Abby Baker
Abby Baker contributed to this article.
Whatever happened to 5145 Gulfport Blvd. after Smokin’ J’s closed? At the time of closure, Smokin J’s owner John Reisebeck didn’t want to announce the seller because things weren’t finalized yet. Although he did say that he was negotiating with a developer after an earlier sale of the BBQ joint fell through.
According to the Pinellas County Property Appraiser Office’s website, the 4,791-square-foot building sold for $480,000 on July 29, 2022. PCPAO lists the new owner as 5145 Gulfport LLC.
5145 Gulfport LLC consists of Astoria, New York residents Abdelmonem Agag and Abdulrahman Ghalwash along with St. Petersburg resident Morad Mekhail. Mekhail and Agag own St. Pete-based Mekail & Agag Realty Corp. Public records show that another realty company by the same name is registered in Queens.
Thus far, The Gabber’s been unable to contact Mekhail to discover what his plans for 5145 Gulfport Blvd. S.; when The Gabber called the Queens-based company, the person on the phone hung up when we identified ourselves.
