Polk County office building sells for $6.25 million

Naples/Fort Myers/Charlotte 

Body image: Body Contour Centers has leased 13,047 square feet in Fort Myers. The space is on the second floor of a to be constructed building in Hope Preserve, a newly developed health care network of providers for seniors. The property is at 14850 Hope Center Loop, about a mile from Gulf Coast Medical Center. The additional 16,692 square feet are for lease, with suites ranging in size from 2,650 square feet to 14,000 square feet. Body Contour signed a 12-year lease, but other terms were not disclosed. Justin Thibaut and Christi Pritchett of LSI Companies Inc. represented the landlord, Hope Preserve One. Randy Mercer of CRE Consultants represented Body Contour.

Got the goods: The Shoppes at Yellow Pine, a retail center in Babcock Ranch, is now fully leased with the addition of a 23,000-square-foot HomeGoods. The Shoppes at Yellow Pine is nearing completion, according to a statement, with delivery set for first quarter 2025. In addition to HomeGoods, tenants include: Ulta Beauty, Five Below, Marshalls, Ace Hardware, Five Guys, Panera Bread, Tampa General Health (two spaces), Hope Chiropractic, Jersey Mike’s, Oar & Iron, Boujee Nails, Fountain Pools, Seymour Smiles Orthodontics, Yummy Express, Verizon, Papa Johns, Carvel Ice Cream and The Aesthetics Lounge and Spa. The HomeGoods lease deal was announced by Katz & Associates, and led by Jon Cashion and Eric Spritz with the firm. The release states the Katz team, including Robert Nuchereno, is now turning its attention to phase III: retail at B Street in Babcock Ranch. On the border of Lee and Charlotte counties, Babcock Ranch, covering 18,000 acres, is billed as America’s first solar-powered town. It is entitled for 19,500 residential units and 6 million square feet of commercial space. 

Tampa/St. Petersburg/Pasco/Polk

Courtesy image

Good eating: Alessi Bakery, a Tampa institution for more than a century, is moving. The bakery on Cypress Street in the city has begun work on a new location just a few hundred yards west of its current building. The new space will be in the former Tampa Letter Carriers building at 3003 W. Cypress St. Summit Design + Build, the general contractor on the project, says the building will undergo a major renovation that will include expanding Alessi’s baking capabilities, allowing it to grow its menu, and a coffee bar and a liquor bar. A mezzanine will also be added as well as new walk-in coolers and freezers and an exterior patio. The project is expected to be complete sometime next year. Alessi, which remains family owned, first opened in 1912 on Cherry Street by Italian immigrant Nicolo Alessi. It has been at its current location at 2009 Cypress St. for 52 years. Its specialties, as if it is possible to narrow down Alessi’s offerings to just a couple, are its Cuban sandwiches, pastries and cakes.

Downtown deal: A downtown Lakeland office building has sold. The 36,000-square-foot building at 1 Lake Morton Dr. was bought by Webster-based SVM Properties. It paid $6.25 million. LT Partnership, the previous owner, paid $1.06 million for it in 1992. According to Steinbauer Commercial Real Estate, which represented LT, the building sits on 1.36 acres and overlooks Lake Morton and downtown Lakeland. Prior to selling the property, Steinbauer signed two new tenants to bring the building to 100% occupancy. The building’s tenant roster is made up of the law firms GrayRobinson and Vecchio, Carrier, Feldman & Johannessen PA. The third tenant is Lewis Tax & Financial Group. Lakeland-based Steinbauer’s Kyle Vreeland brokered the entire transaction and closed the pre-sale leases.

Sarasota/Manatee

Image courtesy of Colliers

Holiday shopping: A fully-leased shopping center in Palmer Ranch in south Sarasota Count has sold. The center is named the Shoppes at Palmer Ranch and is off Honore Avenue and Central Sarasota Parkway. The buyer is Boston-based real estate firm Wilder, along with two unnamed long-term investors. According to county property records, it paid $20.4 million. Anchored by a new Publix store prototype, the 65,417-square-foot shopping center also includes a Publix drive-thru pharmacy, Publix Liquors, Sherwin-Williams, Wellness Animal Hospital and Fuji Sushi The company has one other property in its portfolio in Florida, according to its website: Daniels Marketplace in Fort Myers, anchored by Whole Foods. Brad Peterson of Colliers represented the seller, WMG Development, while Donald Jennewein of Colliers arranged financing for the acquisition.

Wrecking it: An 8.5-acre salvage yard in Palmetto has sold. The property is at 1208 17th St. E. and was bought by Insurance Auto Auctions. The company paid $4.75 million for the property just off South Tamiami Trail, says The Ross Realty Group. The Tampa commercial real estate firm announced the deal and represented the seller, JMW Properties. Insurance Auto Auction, known as IAA, operates online auto auctions of vehicles that have been totally damaged and of low value vehicles. On its website recently, it showed that 892 vehicles were set to be auctioned at its Nov. 26 sale. Among them, a canary yellow 2008 Smart Car that had been flooded and a 2016 Toyota Tundra that had been in an accident and was listed rebuildable. In addition to the Palmetto location, IAA operates 10 other auctions in the state. That includes three on the Gulf Coast, one each in Tampa, Fort Myers and Clearwater.

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