Thrive
City leaders react to Rays pulling plug on stadium deal
Reactions were swift Thursday to Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg’s announcement that he would not move forward with plans to build a new $1.37 billion stadium in downtown St. Petersburg.
In a prepared statement, Mayor Ken Welch called Sternberg’s decision a “major disappointment.” However, he said it was “not unexpected.”
He also pledged that the news, disheartening to fans and city stakeholders, does not conclude the Historic Gas Plant District’s (HGPD) story. The Rays and development partner Hines will no longer transform the area surrounding Tropicana Field, once home to thousands of Black residents, into a vibrant mixed-use district.
“The city will continue to pursue all avenues that will help us deliver on our ultimate goal: utilizing the HGPD property to benefit the community and fulfilling the 40-year-old promises of economic development and opportunity made to the African American community in St. Petersburg, as well as the community priorities identified through the current development process, which began in 2022,” Welch wrote.
“After decades of waiting, this sacred land will again bear the fruit of housing, jobs and beneficial community development. We look forward to working with our city council and the community on the next phase of this important journey.”
Welch said he would consider partnering with a new team owner – provided they prove a commitment to honoring previously established agreements and city priorities- to keep baseball in St. Petersburg. However, he will not let that dictate a new path forward.
In a recent interview, Sternberg declined to comment on rumors surrounding a potential sale.
A new Tampa Rays Stadium (left) would have anchored the Historic Gas Plant District’s $6.7 billion redevelopment. Rendering provided.
Council Chair Copley Gerdes, a vocal proponent of the long-negotiated deal, told the Catalyst that he is “obviously disappointed.” He sympathizes with the Gas Plant descendants and the 30,000 people who could have worked on the $6.7 billion generational project.
“But I still firmly believe St. Petersburg is a major league city,” Gerdes added. “We’re going to continue to be a major league city, and I think the future is still immensely bright for the City of St. Pete.
“It continues to be my hope and vision that Major League Baseball is in St. Petersburg to stay.”
He clarified that he wants the Rays in the Sunshine City, whether with the current ownership or a “hypothetical” new group. Gerdes also said he “wouldn’t do anything differently.”
“I’m so honored to work with or around people who have just this deep sense of care and responsibility for the future of St. Petersburg,” he continued. “They have spent countless hours on this vision, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”
Councilmember Richie Floyd, who opposed subsidizing the new stadium, said it was “frustrating to have had so much time wasted by an unwilling partner.” He also remains optimistic for the city’s future, “especially since we no longer have to spend half a billion dollars of public funds on a stadium.”
Councilmember Deborah Figg-Sanders called Sternberg’s decision unfortunate, “especially for the loyal baseball fans that have supported the Rays over the years.” She stressed the importance of a $50 million community benefits package that would have provided much-needed affordable and workforce housing, provided thousands of jobs for disadvantaged workers and included $10 million to build a new Woodson African American Museum of Florida.
Figgs-Sanders acknowledged that the Rays are reeling from Hurricane Milton and subsequent delays. She also noted that many residents – with fewer resources – have suffered and “would have still been loyal to the team.”
“I wish them well,” Figgs-Sanders said of the team. “But I am hoping they considered the constituents … The deal wasn’t just about baseball, it wasn’t just about them (the Rays).”
She respects Sternberg’s business decision. Figgs-Sanders also pledged that city officials would give the redevelopment “our best shot. We’re resilient.”
“We can repurpose that facility,” she said of Tropicana Field. “We have shown we can sell that location out with WWE and other events we’ve had. We don’t have a large entertainment venue here in the City of St. Petersburg – we need one.
“So yes, I am optimistic. I always have been.”
S
March 14, 2025at4:21 pm
St. Petersburg Dodged a Bullet—Now Let’s Make Sure It Never Comes Back
By the grace of God, this stadium deal has failed, and if we’re truly blessed, it will never come back. The only way to prevent this kind of disaster in the future is to clean house at City Hall and get rid of everyone responsible for this reckless, unconstitutional mess.
Mayor Welch’s leadership has been a train wreck—from the $75 million insurance debacle at the stadium, to the flooding disaster in August 2024, to the library remodel that somehow “forgot” about asbestos and doubled in cost, to allowing downtown parks to become homeless encampments in violation of state law.
Then there’s the real reason this stadium project was pushed so aggressively: Welch’s obsession with race-based “equity” policies. Instead of negotiating a real economic deal that benefits everyone, he tried to push through a racially motivated redistribution scheme under the cover of bureaucratic word salad like “equitable development.”
Let’s be clear—government benefits and policies cannot be based on race, period. That’s illegal under Florida law, unconstitutional under the U.S. Constitution, and a complete insult to taxpayers.
• Florida Constitution (Article I, Section 2) – Equal Protection Under the Law:
https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Constitution#A1S02
• U.S. Constitution (14th Amendment – Equal Protection Clause):
https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxiv
This entire ordeal was never about economic growth—it was about handouts based on identity politics. And when politicians start using nonsense phrases like “internal equitable development plans that lack grandiosity,” everyone should stop and ask: What the hell is actually going on here?
Thankfully, the deal has collapsed—but the fight isn’t over. If we truly want to save St. Petersburg, we need to clean house at City Hall and vote out every single person who allowed this disaster to happen.
Christopher
March 14, 2025at3:43 pm
I love the revisionist history. The Gas Plant district was two steps above a sewage dump. Literally, there were rats the size of house cats and crime was rampant. Now it’s “sacred land”. Give me a break.
Sam Damian
March 14, 2025at5:40 am
I am so sick about hearing about the “gaslight district” b.s. I grew up around that area before the stadium was built and simply put, it was a cesspool of prostitution,drugs,crime and homelessness. My mother worked at a small clothing alterations place right on 1st Ave South and 22nd Street and they would have to lock the doors during business hours because of the fear of getting robbed by the local gaslight community. The stadium was the best thing to ever happen to that area and now we’re just going to hand it back?
I feel sorry for any business that has opened up in that area especially Ferg’s.
Nothing like handing back the keys to the inmates of the asylum.
This is BS.
George
March 14, 2025at3:23 am
Pennyless County. Always jealous of Tampa full of out of blind politicians.Grow up. Do math. Quit pushing things down the road. Historic district….please, wasn’t ever squat.
Tom Tito
March 13, 2025at7:45 pm
Councilmember Deborah Figg-Sanders “stressed the importance of a $50 million community benefits package”. If these meager benefits were important to city council they could have paid for them with proceeds from selling land instead of giving $2B in cash, discounted land, tax breaks and an interest free loan for decades.
S. Rose Smith-Hayes
March 13, 2025at7:32 pm
I guess I was looking beyond trying to see how it would look. I could imagine folk coming to watch a game and enjoying how well the surrounding area looked. The jobs, the housing, the parking garages, the African American Museum, the shops, restaurants etc. The area itself would be a tourist attraction. I am a descendant of the Gas Plant area. I had 4 different addresses in that area. I loved the neighborhood. I enjoyed the James Weldon Johnson Library, the Harlem theater, Katz Grocery Campbell Park and the community family feeling. Freedom to walk where ever one wanted to go.Oh well.
monah
March 13, 2025at5:10 pm
Plenty of people didn’t like Kriseman’s deal either. We just want the Rays gone!
Lance Olson
March 13, 2025at4:10 pm
Perhaps we might revisit the plans for GPD so carefully crafted through a thorough public process by Kriseman’s development staff. Those plans included most of the same features including an optional stadium and offered a more inclusive ownership structure- less likely to be disrailed.
Raphael
March 13, 2025at2:42 pm
Lets see what we saved
The land is worth 15M per acre or close to 1Billion(check comps in Edge District)
400M in forgiven property taxes for the new stadium
300M in subsidy for a new stadium when the one we have has worked just fine
150M in savings on recreating the grid for free for hines and rays
GRAND TOTAL OF 1.85 billion saved for St Pete
We could buy the team twice over for what we saved.
Montinari should never have signed this deal but he was so gobsmacked with the Baseball execs giving him the time of day. The rest of the useless five votes that did this should be thanking their lucky stars that oyr voter base cant add for the most part. This deal was so bad , it smelled worse than the 10 gazillion gallons of sewage kriseman dumped in the bay.
Alan DeLisle
March 13, 2025at1:41 pm
Terrible deals fail. Good deals survive. The taxpayers were lucky to be saved by some strong County Commissioners and Mother Nature. Welch and the five sold out Council members negotiated the worst stadium/development deal in the history of MLB. They are lucky they had a selfish, greedy partner that never has had the fortitude to see anything through. Now that’s a “Home Run.”