Baseball stadium included in Tampa Sports Authority plan

A new Tampa Bay Rays stadium is just an idea for now, but sports promoters on each side of the bay are preparing - just in case.

The Tampa Sports Authority, which operates Raymond James Stadium and three public golf courses, is drafting a 10-year strategic plan that mentions a potential Major League Baseball stadium, said Eric Hart, the authority's executive director.

Hart said the sports authority hasn't met with the Rays and isn't trying to lure the team from downtown St. Petersburg. He insists the authority just wants to be ready in case Tampa and Hillsborough County leaders decide to pursue a ballpark.

"If for some reason the Rays come across the bay, we need to be prepared," Hart said.

Meantime, across the bay, discussion is under way on starting a Pinellas sports authority.

Pinellas County's Charter Review Commission is reviewing the county's charter with the state, which sets out rules of governance. The commission will discuss a sports authority at a meeting tonight, said Andy Steingold, a member and the mayor of Safety Harbor.

Among other things, the authority could negotiate with the Rays about a possible new stadium and could have a role in financing it, Steingold said. He would favor a site more "strategically located" than Al Lang Field, the waterfront ballpark in downtown St. Petersburg where the Rays proposed relocating two years ago.

Pinellas County used to have a sports authority, which spearheaded the effort in the 1980s to build Tropicana Field, originally called the Florida Suncoast Dome and home of the Rays through 2027 under the team's contract with the city of St. Petersburg.

The authority disbanded a few years ago.

Starting a new authority may be a challenge. It would require a charter amendment, which voters must approve, said Dennis Long, Pinellas County's chief assistant county attorney.

Another option might be a sports authority created by the Florida Legislature, which Long said would carry more expansive powers than one created by the county.

What purpose a sports authority would serve isn't clear yet to Karen Seel, chairwoman of the Pinellas County Commission. She noted that the county already has a Tourist Development Council that does some sports marketing.

"I would need to understand what the merit is," Seel said Monday.

In Hillsborough County, elected and appointed officials have approached the topic of a new ballpark delicately. St. Petersburg has signaled its willingness to sue anyone trying to interfere with the contract between the team and the city.

Generally, leaders in Hillsborough have said they just want to make sure the team stays in the Tampa Bay area and doesn't bolt for another state.

Hillsborough County Commission Chairman Ken Hagan raised eyebrows in February when he invited the stadium study group called the ABC Coalition to make a presentation. He insisted he wasn't trying to lure Rays to Tampa.

The ABC Coalition is a panel of civic leaders that has recommended building a new ballpark in one of three locations: the Gateway area of St. Petersburg, just over the Howard Frankland bridge; Tampa's West Shore area; and downtown Tampa.

Some members of the coalition are pushing for some type of sports authority to champion the cause of a new stadium, although most would prefer an authority with both Hillsborough and Pinellas members.

The ABC Coalition is close to wrapping up its work.

"From my perspective, and I'm not the only one who would think this way, it's a natural progression to look to an authority that has the credentials to take a lead, if there is a strong will on the part of the community do so," said Bob Stewart, a member of the ABC Coalition and a former Pinellas County commissioner.

To put his own agency's plan in perspective, Hart, the Tampa Sports Authority director, noted that the discussion about a strategic plan has also included centers for professional soccer and tennis.

The sports authority does not have the power to levy new taxes for stadiums, Hart said, and any new construction would rely on the will of other government leaders.

"We'll be here when called upon," Hart said.