RaysUp - Colleen Wright of tampabay.com on New Rays stadium in St. Pete

Colleen Wright, journalist with the Tampa Bay Times visits with Mat & Mark to discuss the status of the new Tampa Bay Rays stadium proposal in St. Pete.

History of the Tampa Bay Rays Stadium Saga                          2008 Mayor Rick Baker and the Al Lang StadiumMayor Kriseman allows Rays to look at Tampa                Tampa initiative approves fruitless2022 Mayor Welch scraps Kriseman proposals & requests new proposals from Rays & Hines January 2023 began Rays/HinesSeptember 2023 outline a deal 1.3 billion dollar stadium, 700 million from the RaysRedevelopment portion $6.5 billion 30 year project includes redevelopment, retail, museum, open space, housing Council & attorney Lisette Hanewicz puts a sharp eye to the contract and finds there are some questions that still need to be answeredMat asks about a change in the mood in negotiations once Montreal Sister Cities program was squashedNot a lot of outward drama. No signs of acrimony between Rays and the City of St. Petersburg during the process.Rays have been wise in negotiations with players and trades will they bring that same mentality to complete the deal with St. PeteMust have at least a 5 to 3 vote from St. Pete council for the stadiumNo termination clause  If not done before August the stadium could become a political topic prior to the upcoming electionsSome council members are against the principle of giving public money to a private enterpriseSome critics agree with the Rays to Stay but fix the deal – Sierra Club exampleTighten up the loose endsWhen asked what Rays would do in a worse case scenario –  response has been  ‘We are dealing with the situation in front of us’Mayor Welch agrees with some points from the councilMinimum requirements v Targeted goals – contractors are not legally bound to these "Responsibility – Lissette Hanewicz pointed out that parties of the agreement are not named in some of the documents65 acres of land being sold at a deep discount City will be putting down 142 million for infrastructure Miami stadium deal & LeBron James – 2010 Miami, FLMiami Marlins Stadium a cautionary tale for St. Pete St. Pete politicians very different than Miami politiciansCrystal Ball: Will we have an agreement by Mid-July?June 13th last time council meet before summer vacation before returning in JulyHow does a reporter prepare for a 16 hour day with Council workshopsColleen & the Miami Marlins or Miami HeatNaming Rights fornew Stadium – Has City requested a part of that revenue$50 million community benefits packagePenalties are relatively low if affordable housing is not met30 year deal – when will the team need another new stadiumRays will be on the hook for paying any upgradesKudos to Colleen Wright & St Pete Times team for their coverage of the RaysStu Sternberg’s longstanding commitment to St. Pete C

 Post Show updates from Colleen's tweets
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music “Rocking Forward"