While officials hope the Tampa Bay Rays remain in St. Petersburg after the 2028 season, they are also preparing for life without the team.
City council member Corey Givens Jr. broached the topic Thursday. He requested a Committee of the Whole discussion on “possible revenue generators” to compensate for the Rays leaving St. Petersburg.
Givens also wants the council and administration to consider the impacts on surrounding businesses in the city’s EDGE District. Stakeholders are already navigating an economic downturn, while the team plays in Tampa rather than at hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field.
“There are businesses along Central (Avenue) that are hurting,” Givens said. “I’m completely open to doing all we can to keep the Rays here. But what I don’t want us to do is abandon those local businesses that are counting on our support.”
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The city and business owners began benefiting in 1998 from what was then the Devil Rays, who drew thousands of people to a previously underdeveloped area. The team would normally play 81 games a season in St. Petersburg.
Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill has been at the center of the EDGE District’s evolution. What began as a minuscule old service station is now a sprawling entertainment complex with an outdoor venue — previously primarily used for overflow game-day seating – that can hold up to 2,500 people.
Owner Mark Ferguson recently told the Catalyst that he started “pushing more shows because we don’t have the income from baseball. We’re trying to keep all the bartenders and our workers working, and hopefully we’ll make a little money with these concerts.”
In January 2023, an independent study claimed that a new stadium and redevelopment of the surrounding Historic Gas Plant District would generate $11.9 billion over 30 years. The Rays exited those long-negotiated plans in March.
“I do not want to repeat the mistakes of the past,” Givens said Thursday. “I was not on the council when the last use agreement was signed. But guess what? I’m here now.”
In June, City Development Administrator James Corbett notified the council that St. Petersburg and Pinellas County officials will explore the feasibility of building a convention center at the Trop site, with or without a new stadium. His email came five hours after the Rays announced they were in “exclusive discussions” to sell the team.
Many stakeholders believe a convention center will sit dormant for most of the year and do little to help compensate for the franchise’s loss. Officials on both sides of the bay believe the expected new ownership prefers to play in Tampa.
However, the Rays must play in St. Petersburg through the 2028 season. The city can receive $400,000 annually and redevelop part of the Trop site under a new licensing agreement.
Mayor Ken Welch said his initial focus is on building affordable housing for seniors, a new Woodson African American Museum and a workforce development ecosystem. At Thursday's meeting, council member Deborah Figgs-Sanders questioned how the latest discussion “differs from what the administration has already put in motion, and that includes businesses.”
“I guess I’m trying to figure out what the impact of the discussion is going to be,” she said.
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Council member Richie Floyd said the city spends more than it earns from stadium revenue. The responsibility for maintaining, repairing and insuring the stadium would have fallen on the Rays under the previously negotiated deal.
“I’m not really concerned about replacing their revenue because we’re going to have a bunch more money back,” Floyd added. “The first part of the conversation — not super relevant.”
While he ardently opposed a new stadium, Floyd also doesn’t want to see the team leave.
“And I want us to have a plan if they do,” he said.
Givens echoed that sentiment and said the city should not wait “until the 11th hour” before considering the economic impact associated with losing a professional sports team. “There needs to be contingency plans in place now, not later.”
Council Chair Copley Gerdes said he was “not interested in opening the can of worms” unless the conversation focuses on contingency plans after 2028. Givens concurred before offering a conflicting statement.
“My friend Mark Ferg, who owns Ferg’s, is hurting,” Givens said. “And he is looking to us for help, solutions, now. Not in 2028.”
The council unanimously approved a Committee of the Whole discussion without setting a date. Council member Lisset Hanewicz was absent.
