St. Pete mayor dishes on Rays, resilience at luncheon

A sold-out crowd heard Mayor Ken Welch discuss two topics Wednesday – recent hurricanes and the ongoing Tampa Bay Rays saga.

Welch did not disappoint at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg luncheon, hosted by the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership. CEO Jason Mathis began the event by noting most of the questions posed by attendees during registration coalesced around those two subjects.

Welch stressed the importance of local government and private stakeholders working together to “meet unprecedented challenges – and to do it in the St. Pete way.” He said the decisions collectively made now will impact the city’s progress for decades.

“So, now is the time to have what will sometimes be difficult conversations, especially in areas that have recurring losses,” Welch said. “I’ve cut our millage rate every year I’ve been in office. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to do it again because we need to invest more in our infrastructure than we planned to.”

He noted the city has $740 million in planned stormwater-related projects over the next five years. Welch said officials are doing “everything we can” to secure state and federal grants.

Pinellas County’s one-cent sales tax could also provide additional funding. Welch believes the new Penny for Pinellas funding round should include an allocation for environmental resiliency and has discussed the proposal with commissioners.

He stated that St. Petersburg has the leadership, partnerships and vision to overcome recent challenges. “This is our time, our purpose and our opportunity to do great and difficult things for our community,” Welch said.

“And I look forward to the work.”

The Historic Gas Plant

A new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark would anchor the Historic Gas Plant’s redevelopment at the current Tropicana Field site. Welch reiterated that the generational project would bring thousands of jobs, Class A office space, inclusive economic development opportunities and $50 million in negotiated community benefits to downtown St. Petersburg.

Commissioners will consider approving a financing mechanism for their $312.5 million contribution Dec. 17. Welch believes the county is close to advancing previously approved agreements, despite recent delays, increasing costs. And drama.

“I think we’re getting closer to having that majority who understands that 30-year impact of moving forward and not backward, of not losing our Major League Baseball and not losing $6.5 billion in private investment,” he added. “So, I think we’ll get there.”

In response to an attendee’s question, Welch said the city and county eschewed profit-sharing stipulations as the Rays agreed to cover cost overruns, insurance and other stadium-related expenditures. While the project could “maybe” move forward without a $1.37 billion ballpark, he noted officials sold 65 acres surrounding the Trop for a project that included the team and its pledged community benefits.

“It’s a balancing act,” Welch said. “You just can’t add money on one end without adjusting another lever. We cannot make another financial contribution, but we’ll work with the private sector and any other partners – and work with the Rays – on their perceived funding gap.”

Arts funding

Welch said he supports an annual financial allocation to arts initiatives. He noted that the area contributes less to those endeavors and institutions than surrounding cities and counties.

The commissioner-turned-mayor called the county’s bed tax, a 6% surcharge on overnight stays, a “logical” source of perpetual funding. Welch said local leaders previously discussed dedicating about $5 million to the initiative, but Creative Pinellas – the county’s umbrella arts support organization – and the arts community must detail how they would spend the money.

“Hopefully, by the time we bring that back, we have answered the questions about beach renourishment and the stadium,” Welch added. “The good thing is, we’ve been breaking records – the county has – for bed taxes, so they have pretty good reserves.”

The Cross Bay Ferry

Welch said plans for a permanent Cross Bay Ferry dock along the downtown waterfront remain in limbo. Permitting issues with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers forced its move from the Vinoy Yacht Basin to Port St. Petersburg.

He said the ship could move back to its previous location before the city establishes a long-term berth at the St. Petersburg Pier. However, there is no timetable, and Hillsborough County and Tampa’s support for the service has wavered.

“I’ve always supported the ferry as a proof of concept – if you have frequent service across the water for work,” Welch continued. “But it’s not taking cars off the road to the extent of BRT (bus rapid transit) of the Gateway Expressway … I just want to make sure we’re balanced in the amount we’re investing there versus everything else we could do for transportation.”