Bayfront Health, Johns Hopkins All Children’s offer $1 million to put their names on St. Pete Pier venues

Two St. Petersburg hospitals want to make a combined $1 million payment to the city in return for naming rights to parts of the St. Pete Pier.

Visitors would be able to relax on the Bayfront Health Tilted Lawn and travel the length of the Pier on the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Tram if the City Council approves two proposed ordinances this month.

The city has been marketing naming rights opportunities for selected areas of the St. Pete Pier District to help offset future operating costs. In October, the City Council approved a 30-year agreement with the Glazer Vision Foundation, which made a $1.5 million donation to the city in return for naming rights for what is now the Glazer Family Pier playground.

In one of the most recent proposals, Bayfront Health St. Petersburg would pay $750,000 over five years for naming rights to the Tilted Lawn, an expansive, grassy surface for lounging, socializing and enjoying views of the St. Petersburg waterfront and skyline. A single sign identifying the space would be located near the northwest corner of the Tilted Lawn, a memo to the City Council said. Bayfront would be entitled to a right of first refusal for certain naming rights, and the city could not provide any naming rights to another hospital that would include or overlap the Tilted Lawn, the memo said.

The Tilted Lawn at the St. Pete Pier.

Bayfront, a 480-bed tertiary care center, was acquired last year by Orlando Health. The naming rights purchase is designed to demonstrate continuing support of and commitment to the city and its residents, the memo said.

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital would pay $250,000 over five years for naming rights for the dedicated tram system, which consists of multiple open-air vehicles that traverse the Pier District from east to west, stopping at fixed locations with signage at each end of the District and at least one point in the middle. The agreement calls for a sign on each tram and each tram stop. The city would maintain operational control of the tram system.

A tram at the St. Pete Pier

Johns Hopkins All Children’s, a 259-bed pediatric hospital, wants to buy the naming rights because the Pier District is a healthy destination for youth, and the tram system serves the transportation needs of those youth and serves as an attraction for them, the memo said.

The City Council will begin the process of awarding the naming rights at the May 13 meeting during a first reading of both ordinances. The public will have a chance to comment on the proposals a week later, on May 20.