ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — After months of debate, St. Petersburg City Council members met Thursday to give final approval on a plan to revitalize the Historic Gas Plant District, which includes a brand new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays.
The council voted 5-3 in favor of the overall $6.5 billion redevelopment project, which guarantees the Rays stay in St. Petersburg for the next 30 years. Councilmembers Brandi Gabbard, Copley Gerde, Deborah Figgs-Sanders, Ed Montanari and Gina Driscoll voted for the project while John Muhammad, Lisset Hanewicz and Richie Floyd voted against it.
The project, which includes upgrading infrastructure, building parking garages, hotels, business space, an African American museum, affordable housing units and a state-of-the-art home for the Rays across 86 acres, asks for upward of nearly $743 million in public funding between the city and Pinellas County to get done.
It's situated on a site that once was a Black neighborhood before the construction of the current Tropicana Field and area interstates. Mayor Ken Welch, the city's first Black mayor who grew up in the community, has championed the deal.
Speaking after the vote to applause, Welch said the city will continue to focus on priorities that some councilmembers preferred attention be given to.
"We are all trying to get to the same place, and many of us have been working on housing and homelessness and other issues for a couple of decades now," Welch said. "We are intentional about what we're doing, and you've got my commitment [in this] administration that this just moving to the next phase and the promises mean nothing if we don't get, at the end of the day, those community benefits and all those other promises moved from concept into implementation
"And that will be our focus going forward," Welch concluded as someone in the audience shouted, "We are St. Pete!"
More than $6 billion is expected to be spent over 20 years, according to officials. The stadium’s price tag of $1.3 billion includes $430 million from the city that, with interest over the length of the deal, could add up to nearly $500 million. Pinellas County would be on the hook for about $312.5 million, paid for through the local bed tax.
Before Thursday's vote, council members had five workshop sessions to scrutinize the final details in a package of 12 agreements made between the city and the Rays/Hines Development Group.
At least five of eight council members needed to vote "yes" on the broader $6.5 billion project — including a $1.3 billion stadium — for the project to proceed before being considered by the Pinellas County Commission.
Now moving forward, Pinellas County commissioners will vote later this month on whether to spend about $312.5 million in money generated on the hotel-bed tax to fully fund the project. The project moves forward if the commissioners approve.
Tampa Bay Rays release new images of ballpark, surrounding development
Last month, the council voted 5-3 in favor of the redevelopment in a preliminary vote with members Floyd, Hanewicz and Muhammad voting against it. Floyd expressed concerns that a baseball stadium isn't necessary to redevelop the Gas Plant District, especially when considering the public cost.
"I find it unjust, irresponsible and flatout immoral. I am proudly voting no," said Floyd ahead of the vote, calling it corporate welfare when the money could be better spent on essential community services.
Supporters of the plan argue the redevelopment will be a major economic driver for the region, bringing in tens of thousands of jobs during construction and when it's done.
10 Tampa Bay's Aaron Parseghian and Miguel Octavio contributed to this report.