Here are the latest news on Publix store openings, closings and other developments in St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Largo.
Publix is preparing to make some big changes next month in west St. Petersburg, as it will close one store and open another three miles away.
Publix confirmed it will close its Eagles Park Retail Center store at 5577 Park St. N. on Saturday, March 7 at 7 p.m. The company’s new store at 6605 38th Ave. N. will open at 7 a.m. Thursday, March 12
The new store is an $11 million investment from Publix, which owns the 38th Avenue property. Property records show the company demolished the existing building (a renovated Albertsons) in September 2024 and began construction on a new 57,658-square-foot supermarket in November 2024.
The Eagle Park store was built in 1986 and is located in a shopping center owned by Gator Eagle Partners in Miami Lakes. The center already has at least 16 vacant storefronts.
When Publix closes stores, mall vacancy rates will jump from about 43% to more than 60%. The only significant remaining tenant will be Truist Bank, one of the last financial institutions operating in the 33709 zip code in western St. Petersburg after other banks closed in recent years.
Publix spokesperson Lindsey Willis confirmed the closing and opening dates and said more details about the new stores will be announced soon.
The new 38th Avenue store is about three miles from Eagles Park.
While that distance is manageable for customers with cars, it eliminates walking access for residents of the two 55-and-older communities near the closing store and a nearby mobile home park.
The Publix at 1295 S. Missouri Ave. will reopen on March 5 after renovations.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held shortly before the 7 a.m. opening.
Store 1329 is located on one of the major retail corridors south of Clearwater Plaza. The location serves more than 107,000 residents within a three-mile radius.
In 2009, Publix converted the Albertsons store into this store. It is less than two miles from downtown Clearwater and Morton Botanical Hospital.
Other retailers on the square include Bealls Outlet and Dollar Tree.
Willis said Publix plans to close the supermarket at Largo Mall on Feb. 28 to demolish and build a new store. The project is expected to take more than a year to complete.
The grocery chain will close the store at 10500 Ulmerton Road and replace it with a 51,908-square-foot facility, according to building permits filed in June. The current building contains 78,984 square feet of heated space.
The Largo Mall, a renovated Albertson’s store acquired by Publix, is being demolished — and the company is replacing the remodeled store with a new building, continuing a trend across the Tampa Bay area.
Publix purchased and remodeled the former Albertson’s and Safeway stores. Property records show the building was built in 1989. The property is listed as Largo Mall Lot 6 and is owned by PSM Exchange Company I LLC, which purchased the property in 2018 for $13 million.
Publix has not yet announced a target opening date for the new Largo Mall store, according to Willis.
Largo Mall is a major retail center along Ulmerton Road with about 60 tenants, mainly Target.
