ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The stadium saga continues as the Tampa Bay Rays double down on their claims that Pinellas County leaders are to blame for putting the project on hold.
The team's president made that clear in a letter made public over the weekend. Now, it's up to the county to decide how to proceed on the massive project that not only would have brought in a new stadium but also a full revamp of the Historic Gas Plant District.
A new Tampa Bay Rays stadium is supposed to be the centerpiece for the redeveloped Historic Gas Plant District, but some like Jabaar Edmond believe the focus should be elsewhere.
“I think the community is an afterthought to this whole development. When we should be the first thought,” Edmond said.
Edmond remembers watching Tropicana Field be built. He said where it sits now is in the middle of what was once a thriving Black community.
“A lot of people who lived in the Gas Plant when they were displaced, they came to Childs Park and surrounding areas,” Edmond said.
He believes the heart of the stadium and redevelopment deal lies with honoring people who lived in neighborhoods like Sugar Hill and Little Egypt.
“We're asking to be the contractor, to be the subcontractor, to be a lead position in some of these developments,” Edmond said.
Right now, the Tampa Bay Rays and the county have been going back and forth over a deal to build a new $1.3 billion ballpark. Due to delays in moving forward with a bond, the Rays said they told their contractors everything is on pause.
“We've missed something, and I think we need to go back and find what we missed. We probably need to think past baseball,” Edmond said.
The city of St. Petersburg's redevelopment project includes billions of dollars going towards adding resources like more affordable housing units for families and seniors along with a new home for the Woodson African American Museum of Florida. But, without the Rays onboard, it's not clear what happens next.
“The community is holding our breath for the promises to be kept,” Edmond said.
The county said there are two separate contracts, the Historic Gas Plant redevelopment and the stadium. The city controls the land where Tropicana Field sits.
If the city or county fails to fulfill the stadium contract agreement, it would not impact redevelopment plans. If the Rays fail to meet the conditions of the stadium deal, they can no longer take the property down under the redevelopment agreement.
So they can move forward, but since the Tampa Bay Rays said they've paused everything, it's not clear what that will look like. 10 Tampa Bay reached out to the city about this, and we have not heard back.