Publix #139

Courtesy of Publix

Dolphin Village Shopping Center

4655 Gulf Boulevard

St. Pete Beach, FL 33706

Florida is known for its beaches. Likewise, many notable towns in the state have sister municipalities which try to play off both the larger and better known city next door. Think of Miami Beach, Pensacola Beach, Panama City Beach, and in this case St. Pete Beach. The latter, which happens to be the subject of today's post, is at least notable amongst this bunch because in 1994, the city voted to change its name from St. Petersburg Beach to St. Pete Beach. When asked about the change, locals and city officials alike said that they wanted to differentiate the quaint coastal town from its busier neighbor across the bay, while also making mundane tasks, like buying insurance or applying for federal grants, easier.

The Tampa Bay Times (Newspapers.com) - September 23, 1966

In addition to its own identity, a successful city also needs a strip mall. The Albertsons Florida Blogger will have more to share about the history of Dolphin Village Shopping Center in his companion post, but I couldn't resist giving you a taste of what I had uncovered during my own research.

Likewise, the shot above shows us how the plaza was designed to look when it broke ground in 1966. It is amazing to see how Publix and CVS (the successor to Eckerd in Florida) occupy the same buildings as they did nearly 60 years ago.

The Tampa Bay Times (Newspapers.com) - August 2, 1966

Articles note how construction on the shopping center was initially delayed due to the discovery of "mangrove muck running through the property." I'm not entirely sure how this was a surprise considering that the Florida coast is covered with mangroves, but I guess developers ended up removing the "muck" one way or another. After all, the stores appear to be constructed on a slab rather than pilings (against the will of Mother Nature).

The Tampa Bay Times (Newspapers.com) - April 7, 1967

Dolphin Village was originally owned by W. W. Caruth, Jr. who named the center for the Happy Dolphin Inn, which he also owned, located just across Gulf Boulevard. Between these two business and the Dolphin Den night club, there were a lot of dolphins jumping around St. Petersburg Beach in 1967. I'm surprised they survived so long out of the water.

The Tampa Bay Times (Newspapers.com) - June 28, 1967

To make things even crazier, the Publix held its grand opening on June 29, 1967, soon to be joined by the aforementioned Eckerd, a TG&Y store, and, wait for it, the Dolphin on the Gulf Theater.

The single screen theater, nestled just to the right of the Publix, closed in 1981, only to be briefly occupied by AmeriFirst Bank. Publix went on to acquire this space and expanded into it around 1992 (which I'll go into more detail about later).

The Tampa Bay Times (Newspapers.com) - September 4, 1986

The shopping center underwent a major exterior renovation in 1984 which brought it to the current "Art Deco" look and marked the end of Publix' wing span at store #139.

Courtesy of Eric W (Yelp) - July 3, 2012

The store eventually remodeled to Publix' Invigorate interior during the late-2000's, which is what we see in the photo above.

Courtesy of Eric W (Yelp) - July 3, 2012

I'd have to imagine that this Yelp reviewer was highlighting this store's small British foods section marked by a full-sized Union Jack hanging from the ceiling. It is a bit odd to not have any other international flags on this aisle, don't you think? Especially considering how this photo was taken on the day before Independence Day!

Courtesy of Lee J (Foursquare) - April 28, 2013

I guess if we broke free from the Brits once, we could do it again. It is just a shame that those dastardly French got us hooked on their drink of choice – wine – causing us to stumble and forget all we fought for.

Courtesy of Cyrille M (Foursquare) - May 24, 2014

This store remodeled from Invigorate to Bamboo midway through 2014, which lines up with my original guess based on the aisle markers used through 2025. What is especially shocking to me is that Publix replaced the vinyl flooring around the perimeter of the store during this remodel with the brown "Tetris" design we are accustomed to seeing in Albertsons stores. I would have figured that the "current" floors were several years older.

Courtesy of Kenneth T (Foursquare) - March 9, 2013

Back outside, we can see how this shopping center featured yet another paint scheme in this photo and how the CVS had replaced the old Eckerd by 2013 (obviously).

This "swamp puppy" would have to wait close to a decade to be reunited with his homeland (the water), but that day certainly came on September 27, 2024, as Hurricane Helene blew ashore in Taylor County.

Google Earth - January 29, 2023

Considering how Publix #139 joins #456 as one of the few stores you can dock your boat at while shopping, it is no surprise that storm surge from the hurricane brought damage to the plaza.

What is surprising, however, is that Publix reopened on September 29, 2024, only two days after Helene bombarded the area. This seems like a shocking feat to me considering how storm surge reportedly entered the coastal shopping center. I suppose it is possible that water only made it to the CVS since it stands closer to Boca Ciega Bay.

Think it's the CVS on St Pete Beach on fire
byu/Klutzy-Amount3737 inStPetersburgFL

If a hurricane wasn't bad enough, mid-afternoon on May 13th, smoke began to belch out of the Dolphin Village CVS. Crews had initially contained the blaze to the drug store and one or two surrounding shops, but a hot spot managed to reignite around 8 PM and burn through parts of the Publix.

St. Pete Beach - CVS / Publix fire aftermath
byu/blipblipbeepboop inStPetersburgFL

This drone footage taken after the fire was extinguished shows some of the damage. Notice how the circa 1967 Eckerd sign was revealed beneath the façade and how the heat melted the paint off of the circa 1984 tile wrapping the top of the rotunda.

Comment
byu/blipblipbeepboop from discussion
inStPetersburgFL

People have mentioned how the fire seemingly stemmed from hurricane-related electrical damage inside of the CVS that wasn't properly handled. Like I said before, I'm shocked that all of these businesses reopened so fast if they experienced any sort of flooding.

Courtesy of Cheri Y (Yelp) - June 2, 2025

Based on the images I have seen, I almost wonder if the inferno was contained within the cavity between the old and new Publix façades once it reached that side of the building. If this is the case, I could see a scenario where Publix decides to reopen this store rather than razing it.

The Tampa Bay Times (Newspapers.com) - May 25, 2025

I know that the undamaged, but severely impacted, businesses in the rest of the plaza would greatly appreciate it if Publix was able to quickly reopen. Several news articles have noted a steep decline in sales for these merchants due to the drop in surrounding foot traffic.

Comment
byu/NorthFloridaRedneck from discussion
inpublix

Much to my surprise, I found several posts on Reddit claiming that the store will reopen in September. Anything on the internet should be taken with a grain of salt; however, it is worth noting this information because it could come true. Just like the Facebook post about Winn-Dixie #443 reopening as a ~~Food Lion~~ Foodland, this post may be an early harbinger: it also may be a lie. We will just have to wait and see.

I will say that a permit was filed with the City of St. Pete Beach on May 19th for "Selective demo of fire damage" at the Publix, which seems to indicate that the bulk of the structure will remain.

With that bit of background information behind us, let's jump into the time machine and see how this store looked during my 2022 road trip to Fort Myers.

I remember debating whether or not I should drive all the way to St. Pete Beach on that sunny October day, and it turns out that I made the right choice considering this store's fate.

I also ended up stopping by several other interesting locations in the area which have either since closed or remodeled. Like I have said many times before, never hesitate to photograph something because you never know when it will disappear!

As for this store, it is easy to tell that it dates back to Publix' younger years with its tree-lined driveway leading up to the front door and its simple "super market" text on the façade. The latter is especially worth pointing out because its presence indicates that this location lacks a pharmacy; otherwise, the exterior would advertise both the supermarket's "Food & Pharmacy."

At some point during #139's lifetime, this stripped fire lane was once home to front row parking spots which are all too rare to find these days. I suppose we'll see in a matter of months whether or not that was a worthwhile change.

I also noticed how this store had the modern Presto! ATM logo out front. There are still plenty of Publixes with the older look, and that signage change typically coincides with a remodel . . . I wonder, what could that mean?

If an Evergreen interior was your thought, then you would be wrong! As we'll learn later on, this store did still receive a minor "Sienna refresh" in 2020, but most of this store's looks date back to 2014.

Presumably due to the building's small size, the customer service counter has remained tucked along the front wall ever since the 1990's expansion rather than being relocated to an island next to the registers. The counter would have originally been placed in the store's front right corner (similar to this).

Take note of the now-discontinued deli cheese signage.

Heading off to our right, we find the deli and bakery departments are now in that front corner, much like they would be in a new-construction store from the mid-1990's. I'd imagine that this store was enlarged in 1992 based on its general similarities to a 40N layout and its experimental service department placement reminiscent of the then-new 55D.

St. Pete Beach Building Permits - 1993 Publix #139 Electrical As-Builts

I have to admit that I'm partially impressed by my ability to interpret context clues. Not only was I able to uncover this store's remodel date by digging through some old permit documents, but I was also able to verify my hunch based on some as-built electrical drawings dated January 27, 1993. For those who don't know, "as-builts" are created as a reference for a job once the work has concluded and are usually given to the client to keep on file. The fact that these were drafted in 1993 tells me that the bulk of the expansion remodel took place in 1992. Neat!

It is also fascinating to visualize how this store's grand aisle expansion sits within the footprint of the old movie theater. You can see how the left edge of the dairy alcove lines up perfectly with the left edge of the deli and the row of structural columns and how the lights in the addition are on a separate electrical circuit from the rest of the store.

Furthermore, the strategy of putting the dairy alcove adjacent to the exterior wall while having the service departments bumped out looks almost identical to a modern 45M's configuration with the produce department. A coincidence? Maybe, but that is what I get for looking at too many Publix design drawings!

The deli corner was quite cramped, and being a weekend day, I'd imagine it was fairly crowded. Likewise, I didn't get many good pictures from this side of the store.

I really hope that man picked out the right type of hummus that his wife asked for (because if he was shopping for himself, he probably would have picked up a Lantana hummus that was on sale 2/$6 or a Boars Head hummus that was 2/$8 that week).

Turning toward the bakery, we find an assortment of fall-themed balloons and sweets.

I can't remember ever seeing slices of blue iced cake for sale, but maybe that was just to match the blue "CAKES" sign on display. Where are my beloved slices of carrot cake?!

Continuing on, we see that the organizational traffic flow totally falls apart in the back right corner. Those large columns mark the exterior wall of the original Wing Store space, and we would currently be standing in the old theater.

They, regardless, made the task of positioning promotional displays quite difficult and indubitably contributed to the chaos we see here.

Courtesy of Pedro Angel (Google Maps) - October 2, 2016

Thanks to this old Google Maps photo, we can also see that the Aprons Simple Meal kiosk used to be back here before it caught COVID-19 and was sent to indefinite quarantine at Hard Labor Creek State Park. (I can only try to make this stuff up!)

As I mentioned before, the dairy department was nestled in its own alcove in the back right corner, which is something that I've only personally encountered at one other Publix. It seems that this general expansion format was only used at three-or-so locations, which makes this trait especially odd.

The 55E is the Publix store design that comes to mind as having the dairy department in an alcove in the back right corner, which makes sense considering how that prototype was last used a year before this store was expanded. It seems like Publix took design traits from all of its then-active prototypes, thew them in a hat, and drew them out at random to expand many of these locations.

Turning around once more, we'll take a quick look over the grand aisle before continuing on. Notice how we can see a "Grab & Go" sign borrowed from Sienna hanging off in the distance.

St. Pete Beach Building Permits - #2000489 - August 2, 2020

That piece, along with the corresponding refrigerated case, a cake case, a new sub counter, a beer cooler, and a frozen meat cooler, was installed during the 2020 "refresh" remodel this store received.

Looking along the back wall of the store, we find a scene very similar to what we had at Publix #456 on Wilmington Island, with the main difference being that this old Wing Store isn't wide enough to accommodate a full deli department here.

Publix removed this store's original tray ceiling during the expansion, opting instead for a consistent acoustic ceiling across the entire space.

The main exception is the additional lightbox that was added over the front registers to mimic new stores from that period.

Is it just me, or is the ceiling grid reflective? Surely the whole store didn't get a mirrored ceiling during the expansion!

Turning our attention downward, we find the green and white terrazzo bands Publix was known for up until the 1980's. With this being the first 1960's Publix I had visited, I previously had not realized that the green bands were narrower in these older stores compared to what was installed during the 1970's.

The seafood counter was particularly interesting due to its unique architectural soffit. The two other stores I know of that used similar expansion plans also featured special soffits over service counters; however, the fixtures weren't flared like the ones here. My only guess is that the flare is due to the store's low ceiling height – just look at how the aisle markers are crammed up next to it.

I also know that these soffits once featured some type of signage or banner on them. Thanks to the 1993 electrical as-built drawings, I can see that a row of track spotlights once flanked the two visible sides of each triangle, indicating that something on them was designed to be showcased.

Across from the seafood counter was a wide selection of drinks, both hard and soft, accented by an open-topped meat case and the cleaning supplies aisles.

That meat freezer was installed during the 2020 refresh and filled the role several old bunker units that used to divide the rear aisle. Publix also seized this opportunity to extend aisles 1 through 10 several feet toward the back of the store, as they previously ended where the terrazzo stopped.

I always love seeing the convergence of the chevron tile bands in the center of the store directing customers toward the meat counter. Aisle 7 happened to be the lucky aisle in this store, complete with paper products and pet supplies.

Aisle 8 gives us a slightly better view of the seafood counter and those strange ceiling accents. I wonder why Publix decided to rotate the department sign 180 degrees during the 2014 remodel.

Such a small store leads to a bunch of odd product combinations: tiki torch fluid paired with floor cleaners, frozen turkeys, sushi, and wine. I guess you have several of the key ingredients for a luau!

Here we can get a better idea of how far Publix extended these aisles toward the back wall based on where the flooring transition occurs.

Heading toward the produce corner, I want to highlight one of the Yelp reviews that stood out to me. A man named Neil G. wrote, "While the store is clean and staff is friendly, it's like walking into a 1950s grocery store. Why is the produce hidden in the back?"

I can't say that Neil was too far off, considering how this store opened in 1967. Is it that obvious that this store opened so long ago? I know that the ceiling tiles and floor tiles don't match, the layout is strange, and the store is small, but the same can be said about a Publix from the 1990's.

Since the store is so small, the left side consisted of several half-length aisles of frozen and refrigerated items to complement the taller-than-normal produce displays.

It may be small, but the produce department seemed to have everything you'd need (especially if you are just staying in a beach condo for a week). The fact that Publix would likely only replace this 33,700 sq ft store with a 28M is probably a big reason why it has survived unchanged for this long – that, along with reports that this store's reconstruction plans have time and again been protested by local residents who don't want change in their backyards.

The Tampa Bay Times (Newspapers.com) - January 24, 2007

I know that the Albertsons Florida Blogger will have much more to share on this topic in his post, but I'd be remiss if I didn't at least point out how heated tensions became over redeveloping Dolphin Village between 2006 and 2008. Angry residents claim that the plan to build condos on the site was just a money grab by developers and that a regular shopping center should just be built if any changes are made to the site.

Do you know what else is a money grab? Publix charging 70¢ for a pound of bananas! I remember being surprised by how much my roll of paper towels was when I checked out, but then again, this store does serve a captive audience.

All things considered, this banana price is only a few cents more than the closest Kroger's price at 65¢/lb. in 2025, so I guess it isn't completely outrageous. I've also known for a long time that Publix' prices in Florida are noticeably higher than they are in other regions.

Marching toward the front, we find that frozen foods take up the remainder of aisle 12 while wrapping around into a small alcove.

From this angle, the alcove strongly resembles the bakery alcove of a 40N store with ice cream freezers serving as the barrier to the checkout lines.

You've probably noticed this by now, but the stripped terrazzo floors were confined between aisles 2 and 9 (the latter shown above). It initially perplexed me why a significantly smaller subsection of the sales space had the circa 1967 flooring in 2022 when compared to the original footprint of the store.

It wasn't until I was writing this post that it clicked. As shown by the 2020 remodel photo I included above, substantial trenching is required when refrigerated cases are re-positioned throughout the store. In addition to that, trenching is also needed to run electrical and data lines to the cash registers since Publix opted for the faux skylight overhead instead of the white trellis that was used to obscure cable drops.

I then realized that everything requiring trenching was positioned outside of the remaining terrazzo pad which would explain why there was vinyl tile around the perimeter of the store. The original Wing Store was also roughly 9 aisles wide, with frozen foods occupying aisle 9 on the edge of the store.

With that mystery solved, let's look for a postcard to memorialize our trip to St. Pete Beach. You know that you are in a tourist trap when you see tchotchkes like this for sale at a supermarket!

Courtesy of Joseph L (Yelp) - May 6, 2021

Directly behind the "Sun Gear" was a set of six self-checkout machines that I neglected to photograph. The machines seem to have been added just before this photo was taken in 2021 (when they still accepted cash); however, . . .

Courtesy Geo Fractal (Google Maps) - June 11, 2022

. . . I'm confused as to why Publix didn't replace the checkout cubes at the same time. What is even more perplexing is that this store eventually got the late-Sienna variant of replacement cubes rather than the Evergreen style. I suppose they were just an afterthought.

It wasn't an afterthought that I hopped into a conventional register line to purchase my paper towel roll because I prefer interacting with a person (and providing justification for somebody's job) over dealing with a computer. I also think I wanted to try and get a photo of the customer service counter.

The latter goal wasn't quite accomplished, but I did manage to get a shot of the magazine nook in the front of the store, along with the adjacent cash register. Are you supposed to browse through the magazines when you first walk in? This reminds me of how Publix #1010 had the greeting cards in a similar spot.

Courtesy of Joseph L (Yelp) - May 6, 2021

Heading out the opposite vestibule, we find that the Sun Gear department spilled into this space due to lack of a better option. Also, notice how the floor tile had a subtle diamond pattern in the middle.

Well folks, that is all I have to say about the good 'ole Publix #139. Like I mentioned before, I will be curious to see if it manages to rise from the ashes or if Publix decides to cut its losses and (finally) build a new supermarket here. Since this one of only eight remaining stores that opened before 1970 and the only one outside of the Miami metro, I hope that Publix is able to rehab the space and continue on for years to come. After all, I'm sure the local residents are also anxious to have their Publix back considering how Winn-Dixie closed the former Kash 'n Karry store up the road in 2018.

I hope you enjoyed the story, and make sure to check out this week's companion post over on The Albertsons Florida Blog to learn more about this historic Publix and see a different perspective of the space.

Until next time,

- The Sing Oil Blogger

P.S. I hope that you enjoyed this week's post! Just keep in mind that if you intend to plagiarize any portion of this piece: I am watching. I have the benefit of knowing when my work is published; therefore, I have already made archival copies of the work of any potential perpetrators to be used as evidence of wrongdoing. I will also note that I did not read these resources while working on this piece as to not bias any of my own hard work.