Tampa, FL, February 18th, 2026–Written by Bill Eshenbaugh
Tampa And Hillsborough County
After decades of the Accardi family acquiring 125 or more sites of the Central Business District land in Tampa, they have announced under their holding company 717 Parking, that they are considering developing a site at 223 N 12th Street. Preliminary discussions are for a mixed-use tower for housing, retail and a possible hotel.
In Tampa Bay, the family behind the J.C. Neuman Cigar Company plans a $18.5 million boutique hotel project. This is the Sanchez y Haya building at 1601 Columbus Dr. that was constructed in 1910 and will be restored to a boutique hotel with a cigar lounge.
The 740-foot Elliott Towers has been proposed on North Franklin Street. This will be the tallest building in Tampa at 70 stories. It will be the redevelopment of the Kress Building site that has been closed since 1981. This is another historic renovation for Tampa, and it will include a 330,000 sq. ft. of office space and a luxury branded hotel along with 118 high-end residences and penthouses. The development still has a way to go with acquisition, planning, and an FAA permit for a building that tall. They would like to break ground sometime in 2027. The developer is Elliott Development, a part of the Elliott International Group based in Tampa.
The Pendry residence in Tampa is in development on the Hillsborough River at the Platt Street Bridge and it’s being done by Two Roads Development headed by Taylor Collins. They just announced that they had received their construction financing of over $500 million for the 38-story tower that will include 220 guest rooms. Construction is well underway.
The Tampa Housing Authority (THA) has commenced demolition of one of the oldest housing projects in the city, the Robles Park Village, which opened in 1954. THA will then redo all the 35 acres into a multi-phase mixed use community in cooperation with Banc of America Community Development Company.
Eisenhower Property Group put forth plans for more than 600-home sites as part of their master-plan community of about 400 acres on Morris Bridge Rd. This is part of K-Bar Ranch in the new Tampa area.
In a shift of gears, Eisenhower property group recently acquired two older office buildings in the Westshore district. The first building was a five-story office building built in 1977 along Cypress Street and the second acquisition closed between the first building and Westshore Blvd.
Richmond American Homes acquired 36 developed homesites from Brookfield Residential at Waterset, Area H, Apollo Beach.
Manatee County
Richmond American Homes acquired the first phase of 47 lots out of a total takedown of 175 finished home sites in the northern part of Manatee County. This was in the Rye Manor community at Legacy Preserve in Parrish.
Pasco County
PulteGroup Inc. purchased another 80 acres on undeveloped land from the DePue family in the Vida’s Way Community. This will add 369 more home sites to this community. The DePue Ranch is located on Curly Rd. just north of SR 54 and east of I-75. This adds to the 332 acres originally acquired back in 2023 and it’s part of more than 1800 acres that the family owned.
Pulte also closed the second phase of a Del Webb River Reserve 55+ community on Shady Hill Road north on SR 52. This was brokered by Eshenbaugh Land Company’s Jack Koehler and Bill Eshenbaugh.
Falcone Group related entity filed for plans for apartments on about 30 acres of land on McKendree Road in Wesley Chapel. This is just north of the location for the new Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital at Overpass Road and I-75. They acquired the land in 2022.
An Alabama developer, Blackwater Real Estate, has announced plans for 300 units of multifamily 328 on State Route 52 east of Bellamy Brothers Boulevard on 30 acres of land near the intersection of Old Pasco Road and SR 52.
It has been named Hillcrest East multifamily and include a mix of 24 townhouses and 304 apartments.
Ryan Sampson of Eshenbaugh Land Company closed an apartment site sale of 21 acres for 285 units at Two Rivers Ranch on SR 56 near US 301.
The Amazon Robotic Sorting Center at SR 52 and Bellamy Brothers Rd. is nearing completion of construction. The land acquisition closed a couple of years ago and then construction was delayed, but now it will imminently be opened perhaps as early as the end of the first quarter of 2026. According to a press release this one is a building of 517,220 square feet and $150 million distribution center on 69 acres and will employ over 500 people.
DRB group closed on a site in Hudson for 63 home sites as they continue their growth. Tyler Woody facilitated this closing on behalf of our firm. Eshenbaugh Land Company also closed two parcels in Hudson of 107 acres for 321 single family homes on Hudson Avenue for $5,500,000.
Polk County
The Turnpike Commission has moved forward in project development with environmental study phases for the southern leg of the Central Polk Parkway east. This will extend a connection all the way down to SR 60 in Bartow. That of course will connect to the Polk County Bypass which loops around Lakeland on the west side to the east side.
The Polk County Commission approved a 10-year tax break for Fort Meade DC LLC, which is linked to the Maryland based developer Stonebridge. This is a very significant 1.925 million square foot data center campus of 469 acres. The announcement says it’s over $1 billion in real estate property improvements and another 1.46 billion in tangible equipment. The property has been listed on the market for the sale of the entire park or individual parcels for development.
Pinellas County
Houston-based developer, the Hanover Company, paid $22 million for a 4-acre site that will hold 300 or more apartment units under the LiveLocal Act for affordable housing. The site is 34 acres at 3900 Gateway Center Blvd. in Pinellas Park.
The new owners of the former Derby Lane dog track have listed the site to go to market. It is 131.54-acre mixed-use development opportunity located on Gandy Blvd. and east of I-275.
A former Tibbetts Lumber yard went through a complex transaction that ended up with the Pinellas Housing Finance Authority acquiring the property and leasing it back to the affiliated Fairfield Avenue Apartments LLC. This will see the development of 264 affordable rental units at 3300 Fairfield Ave South under the LiveLocal law that encourages this use without rezoning the site.
Target has confirmed plans for a two-story facility at countryside Mall in Clearwater. This we have 140,000 sq. ft. on what was the former Sears department store site.
Sarasota County
Birchwood Sarasota is underway as the development of 336 apartments near the Sarasota- Bradenton International Airport. The national developer is Greystar and will be part of the SRQ Logistics Center at University Parkway and US 301 on about 17 acres of land. DHI (Horton affiliate) closed a 13- parcel assemblage for 21 acres at Fruitville Road and I-75 for the development of 330 apartments and 58 for-sale townhouses. Assemblages are tough so congratulations.
Hotels Underway
Several hotel deals have made news lately. The Hotel Residence Aurora have a 627 key deal for 19 story tower and 627 condominium hotel suites in downtown Tampa.
Channelside saw City approval of a 13-story dual-flagged hotel for AC Hotel and Moxie by Marriott for 310 keys.
The Godfrey Hotel site on Rocky Point that was severely damaged by Hurricane Helene has been planning the redevelopment for 215 keys on that site on SR 60.
Others that were announced were a Mainsail/Moffitt hotel on the McKinley campus for 200 keys: the Ballard Hotel, by Hilton Tapestry Collection 458 keys in Clearwater, and the Kinfield hotel in San Antonio for 250 keys as part of the 785-acre master-planned community at SR 52 and I-75. Kinfield is part of a development of 785-acre mixed-use park between Hines, a Houston based developer and the locally owned Krusen-Douglas Holding Company.
Health Care & Other Retail
Baycare is breaking ground in eastern Polk County for a freestanding emergency service on US 27 in Davenport. This is their first incursion into the sub-Orlando marketplace.
What A Burger says they plan an initial five stores with the first at Cypress Creek Town Center at SR 56 and SR 54 off I-75 in Wesley Chapel, and others in Brandon and Largo.
Publix is underway in Pasco County at Wiregrass Ranch for a new store by developer Bridgeline Development Group on 9.82 acres at the intersection of Wiregrass Ranch Boulevard and State Road 54, directly across from a Walmart Supercenter. The grocery store is only a half mile east of an existing one.