Rays field final questions from St. Pete council members before vote on stadium deal Thursday
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - St. Petersburg City Council continues to hash out the details of the deal for a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays.
The last three years of discussions will all come down to a final vote Thursday.
"We’ll continue to be nervous until we’re all the way through the finish line," said Rays President Brian Auld after a St. Pete city meeting.
It was the Rays' last at-bat, with team officials fielding questions from council members all day Tuesday.
City leaders took the time to hammer home their remaining concerns and priorities on the $6 billion project.
The stadium deal contends with several controversial themes: public funding for a sports venue, affordable housing, how to handle climate change and how to address racial injustices in the Historic Gas Plant District from decades ago.
"We are very confident we will come through every single commitment, and we’ve set some really high aspirational goals as well," said Auld.
Councilmember Richie Floyd has been outspoken against the stadium and says he plans to vote no on Thursday. He says claiming affordable housing is tied to the project is disingenuous.
"I definitely think it’s misleading. There’s not affordable housing tied to this project. It just sets up a framework for which we pay for more affordable housing in the future," said Floyd.
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Councilmember Gina Driscoll, who represents the district which includes the Trop, pushed for a commitment to improving the pedestrian bridge on the I-175 overpass connecting Campbell Park to the Trop, as well as the underpass on 16th Street.
"The message that is sent by that pedestrian overpass: it’s so ugly. It’s just offensive," said Driscoll. "There are the short-term things that we can do that don’t cost a lot of money that can enhance the experience for the Campbell Park residents with tickets to the game."
She said she was happy to see the renderings staff had already worked on to make 16th Street more walkable.
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Other priorities for council members included balancing resiliency and sustainability at the new stadium and securing commitments surrounding planned apprenticeships. Initially, council wanted to mandate a certain number of apprenticeships for workers, but recent changes at the state level prevent the council making those types of mandates.
A month ago, the city voted 5-3 in a preliminary vote to approve the project. The Rays said they’re hoping for an even better score on Thursday.
"This is how cities move forward, it’s not always with 100% approval," said Auld.
If the city approves the deal on Thursday, the Rays will need approval from Pinellas County commissioners for the county’s portion of the funding. That meeting is at the end of the month.
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