ST. PETERBSURG, Fla. — Mayor Rick Kriseman will announce this week his narrowed down list of proposals being considered for the redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site.
What You Need To Know
- The mayor of St. Pete will announce his short list of development proposals for Trop site
- Kriseman says city council and the Rays will get to weigh in after that
- City council recently voted to pause the issue
He sent a memo to St. Petersburg City Council members on May 21, detailing his plans to move forward with the process of selecting a proposal for the site. In the memo, Kriseman says he’ll share the two finalists within seven days.
The mayor says, once announced, he will meet with the two developers, and city council and the Tampa Bay Rays will also have opportunities to hear from them and ask questions.
Mayor Rick Kriseman says once he announces the two finalists he will meet with both developers to ask questions, then they will appear before City Council to answer questions/concerns. He says the Rays will be given an opportunity to meet with the developers as well @BN9 pic.twitter.com/0V22mIpXt1
— Jorja Roman (@JorjaRoman) May 24, 2021
But in April, city council members passed a resolution to hold off on selecting a developer and proposal until the Rays decide if they’ll continue to play in St. Petersburg once their current agreement with the city expires.
Mayor Kriseman says he believes the process can move forward while discussions continue with the team since each proposal includes a plan with a stadium — and without one.
“For them to take a step back and say we’re not interested, I think it’s a mistake because again we're going to continue to meet with the developers. And we’re going to meet with the Rays. And there’s an opportunity to do both, and there’s no reason why we can’t do both,” said Mayor Kriseman.
City Council Vice Chair Gina Driscoll says council members passed the resolution to hold off because they want to wait until the Rays’ future is known.
"We really do need to know what the future of the Rays is because if we have a ballpark on this site, it’s going to relate to everything else that’s developed on this site. So it only makes sense to work that part out first,” said Driscoll.
City Council Chair Ed Montanari responded to Mayor Kriseman’s memo, saying he would not be scheduling a Committee of the Whole. The mayor proposed that so council members could hear from the two developers and ask questions.
Mayor Kriseman says he recently spoke with Rays President Brian Auld and he expressed interest in meeting with the city for discussions.
Spectrum Bay News 9 reached out to the Tampa Bay Rays for a response to this latest update on the redevelopment plans but has not heard back.