An international accounting firm is moving to Clearwater's U.S. 19 corridor with about 35 employees and plans to add more.

KellyPartners+FRS will relocate from its longtime St. Petersburg office to a 7,840-square-foot space on the fifth floor of Bayside Center, 17757 U.S. 19 N., the St. Pete Catalyst first reported Oct. 6.

The firm provides accounting, tax planning, business valuation and succession-planning services, including work for McDonald's franchise owners nationwide. It expects to grow from roughly 35 employees to about 50 at the new location.

Firm plans room for about 50 employees

A building permit values the interior buildout at about $522,000, and partner Craig Kessler told the Catalyst the total investment will top $1 million once furniture and additional upgrades are included.

The landlord is providing a tenant-improvement allowance in the mid-$500,000 range, according to the Catalyst. KellyPartners+FRS is spending another $150,000 to $170,000 on materials and upgrades to match the company's office standards.

"There are a lot more clients coming our way," Kessler told the Catalyst. "So yeah, we'll need to expand."

The relocation follows Australian accounting company Kelly Partners' acquisition of a 51% stake in FRS, a St. Petersburg firm that had operated from 1301 66th St. N. for decades. The deal closed nearly two years ago.

Kessler told the Catalyst that modernizing the office was part of the acquisition agreement, but growing demand for the firm's McDonald's-related work accelerated the timeline.

McDonald's has been selling some company-owned restaurants to franchisees and opening new locations, which has brought more accounting clients to the firm, Kessler told the Catalyst.

Bayside Center offered better timing

The firm initially considered the Franklin Templeton complex but switched to Bayside Center when the timing lined up better.

Cushman & Wakefield lists Bayside Center as a six-story, Class A office building totaling about 168,000 square feet. The building was constructed in 1997.

Construction on the new office is expected to wrap up around Dec. 28, with employees moving in during early January 2027.

The new space is similar in size to the firm's current St. Petersburg office, but Kessler told the Catalyst an open layout will replace the individual offices that filled the old building, creating room for more employees.

St. Petersburg property goes up for sale

The move will also free up the firm's longtime 66th Street property. Retired former FRS partners own the building and listed it for sale after learning the firm planned to leave, according to the Catalyst.