by Peter Roos
For those who desire the finest things in life, Marina Bay offers premium resort-style living that thoughtfully complements and co-exists with nature. This gated, waterfront community is nestled on the scenic corridor of Pinellas Bayway just west of Eckerd College, ideally located between St. Petersburg’s vibrant downtown and Pinellas County’s famed beaches, with easy access to the best of both worlds.
Visitors and long-time residents of St. Petersburg have slipped past this secluded development for years without realizing that the 60-acre, master-planned community even exists. The exclusivity and privacy that Marina Bay offers are just two of the reasons for its incredible popularity. Land once owned by Eckerd College was purchased in 2003 and developed for the purpose of creating a sanctuary for the most discriminating buyers with focus on superior construction practices, excellent floorplan design, luxurious amenities, and amazing waterfront views of Boca Ciega Bay and the community’s vibrant lakes.
From behind its gated entrances, the community’s signature features include lush, tropical landscaping, spectacular water features and fountains on acres of tranquil lakes, creating an amazing nature preserve that is teeming with wildlife. Community amenities in this private enclave include two heated pools (one with geothermal heat for year-round swimming) two spas, a clubhouse, fitness center, fishing pier and deep-water marina with almost 2,000’ of intracoastal water directly on Boca Ciega Bay.
Bordered by the Pinellas Trail, Marina Bay’s distinct neighborhoods offer numerous lifestyle choices with something for everyone, including villas and condominiums. While the single-family Estate Homes, Garden Home Villas and Captiva Condominiums are sold out, occasional resale opportunities exist throughout the community. All new construction homes are built to FORTIFIEDTM standards, and every new home is built with concrete block walls top-to-bottom, foam insulation for energy efficiency and a natural gas generator providing automatic, uninterrupted power-on-demand for complete peace of mind.
The FORTIFIEDTM program is a nationally recognized building method to strengthen homes against natural hazards such as high winds, hail, hurricanes, and tornados. The superior FORTIFIEDTM designations have been established by the non-profit organization of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) based on “scientific research to make residential and commercial construction better withstand severe weather.” In short, IBHS analyzes existing standards and identifies ways to improve them.
Typical building codes establish the minimum construction standards required to ensure the safety of those inside a home. However, even in areas where the most up-to-date codes are adopted and enforced such as in Pinellas County, homes can be built stronger.
The resilient construction of a home built to FORTIFIEDTM standards far surpasses building codes and includes roof fortification and impact windows, sliding glass doors, entry doors and garage doors. The engineered roof to wall connections and story-to-story-connections are anchored by wall-to-foundation connections to create a “continuous load path” tying the house together from the roof to the piling foundation, providing maximum protection. Marina Bay’s new construction homes are all of that and more.
Marina Bay Villas
In addition to the exceptional construction practices, Marina Bay’s beautifully appointed villas offer the ideal blend of pure luxury and practical convenience with elevated living space all on one level and an equal amount of parking and storage in the enormous garage below. These unique homes feature a modern, open floor plan with a private elevator from the first level garage to the second floor living space. From the moment you enter one of the new villas, the thoughtful layout is clear, all overlooking the lake, fountains and preserve beyond. Custom features and luxury finishes include 10’ ceilings with dramatic vaults in the great room, premium appliances, walk-in-pantry, natural gas cooking, and a 22kW Generac natural gas generator.
The spacious and dramatic villas provide a rare opportunity to own a high-quality, low maintenance home with endless upgrades and all the conveniences a luxury home provides. There are two villa models to choose from: a 2,334 sq. ft. 2-bedroom 2-bath with den, and a 2,574 sq. ft. 3-bedroom, 2.5 bath home. The homes feature a calm, neutral color palette with dramatic accents that enhance the beautiful water views, all amid the quiet serenity of Marina Bay.
Pointe Condominiums
Marina Bay’s Pointe on Boca Ciega Condominiums offer unparalleled features and the perfect balance of luxury and comfort. For starters, there are only three units per building, each commanding an entire floor ensuring the ultimate luxury – privacy. Strategically positioned to maximize spectacular panoramic waterfront views, each “penthouse style” 4-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom residence offers over 3,800 sq. ft. of living space and nearly 1,000 sq. ft. of wrap-around terrace on two sides, with walls of glass overlooking breathtaking views of Boca Ciega Bay, the gorgeous marina below and the illuminated Skyway Bridge on the horizon. Topping it all off, the ideal south-southwest exposure provides endless views of St. Petersburg’s legendary sunsets.
The innovative and brilliantly designed plan is highlighted by a remarkable covered terrace which wraps the building on two sides, perfect for morning coffee, al fresco dining or sunset cocktails. The open, contemporary floor plan features an enormous 40’+ great room, a huge walk-in pantry and a unique owners’ suite with dual baths. Further life-enhancing features incorporated into each residence include a 150kW whole-building natural gas generator, a private, secured elevator foyer, state-of-the-art smart home/media infrastructure and a private, oversized two-car garage for each unit.
The list is endless . . . impressively appointed 10’ ceilings integrated with custom LED recessed up-lighting, Euro-style custom cabinets, Cambria countertops, large-format porcelain tile flooring, great room fireplace, no shared walls and tucked quietly away on the southern tip of St. Petersburg. Remarkably, the Pointe II Condominiums are the first condominiums in the entire state of Florida to achieve the FORTIFIEDTM – Gold designation.
Florida’s real estate market has been impacted by the Surfside legislation which was rushed into place in late 2022. It affects most condominiums in Florida, requiring inspections and reserve funding for future repairs based on a Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS). The uncertainty created by the Surfside-inspired safety laws and the concern of drastic increases in condominium fees to fund future reserve requirements has triggered a surge of interest in Marina Bay because of the quality of construction and the benefits of moving to a new home that is not impacted by the new legislation.
A new construction home in Marina Bay provides years of certainty from SIRS requirements because the villas are fee simple ownership and therefore do not fall under the requirements of Florida’s Condominium Act, Chapter 718 of the Florida Statutes. While Marina Bay’s Pointe Condominiums are indeed regulated by the Florida Condominium Act, the SIRS statute expressly excludes any three-family dwelling with three or fewer habitable stories above ground. The Pointe on Boca Ciega Condominiums meets these requirements and are therefore excluded from SIRS.
When you think of important things to consider when buying a home in Pinellas County, St. Petersburg, things like feeling of community, sense of security, long-term affordability, beauty, tranquility, amenities, and perhaps storm readiness – there is only one place that offers all of that and more. With only four new construction condominiums and six villas currently available, Marina Bay is the place you will want to call home.
The Marina Bay sales center is open seven days a week from 11am to 4pm Monday through Saturday, and from noon to 4pm on Sunday. Stop by for a private tour, or call for additional information, 727-906-3300. www.marinabaystpete.com
Delray Grande Villa Floorplan:
https://bit.ly/delray-grande
Lido Grande Villa Floorplan:
https://bit.ly/lido-grande
Pointe on Boca Ciega Floorplan:
https://bit.ly/pointe-bc
Here’s what they say about Marina Bay …
Marina Bay is truly a tropical waterfront paradise. We fell in love with the property during our first visit. The property is incredibly landscaped and well maintained throughout the year. The ambiance is tranquil with many water fountains that can be heard and seen over the entire property.It has a great amount of open space for walking and jogging all the way to the pier where there is incredible fishing, a walk away from our property. The clubhouse has a great exercise room along with a wonderful pool and oversized hot tub. We even purchased a set of bicycles which our family rides around the property to relax during the dusk hours. The community is a relaxing peaceful retreat and neighbors are friendly. We enjoy a single home experience without the necessary maintenance, with lots of beautiful flowers and palm trees that make it such a tropical paradise. The location is extremely convenient to local area attractions including St. Petersburg and Clearwater beaches which are some of the best in the country. Also, very convenient to downtown Tampa and the airport which is only 20 minutes away. There are many great restaurants around, and we are close to many Spring training baseball games which we enjoy every year especially being from Boston. The ocean views are breathtaking, and the gulf waters are tropical in color and temperature, which keeps us staying longer on every visit. One of the big reasons we knew this was the property for us was the personal attention of the developer and builder. This is the difference that made us the most confident in our purchase and continues today with the many upgrades that we make to our property. The developer’s people continue to go above and beyond their responsibilities by helping us with various property needs even if we are out of town.
– George and Family
Marina Bay is the place to live and enjoy life. It’s close proximity to downtown St. Pete, the beaches, Fort De Soto Park, is priceless. It offers to biking enthusiasts the opportunity to exercise without leaving the neighborhood while enjoying nature.
– Berny and Denise
We are so glad we live in Marina Bay, and here are some of the reasons: Super-convenient location – beaches, St. Pete, Tampa, Sarasota Spectacular setting, Friendly neighbors Top-notch, code-current construction 2000 sq. ft. garage under our private home. Neighborhood activities and amenities. There’s no place like home,especially at Marina Bay!
– Suzanne and Tony
We are so happy that we purchased a home in Marina Bay. The grounds are beautiful and immaculately maintained, the waterfront location has superb fishing, and the developer has been extremely helpful.
– Peter and Elaine
We have enjoyed the “Marina Bay lifestyle” for over 6 years with maintenance free living in the Captiva condominiums. With three grown children and three very active grandchildren located from L.A. to Charlotte, we are constantly traveling. When we leave on a trip, all we do is “press” the elevator button and go! When we arrive back, everything remains the same. So easy and perfect!!
– Susan and David
We had a very pleasant experience building our new Garden Home Grand Villa in Marina Bay. The developer and builder were very helpful throughout the project and the results exceeded our expectations. The design of the community was very important to us. We wanted our community to be on the water with plenty of open green space. Because we only live in Florida part of the year, we looked for a place that was gated and secure. Since moving in we have found Marina Bay meets our criteria and that it is a great place to live. We enjoy the well-equipped fitness room and swimming pool/spa at the new clubhouse. The surroundings are peaceful and well maintained. Our neighbors are friendly, and we have already developed a sense of community.
– Bruce and Tracy
We are absolutely delighted with the Marina Bay community. The quality of the buildings surpasses our expectations. The clubhouse is beautiful and exceptionally well appointed, the fitness center a joy to work out in, the pools and spa deliciously inviting. The builders were consistently concerned with our desires and our comfort and met our every challenge
– Bill and Seena