UPDATE: In a 5-2 vote, Pinellas County Commissioners have agreed to help fund a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays.
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PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The last and final vote regarding a new St. Pete ballpark for the Tampa Bay Rays is scheduled for Tuesday.
In order to make the plans for a new stadium and redevelopment of the adjacent Historic Gas Plant District a reality, four of seven county commissioners must vote in favor of the deal. Pinellas County is being asked to contribute just shy of $313 million in bed tax, or tourist tax, dollars to the stadium.
During a workshop session last week among county commissioners, county and city staff, and St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch, a couple of county commissioners expressed concerns about the plans.
District 4 Commissioner Dave Eggers brought up questions over how the Rays stadium deal could affect future beach renourishment projects.
“How vulnerable does this leave us in the event of something that’s not normal from a beach renourishment standpoint?” he said. “I’m talking about storm generated or emergencies that come up.”
He also expressed concerns over the city selling the land below appraised value and what would happen should Rays ownership change hands. Eggers told commissioners if he felt rushed to vote on Tuesday, he would be a "no" vote.
“I don’t want to be rushed. I don’t think we need to be rushed… this is our time to make sure that we are clear about what the ramifications of what the stadium deal are,” he said.
Following the workshop, Welch said he felt county commissioners voicing their concerns is all part of the process and he remained confident the vote would pass.
“We’re shooting for a unanimous vote because this makes so much sense for our county and our city moving forward… in terms of economic benefit and keeping the Rays here,” he said.
The Pinellas County commission meeting is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. in the Palm Room located at 333 Chestnut Street in Clearwater.
A public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Residents who want their voices heard ahead of the final vote will have the opportunity to speak during the public comment session.
To follow along in real time, the county meeting will be broadcast on Spectrum Channel 637.
It also will be streamed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCakmugpSeqsZbfF5P5P90Dg and on the Pinellas County website at https://pinellas.gov/live-webcast-meetings/.