RaysUp - Colleen Wright of tampabay.com on New Rays stadium in St. Pete

BaseballBiz On Deck

Colleen Wright, journalist with the Tampa Bay Times visits with Mat & Mark to discuss the status of the new Tampa Bay Rays stadium proposal in St. Pete.

• History of the Tampa Bay Rays Stadium Saga
• 2008 Mayor Rick Baker and the Al Lang Stadium
• Mayor Kriseman allows Rays to look at Tampa
• Tampa initiative approves fruitless
• 2022 Mayor Welch scraps Kriseman proposals & requests new proposals from Rays & Hines
• January 2023 began Rays/Hines
• September 2023 outline a deal 1.3 billion dollar stadium, 700 million from the Rays
• Redevelopment portion
• $6.5 billion 30 year project includes redevelopment, retail, museum, open space, housing
• Council & attorney Lisette Hanewicz puts a sharp eye to the contract and finds there are some questions that still need to be answered
• Mat asks about a change in the mood in negotiations once Montreal Sister Cities program was squashed
• Not a lot of outward drama. No signs of acrimony between Rays and the City of St. Petersburg during the process.
• Rays have been wise in negotiations with players and trades will they bring that same mentality to complete the deal with St. Pete
• Must have at least a 5 to 3 vote from St. Pete council for the stadium
• No termination clause
• If not done before August the stadium could become a political topic prior to the upcoming elections
• Some council members are against the principle of giving public money to a private enterprise
• Some critics agree with the Rays to Stay but fix the deal – Sierra Club example
• Tighten up the loose ends
• When asked what Rays would do in a worse case scenario – response has been ‘We are dealing with the situation in front of us’
• Mayor Welch agrees with some points from the council
• Minimum requirements v Targeted goals – contractors are not legally bound to these "
• Responsibility – Lissette Hanewicz pointed out that parties of the agreement are not named in some of the documents
• 65 acres of land being sold at a deep discount
• City will be putting down 142 million for infrastructure
• Miami stadium deal & LeBron James – 2010 Miami, FL
• Miami Marlins Stadium a cautionary tale for St. Pete
• St. Pete politicians very different than Miami politicians
• Crystal Ball: Will we have an agreement by Mid-July?
• June 13th last time council meet before summer vacation before returning in July
• How does a reporter prepare for a 16 hour day with Council workshops
• Colleen & the Miami Marlins or Miami Heat
• Naming Rights fornew Stadium – Has City requested a part of that revenue
• $50 million community benefits package
• Penalties are relatively low if affordable housing is not met
• 30 year deal – when will the team need another new stadium
• Rays will be on the hook for paying any upgrades
• Kudos to Colleen Wright & St Pete Times team for their coverage of the Rays
• Stu Sternberg’s longstanding commitment to St. Pete C

Post Show updates from Colleen's tweets
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music “Rocking Forward"