Rays thank supporters ahead of historic vote

Approval of an ambitious plan to keep the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg for at least 30 more years is far from certain. However, the team’s leadership wanted to thank supporters for getting them to this point.

The Rays hosted a “Here to Stay” event Wednesday at Tropicana Field, a day before the city council votes on 12 agreements related to the Historic Gas Plant District’s $6.7 billion redevelopment. A new $1.37 billion ballpark will anchor the generational project, and five of eight council members must decide if the associated benefits outweigh the discounted land sale and $287.5 million capped public subsidy.

Myriad community supporters, several former Gas Plant residents and descendants packed into the Baldwin Group Club to hear team officials repeatedly express their gratitude. Rays owner Stuart Sternberg began the presentation by acknowledging a “number of missteps” when pursuing a new stadium over the past two decades.

“Things change in life; things change around markets, and they change in baseball,” Sternberg said. “But we’ve always been clear – we wanted to be here. We want to be here to stay.”

Mayor Ken Welch selected the Rays and Hines development team to reimagine the Gas Plant in January 2023. Sternberg called it “extraordinary” to reach the precipice of a historic vote. The Pinellas County Commission must also approve dedicating $312.5 million in tourism development taxes to stadium construction.

Sternberg noted the uncertainty for team employees over the past two years. He thanked everyone who wrote editorials and supportive letters and said he never imagined that various groups – from the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce to the local NAACP chapter – would coalesce around the team’s proposal.

Sternberg believes the “tent will only get much larger” if the proposal garners approval. He also encouraged attendees to help convert those who oppose the deal.

“They don’t have to be ‘rah-rah’ supporters,” Sternberg added. “But if they can at least take a step back and accept what we’re trying to do and be a part of it and feel rewarded … that would go a long way.”

He and other stakeholders elaborated that the 30-year endeavor will need a regional talent pipeline. Chamber president Chris Steinocher noted that the organization has supported baseball in St. Petersburg for 114 years and highlighted the project’s economic opportunities.

Steinocher believes that other cities “would love to know where their jobs are going to go.” He said the partnerships formed to support the redevelopment would ensure St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay’s national prominence.

The project provides economic certainty, said Steinocher, who urged parents to steer their kids towards construction-related careers. “We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

“We don’t do this for the Chamber of Commerce,” Steinocher added. “We don’t do this for the Rays. We do this for my family and your family.”

Oretha Pope Jr., chair of the NAACP’s economic development committee, credited the team for providing millions of dollars in grants and scholarships. She also stressed that its current owner champions diversity and inclusion.

“Let’s be clear, the Devil Rays were a different organization,” Pope said. “And I’m telling you, the ‘devil’ isn’t in it anymore.”

Gwendolyn Reese, president of the African American Heritage Association and a former Gas Plant resident, joined the development team to ensure the site’s history features prominently in the new iteration. She said the project is not about previously broken promises.

Reese believes the community’s focus should be on opportunities that lie ahead. She noted that Black residents are not just participating in the redevelopment but helping to lay its framework.

Rays president Brian Auld presented a voluminous binder featuring letters of support. He called the community’s response “almost overwhelming.”

Rays’ presidents Matt Silverman (left) and Brian Auld. After the event, Silverman said he expects to host Major League Baseball’s All-Star Week if the project receives approval.

Auld said that regardless of the impending outcome, the team wanted everyone in the room and region to “know how sincerely grateful we are for everything that has gotten us to this point.” While he acknowledged an “extraordinary number of ups and downs,” Auld said after the meeting, “At no point did I ever think the Rays wouldn’t be in Tampa Bay forever.”

“That’s not to say I didn’t have some concerns or fears – and I still do,” he added. “You can tell from the vibes in that room that so many people are depending on this and believe in us, and we want to live up to their standards and be worthy of the trust they put into us.”

Rays president Matt Silverman told the Catalyst team officials and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred have discussed hosting All-Star Week festivities in St. Petersburg. He said that goes “part and parcel with building a new facility” and having a shiny new ballpark for the league to “show off.”

“That’s our expectation,” he added.