ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg City Council members are expected to cast their first votes Thursday on the future of the Rays ballpark and surrounding Gas Plant District redevelopment.
The meeting, which begins at 4 p.m. at St. Pete City Hall, is scheduled to include a formal first reading and public hearing on the rezoning of the property surrounding the current Tropicana Field and whether the project is the right fit for the city.
What You Need To Know
- St. Petersburg City Council members spoke Wednesday about their concerns and questions on the Gas Plant redevelopment and new Rays stadium
- NEW: Stadium Related Agreement that was presented to City Council (PDF)
- A final vote by council members on the potential redevelopment is set for July 11
- BACKGROUND: Tropicana Field redevelopment stories
- PREVIOUS STORY: 'Major League Baseball is here to stay': Rays announce new stadium
- BY THE NUMBERS: Project details, ballpark plans on MLB's website
- PDF: Hines + Tampa Bay Rays Stadium Presentation
- PDF: Q&A For the Historic Gas Plant District
While Thursday’s scheduled vote will not dictate the future of the development plans, it will be the first time each city council member will publicly state their stance and decide if they are in favor of the Rays-Hines proposal.
As of Thursday morning, the final vote will take place July 11.
Thursday’s city council meeting comes on the heels of a more than six-hour workshop that took place Wednesday between city council members, administrators and representatives from the Tampa Bay Rays.
City council members Richie Floyd and Lisset Hanewicz questioned the financials of the city’s part of the plan and if the economic investment would ultimately be worth it.
“If someone from the administration could speak to how the academic consensus is that stadium projects don’t return the promised benefit, and what makes us think this project will defy that?” Floyd said during the discussion. “Especially given — according to the county’s economic impact report — this stadium subsidy is the largest in MLB history.”
City Administrator Robert Gerdes and St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch responded by openly supporting the deal and stating it's about more than solely the ballpark.
“So whether the stadium itself is a catalyst for economic development? We believe it a catalyst for the redevelopment of the whole site,” Gerdes responded to Floyd. “I seriously doubt we’re going to get a 5-star hotel with a conference center without the baseball team. The Omni would have never built the hotel at Truist without the Braves. I don’t think we’re going to get an African American history museum without the Rays, and I doubt we get a music venue.”
“The history of the stadium and the fact that it’s the anchor that supports the other 60 acres,” Mayor Welch added. “So it’s not just the stadium. This is all about balance.”
Thursday’s meeting will be live streamed on the City of St. Pete’s website.