Concierge Medicine Near Ovation, Beach Drive, St. Petersburg

Ovation stands at 180 Beach Drive NE, at the corner of 2nd Avenue NE, on the stretch of Beach Drive that faces downtown’s northern waterfront parks. JMC Communities, led by Mike Cheezem, developed it as the company’s twelfth condominium community in Pinellas County. Ground was broken in February 2007, and the building received its certificate of occupancy on August 21, 2009. At about 27 stories, it holds 45 residences: two homes on most floors, four full-floor penthouses, and three city homes at the base.

The Colonial Inn, and a low front

Before Ovation, the corner held the Colonial Inn, an early 20th-century hotel built by E.H. Lewis and styled after a Southern plantation house. During World War II it was leased to the Army as part of a basic training center. It was demolished in 2006 to make way for the new building.

The plans described in 2006 kept the Beach Drive side of the block low, about three stories with the pool and gardens on top, and set the tower toward the back of the block, a choice meant to preserve views for neighboring buildings, including JMC’s own Florencia next door.

A short walk to the bayfront

From Ovation’s corner, the parks and the Pier are close. By OpenStreetMap walking routes, it’s about:

• 0.15 miles to the Museum of Fine Arts at 255 Beach Drive NE
• 0.25 miles to North Straub Park
• 0.25 miles to the approach to the St. Pete Pier along 2nd Avenue NE
• 0.35 miles to Williams Park

From Beach Drive to the office

The AnswersMD St. Petersburg office is at 1201 5th Ave N, Suite 408, St. Petersburg, FL 33705, on the St. Anthony’s Hospital campus west of downtown. The route goes up 1st Street North and out 4th and 5th Avenues North, about 1.4 miles by road. Every visit is scheduled, so you’re expected when you arrive.

Meet Dr. Ellen Howard

At the St. Petersburg office, members are cared for by Dr. Ellen Howard, MD, MPH. She completed her family medicine residency in St. Petersburg, is board-certified in family medicine, and holds a master’s degree in public health, and she returned to St. Petersburg to practice. Her clinical interests (hormone therapy, medical weight management, and prevention) are the kind of long-view medicine that benefits from a physician who knows you over years.

Founder Douglas Shapiro, DO, brought Dr. Howard onto the AnswersMD team of physicians who share a commitment to personal, unhurried primary care.

The membership, briefly

The St. Petersburg office sees patients age 6 and up, and families can join together.

• Your physician, directly: cell access for calls and texts, and a practice members can reach 24/7
• Quick appointments: same day or next day when something can’t wait
• Unrushed time: visits last as long as you need, because the panel is small
• Care from afar: video visits when you’re traveling or at another home
• Prevention: executive physicals and advanced early-detection testing chosen with your physician
• Specialists: referrals arranged, with your physician following up

House calls are available on a case-by-case basis.

Ovation and Florencia are named here only as geographic reference points. AnswersMD is an independent medical practice and is not affiliated with Ovation or Florencia.

Visit before you decide

If you’d like to see the practice before choosing it, call 813-333-8888 for a complimentary meet & greet and office tour. Allison, the practice’s AI phone assistant, answers the phone, can answer questions, and will schedule the visit. You can also start at AnswersMD.com.

Dr. Howard is welcoming new members from Beach Drive and the Old Northeast edge of downtown.