Voters in St. Petersburg approved a deal to expand downtown's Al Lang Stadium in hopes of attracting Major League Soccer.
- Residents to vote on expansion for Al Lang Stadium
- Those behind effort hope to land MLS team
- Noise, traffic could be concern for some
- City of St. Petersburg Special Election Referendum
For soccer fans, the vote was a no-brainer. An expanded stadium could be a life-line to join MLS. Rick Baker, former mayor and president of the Edwards Group, said it’s a win - win for the city.
"We’ve got the fans," said Baker Tuesday night once the results of the referendum were announced. "We’ve got the sponsors and we’ve just had a vote of 87 percent of the voters of St. Petersburg. I don’t know what more you can do from the community support to show MLS we’re serious."
Voters approved a 25-year lease for Al Lang Stadium that would allow Tampa Bay Rowdies owner Bill Edwards and his group of investors to spend $80 million of their own money to renovate and increase seating for the former baseball stadium to 18,000.
Cheers at a watch party at Al Lang Stadium Tuesday evening when the results of the referendum were announced were almost as loud as they are on Rowdies game days.
"I’ve lived here my entire life, and we’re just really excited that there’s a team here that we can be really enthusiastic about," said Rowdies fan Peggy Feaster.
Another Rowdies fan, Dieter Karnsteed of New Port Richey, put his game face on and headed down to the stadium to be there for the results. He wasn't able to vote in the referendum, of course, but he had a message for those who did.
"They don’t have to pay any taxes," said Karnsteed before the results were announced. "There’s nothing involved for the people. It brings more taxes in and the tourists will come to see the games."
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman said that Major League Soccer is pretty clear about what they are looking for in their next expansion franchise, and he reiterated that his city has it all.
"When you see a margin of victory like this, when you look at us being the 11th largest media market and the other ten all have franchisees, you have an opportunity to have a beautiful stadium on the water front in a city that is thriving, that’s a lot of things in your favor," said Kriseman. "It’s tough to beat that."
Under the proposal, Al Lang Stadium's capacity would increase to 18,000.
Major League Soccer released the following statement after the vote:
"We are pleased that the people of St. Petersburg support the Rowdies proposal to renovate Al Lang Stadium. Bill Edwards personally came to our offices in January to submit his expansion application and share his vision. With the passage of the stadium vote, we look forward to working with the Rowdies as they continue to pursue a Major League Soccer team for Tampa Bay."
MLS will make their decision on the first two teams later this year, and then announce two more expansion teams after that.