Stretching 47 stories toward the sky in St. Petersburg, a luxurious new high-rise called Residences at 400 Central has quite the view from the top of the condo building.
The owner of what will be the tallest residential building on Florida’s Gulf Coast has plenty of his own views.
“People want to hear, people want to know what’s going on, and I enjoy being on the air every day,” said the owner, John Catsimatidis.
Dig Deeper
He bought his own radio station, the iconic 77 WABC in New York City. He said he’s neither left wing nor right wing.
“I am the middle,” he said. “I was a Bill Clinton Democrat. What is Donald Trump? I don’t think he’s a Republican Republican, but I think he’s a common-sense businessman.”
What if his support of Trump loses the sale of one of his condos that starts at $1 million dollars?
“I couldn’t give a damn,” he said.
The Backstory
At 76 years old, Catsimatidis is a self-made billionaire who started with a bodega in Harlem and then diversified into other businesses early. He first came to St. Pete more than 40 years ago, and his wife is from the area.
Their new building at 400 Central Avenue has 301 condos, thousands of square feet of office space, retail space and two restaurants. FOX 13’s Lloyd Sowers asked him where the people who work there would be able to live.
Local Perspective
“You need affordable housing in St. Pete. You need an area to put up homes. If somebody’s going to build a luxury building, let them contribute toward affordable building too.”
Sowers also asked him if he was ready to do that.
“If required to,” he said.
Catsimatidis is a partner in a minor league baseball team in New York, but would he get involved in the Tampa Bay Rays deal for a new stadium and surrounding development?
“We haven’t talked to anybody in at least 60 days,” he said. “If it’s a good deal, I always look at it.”
What’s Next?
He’s planning his own amenity in his new building, a radio studio to talk to New Yorkers about politics and maybe what it’s like to live in the tower he built high above St. Petersburg. He said the building is 3/4 sold and residents should be moving in by September.
This article is from Fox13 Tampa Bay written by Lloyd Sowers. Click to see the full article HERE.
The information in this story was gathered through an interview with the owner of Residences at 400 Central in St. Petersburg.
