Sold-out St. Regis project rises higher on Longboat Key

Vertical progress on the hotel and first condo building nears its topped-out phase.

By Eric Garwood
| 5:00 a.m. July 15, 2022

July 8, 2022: An aerial of the project shows progress on several fronts, with the hotel building on the left and the first of the condo buildings on the right. (Courtesy photo)

Longboat Key
News

Vertical progress on the Residences at St. Regis Resort Longboat Key continues, with the hotel portion of the project gaining height and the condominium buildings not far behind.

Information supplied by Unicorp National Developments Inc. indicates the hotel structure, on the northern side of the property once home to the iconic Colony Beach & Tennis Resort, could be topped out by mid-August. The third floor of five has been poured and workers are now forming the fourth floor in preparation for concrete.

June 20, 2022: Construction views from about a month ago show vertical progress on construction. (Photo by Harry Sayer)

Work on elevated parking continues and the concrete podium for the amenities building, which will be situated in between the condominiums and the hotel, is now complete in preparation for vertical construction.

About 24,000 cubic yards of concrete have been poured (the equivalent of about 2,700 cement trucks), and the project is averaging about 2,500 cubic yards a week. About 60,000 cement blocks have been pre-stocked by Moss and Associates, the general contractor, in preparation for masonry work.

Early 2019: Following the late 2018 demolition of the Colony Beach & Tennis Resort's mid-rise building, the 17.6 acres stood empty for about three years. (File photo)

About three-quarters of the concrete footings that tie into foundations have been poured for the condominium buildings and the hotel structure.

About 350 workers are shuttled to and from the worksite each day from a mainland staging area.

The condo complex will have 66 units arrayed in three five-story buildings on the south side of the property. The 166-room hotel will be built on the north end, featuring two restaurants, a beach grill and three bars. Additionally, a ballroom with seating for 425 is planned, along with six meeting rooms and two board rooms.

2024: An artist rendering of what the finished resort will look like. (Courtesy rendering)

Town leaders approved the construction of the St. Regis, which will no longer have a 1620 Gulf of Mexico Drive address, in October 2021. A formal groundbreaking ceremony took place days later, not long after the first site work building permit was issued. The grand opening is scheduled for 2024.

Michael Saunders & Co. is handling the condominium sales, which are now complete with a sellout of the available units.

The Longboat Observer publishes periodic updates on progress of the island's largest construction project.