St. Petersburg's record-setting Realtor urges buyers not to "miss the boat."

Frank Malowany grew up on the beaches of New Jersey, spending summer days of his youth at boardwalk venues such as Asbury Park's famed Stone Pony, listening to Bruce Springsteen and other bands prior to the ascents to stardom.

It's not unlike what he is seeing now in the St. Petersburg area - another rise to prominence. Real estate is the venue in this case, but the song remains the same Down the shore everything's all right.

In May, Malowany was at the center of a record sale for Tampa Bay in which a nearly 13,000-square-foot Belleair Bluffs mansion sold for $10.25 million, topping the previous high of $7.8 million in 2001. Also in May, the area's Caladesi Island State Park was named America's best beach by a college professor that publishes an annual ranking. A beach on Hawaii was No. 2.

"St. Petersburg wasn't a big destination place, unlike Naples or West Palm Beach," Malowany says. "We're in a growth process right now. A few years ago, we had two 30-story buildings go in with million-dollar-plus condos and retail and beautiful restaurants. That really was the beginning of a renaissance that's continuing with other projects and has attracted additional interests from buyers outside the area."