ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Three Bay area mayors were the guests Tuesday for the Suncoast Tiger Bay's annual "State of the Bay.”

What You Need To Know

  •  'State of the Bay' was held Tuesday

  •  Mayors from Tampa, St. Pete, Clearwater took part

  •  Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch talked about the Rays

St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch, Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor talked about transportation, the housing crisis and, of course, the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Spectrum Bay News 9 interviewed Castor and Welch about the Rays, and how they keep the team from leveraging their cities against each other. 

"Well, it's a business and so that would probably be a significant strategic move for them to do or to take on the part of business,” Castor said. “But ultimately I think what we want is for the Rays to stay here in the Tampa Bay area. I would like them to be in Tampa. Mayor Welch would like them to be in St. Pete."

"We've got one option here,” Welch said. “One best option to put on the table and the Rays will either take that or not and if we don't make it, we certainly hope Tampa will be successful. But that's been our position for years now and it has been a great relationship. And I don't believe that they're leveraging because our offer will be our offer period."

Castor says Tampa is putting its best foot forward with the Rays proposal and acknowledges that St. Pete is doing the same.

"We've identified a location as well that we feel is viable and it's up to the Rays to make a decision on that,” she said.

Welch added: "I'm really happy with the four proposals that we have. They're really strong. A couple are exceptionally strong, and as you know tomorrow night we have an open house here, the public can come out and listen to proposals from those four teams."