The search for a new stadium began nearly 15 years and three mayors ago. Rick Baker was the Mayor of St. Pete when the Rays proposed to construct a new stadium on the downtown St. Pete waterfront in 2007.
The Rays plan to build on the waterfront would have required a majority approval from the public via a ballot referendum. But after public hesitancy and fear of the proposal not passing, the Rays backed out of their plan to put a referendum on the ballot.
In 2010, Rays owner Stu Sternberg held a press conference asking the City of St. Pete for permission to explore new stadium sites outside of St. Pete. The Ray’s current contract prohibits them from looking outside city limits. The City of St. Pete did not grant the Rays permission to look outside the city until 2016.
In 2018, the Rays announced their decision to pursue a new stadium site across the bay in Ybor City. However, concerns over financing ultimately killed the deal.
In 2019, a plan to split the season between Tampa Bay and Montreal was proposed by the Rays ownership. Mayor Kriseman expressed that the City would not help fund a new stadium if the team split their time between two cities. Later, MLB executives made an announcement that they were nixing the idea of a two-city season plan.
Meanwhile, in 2020, the City of St. Pete released an RFP to find a master developer to lead the redevelopment of Tropicana Field. Interested development groups were asked to provide two scenarios, one with a ballpark and one without a ballpark.
Seven proposals were released by the City of St. Pete in early 2021. After narrowing the list from seven to four, and then from four to two, Mayor Kriseman announced his selection of Midtown just one month before his term was up at the end of the year.
After Mayor Welch was inaugurated in early 2022, he announced that he would reconsider the top two proposals from the RFP – Midtown Development and Sugar Hill.
That brings us to today, where Mayor Welch has decided to go back to the drawing board and restart the RFP process.
While some important questions were answered today, the clock continues to tick. The Rays current agreement has them playing at Tropicana Field through the 2027 season. It takes time to design and build a new stadium, not to mention figuring out where the stadium will be built and who is going to pay for it.
“I am optimistic we will choose that right path, one that will bring jobs, equitable and diverse business opportunities, meet our need for housing, meeting space and innovative economic drivers, and support a state-of-the-art home for the Rays for decades to come,” Mayor Welch said.