St. Petersburg's mayor, other officials disappointed after Rays nix stadium agreement
By Carl Lisciandrello
March 13, 2025 at 8:36 PM EDT
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said he was not surprised, adding he still intends to repair Tropicana Field and move forward with the redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant District.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said the Tampa Bay Rays' decision to back out of the long-negotiated stadium project was expected, but it raised his ire nonetheless.
He joined other city and Pinellas County officials in expressing disappointment after team owner Stuart Sternberg pulled the plug Thursday on the $1.3 billion ballpark and surrounding $6.5 billion redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant District.
In a social media post, Sternberg cited a "series of events beginning in October that no one could have anticipated led to this difficult decision."
He was referring to Hurricane Milton, which destroyed much of Tropicana Field and led to delays by the city and county in approving bonds to cover their end of the project.
The Rays had faced a March 31 deadline to decide whether to continue with the project. They didn't wait that long. Neither did Welch in tearing into the baseball team, which has called Tropicana Field home since 1998.
RELATED: Rays say they 'won't move forward' with plans for new stadium project in St. Petersburg
During a news conference Thursday, Welch said he won't consider working on any reset of the deal with the Rays. But he does plan on moving ahead on the Historic Gas Plant District renovation.
He compared the Rays' decision to a divorce.
"I think folks are very interested in St. Pete, and really can't believe that the Rays are dropping the ball on this. St. Pete's greatness doesn't depend on that stadium. The development moving from downtown west is happening and will continue. It's just the form will be different if baseball doesn't remain here."
"I've called this like a marriage. It's better to get out of a bad engagement than a bad marriage," he said. "And so if this is the kind of behavior we're seeing after six months, I'd rather see it now, before we're locked in, than having it six years or 16 years into the agreement."
In July, the Rays announced plans to build the stadium as the centerpiece of a renovated Gas Plant neighborhood, then were granted the contract to build that 86-acre project with the Hines development firm.
The area was once home to Black residents and businesses before it was razed in the 1980s to make room for the stadium and interstate spur. In return, the city promised jobs and better housing to the displaced residents which never occurred.
In February, Welch repeated his commitment to honor promises made to the Gas Plant community,. On Thursday, he said the Rays’ decision wouldn’t change that.
"This community has waited for 40 years to get the promises, the jobs, the economic development, coming out of that development," Welch said during a Thursday news conference. "I don't want to extend it under that same Trop with 60 acres of asphalt model going forward. I want those benefits, the housing, the jobs, the economic opportunity."
Welch does not believe finding other development partners will be difficult.
"I think folks are very interested in St. Pete, and really can't believe that the Rays are dropping the ball on this," he said. "St. Pete's greatness doesn't depend on that stadium. The development moving from downtown west is happening and will continue. It's just the form will be different if baseball doesn't remain here."
The Gas Plant project was to include residential, hotel and Class A office space, a new Woodson African American Museum, a concert/entertainment venue, and green space.
"I want those benefits, the housing, the jobs, the economic opportunity," Welch said.
While Welch said he was done negotiating with the Sternberg, he was open to new ownership if the Rays are sold, although team president Matt Silverman said Thursday the franchise, valued at about $1.3 billion, was not for sale.
“If in the coming months a new owner, who demonstrates a commitment to honoring their agreements and our community priorities emerges, we will consider a partnership to keep baseball in St. Pete. But we will not put our city’s progress on hold as we await a collaborative and community-focused baseball partner,” Welch said.
Other city and county officials were also disheartened by the decision.
St. Petersburg City Council Chair Copley Gerdes told Spectrum Bay News 9: "I'm disappointed for the work that the city and county has done, countless employees spent thousands of hours on this. I'm disappointed for the economic development, the job creation, the Gas Plant descendants, those promises."
Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala also expressed disappointment, alluding to the millions of dollars already used on the project.
“When Stu sells perhaps he can pay back the taxpayers of Pinellas/St. Pete for the all the money that was spent on this deal,” he wrote on X.
Information from WUSF's Steve Newborn and the Associated Press was used in this report.
He joined other city and Pinellas County officials in expressing disappointment after team owner Stuart Sternberg pulled the plug Thursday on the $1.3 billion ballpark and surrounding $6.5 billion redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant District.
In a social media post, Sternberg cited a "series of events beginning in October that no one could have anticipated led to this difficult decision."
He was referring to Hurricane Milton, which destroyed much of Tropicana Field and led to delays by the city and county in approving bonds to cover their end of the project.
The Rays had faced a March 31 deadline to decide whether to continue with the project. They didn't wait that long. Neither did Welch in tearing into the baseball team, which has called Tropicana Field home since 1998.
RELATED: Rays say they 'won't move forward' with plans for new stadium project in St. Petersburg
During a news conference Thursday, Welch said he won't consider working on any reset of the deal with the Rays. But he does plan on moving ahead on the Historic Gas Plant District renovation.
He compared the Rays' decision to a divorce.
"I think folks are very interested in St. Pete, and really can't believe that the Rays are dropping the ball on this. St. Pete's greatness doesn't depend on that stadium. The development moving from downtown west is happening and will continue. It's just the form will be different if baseball doesn't remain here."
"I've called this like a marriage. It's better to get out of a bad engagement than a bad marriage," he said. "And so if this is the kind of behavior we're seeing after six months, I'd rather see it now, before we're locked in, than having it six years or 16 years into the agreement."
In July, the Rays announced plans to build the stadium as the centerpiece of a renovated Gas Plant neighborhood, then were granted the contract to build that 86-acre project with the Hines development firm.
The area was once home to Black residents and businesses before it was razed in the 1980s to make room for the stadium and interstate spur. In return, the city promised jobs and better housing to the displaced residents which never occurred.
In February, Welch repeated his commitment to honor promises made to the Gas Plant community,. On Thursday, he said the Rays’ decision wouldn’t change that.
"This community has waited for 40 years to get the promises, the jobs, the economic development, coming out of that development," Welch said during a Thursday news conference. "I don't want to extend it under that same Trop with 60 acres of asphalt model going forward. I want those benefits, the housing, the jobs, the economic opportunity."
Welch does not believe finding other development partners will be difficult.
"I think folks are very interested in St. Pete, and really can't believe that the Rays are dropping the ball on this," he said. "St. Pete's greatness doesn't depend on that stadium. The development moving from downtown west is happening and will continue. It's just the form will be different if baseball doesn't remain here."
The Gas Plant project was to include residential, hotel and Class A office space, a new Woodson African American Museum, a concert/entertainment venue, and green space.
"I want those benefits, the housing, the jobs, the economic opportunity," Welch said.
While Welch said he was done negotiating with the Sternberg, he was open to new ownership if the Rays are sold, although team president Matt Silverman said Thursday the franchise, valued at about $1.3 billion, was not for sale.
“If in the coming months a new owner, who demonstrates a commitment to honoring their agreements and our community priorities emerges, we will consider a partnership to keep baseball in St. Pete. But we will not put our city’s progress on hold as we await a collaborative and community-focused baseball partner,” Welch said.
Other city and county officials were also disheartened by the decision.
St. Petersburg City Council Chair Copley Gerdes told Spectrum Bay News 9: "I'm disappointed for the work that the city and county has done, countless employees spent thousands of hours on this. I'm disappointed for the economic development, the job creation, the Gas Plant descendants, those promises."
Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala also expressed disappointment, alluding to the millions of dollars already used on the project.
“When Stu sells perhaps he can pay back the taxpayers of Pinellas/St. Pete for the all the money that was spent on this deal,” he wrote on X.
Information from WUSF's Steve Newborn and the Associated Press was used in this report.