Another five-star hotel is coming to Tampa, and construction is set to go vertical in the next few months.

Why it matters: The addition of Pendry Tampa to the city's downtown is another sign of Tampa Bay's growing profile.

• It's the first Pendry property in Florida and puts Tampa in line with trendy areas like West Hollywood, California; Manhattan, New York City and San Diego.

State of play: Construction on the 38-floor building's foundation is well underway at Ashley Drive South and East Whiting Street, along the Riverwalk.

• Downtown residents and visitors will start to see the tower rise over the Hillsborough River in early summer, Jeff Graves, project director for developer Two Roads Development, tells Axios.
• It will take one to two weeks to construct each floor, Graves says, with completion slated for late 2026.

By the numbers: The 220-room hotel will take up the first 12 floors. Levels 13 through 37 will be home to 212 residences, with two penthouses on the 37th floor and an owners-only rooftop pool on the top level.

• Units start at $1.6 million, Pendry sales executive Kat Haynes tells Axios.
• The residences have hit about $250 million in sales with more than half the units sold.

The big picture: Luxury real estate is having a moment in Tampa Bay, with condo sales driving much of the trend.

• Just 3 miles from Pendry, a second Ritz Carlton Residences tower is under construction along Bayshore Drive.

The intrigue: Pendry's specialty is modern, personalized luxury, Haynes says. That means staff members greet you by name and know your likes and dislikes.

• There are plenty of amenities, including an 8,000-square-foot spa and a hotel pool, along with the rooftop pool for residents.
• Residents will also have access to their own lobby, lounge and fitness center, along with a host of services.

What they're saying: "They like to pick out evolving cities," Haynes says of why Pendry picked Tampa for its next development. "Tampa's just now starting to blossom."

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Tampa Bay homeowners are settling down for shorter periods of time.

Why it matters: Fairly affordable metro areas and migration hotspots like Tampa Bay are seeing homes change hands more often. The churn effect of migration can fuel local economies.

Zoom in: The typical Tampa Bay homeowner has spent nine years in their home, down from 10.7 years a decade ago, according to a recent Redfin analysis of county records.

• Nationally, tenure sits at nearly 12 years.

Between the lines: The pandemic sparked a moving frenzy, Redfin notes.

Go deeper: America's homebuyers are getting older

🤖 Amazon submitted conceptual plans to Pasco County last week for its new robotic sorting site. (Tampa Bay Times)

🏖️ The mayors of Redington Beach and Anna Maria are among those asking Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto a bill that would give the state more power to regulate short-term vacation rentals. (Florida Phoenix)

🚨 Three people were shot in an Ybor City parking garage early Saturday, hours before Tampa Pride celebrations. (WFLA)

🌊 "The Singing River," a colorful art installation depicting the Manatee River is coming to Mineral Springs Park on the Bradenton Riverwalk. (Bradenton Herald)

The Florida Aquarium opened a 4,200-square-foot expansion of its Coral Conservation and Research Center in Apollo Beach on Friday.

Why it matters: Corals shelter more than a quarter of ocean animals and are major drivers of multi-billion-dollar fishing and tourism revenue.

• Increasingly, climate change is threatening their viability.

Threat level: A new survey of Florida Keys' coral reefs shows extensive damage from a long-lasting and severe marine heat wave last year.

Between the lines: Coral may seem easier to keep in tanks than their swimming co-habitants, but it's still a challenge for researchers.

• Studying what works and what doesn't is key to reacting appropriately in a crisis.

State of play: This is the Tampa-based aquarium's fifth successful year of spawning at the facility, producing millions of coral babies in the laboratory. Its other recent coral restoration efforts include:

• Adding more Elkhorn coral to its program before it was lost in the wild last year.
• Joining the Heat Response Team in the Keys to help temporarily relocate and care for 5,000 corals.

Bottom line: More tanks for researchers = more baby coral = a better chance of survival in our hot tub of an ocean. Keep spawning y'all.

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The Florida State Parks system recently announced winners of its annual photo contest, and this year's student champ is one of our own.

State of play: Hope Bartlin, a 25-year-old Tarpon Springs native, won first place with this striking image taken inside Hillsborough River State Park.

• Now a student at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in Saint Kitts and Nevis, Bartlin has been interested in photography "since I was a kid and could get my hands on a camera," she tells Axios.
• She's visited the state park east of Tampa more than any other Florida park "and it's never lost its magic," she says.

What she's saying: "Not just in Florida, but everywhere, we are losing the wild places to housing and commercial buildings.

• "I hope that one day we might learn to live with nature and not against her, and protect all the unique species that call this planet home."

Bonus: An image of another Tampa Bay area state park, Honeymoon Island in Dunedin, won the mobile photo contest.

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