The Beachcomber Resort in St. Pete Beach has a new owner: South Carolina-based OTO Development bought the 50-year‑old beachfront property that houses the legendary Jimmy B’s Beach Bar. The resort reopened late last year after storm damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and local leaders including Mayor Scott Tate and Charlie Justice of the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber have greeted the sale with cautious optimism. Kerri Green, the complex general manager for the Beachcomber and the neighboring Hilton Garden Inn, says the plan is to keep the resort’s old Florida character intact while leveraging nearby properties to meet booming tourism demand.
For decades the Beachcomber has been a familiar sight on St. Pete Beach, and the new ownership is trading on that history rather than erasing it. The property includes 102 rooms, two pools, and roughly 2,100 square feet of indoor meeting space, so it functions as both a neighborhood landmark and a small-scale event venue. OTO Development already owns several hotels across the Bay Area, which gives them a network to funnel visitors between brands and properties.
The sale follows a challenging period for the resort. Extensive storm damage forced a temporary closure, and the property only reopened late last October after repairs. That comeback matters to locals who see the Beachcomber as part of the seaside culture, especially the bar that sits on the sand. Kerri Green put it simply: “Jimmy B’s is a legend in this community,” Kerri Green, the complex general manager for both the Beachcomber and the neighboring Hilton Garden Inn, said. “Our plan is to preserve that legendary beachfront bar that it already is. That’s what interested us [in buying it] in the first place.”
Green says changes will be subtle and cosmetic rather than a full overhaul, with the goal of keeping the old Florida vibe that regulars expect. By owning the Beachcomber and the Hilton Garden Inn side-by-side, OTO Development sees an opportunity to reach more visitors while keeping the two properties distinct. The company’s portfolio in the region already includes the AC Hotel in St. Petersburg, the Hampton Inn and Suites in Ybor City, and a DoubleTree in North Redington Beach, so the Beachcomber fits into a growing local footprint.
Part of the strategy is using the different personalities of nearby bars and hotels to appeal to varied crowds. “Coconut Charlie’s and Jimmy B’s are very different. We have different kinds of live music, different genres that we play, different kinds of demographics of people, and at the same time, a lot of people like to bar hop and go between the two. So, this allows us to kind of reach out to a broader amount of the community and offer different kinds of amenities, host larger events because our meeting space at HGI is smaller than what we have here at the Beachcomber and kind of play off of the synergy of the two different brands and the two different identities,” she said.
Tourism numbers are a big part of the pitch. With visitation booming across the St. Pete-Clearwater area, the buyers see room to expand offerings without losing the resort’s character. “With over 15 million people visiting the St. Pete, Clearwater area last year, this is definitely a booming community, and this allows us to reach that demand of people here on the beach,” Green explained. Local business leaders welcome the attention and the potential bookings that a coordinated hotel group can bring.
“It shows you this is a great destination, America’s best beach, and people all over the country want to be a part of it,” Charlie Justice, President and CEO of the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber, said, reflecting how the sale is being framed as a vote of confidence for the region. At the same time, city officials are clear they want a partner, not just a landlord, because the resort plays a role in community life and local identity.
“The resort in general and the entertainment opportunities that it provides is something that’s been vital to the vibrancy of St. Pete Beach and we want to protect that,” Tate said. “So, we hope that the new owners come in and want to partner with the city and keeping that that tradition and that character. While we think about the residents and what it means to the city, we want to protect that as well, so, you know, we’re looking for a good partnership with the new ownership.” Municipal leaders will be watching how OTO balances investment with neighborhood concerns.
OTO Development has not released the final purchase price for the Beachcomber, leaving that detail undisclosed as the company focuses on operational plans. In the meantime the resort remains a draw for longtime patrons and new visitors alike, standing at the edge of a busy beach corridor where tourism and local culture intersect. The deal is both a business move and a test of how a corporate owner can steward a place that matters to residents and visitors across Pinellas County.
