Demolition begins at former Tampa Bay Times building in St. Petersburg, FL

Crews have started interior demolition and asbestos abatement at the former Tampa Bay Times building at 490 1st Avenue South in downtown St. Petersburg, under a city permit issued September 18th. The eight-story, 240,000-square-foot complex, dating to 1924 with additions in 1968 and 1988, was damaged when a crane collapsed into it during Hurricane Milton in October 2024. Naples-based Stock Development, which bought the site in June for $18 million, must cap utilities before phase two begins: full structural demolition, right-of-way work and site restoration.