When Frank Bozikovich looks at South St. Pete he doesn’t see its troubled past. Frank sees opportunity. As a long-term resident of Broadwater and local commercial Realtor, Frank’s daily commute took him past the challenged landscape of US 19 South. Properties in decline after the loss of most of the big box stores caused prospective new tenants to question the wisdom of moving into the spaces. Many fell into disrepair. For Frank, like many area residents, it was frustrating to watch businesses turn away because they were reluctant to invest in this market.
But instead of losing hope, Frank got to work doing what he does best – selling. As a successful Broker with Commercial Partners Realty, Frank knew how to sell and lease commercial property. This, however, was different. He needed to “sell” an entire sub-market to a variety of people – prospective tenants, developers, the City, and brand-name retailers.
Bozikovich started reaching out to contacts within the city and to residents of the communities that bordered US 19 S., as well as to their elected representatives. This ultimately led to the creation of the Skyway Marina District and their rebranding vision for the community. Frank served on the board of directors of the district for five years and has been instrumental in bringing over $200 million of new business to the district, including almost 700 new apartments and a significant number of new retail and office tenants.
Through the efforts of Frank Bozikovich and the Commercial Partners Realty Team over the past decade, the following projects have been completed or are coming soon to the Skyway Marina District:
- The Philips Development mixed-use project next door to the SPCC Allstate campus, consisting of over 300 market-rate apartments and retail.
- The sale of the Sons of Italy multi-tenant building.
- The sale and the leasing of the Pinch-A-Penny Plaza to full occupancy.
- The sale and build-to-suit of the dialysis center.
- The long-term lease to Bayfront Medical Center of the former Denny’s/Skyway Diner property.
- The long-term lease for a new 5,500 SF seafood restaurant.
- The sale of a 6,800 SF portion of the Ceridian property.
- The leasing of the Aldi shopping center.
- The sale of the 8,000 SF property on the east side of the former Ponderosa.
- The contract for sale of the Bay Breeze motel for 65 units of affordable housing, which is scheduled to close soon.
- The sale of the former K-Mart which is being developed into over 300 market-rate apartments.
One key element of the success of these projects is Frank’s non-traditional approach to business. He proactively searches out investors and developers and matches them to sellers based on a greater vision for the subject property. This process often begins when he drives past a property that is not living up to its “highest and best use.” Luckily for the Skyway Marina District, Frank Bozikovich is driving past properties in the district every single day.