St. Petersburg Ever since the Suncoast Resort closed in 2007, rumors have swirled about another LGBT resort taking its place. Now, confirmation that Flamingo Resort at 4901 S. 34th Street should open its doors to the public by Aug. 28.
According to resort director David Baker, the renovated hotel has 130 “rentable rooms” and one of the largest resort pools in Pinellas County. A non-smoking video and sports bar—complete with nearly 20 screens—will serve food, host female impersonators and dance parties.
“We hope that people are pleasantly surprised when they come see us,” Baker says while construction is ongoing around him. “We see this as more of a luxury resort and we’ve put in a lot of work to make sure that shows.”
Baker says Flamingo staff and contractors have renovated what was once a dingy, dark and very dirty bar into a South Florida-style venue. The light colors and spotless windows illuminate the video bar overlooking the pool while a brand new outdoor bar nears completion.
Those two areas will be available to the public at the grand opening, as will the newly renovated rooms.
Other projects will remain under construction for the near future, while city codes and inspections continue.
“In addition to the video and pool bar, we’ll have a high-energy dance bar, which will also host our shows,” Baker says. “We’re also looking into a fetish bar which will have its own entrance.”
And of course, The Flamingo will host a Sunday T-Dance and a Saturday pool party, Baker says. Baker adds that the resort will more than likely house several retail spaces as well, once operations are fully up and running.
No doubt, patrons will compare the Flamingo to the Suncoast Resort and the still-hopping Parliament House in Orlando. Baker says he expects those comparisons, but believes the Flamingo will be a totally different experience.
“I went to Suncoast for nine years and even worked there for awhile,” the 43-year-old says. “But we’re looking at this resort being part of this community for decades.”
The secret to thriving, Baker believes, is by focusing on both the local LGBT community and the domestic and international travel community. He believes the more than $1 million spent on renovations will impress locals and travelers alike.
“Each night we’ll have a theme,” Baker says. “We’ll have karaoke one night, a college night, maybe a night of local live music. And we’ll also have an all-star cast headed up by show director Bobbi York.”
For travelers, Baker says he plans to be a full service hotel, meaning visitors can book excursions right there in The Flamingo lobby.
“We have so much to offer in St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay,” Baker says. “If someone wants to go skydiving, we’ll get them there. If they want to take a boat over to Fort DeSoto, we’ll help them book it.”
And that should be easy, considering The Flamingo backs up to a marina. Baker doesn’t know what kind of marina access the resort will have as of yet, but he does hope to reach an agreement so that boaters can dock at the resort for an afternoon.
“There are many opportunities here and we have plans that will take us well into the future,” Baker says.
The Flamingo Resort will be open until 2 a.m. daily and is a 21-and-over establishment. A security team is already in place, according to Baker, and ample parking is available at the resort and in the neighboring MaxiMall lot.
More details on The Flamingo Resort will be available in the Aug. 20 issue of Watermark.
