Thrive
Mayor sheds light on projects to watch in 2025
The saga surrounding a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium overshadowed other prominent city-led projects in St. Petersburg in 2024. That should change in the new year.
While a storm-damaged Tropicana Field’s future will likely dominate discourse again in 2025, Mayor Ken Welch expects significant progress on city-owned facilities undergoing repairs, renovations and awaiting redevelopment. Those include the Manhattan Casino, the Barack Obama Main Library and the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina.
Welch noted the city must begin rebuilding the Trop under its current usage agreement with the Rays. The city council agreed Dec. 12, and he said ongoing conversations with all parties, including Major League Baseball, have confirmed that is the best path forward.
“If we’re successful in doing that in a year, or slightly over a year, that gives the Rays a major league park to play in for the next two or three years,” Welch told the Catalyst. “Which is a major part of the revenue issue – not having a major league stadium to play in – and keeps them in St. Petersburg, rather than some of the other options I’ve heard about.”
He realizes that “no one wants to put money into an aging asset, like a car you were six months away from paying off.” However, Welch said someone in that scenario must still get to work after an accident, and insurance would cover the cost of repairs – minus the deductible.
“That’s where we are,” he continued. “In my mind, we’re well on the path to rebuilding it unless something changes dramatically, and we’ll have to deal with that if it happens.”
Pinellas County Commissioners authorized a bond sale Dec. 17 to finance their contribution to a new, $1.37 billion ballpark. The Rays maintain that delays caused a sizable construction funding gap.
Welch remains optimistic that “we are on a path to get things done” following recent conversations with team leadership. He prioritized providing the team a place to play in St. Petersburg in 2026 rather than breaking ground on a new stadium.
“If the new ballpark opens in 2028, or halfway through 2028, I think that all works out,” Welch added. “Again, this is a 30-year horizon, so the next logical step is making sure the Rays do what they need to do by March 31 (the bond sale’s deadline) so that everyone’s met their obligations.”
A rendering of the Barack Obama Main Library’s back patio, overlooking Lake Jorgensen. Image: City of St. Petersburg.
Barack Obama Main Library
The city will soon unveil a significantly renovated Main Library, renamed after President Barack Obama in early 2021, after nearly four years of construction delays and a ballooning budget. The $17 million project includes a “new” interior and exterior with original works from local artists.
Reconfigured spaces will offer science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) programming. The back patio, overlooking Lake Jorgensen, is being redesigned.
“We’re targeting the opening in the summer,” Welch said of the long-awaited project.
The Municipal Marina
Welch selected a developer to repair, reimagine and operate the 640-slip St. Petersburg Municipal Marina in January 2024. City officials first broached issues surrounding the downtown facility in 2017.
Administrators began negotiations with Safe Harbor Marinas in February 2024. The company’s $48 million proposal included a redeveloped Fresco’s Waterfront Bistro.
However, owner Dave Sokol and his nearly 100 employees remained in limbo after administrators removed the bayfront staple from Safe Harbor’s proposal. He submitted a separate plan and must compete with other restaurateurs.
The marina and Fresco’s suffered extensive damage during Hurricane Helene. Sokol said insurance would not cover the $50,000 in flooded equipment he replaced due to the restaurant’s proximity to the water.
He noted the bistro remained relatively unscathed from Milton but was still unsure of its long-term fate in October. “The marina should be going to council in March,” Welch said in a Dec. 20 interview.
A Safe Harbor Marinas rendering of a reimagined Fresco’s Waterfront Bistro as part of the St. Petersburg Municipal Pier’s redevelopment. Screengrab, city documents.
The Manhattan Casino
Welch and his administration began taking a fresh look at the Manhattan Casino’s future when the city’s lease expired with its former operators in November 2022. The Callaloo Group, in partnership with the Urban Collective, was the latest to assume control of the culturally iconic venue on 22nd Street South, known as the Deuces.
The consortium opened a food hall and event space inside the 12,000-square-foot facility in December 2021. The Manhattan, once a preferred destination for legendary musicians like Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong during the city’s Jim Crow era, has remained closed for over two years.
The project, which included replacing the embattled site’s HVAC system, encountered supply chain construction delays. In August 2023, following a series of community meetings, administrators said they planned to operate the facility as a city-run, affordable event space rather than leasing it to another third party.
“The Manhattan – I don’t have a date on that,” Welch said. “But we’re making good progress on that, as well. They just had another community meeting a couple of weeks ago on the Manhattan.
“So on all three of those, staff has been working diligently. We should see some major progress on those next year.”
The historic Manhattan Casino at 642 22nd St. S. File photo.
Hugh Hazeltine
January 5, 2025at1:01 pm
Safe Harbor Marinas (SHM) of Dallas,TX should not be confused with Safe Harbor Development (SHD) of Knoxville, TN that then Mayor Kriseman tried to have city council approve. Mayor Welch early in his administration tried as well to have a contract with SHD approved. But it was pulled from the agenda as it became apparent they would not achieve a supermajority vote of council (6 of 8) as is required by our city charter for leases on the waterfront.
Meanwhile SHM and SHD reached an undisclosed out of court agreement about their naming conventions. SHM will retain the right to call itself “Safe Harbor” while SHD was compensated for giving that up and now known as “Sun Life”.
Then the city asked again for offers to remake the marina. Two companies submitted proposals, Safe Harbor Marinas and Suntex Marinas. Both are by coincidence located in Dallas Texas.
Another feature of our city Charter is that a lease on the waterfront can only be approved for a maximum of five years by city council. A longer term than that would require voter approval via a referendum.
Suntex insisted upon a 50 year lease which effectively took them out of the running. Mayor Welch was the sole decider and chose Safe Harbor Marinas.
SHM owns and operates 139 marinas across the nation. They are not a marine building contractor but would hire out that work. SHM is a subsidiary of Sun Communities and is listed on the NYSE as ticker SUI and pay a dividend of 3.01%. They have a market cap of $15.9B and are classified as a REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust). They specialize in Marinas, RV Parks, 55+ Communities, and housing. They have properties in the US, Canada, and the UK with over 7000 employees. Sun Communities is headquartered in the American Center Building on the northwest side of Detroit, MI.
Hal Freedman
January 4, 2025at5:27 pm
What about the Municipal Services Building? What about the $5,000,000,000 in water /sewer treatment and flood control projects. This administration has a really awful sense of priorities!
HAL FREEDMAN
January 4, 2025at5:25 pm
What about the Municipal Services Building? What about the $5,000,000,000 in water /sewer treatment and flood control projects. This administration has a really awful sense of priorities!
VL Heraty
January 4, 2025at4:41 pm
Thanks for breaking the ice David. The Obama Library had been neglected and basically abandoned for years in favor of targeting hi-ticket locations like airports and harbors. Meanwhile all these hypothetical “supply chain” issues are handy excuses that no one’s buying anymore. When an administration neglects things prices go up then all these nickel and dime fees and delays add up to millions. I remember when Whittied Airport was in the crosshairs and the fortune spent on a trip to fact find. An expensive trip of about a dozen that was way too long when two competent city reps would have sufficed. all those airfares, hotel rooms and restaurants sure added up. It’s the administration that is wasting taxpayer money. Just think of all the funds spent on R/H to date while other St. Pete treasures, like the Obama Library, are left by the curb.
David
January 4, 2025at1:16 pm
So…. +2 years later and no progress on the Manhattan Casino. Millions spent on the “affordable” townhomes across the street and only now are they breaking ground. Who’s being held responsible?