Habitat continues transforming a previously ‘lost area’

An underserved area just outside St. Petersburg’s city limits will soon receive another boost from a strategic partnership between Pinellas County officials and the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate.

Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside now has an underutilized 5.94-acre parcel and $2.29 million in funding to provide another 57 affordable homes in unincorporated Lealman. County Commissioners unanimously approved the allocation and land swap Feb. 25.

Over the past few years, the organization has provided about 50 homeownership opportunities in Lealman. Sean King, executive vice president, is proud of Habitat’s work in “kind of this lost area of Pinellas County that was almost forgotten.”

“It’s a great little area of the community that, unfortunately, has just kind of lacked investment for quite some time,” King told the Catalyst. “So, I’m glad to see the county being thoughtful about the approach and trying to impact the residents who have lived there for decades.”

In October 2024, former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Warrick Dunn (right) surprised Miranda (center, background) as she pulled into her new Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside home in Lealman. Photos by Mark Parker.

The unnamed $10.13 million project will provide 31 single-family houses and 26 townhomes around the intersection of 40^th Street and 58^th Avenue North. Potential residents who complete 38 homeownership classes and contribute at least 350 hours of sweat equity will receive a 0% mortgage.

County officials selected Habitat, which has built over 900 homes in Pinellas, through a competitive process. King said the organization is already working to secure gap funding to cover infrastructure costs.

“And the land is huge,” he added. “Pinellas is a peninsula on a peninsula. We’re not building any more land, so everything has to be redeveloped.”

Habitat will acquire the site from the Housing Finance Authority of Pinellas County. King said partnering with local governments is “crucial to our success” as it eliminates the need to compete with private developers on the open market.

He called centrally located Lealman a “great area” with much-improved social services and infrastructure, thanks to the county’s recent investments. Providing accessible homeownership opportunities allows low-income families to build generational wealth.

Habitat will also transform a vacant 1.35-acre lot in Clearwater into a community with 24 townhomes. The county allocated $1 million to the $9.58 million project, dubbed Lake Belleview, and the city provided the land.

Mike Sutton, CEO of Habitat, noted that local partnerships have supported nearly 950 homes. “It takes all of us to make affordable homeownership a reality for hardworking families in our service area,” he said in a prepared statement.

The recently expanded organization has 11 developments with 320 homes in progress from Spring Hill to St. Petersburg. However, King reiterated Habitat’s commitment to Pinellas.

The affiliate was founded in South St. Petersburg and celebrates its 40^th anniversary this year. King said about 70% of the nonprofit’s annual projects will break ground in Pinellas.

“We remain committed to St. Pete, as well,” he added. “Lealman has become more and more of a focus area because it’s a focus area in the county. So, there are resources there, and we like to be a good partner in that.”

King said the long-awaited Shell Dash Townhomes near Tropicana Field would welcome residents in about two months. Construction on The Grove, another Habitat development in the South St. Pete Community Redevelopment Area, should conclude by the end of the year.

King said city officials have approved Habitat’s site plan for Pelican Place, a 44-townhome community directly across from the embattled Tangerine Plaza site. “That project is basically shovel-ready; we should be doing a groundbreaking soon.”

“It’s going to be an exciting time for us,” King continued. “Specifically, the Shell Dash project. That’s going to be huge for those families as the Historic Gas Plant gets redeveloped.”