Developer Bullard Now Owns All Of St. Pete's BayWalk

Tribune file photo by CANDACE C. MUNDY (2004)

BayWalk, an entertainment and retail complex near the Pier in St. Petersburg, opened in 2000.

By MICHAEL SASSO | The Tampa Tribune
Published: September 04, 2008
Updated: September 04, 2008 - 4:34 PM

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Developer Fred Bullard, an original partner in the BayWalk retail center, has bought out the Sembler Co. for full control of the downtown St. Petersburg plaza.

Bullard had owned 50 percent of BayWalk and today acknowledged buying the other 50 percent from Sembler for an undisclosed sum. He bought the remaining portion of BayWalk through STPR Holdings, a company he controls.

He said he has no immediate plans for changes at BayWalk but soon will evaluate potential changes.

Sembler and Bullard opened the entertainment and shopping plaza in fall 2000. It was one of three local outdoor projects that opened about the same time that combined shops, restaurants and movie theaters, similar to Centro Ybor and Channelside Bay Plaza in Tampa.

Bullard is well-known in Pinellas County. He developed the Feather Sound area, controls the Durango Steakhouse chain and at one time owned a United States Football League team in Jacksonville.