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

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"