ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — As developers work on their pitches for the Tropicana Field project, members of the St. Petersburg City Council are asking for the Rays to speak up.
According to Spectrum Bay News 9 partner newspaper the Tampa Bay Times, members said they need to hear from the Rays to understand where team officials stand on the site redevelopment, a new stadium and their split-city plan.
What You Need To Know
- St. Petersburg City Council members want more input from Rays
- Members say redevelopment likely will need response from Rays before moving forward
- WATCH: See the Final 4 Tropicana Field Development Proposals
During Thursday's meeting, city council member Gina Driscoll said she would not vote for any plan until the Rays speak up.
Rays owner Stuart Sternberg said they have been in contact with the city of Montreal and that talks were "exceeding expectations."
So much so, in fact, that they already have a stadium site in mind, a design for that stadium and methods of funding the project.
Sternberg went on to say that as talks ramp up with Montreal, he hopes it will push St. Petersburg to come to an agreement.
Meanwhile, the council meeting also was informed there may be forgotten graves around the Tropicana Field site.
A firm hired by the city has just begun looking in nearby parking lots to find graves from as early as 1900.
If graves are found, this could be another wrench in plans to redevelop the 86-acre site.
The team is expected to complete their study in about two weeks.