Doc Ford's Named 1st New Eatery At St. Pete Pier

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – A Florida fishing guide turned crime novelist and restaurateur has been selected to open the first major eatery in long-awaited St. Pete Pier District currently under construction.

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman announced Friday, Jan. 5, that Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille will be the featured restaurant in the Pelican Lot section of the project when the new St. Pete Pier District is completed in 2019.

Kriseman said the success of Doc Ford’s three restaurants on Sanibel and Captiva islands and Ft. Myers Beach along with the popularity of the Doc Ford novels was a major reason for selecting it to become part of the new pier. The restaurants are named for the main character in Randy Wayne White's 24 best-selling mystery books about a marine biologist and ex-CIA agent who lives and works on Florida's west coast.

Kriseman said market research shows the Florida-themed restaurant based on White’s novels appeal to both Floridians and visitors.

In addition, said Kriseman, the HM Restaurant Group LLC, which manages the Doc Ford’s restaurants has a strong history of community involvement and charitable giving, and the group has committed to continuing that tradition in St. Petersburg.

"I am also excited about the opportunity to link ‘Doc Ford,’ a marine biologist, to the Pier's education center and wet classroom,” he said. “I am confident that a Doc Ford's at the St. Pete Pier will further elevate and diversify St. Pete's restaurant scene and provide our downtown with family-friendly dining."

Located on the water, the restaurant will have 8,000 to 9,000 square of indoor dining space and 1,500 to 2,000 square feet of outdoor dining space.

In addition to featuring a raw bar, Doc Ford’s serves a variety of Florida fish dishes including panko-crusted grouper, banana leaf snapper, deep-water mahi mahi and Captiva-style crab cakes accompanied by live music from local artists.

Kriseman also praised the management group for Doc Ford's restaurants, the HM Restaurant Group LLC, for its history of community involvement and charitable giving. He said the restaurant group has committed to continue that tradition in St. Petersburg.

Tenant selections for the Pier head and remainder of the Pier District will continue throughout 2018.

Construction of the 26-acre pier project began last summer. The new pier will be divided into three sections: the Pier Head, Pier Plaza and Pelican Lot.

The Pier Head will feature a 6,920-square-foot main restaurant, 5,388 square feet of roof deck restaurant seating, a 792-square-foot patio-level café and 2,853 square feet of outdoor seating.

Pier Plaza will have a 740-square-foot pavilion café and a 2,130-square-foot covered area.

When completed, The Pier District will include a pedestrian tram, fishing deck and bait shop, lawn bowling, courtesy boat slips, pedestrian stroll, education center and event plaza. An estimated 1.7 million annual visitors are expected to visit the venue.

For more information, visit The Pier District website.

Photo via City of St. Petersburg