Following Mayor Ken Welch’s selection of the Tampa Bay Rays to lead the redevelopment of Tropicana Field and the historic Gas Plant District, he compared the partnership to an engagement.
Welch told reporters at his press conference Monday that the city and the team are now moving towards a wedding. As such, he believes Rays officials should commit to St. Petersburg, particularly when one local entity – the Pinellas County Commission – is “helping pay for the wedding.”
About an hour later, Brian Auld and the Rays/Hines development team held a press conference at Tropicana Field. He told attendees they are “fully engaged” with city officials and will work aggressively to meet all timeline expectations and clear any potential hurdles.
“What we’ve done today is taken a big step forward in our hometown to finding a way to keep the team here for the very long term,” Auld said. “And that’s something we’re really proud of, and we intend to pursue it with gusto.”
He called it “a no-brainer” for team officials to participate in the 96-acre redevelopment and said they wanted to make the decision easy for the mayor. Their proposal helps cement the future of baseball in St. Petersburg, Auld said, while also meeting Welch’s requirement for an inclusive and equitable process. Read more
