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If you are watching Water Club St. Pete Beach, the question that matters most before sales open is not the floor plan. It is who is building it. Kolter Urban, the Delray Beach developer behind the project, made news on October 12 when it proposed two 44-story condo towers on the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront site downtown. That proposal is not on the beach, but it is a good prompt to look at what Kolter has actually delivered in Pinellas County and what that record means for a buyer putting down a deposit on a building that does not exist yet.

What Kolter Urban has finished in St. Petersburg

According to St. Pete Rising, Kolter Urban has completed three condo towers in downtown St. Petersburg over the past seven years:

• ONE St. Petersburg, 41 stories, 253 condos plus a Hyatt Place hotel, completed in 2019.
• Saltaire, 35 stories, 192 condos, completed in 2023 on the Hilton’s former parking lot.
• Art House, 42 stories, 244 condos, completed earlier in 2026.

Art House is the most recent, so it is the best read on how a Kolter project runs from start to finish. Florida YIMBY reports it broke ground in June 2022, topped out in November 2024, and began closings in December 2025 after a temporary certificate of occupancy was issued for floors 10 through 32. Coastal Construction was the builder and Smith and Associates the sales broker. When closings began, the building was more than 85 percent sold. In a July 2026 interview, Kolter Urban’s West Coast president called Art House the company’s fifth residential project in the St. Petersburg market.

Kolter also built Water Club Snell Isle, a 96-unit community completed in 2014 in St. Petersburg’s Snell Isle neighborhood. It shares only a name with the St. Pete Beach project.

What is proposed, and what is not yet approved

The Hilton Bayfront plan, as reported by St. Pete Rising and Florida YIMBY, calls for two 44-story towers up to 509 feet tall with 325 condos and about 18,000 square feet of commercial space on the 3.01-acre site at 333 1st Street South, which Kolter bought for $96 million. A site plan application has been circulated to neighborhood and business associations. No project name, pricing, construction timeline or hotel closing date has been announced, and Kolter has not confirmed the rumored Ritz-Carlton Residences branding. The two sources differ on details: St. Pete Rising lists a 519-space garage and a purchase earlier in 2026, while Florida YIMBY lists 591 spaces and dates the purchase to 2023. St. Pete Rising also notes an approved 21-story, 62-unit Kolter tower on the former Fit2Run site downtown.

Where Water Club St. Pete Beach stands

Water Club St. Pete Beach is a different scale of project: 129 residences in two eight-story buildings at the bay end of Corey Avenue, with retail and restaurant space, a public park and a marina. The city approved it as Corey Landing in October 2025, and Kolter rebranded it in September 2026. Construction is expected to start in 2027, and pricing has not been released.

Why the track record matters to you

A pre-construction purchase is a contract with a developer, backed by a deposit, for a home that will be delivered years later. The developer’s history is the best evidence you have of what delivery will look like. Here is what Kolter’s Pinellas record tells a buyer.

• Timelines run long. Art House took about three and a half years from groundbreaking to first closings. Water Club has no announced completion date. Plan your move, your financing and the sale of your current home around a date that could move.
• Closings can start before the building is finished. Art House closed its first units on a temporary certificate of occupancy covering part of the tower. Ask what the contract says about closing on a TCO, and which amenities will be complete at that point.
• A busy pipeline cuts both ways. Kolter is proposing 325 downtown units while launching 129 beach units. Experience across several projects is reassuring, but ask who will manage, build and sell Water Club.
• Published plans change. Water Club went from 162 to 133 to 129 residences before sales opened. Read the contract for what the developer may change without your consent.
• Know your protections. Florida law gives you 15 days after signing a developer contract to cancel, and requires deposits up to 10 percent of the price to be held in escrow. Our guide on how to buy a pre-construction condo in Florida covers both.

What the record does not tell you is what Water Club will cost or when it will close. Nobody can say that yet.

Your next step

Our pre-construction guide advises registering your own agent before your first visit to a developer’s sales center. If Water Club is on your list, register with John and Nicole at Team BeachSide now, before pricing is released, and we will send you the sales launch details and our take on the contract when it is available. For the wider picture, see new construction condos in St. Pete Beach.

This post is general information, not legal advice. John and Nicole are licensed Florida Realtors with LoKation Real Estate and are not affiliated with Kolter Urban.

There is no official ranking of realtors or real estate agents in Treasure Island, FL, so the best realtor for you is the one whose license checks out, who answers the questions below without looking them up, and who shows you the local numbers behind any price opinion. Team BeachSide’s checklist for choosing a Treasure Island agent follows, and it works whether you hire us or someone else.

Step 1: Check the license

Florida real estate sales associates and brokers are licensed by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). The DBPR license search at myfloridalicense.com lets you search by name, license number, city or county, or license type. Run the agent’s name, confirm the record comes up, and check that the brokerage on the record matches their marketing.

Step 2: Ask questions that reveal local knowledge

The best real estate agent for a barrier island already knows these answers:

• How many Treasure Island sales have you handled in the last two years?
• What is the median sale price for Treasure Island condos and homes, and where does that number come from?
• How do you handle a home that received a substantial damage letter after Helene or Milton?
• Which condo buildings here have a structural integrity reserve study on file, and how do you check?
• In which Treasure Island zoning districts can a unit be rented short term?
• What does the agreement I sign cover, and how does it end?

What a Treasure Island real estate agent must know

Flood zones and elevation. An elevation certificate shows the lowest floor relative to base flood elevation, which drives flood insurance pricing and what an owner can do with the home later. Your agent should ask for the elevation certificate, storm repair permits, any substantial damage letter, and the flood disclosure required under section 689.302. Repairs at or above 50 percent of the structure’s market value can require the home to meet current flood and building rules.

Insurance. For Treasure Island single-family homes, the median federal flood premium was $5,071 a year for policies effective September 2025 through August 2026, and the median condo unit owner flood policy was $887, according to Team BeachSide’s review of FEMA policy data. Premiums vary from home to home, so get wind and flood quotes before you offer.

Condo SIRS and reserves. Florida law requires a structural integrity reserve study for residential condo buildings three habitable stories or higher. Associations that existed on or before July 1, 2022 had to complete one by December 31, 2025, and for budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024, an association that must obtain a SIRS may no longer vote to waive or reduce reserves for the items in the study. Team BeachSide’s SIRS status list by building shows which Treasure Island buildings have a matching DBPR filing. Ask for the SIRS, the milestone inspection report, the budget and any pending special assessments before you write an offer.

The short-term rental rule. Treasure Island’s rule depends on the zoning district. The city’s Community Development department states that tourist dwellings are not permitted in the RU-75 single-family or RM-15 multifamily districts, and are permitted with no restriction on changes of occupancy in the CG, RFM-30, RFH-50, PR-MU Core and PR-MU Gulf Boulevard districts. In those two districts, the city presumes a property is a tourist dwelling if it is advertised for rent or has more than two changes of occupancy in 12 months in RU-75, or more than six in RM-15. Condo associations can set longer minimums than the city, so the building’s documents matter as much as the zoning map.

Seawalls and docks. On the canal isles, a general home inspection usually does not cover the seawall. Your agent should recommend a separate marine inspection and ask the seller for permits and final inspections for the wall, dock, lift and electrical work. Minimum rebuild heights have changed since the 2024 storms, so ask whether a wall needing major repair must be rebuilt higher.

Recent Treasure Island sales numbers

Any agent you interview should be able to quote figures like these and say where they came from. Team BeachSide’s figures from Stellar MLS, sales from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026, with listings counted on October 8, 2026, from our Treasure Island real estate guide:

• Condos: 82 closed sales, median sale price $342,500, median 80 days on market, 79 active listings, 11.6 months of supply.
• Single-family homes: 98 closed sales, median sale price $1,000,000, median 111 days on market, 55 active listings, 6.7 months of supply.

Our Treasure Island home value and selling guide covers how those numbers apply to a sale.

Team BeachSide in Treasure Island

Team BeachSide is John and Nicole, licensed Florida Realtors with LoKation Real Estate. For Treasure Island we publish the town guide linked above, a building-by-building condo guide with nine building pages, neighborhood and value pages for Sunset Beach, Isle of Palms, Paradise Island, Capri Isle and Coney Island, and the SIRS status list. Reach us at (727) 955-1222 or through the Team BeachSide homepage. Our town-by-town guide to Pinellas beach agents covers the other beach towns.

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Who is the best realtor in Treasure Island?

There is no official ranking of Treasure Island realtors. Look for a current DBPR license, recent Treasure Island transactions, and clear answers on flood zones, insurance, condo reserves, the rental rule and seawalls. Team BeachSide is one local option; interview more than one agent and choose the one who answers with sources.

How do I check if a Florida real estate agent is licensed?

Use the DBPR license search at myfloridalicense.com. Search by name or license number and confirm the record matches the agent and brokerage.

Is a Realtor the same as a real estate agent?

Not always. The National Association of Realtors says the Realtor trademark identifies its members, who follow its Code of Ethics, and only members can call themselves Realtors. Either way, confirm the agent’s Florida license on the DBPR search.

What should a Treasure Island agent know about short-term rentals?

The zoning district decides it. The city says tourist dwellings are not permitted in RU-75 or RM-15 and are permitted in CG, RFM-30, RFH-50, PR-MU Core and PR-MU Gulf Boulevard. Condo rules can add longer minimums.

Weighing a Treasure Island purchase or sale? Contact Team BeachSide at (727) 955-1222. We will answer the questions above with sources, and you can decide from there.

Hurricane Helene made landfall near Perry on September 26, 2024, and Hurricane Milton came ashore at Siesta Key on October 9, 2024. Neither made landfall in Pinellas, but the National Weather Service measured a peak water level at Clearwater Beach during Helene of 6.67 feet above mean higher high water, well past the previous site record of 4.02 feet set in the 1993 Storm of the Century. If you are buying a condo after hurricane damage, the listing will not tell you where a building stands. These are the records and questions that will.

1. Ask how the building’s 50 percent review came out

In a flood zone, a building that is substantially damaged cannot simply be repaired. Pinellas County says a substantially damaged building „cannot be repaired without bringing it into compliance with the current floodplain codes,“ for example by elevating or replacing it. For condominiums, the county makes that determination for each building, not for each unit, and the building owner or an authorized representative files a form for each building. A storm repair form posted on the Indian Rocks Beach city site asks for the structure’s market value, the 50 percent limit, and the estimated repair cost for both the common elements and all of the individual units.

• Ask the association whether a substantial damage determination was made for the building and what it found.
• Ask whether all repair permits are closed. The county page covers unincorporated areas, so for a building inside a beach city, check with that city’s building department.
• Our FEMA 50 percent rule guide compares how each beach city applies the rule.

2. Read the master policy and the hurricane deductible

Florida law requires every condo association to carry adequate property insurance, with replacement cost determined at least once every 3 years. The association’s policy covers the building, but it excludes items inside the unit, including floor, wall and ceiling coverings, electrical fixtures, appliances, water heaters, built-in cabinets and countertops, and window treatments. The owner is responsible for rebuilding the parts the owner is required to insure.

The board sets the deductibles, at a board meeting, „based upon the level of available funds and predetermined assessment authority.“ In other words, the deductible is tied to the association’s cash and its power to assess owners, so ask how the association would pay it after a storm.

• Ask for the current policy declarations and the named storm or hurricane deductible.
• Florida law requires a condo unit owner’s policy to include at least $2,000 of loss assessment coverage for all assessments from the same direct loss, with a deductible of no more than $250 per direct property loss. Ask your insurance agent how much to carry and whether it would apply to an assessment for the association’s deductible.

3. Find out about special assessments, current and planned

Under Florida law, the purpose of any special assessment must be stated in a written notice to each owner, and the money collected can be used only for that purpose. That notice tells you what a storm assessment pays for.

• The estoppel certificate, which the association must issue within 10 business days of a request, lists the assessments and special assessments owed and those scheduled to become due. It is good for 30 days if delivered electronically or by hand, or 35 days by mail.
• Ask whether the board has discussed an assessment that has not been noticed yet. The minutes will show it.
• Who pays an assessment that is approved before closing is a contract question. Settle it in writing before you sign.

4. Ask the seller for the minutes and inspection reports

Association records are open to owners, not to buyers. For a condominium with 25 or more units, Florida law requires the association to post certain records in a website section that only owners and employees can access, including the approved minutes of board meetings over the preceding 12 months, the annual budget and any proposed budget, and structural and life safety inspection reports. Ask the seller to download them for you. A year of minutes can show how the board handled storm claims, contractors and assessments.

These storm questions sit on top of the standard resale documents. Our condo inspections, SIRS and reserves guide lists what a resale seller must provide and the buyer’s right to cancel if they were not provided before signing.

What this means for sellers

Buyers who ask these questions will ask them of you. Gather the policy declarations, the deductible, any assessment notices, the latest estoppel figures and a year of minutes before you list. Our guide to selling a condo on St. Pete Beach has a full seller document checklist.

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Who decides whether a beach condo building was substantially damaged?

For condominiums, the substantial damage determination is made for each building, not for each unit. Pinellas County handles buildings in unincorporated areas; for a building inside a beach city, check with that city’s building department.

What does a Florida condo association’s insurance cover?

The association’s policy covers the building, but it excludes items inside the unit, including floor, wall and ceiling coverings, electrical fixtures, appliances, water heaters, built-in cabinets and countertops, and window treatments. The owner is responsible for rebuilding the parts the owner is required to insure.

How do I find out about special assessments before I buy a beach condo?

Ask for the estoppel certificate, which lists the assessments and special assessments owed and those scheduled to become due, and ask the seller for a year of board minutes, which can show an assessment the board has discussed but not yet noticed.

How much loss assessment coverage must a Florida condo owner’s policy include?

Florida law requires a condo unit owner’s policy to include at least $2,000 of loss assessment coverage for all assessments from the same direct loss, with a deductible of no more than $250 per direct property loss. Ask your insurance agent how much to carry.

Start with the building

We are Realtors, not attorneys or insurance agents, so confirm insurance and legal questions with those professionals. If you are looking at a specific building, start with its guide in our beach condos by building index, then download our condo buyer checklist and bring these questions to the association before you write an offer. John and Nicole can help you request the records.

Pinellas County adopted its fiscal year 2027 budget on September 24 with a General Fund property tax rate of 4.4989 mills, which the county calls its lowest level since 1989. That does not answer the question every buyer should ask about property taxes after buying a Pinellas home: will my bill look like the seller’s? Usually it will not, and the reason has little to do with the rate.

What the county changed, and what it did not

The Gabber’s report gives a simple example. At the new rate, a home with a taxable value of $300,000 would pay about $1,350 in county General Fund taxes.

• The county says the rate is less than 1 percent above the full rollback rate. Under Florida law, the rolled-back rate is the rate that would bring in the same property tax revenue as the prior year, not counting new construction. A record-low rate is not the same as a lower bill.
• The county General Fund is one line on the bill. Cities and the school board set their own rates, and the Pinellas County Tax Collector notes that bills also carry non-ad valorem assessments, such as stormwater and fire rescue, that are not based on value. St. Pete Beach adopted a city rate of 3.0757 mills for fiscal year 2027, which The Gabber reports is the city’s rollback rate.

Why a buyer’s bill is not the seller’s bill

Florida’s Save Our Homes cap limits how fast the assessed value of a homesteaded property can rise each year: 3 percent or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is less. The Pinellas County Property Appraiser lists the 2026 cap at 2.7 percent. After many years, an owner’s assessed value can sit well below market value.

A sale ends that. According to the Property Appraiser, when a homesteaded property is sold, the cap and the exemption come off at the end of that calendar year, and taxes are then calculated on the full market value. The office warns that the increase can double or even triple the taxes, depending on how long the previous owner had the homestead exemption.

The new owner keeps the seller’s assessed value through the year of purchase, and the value resets to market as of January 1 of the next year. Bills are mailed at the end of October, so a buyer who closes this fall would first see the reset on the bill that arrives in late 2027.

Second homes and rentals do not receive a homestead exemption. They fall under a separate 10 percent annual cap, which does not apply to school taxes and also resets in the year after a change of ownership.

How to estimate the bill before you make an offer

• Use the Property Appraiser’s Tax Estimator, built for buyers and lenders. It assumes market value at 85 percent of the purchase price or the current value, whichever is higher, uses the most recent certified millage rates, and produces an estimate, not a tax bill.
• If the home will be your permanent residence, file for homestead by March 1. The exemption is not automatic, even if you had one on a prior home, and the cap starts in the second year of your exemption.
• If you are selling a Florida homestead, portability may let you transfer up to $500,000 of the gap between market and assessed value to your next Florida homestead. The window is three tax years from January 1 of the last year you had the exemption, and the application is due by March 1.
• Put taxes next to the other carrying costs. Our flood zone and insurance guide and condo inspections and reserves guide cover two of them, and the condo buyer checklist lists what to review before an offer.

What this means for sellers

Expect buyers to run these numbers. The Property Appraiser notes that Florida Statute 689.261 requires sellers to give prospective buyers a property tax disclosure summary, because buyers often assume the prior owner’s taxes will carry over. A careful buyer will budget for the bill after the reset, not the one you pay today. If you are thinking about timing or price, a home value request is the place to start.

Dates to watch and the Amendment 3 result

• October 30: annual tax bills are mailed. Paying in November earns a 4 percent discount, then 3 percent in December, 2 percent in January and 1 percent in February. Unpaid taxes become delinquent April 1.
• November 3: Florida voters approved Amendment 3 with 61.98 percent of the vote (unofficial results from the Florida Division of Elections; 60 percent was needed). According to the Property Appraiser’s summary, starting January 1, 2027 the homestead exemption for non-school taxes rises to as much as $150,000, then $250,000 in 2028, with yearly inflation adjustments from 2029; the $25,000 exemption on school taxes stays. The non-homestead cap drops from 10 percent to 5 percent for non-school taxes. People who establish Florida residency on or after January 1, 2027 start at a $50,000 non-school exemption and get the larger one in their fifth year of homestead. It does not eliminate Save Our Homes. The changes first appear on the August 2027 TRIM notices and the November 2027 tax bills.

We are Realtors, not tax advisors, so confirm any figure with the Property Appraiser or your tax professional. If you are weighing a specific beach home or condo, send us the address and we will walk through the county’s estimator with you, alongside insurance and association costs, before you write an offer.