ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch will deliver his State of the City address Tuesday morning.
This is a chance for the mayor to share updates on the city with the public and there are a few topics people will be listening for, like hurricane recovery and the ongoing talks with the Tampa Bay Rays about their new ballpark.
What You Need To Know
- St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch will deliver his State of the City address Tuesday morning
- Welch will speak from the Palladium Theater, beginning at 10 a.m.
- WATCH LIVE COVERAGE beginning at 10 a.m. on Bay News 9
Welch will speak from the Palladium Theater, beginning at 10 a.m.
At last week’s State of the Bay address, Welch highlighted St. Pete’s climate action initiatives, such as investments in stormwater infrastructure and sustainability programs.
Welch has said, however, that the city is behind due to the unprecedented severity of recent storms.
Meanwhile, regarding the Rays, the mayor has said he’s optimistic about finalizing the deal with the team and the stadium and gas plant development going forward.
“We’ve never been this close,” Welch said, regarding the deal. “We’ve got all the local funding on board, we’ve got the 12 agreements signed, we have the agreements the Rays signed in hindsight five months ago to move forward. I’m hopeful that can happen.”
Welch added the city still has a responsibility to repair Tropicana Field and provide the Rays a place to play for the next couple of seasons.
The next big milestone in the talks for a new stadium is on March 31, when the team has to show they’ve met the requirements to unlock funding for the project.