St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch is doubling down on his plan to redevelop the Tropicana Field site. This comes despite a recent vote by the city council to delay the project.
The council says the mayor bypassed them on plans for the 84-acre Historic Gas Plant District, so they asked for a pause in the process.
During his State of the City address, Welch said the massive redevelopment has been planned and studied several times since the Tampa Bay Rays backed out of a proposal for a new stadium last year.
"After terminating the agreements, receiving a viable unsolicited proposal, and extending the total time for alternative proposal submission, now is not the time to halt the process," the mayor said during an address at the Palladium.
ALSO READ: St. Petersburg City Council asks for pause on Historic Gas Plant redevelopment
But, he pledged to work with the council to reach common ground.
"I know you need partnership, and I know power doesn't reside just in one place. I recognize and respect the city council's role as an essential partner in this process, and I respectfully acknowledge the recent resolution calling for additional planning," he said. "So as we continue to evaluate proposals, we'll make every reasonable effort to accommodate that request in a way that does not return us to paralysis or postpone the progress that may be possible."
Council members would have the final vote if the mayor selects one of the eight proposals. But they want an independent study to inform what the city wants since the Rays backed out of their deal to redevelop the site.
Tropicana Field will host the Rays through at least the end of the 2028 regular season. The team is negotiating with Hillsborough County to relocate the team to Tampa.
A tax referendum
During his address, Welch also said his administration is preparing a $600 million tax referendum. It would come after several hurricanes pounded the city in 2024, knocking out sewer systems and overwhelming streets and utilities.
ALSO READ: The City of St. Petersburg 2025 Progress Report
The property tax hike may be on ballots in the fall. Some of the work has been done.
"Under our St. Pete Agile Resilience Plan, or SPAR, we fast-tracked the completion of several infrastructure projects," he said. "But the resources needed to make a more substantial impact, to deal with the water we're seeing now, to meet the objectives of the stormwater master plan, require a higher level of funding. And we need the funding now."
The tax would pay for upgrades to sewer and water systems, and raise streets and utilities in flood-prone areas. It would also pay to harden seawalls and areas beset by rising seas.
