gulf Boulevard, cannot handle that kind of increase in traffic," she said.

Joe Smith, the founder and CEO of 1754 Properties, said this in a statement: 

"We believe it's time to transform the beloved TradeWinds into a property befitting our guests and the wonderful Gulf-front property we reside on. We are excited about the opportunity to expand our offerings and also create jobs. Our conversations and presentations to constituents helped us design a project that will benefit the community and resort alike."

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"The TradeWinds team is focused on creating a beautiful project that exceeds the community’s expectations and the already high standards the City requires," added Alex Galewicz, the managing partner of 1754 Properties, in the statement.

Newly elected St. Pete Beach Mayor Adrian Petrila, started a petition opposing the TradeWinds’ expansion last year. 

"The traffic congestion and construction that it’s going to take is going to be an absolute nightmare for anyone that lives on St. Pete Beach," Petrila said at the time.

Wednesday, Petrila, who ran on a platform rejecting overdevelopment, said he wouldn’t make any public comments on the TradeWinds’ new plans, because it’s now a "quasi-judicial" process since the owner submitted the plans.

The Sirata Beach Resort also recently announced expansion plans, but the city says that resort hasn’t formally submitted its plans yet. As far as when construction may start at the TradeWinds if the city approves the plan, the owner said it’s too early to say right now.