Pinellas retail property sells to investor for nearly $7 million

Lee County

New shopping center looks for tenants

Construction work on a new Cape Coral shopping center has been completed and the leasing has begun. The Shops at Del Mar is at the corner of S.W. 10th Place and S.W. Pine Island Road. The 29,150- square-foot center is made up four freestanding buildings with three facing Pine Island Road. The fourth, larger, building is at the rear of the property. According to leasing materials from Colliers, the available spaces range from 1,500 square feet to 7,500 square feet. Lease rates for the rear building start at $32 per square foot. For the three smaller ones at the front, lease rates start at $44 per square foot. A flyer for the property shows several tenants have already signed on, including Papa John's, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, VN Nails & Spa, Sunset Chicken, Millennium Physician Group and IVX Health. GMA Architects & Planners says the center’s design “reflects contemporary architectural character, with large storefronts and extended covered walkways that enhance pedestrian access.” Collier’s Dannielle Robinson and Fabienne Porter are listed as the agents for the property. 

Courtesy image

Emergency center opens ahead of hurricane season 

Manhattan Construction Company has finished an expansion at the Lee County Public Safety Center, just as the 2025 hurricane season kicks off. The company, with dual headquarters in Naples and Tulsa, Oklahoma, built the 36,873-square-foot, two-story wing at the center on Ortiz Avenue. The addition, according to a statement, was built to improve emergency response capabilities across the county’s public safety agencies. With the $38.5 million expansion, the county has a new emergency communications center to make sure 911 and dispatch services are uninterrupted during severe weather events; new centralized offices; a dedicated area for law enforcement; training and coordination rooms; and “24/7 resilience amenities” with sleeping quarters, restrooms, showers and break areas so emergency workers can stay onsite during emergencies. A ceremonial ribbon cutting was held at the center May 29.

Pinellas County

Investor buys O’Reilly Auto Parts prototype store 

A retail building in Pinellas County has sold. The property at 7590 Starkey Road in Seminole was bought by a New Jersey-based private investor in a 1031 exchange. The buyer paid $6.95 million. It was previously owned by Bexley, Ohio-based Stanbery Development Group, which paid $5.24 million for it in 2019. The 28,461-square-foot building, just off Park Boulevard, is occupied by O’Reilly Auto Parts and sits on 3.6 acres. SRS Real Estate Partners, which represented Stanbery and announced the sale, says there is a 15-year corporate backed lease in place. William Wamble, an SRS executive vice president and principal, says the building underwent a remodel a year ago to convert it into one of O’Reilly’s hub prototype stores “which acts as a last-mile facility for retail locations in the area.” Wamble and Patrick Nutt represented Stanbery. 

Tampa Bay

Georgia restaurant chain expanding in region

Barberitos, a 25-year-old fast casual restaurant chain founded in Athens, Georgia, is planning to grow in the Tampa Bay market. The company has signed a development agreement with restaurant operator and entrepreneur Matt O’Neill to open seven new locations in Tampa and St. Petersburg. O’Neill already owns Barberitos’ only area location at 7021 E. Fletcher Ave., just east of the University of South Florida. He opened it last year. O’Neill’s experience, according to a statement, includes corporate roles at Zaxby’s and Einstein Bagels and he also co-owns a private equity firm specializing in hospitality and retail. O’Neill sits on Barberitos’ Franchise Advisory Council. The development agreement will allow the company to significantly scale its operations in the state, where it only has one other location — Panama City. While details on the locations and timeline of the expansion weren’t immediately available, Barberitos’ franchisee website says it recommends restaurants to range in size between 1,850 square feet to 2,800 square feet and that it has a team to help owners “assemble a variety of potential locations to choose from.” The chain currently operates 46 restaurants in seven states. It specializes in burritos, tacos and salads using freshly prepared ingredients, including hand-smashed guacamole and marinated proteins. It was bought by WowWorks in 2022. 

Sarasota

Image courtesy of SVN Commercial Advisory Group

Unique Sarasota office property hits the market

A Sarasota commercial building at 2030 Bee Ridge Road is up for sale. According to the listing from SVN Commercial Advisors, the building, a block east of Tamiami Trail, was fully renovated last year with a new roof, updated interiors and a freshly resurfaced parking lot. A layout shows it is made up of two units — Unit A is 7,150 square feet and Unit B is 2,292 square feet. The asking price is $3.97 million. The current owner, a local LLC, paid $1.1 million for the building in 2001. The building also comes with a duplex. It is on the south side of the property facing Liberty Avenue. SVN says the duplex is zoned with the same commercial designation as the office building and is “ideal for rental income, business expansion, or redevelopment.” SVN’s Mike Migone and Ryan McDonald are listing the property.

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