A panel sponsored and assembled by the local chapter of the NAACP ranked Sugar Hill Community Partners, led by San Francisco developer JMA Ventures, the highest scoring of the four shortlisted Tropicana Field redevelopment plans.
Tampa investment firm Third Lake Partners, which partnered on a proposal with Atlanta’s Portman Holdings and Portman Residential, came in second, with Miami’s Midtown Development coming in at a close third. Orlando-based Unicorp National Development was fourth.
“Needless to say, we’re incredibly honored to get the endorsement,” said David Carlock, Sugar Hill’s development manager. “The NAACP has a long and rich history of fighting for the right things, and fighting for justice, and we respect that very much.”
Sugar Hill scored the highest following two virtual forums this month in which the development teams each answered seven questions created by members of the NAACP’s economic development committee, focusing primarily in community benefits.
Six judges — Elizabeth Siplin, chair of the NAACP’s economic development committee; Dick Pierce of Eckerd College; Treva Davis, a descendant of a Gas Plant District resident; Trevor Mallory, chair of the NAACP’s housing committee; Bridget Narvaez of Empath Health; Cassandra Jackson, a member of the NAACP’s executive committee — then scored each answer 1 through 5.
St. Petersburg NAACP President Esther Eugene said she recused herself from the judging after she appeared in a promotional video Sugar Hill submitted to the city. In it, she was identified as the chapter’s president. After the video came out, she said didn’t offer her comments in that capacity. Sugar Hill apologized and changed the video, calling it an error.
On Thursday, Eugene, a member of Leadership St. Petersburg’s 2021 class, went into more detail. She said she thought she was offering comments on video to Sarah-Jane Vatelot about Vatelot’s book, Where Have All the Mangoes Gone?, which covers the history of the Tropicana Field site and includes an early version of the Sugar Hill redevelopment plan. Vatelot, an architect with St. Petersburg firm Behar + Peteranecz and a Leadership St. Petersburg classmate of Eugene’s, is also part of the Sugar Hill Community Partners team.
