Tampa tower undergoes $1.5M in renovations

TAMPA -- A $1.5 million renovation project has begun at Fifth Third Center on Kennedy Boulevard that not only will “refresh” the building's exterior, but also create new speculative office suites.

The goal, according to the building's owners, is to bring the 1981-built property up to Class A office standards to help bolster the current 87% occupancy rate. The 19-story tower has more than 280,000 square feet of space, and includes tenants like Fifth Third Bank and Deloitte.

Fairlead Commercial Real Estate and Bridge Investment Group Partners bought the building, at 201 E. Kennedy Blvd., in July 2014 for $47.3 million, according to property records.