On October 30, 2025, a Thursday, at 5 p.m., Jimmy B's Beach Bar opened its doors behind the dunes at the Beachcomber. Hurricane Helene had kept it shut for 13 months. In its Tampa Bay Times coverage of the reopening, the paper called the bar a community gathering place for St. Pete Beach locals, back just in time for Halloween. Members of a St. Pete Beach residents' Facebook group had been counting down the days.
Jimmy B's kept its name, its stages and its spot behind the dunes. Over the past year, most of the large resorts nearby reopened under national hotel brands with new restaurant names. The properties still missing are mostly the ones that haven't reopened at all. The next round of change is aimed at small, older lodging parcels. So a winter dinner on the strip can be at the same address as before and still sit under a different sign.
The one that came back as it was
The Beachcomber reopened its 102 rooms on October 30, 2025. That was five months past its earlier target of June 1. Permits were delayed by a backlog at City Hall, and once they came through that December, about 40 contracting companies went to work on the property. Jimmy B's, a wood-decked bar built to evoke old Florida, came back along with the hotel.
This fall, the bar's official events calendar lists live music on October 29, 30 and 31. The bar's homepage describes daily live music on two stages, food, and a patio with Gulf views.
That October 2025 Times story also showed how far apart reopening dates had drifted. The nearby TradeWinds Resort had reopened one of its hotels a month after Helene. Postcard Inn was still surrounded by ladders and contractors' trucks, with exposed framing over the lobby entrance. Those two properties set the pattern for the rest of the strip.
The big resorts came back wearing different names
Postcard Inn never reopened as Postcard Inn. On June 11, 2026, Bay News 9 reported that it opened as The Luce, part of Marriott's Tribute Portfolio. A few weeks later, Sirata finished a $25 million renovation and joined Hilton's Tapestry Collection, according to a June 29, 2026 release. The TradeWinds website now carries the RumFish Beach Resort name. In November 2025, the St. Pete Catalyst reported six new TradeWinds dining concepts.
Here is where each of the big properties stands heading into November:
| Property | What it is now | Where to eat or drink this season |
|---|---|---|
| Former Postcard Inn, 6300 Gulf Blvd. | The Luce, Marriott Tribute Portfolio, since June 11, 2026 | Sundrop, open daily for brunch, a 3 to 5 p.m. martini hour, and dinner; Baby Turtle Beach Club still listed as coming soon |
| Sirata, 5300 Gulf Blvd. | Hilton Tapestry Collection after a $25 million renovation | Rum Runners, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner; Blue, the redesigned poolside venue |
| TradeWinds | Site now uses the RumFish Beach Resort name | RumFish Grill, Pete's Gulf Bistro, Palm Court Italian, Playa Taco, Salty's, SandBar and more |
| The Don CeSar | Reopened March 2025 | Society Table, Maritana, The Rowe Bar, Lobby Bar, Beacon Pool Bar, Uncle Andy's Market |
At The Luce, Sundrop's posted hours run dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The hotel's own page still lists Baby Turtle Beach Club as coming soon. Marriott's listing, meanwhile, shows a Luce Pool Bar open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., serving food from the Baby Turtle menus. Anyone heading over for the beach club in particular should call first.
At Sirata, Rum Runners is taking reservations on OpenTable. Dinner runs from 5 to 10 p.m. on weekdays and until 11 p.m. on weekends. Both Rum Runners and Blue were redesigned during the renovation.
TradeWinds changed the most. The six concepts announced in November 2025 were Pete's Gulf Bistro, Playa Taco, Coastal Pizza, Sunshine Grounds n' Goods, an Ice Cream & Candy Bar, and a Grab-and-Go. RumFish Grill still serves dinner nightly from 5 to 10 p.m., next to its 33,500-gallon aquarium. Flying Bridge, the floating spot many locals remember, now shows up on the resort's site as the Flying Bridge Fish Deck Bar. It's a walk-up beach bar open Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and no food service is listed.
The Don CeSar reopened in March 2025 and introduced Society Table with the reopening. Society Table serves breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and dinner every day. Sea Porch isn't on the Don's current dining directory. The Rowe Bar is listed as a beach-bar-style spot with sports and shuffleboard. Uncle Andy's Market sells coffee, gelato, candy and grab-and-go food. The Don's FAQ says its dining and retail outlets are open to non-hotel guests. For the other resorts, call ahead before planning a walk-in dinner.
Two familiar names are still dark
Bellwether Beach Resort, run by the same managing director as the Beachcomber, is still closed. Its hurricane update page says steady progress is being made but no reopening date is confirmed. That leaves Spinners Rooftop Grille, Level 11 Rooftop Bar & Lounge and Bongos Beach Bar & Grille off the map for now.
Dolphin Beach Resort's homepage still shows a temporary closure notice. It also lists Boca Sands Grille & Lounge and Flippers Beach Bar, though it gives no date for either. Both closed resorts are built around rooftop and beach bars. Those are the venues the big reopened resorts have been filling with new names.
The next round is happening on the small lots
The big resorts are open and rebranded. The proposals now in the pipeline involve smaller, older properties, and each one adds the same thing: a restaurant or rooftop bar on top of more rooms.
- Miramar, 4200 Gulf Blvd. The St. Pete Catalyst reported on October 2 that the resort is targeting December 2026, while telling guests to expect the winter 2026–27 season. Its owner said he did not want to overpromise. The plan pairs a new eight-story, 30-room tower with 20 renovated motel rooms, a ground-level bar, and an eighth-floor restaurant and bar called Solara. Signs are hoped for by December 1, pending city approval.
- Beach Haven Villas, 4980 Gulf Blvd. St. Pete Rising reported in October on a plan by owner Kevin Bowden to replace the 18-unit hotel, built in 1949, with a six-story, 34-room resort. It would have a Gulf-facing restaurant and bar and a rooftop lounge. The plan was presented at a neighborhood meeting, where residents of the condo next door raised concerns about views and privacy. Bowden said construction could start in mid-2027 and finish by the end of 2028 if approvals come through.
- Windward Pass, 3815 to 3861 Gulf Blvd. On January 27, 2026, the City Commission voted down a settlement recommendation. That kept in place its denial of a variance, a conditional-use permit and a lodging-density allocation for a 100-room resort, as St. Pete Rising reported. The debate was over whether a resort that size fit the Bayou Residential District, and whether one project should get a large share of the city's remaining temporary-lodging units.
The Miramar is weeks from its target, while Beach Haven still has its whole public process ahead and the larger Windward Pass plan has now been turned down twice. The Windward Pass debate also showed that new resort rooms draw on a limited pool of temporary-lodging units, so how the city hands out that pool will shape how many more of these rooftops get built.
For this season, the reliable list is simple. Jimmy B's, Sundrop, Rum Runners, RumFish Grill, Society Table and the TradeWinds lineup are serving now. Solara is the one new rooftop that could open before the Holiday Boat Parade on December 18, and its owner calls December a goal, not a promise.
New brands and new construction on Gulf Boulevard can change what a nearby condo looks out on and what a beach rental competes against. If you own on the strip and want to know how The Luce, the Miramar tower or the Beach Haven proposal could affect your building, Casey Franks follows these projects closely. Let's Connect.
