{"id":134045,"date":"2024-12-06T17:27:54","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T10:27:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134045"},"modified":"2024-12-06T17:27:54","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T10:27:54","slug":"st-petersburg-city-council-approves-bonds-for-rays-stadium-gas-plant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134045","title":{"rendered":"St. Petersburg City Council approves bonds for Rays stadium, Gas Plant"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"\">ST. PETERSBURG \u2014 The City Council on Thursday followed through with approving bonds to fund its portion of a $1.3 billion stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays and the surrounding Historic Gas Plant District.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The 4-3 decision, in line with past votes taken on the stadium and redevelopment, now leaves it to the Pinellas County Commission to potentially have the final say on the deal. On Dec. 17, the commission could approve their bonds and lock the Rays and its development partner Hines into the cost overruns the team now says it can\u2019t afford, or vote no and possibly<b> <\/b>leave a $312.5 million hole in the project.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Council member Gina Driscoll, who pushed for the delay when the council last met Nov. 21, said the city needed then to take a breath. Tensions at that meeting had boiled over as Rays president Brian Auld indicated the deal was dead and City Administrator Rob Gerdes asked for an official letter terminating the deal, which never came.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Driscoll, along with council members Deborah Figgs-Sanders, Copley Gerdes and Brandi Gabbard, voted to take out bonds to finance $287.5 million for the stadium and $142 million for roads and sewers in the Gas Plant. Council members Lisset Hanewicz, Richie Floyd and John Muhammad voted no.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cAre the Rays on the verge of sending a termination letter? Turns out they weren\u2019t. They\u2019re still in. And so am I,\u201d Driscoll said, urging the county to \u201cdo their part and join us to see this through.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Still unknown, however, is whether the Rays can carry out their end of the deal approved by the city and county in July. Team presidents Auld and Matt Silverman wrote a letter before a commission meeting last month stating the club could no longer afford to open a ballpark in 2029, a year later than planned, following delays in the bond votes. The Rays are on the hook for $700 million for the stadium, plus all overages.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">That led to the county and city delaying votes and starting a back-and-forth in correspondence between the commission chairperson and the Rays. Silverman had a change of tone in his last letter, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/pinellas\/2024\/11\/30\/rays-respond-pinellas-county-ultimatum-stadium-agreements-are-effect\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">saying the current agreements are still \u201cin effect\u201d<\/a> and the club awaits decisions from the city and county.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Before the council\u2019s vote, Mayor Ken Welch, the architect of the deal, said Rays owner Stuart Sternberg and his team attended a meeting at City Hall on Tuesday. Welch told the council there is \u201cconsensus\u201d that the agreements approved in July are \u201cvalid and in effect,\u201d though \u201csignificant issues\u201d remain regarding the Rays\u2019 stadium obligations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cThe discussions were productive, and our options are becoming clearer,\u201d Welch said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__body-image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><input type=\"hidden\" value=\"IRv2\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"lazy-container\" style=\"background-color:#f7f7f7\"><picture><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/st-petersburg-city-council-member-copley-LP5SGQ6FUZC2FHK3CS4EATWTU4.jpg?auth=6e973e8326095664a6723003c4cf675a0c976488063eca2b942bb7c4c8777e9d&amp;width=480\"\/><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 481px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/st-petersburg-city-council-member-copley-LP5SGQ6FUZC2FHK3CS4EATWTU4.jpg?auth=6e973e8326095664a6723003c4cf675a0c976488063eca2b942bb7c4c8777e9d&amp;width=620\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"St. Petersburg City Council member Copley Gerdes listens to discussions about the vote on the Rays stadium bonds at City Hall on Thursday.\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=&quot;http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg&quot; viewBox=&quot;0 0 620 475&quot;\/%3E\" style=\"transition:opacity 0.5s ease 0.5s;opacity:0\" title=\"St. Petersburg City Council member Copley Gerdes listens to discussions about the vote on the Rays stadium bonds at City Hall on Thursday.\" itemprop=\"image\" width=\"620\" height=\"auto\"\/><meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/st-petersburg-city-council-member-copley-LP5SGQ6FUZC2FHK3CS4EATWTU4.jpg?auth=6e973e8326095664a6723003c4cf675a0c976488063eca2b942bb7c4c8777e9d&amp;width=620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"475\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"description\" class=\"caption\">St. Petersburg City Council member Copley Gerdes listens to discussions about the vote on the Rays stadium bonds at City Hall on Thursday.<!-- --> <span class=\"caption__credit\">[\u00a0DIRK SHADD  |  Times\u00a0]<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"fXDgxBh article start my-32\">\n<div class=\"fXDgxBh__content\">\n<div class=\"fXDgxBh__stage--start\">\n<h2 class=\"fXDgxBh__headline\">Spend your days with Hayes<\/h2>\n<p class=\"fXDgxBh__subheadline\">Subscribe to our free Stephinitely newsletter<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Columnist Stephanie Hayes will share thoughts, feelings and funny business with you every Monday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fXDgxBh__stage--finish\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 25\" class=\"fXDgxBh__success-icon\"><path d=\"M9.6 18.326L3.6 12.326L5.292 10.622L9.6 14.93L18.708 5.82205L20.4 7.52605L9.6 18.326ZM12 0.32605C10.4241 0.32605 8.86371 0.636439 7.4078 1.2395C5.95189 1.84255 4.62902 2.72647 3.51472 3.84077C1.26428 6.09121 0 9.14345 0 12.326C0 15.5086 1.26428 18.5609 3.51472 20.8113C4.62902 21.9256 5.95189 22.8095 7.4078 23.4126C8.86371 24.0157 10.4241 24.326 12 24.326C15.1826 24.326 18.2348 23.0618 20.4853 20.8113C22.7357 18.5609 24 15.5086 24 12.326C24 10.7502 23.6896 9.18976 23.0866 7.73385C22.4835 6.27794 21.5996 4.95507 20.4853 3.84077C19.371 2.72647 18.0481 1.84255 16.5922 1.2395C15.1363 0.636439 13.5759 0.32605 12 0.32605Z\"\/><\/svg><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"fXDgxBh__headline\">You\u2019re all signed\u00a0up!<\/h2>\n<p class=\"fXDgxBh__blurb\">Want more of our free, weekly newsletters\u00a0in\u00a0your\u00a0inbox?<!-- --> <strong>Let\u2019s\u00a0get\u00a0started.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/newsletters\/\" class=\"ui__button--call-to-action\" data-tbtevent=\"link\" data-tbtcategory=\"Newsletter Sign Up Form\" data-tbtlabel=\"{&quot;element&quot;:&quot;All newsletters link&quot;}\">Explore all your options<svg viewbox=\"0 0 19 19\" class=\"fXDgxBh__link-icon\"><path d=\"M18.2334 9.32605C18.2334 11.713 17.2852 14.0022 15.5974 15.69C13.9095 17.3778 11.6203 18.326 9.2334 18.326C8.0515 18.326 6.88118 18.0933 5.78925 17.641C4.69732 17.1887 3.70516 16.5257 2.86944 15.69C1.18161 14.0022 0.233398 11.713 0.233398 9.32605C0.233398 6.9391 1.18161 4.64992 2.86944 2.96209C4.55726 1.27426 6.84645 0.32605 9.2334 0.32605C10.4153 0.32605 11.5856 0.558842 12.6775 1.01113C13.7695 1.46343 14.7616 2.12636 15.5974 2.96209C16.4331 3.79782 17.096 4.78997 17.5483 5.8819C18.0006 6.97383 18.2334 8.14415 18.2334 9.32605ZM3.8334 10.226H11.0334L7.8834 13.376L9.1614 14.654L14.4894 9.32605L9.1614 3.99805L7.8834 5.27605L11.0334 8.42605H3.8334V10.226Z\"\/><\/svg><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"\">The Rays were not present at the council meeting Thursday, which irked Hanewicz, a staunch critic of the deal and its legal language. In a text message to the Tampa Bay Times after the meeting, Silverman said, \u201cWe appreciate that the St. Petersburg City Council took action on this item today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">City Administrator Rob Gerdes said the Rays offered to attend, but he said he told them it wasn\u2019t necessary to come. Hanewicz said she spoke to Silverman and was told the Rays decided not to come.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cThere\u2019s no commitment to move forward,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s no clarity. That\u2019s what will happen with all the agreements between the parties, and this is how a 30-year relationship is ultimately beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Gerdes said the city\u2019s conversations with the Rays focused on the funding gap the Rays \u201cperceive.\u201d He said the private sector could fill in those gaps with suite and name sponsorship rights. When Hanewicz asked what the funding gap is, Gerdes said he didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cAs Mayor (Welch) clearly stated, we cannot financially make up that gap,\u201d Gerdes said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__body-image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><input type=\"hidden\" value=\"IRv2\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"lazy-container\" style=\"background-color:#f7f7f7\"><picture><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/st-petersburg-mayor-ken-welch-talks-with-DIP6JPD5PNBPXE77OJI5GMORRE.jpg?auth=eec5295e07145dcb3422a46e9896507ef9b4b1efedae42af6dc8873b7f14f6d5&amp;width=480\"\/><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 481px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/st-petersburg-mayor-ken-welch-talks-with-DIP6JPD5PNBPXE77OJI5GMORRE.jpg?auth=eec5295e07145dcb3422a46e9896507ef9b4b1efedae42af6dc8873b7f14f6d5&amp;width=620\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch talks with reporters outside his office after the City Council voted to approve the Rays stadium bonds on Thursday.\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=&quot;http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg&quot; viewBox=&quot;0 0 620 453&quot;\/%3E\" style=\"transition:opacity 0.5s ease 0.5s;opacity:0\" title=\"St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch talks with reporters outside his office after the City Council voted to approve the Rays stadium bonds on Thursday.\" itemprop=\"image\" width=\"620\" height=\"auto\"\/><meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/st-petersburg-mayor-ken-welch-talks-with-DIP6JPD5PNBPXE77OJI5GMORRE.jpg?auth=eec5295e07145dcb3422a46e9896507ef9b4b1efedae42af6dc8873b7f14f6d5&amp;width=620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"453\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"description\" class=\"caption\">St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch talks with reporters outside his office after the City Council voted to approve the Rays stadium bonds on Thursday.<!-- --> <span class=\"caption__credit\">[\u00a0DIRK SHADD  |  Times\u00a0]<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">At the beginning of the meeting, Hanewicz objected to adding the votes on the bonds to the agenda with only a day\u2019s notice to the public. Muhammad and Floyd voted with her to reject the meeting\u2019s agenda, but it passed anyway. The city is not legally required to advertise notice for the bond resolutions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The stadium deal, an elusive feat 17 years in the making, seemed like a done deal, as the bond votes were viewed as a formality. But then came hurricanes Helene and Milton, the latter storm shredding the roof on Tropicana Field and creating another problem about where the Rays would play their 2025 season. The team has announced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/sports\/2024\/11\/16\/rays-interim-stadium-steinbrenner-field-capacity-tickets-parking-traffic-schedule\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">plans to play home games at Tampa\u2019s Steinbrenner Field<\/a>, where the New York Yankees play spring training games, next year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Concessionaire Levy Restaurants formally told staff their jobs at Tropicana Field were terminated at year\u2019s end.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Workers were notified via email that with the stadium unusable for now, the company\u2019s operations were \u201con hold until further notice\u201d and their \u201cemployment will be terminated as of Dec. 31.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Some will have an option to transfer to another facility serviced by Levy, such as the Florida State Fairgrounds. (Tampa\u2019s Steinbrenner Field and Raymond James Stadium are serviced by Legends Hospitality, and Amalie Arena uses Cur(ate) TPA.)<\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__body-image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><input type=\"hidden\" value=\"IRv2\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"lazy-container\" style=\"background-color:#f7f7f7\"><picture><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/michele-dyson-a-former-employee-at-TFBQDPT3PZAOHOLPXNWAEVFXNY.jpg?auth=e89aab51302ccd1530b8351592ce490d2615776aed85bf09c5ee47674d11bf2a&amp;width=480\"\/><source type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 481px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/michele-dyson-a-former-employee-at-TFBQDPT3PZAOHOLPXNWAEVFXNY.jpg?auth=e89aab51302ccd1530b8351592ce490d2615776aed85bf09c5ee47674d11bf2a&amp;width=620\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Michele Dyson, a former employee at Tropicana Field, speaks in support of the Rays stadium deal at St. Petersburg City Hall on Thursday.\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns=&quot;http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg&quot; viewBox=&quot;0 0 620 467&quot;\/%3E\" style=\"transition:opacity 0.5s ease 0.5s;opacity:0\" title=\"Michele Dyson, a former employee at Tropicana Field, speaks in support of the Rays stadium deal at St. Petersburg City Hall on Thursday.\" itemprop=\"image\" width=\"620\" height=\"auto\"\/><meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/resizer\/v2\/michele-dyson-a-former-employee-at-TFBQDPT3PZAOHOLPXNWAEVFXNY.jpg?auth=e89aab51302ccd1530b8351592ce490d2615776aed85bf09c5ee47674d11bf2a&amp;width=620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"620\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"467\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"description\" class=\"caption\">Michele Dyson, a former employee at Tropicana Field, speaks in support of the Rays stadium deal at St. Petersburg City Hall on Thursday.<!-- --> <span class=\"caption__credit\">[\u00a0DIRK SHADD  |  Times\u00a0]<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">Michele Dyson, a 10-year bartender at Tropicana Field, shared the Levy news in speaking to the council in support of the bonds deal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">In her comments, Dyson said: \u201cI\u2019m here to remind you that every time you vote your decisions have a direct impact on people\u2019s lives, no matter the topic. Please never forget that. So I\u2019m here in support of the new Rays baseball stadium and the impact it has on this community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The council is scheduled to vote on whether to approve $1.45 million to hire a contractor to design plans for Tropicana Field\u2019s roof replacement next week. The council last month <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/sports\/2024\/11\/21\/tropicana-field-roof-repair-st-petersburg-city-council-vote-brian-auld\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rejected spending $23.7 million to repair the roof<\/a> after Auld said the team preferred a no vote because it didn\u2019t believe the new roof could be in place by the 2026 season, and the club could seek alternative plans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The hurricane also delayed bond votes past the November election, allowing for new members unfavorable to the deal to join the County Commission. Before the meeting, Commissioner Vince Nowicki stood by as a few members of an organized group against the stadium deal, No Home Run, held a news conference on the steps of City Hall urging the council to vote no.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Nowicki later emailed all council members urging them to vote no to \u201cforce a better deal for the city and the county.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The Rays are the only party in the agreements with the power to back out of the deal with an official notice. It\u2019s not clear what would happen if the county votes no on their bonds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cIf that doesn\u2019t happen, of course, that sets us on a different path,\u201d Welch said. \u201cWe will determine the best path if that takes place. I\u2019m very hopeful that they will again reaffirm the 30-year value of the agreement that we signed back in July to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><i>Times staff writer Marc Topkin contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/st-petersburg\/2024\/12\/05\/rays-stadium-vote-bonds-funding-gas-plant\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ST. PETERSBURG \u2014 The City Council on Thursday followed through with approving bonds to fund its portion of a $1.3 billion stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays and the surrounding &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134045\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=134045"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134045\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=134045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=134045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=134045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}