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Plan For Rays Stadium Going Public In Private

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By CARLOS MONCADA, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 28, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - Secret plans to be made public today would create a gorgeous spot to watch the Tampa Bay Rays play baseball.

That much is a given.

But the hit for taxpayers from the $450 million stadium project will be foremost on the minds of the select group invited to the club's 2:15 p.m. announcement at Al Lang Field.

"I think people have kind of gotten the idea that a waterfront stadium is good-looking and a nice idea," said James Bennett, city council chairman. "But the bottom line, of course, is the impacts for their pocketbooks."

Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg, President Matt Silverman and Senior Vice President Michael Kalt will outline their plans for the new stadium, revealing renderings of the ballpark to the public for the first time.

Gov. Charlie Crist and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker will attend, along with Major League Baseball's chief operating officer, Bob DuPuy.

"It's a lot easier to sell something that looks great, but that's not going to override anything else," said Tim Baker, president of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, who is among those invited. "I'm sure for a lot of the people in St. Petersburg, the No. 1 issue is who's paying for it."

The audience will consist of local politicians, community leaders and members of the business community.

The event is not open to the public primarily because of security concerns related to the Republican presidential debate to be held five hours later at adjacent Mahaffey Theater.

Council member Bill Foster called the Rays' timing "crazy." City officials from Baker on down have tried to talk the club out of holding its announcement on the same day as what Foster called "St. Petersburg's Super Bowl."

"It's just unfortunate they're not getting good advice," he said.

Since news of the new stadium broke three weeks ago, the Rays have done little to enlighten the voters who must approve the project on the site of Progress Energy Park, Home of Al Lang Field, Foster said.

"Assuming they can convince everybody in Florida it's a good idea, from the Legislature to the county commission on down, they still have to convince the voters in the city of St. Pete," Foster said. "That's the one entity that's been kept in the dark the longest."

As initially proposed, the Rays would front $150 million, about a third of the cost. They also plan to seek approval from Florida's Legislature for state sales-tax rebates that would amount to $60 million.

The Rays hope to draw the biggest share of the necessary revenue from the sale and redevelopment of the 75-acre Tropicana Field site, with talks focusing on a mixed commercial and residential project with a regional appeal.

"To me, that's the most exciting part of this whole thing," Bennett said.

The team does not anticipate asking the city to levy new taxes or divert money from existing funds to the project.

Yet Bennett and other council members said they see some form of public financing as inevitable.

"It's beginning to look like they're not going to be able to get anywhere unless they get the money from Tallahassee and other help," Bennett said. "So I think in the long run, if they want this thing they may have to pony up more than the $150 million."

Reporter Marc Lancaster contributed to this report. Reporter Carlos Moncada can be reached at (727) 451-2333 or cmoncada@tampatrib.com.

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