TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online
Rays To Present Plan To Pay For New Stadium On Thursday
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Published: May 14, 2008
Updated: 05/14/2008 04:27 pm
ST. PETERSBURG -- Eight months after announcing plans to build a $450 million downtown waterfront stadium, the Tampa Bay Rays are set Thursday to reveal long-awaited details on how they intend to pay for the project.
Rays representatives would not discuss any financial components for the proposed stadium, but it apparently would not rely on property taxes generated by the redevelopment of Tropicana Field as initially proposed.
"I think it's high time we talked about numbers," St. Petersburg City Council Chairman James Bennett said Wednesday. "I think everyone in the community is waiting."
Bennett said the Rays, who plan to cover a third of the new stadium's cost, have moved away from using downtown property taxes, or tax increment financing, as part of the financing plan, based on a recent meeting he had with Rays senior vice president Michael Kalt.
The Rays are calling the financing plan, which they will present at a 3 p.m. city council meeting at city hall, preliminary and a starting point for discussions with both St. Petersburg and Pinellas County.
"As we have maintained since proposing the new ballpark and redevelopment of Tropicana Field last October, the plan will not require any new taxes," Rays president Matt Silverman said in a statement. "In fact, the plan should create new public funds in excess of those requested for the ballpark -- dollars which can be used to help fund city and county services as well as Pinellas schools."
Growing increasingly impatient, city council members last month asked the Rays to submit a financing plan by Friday. Council members will discuss the plan at a May 22 workshop.
The council is set to decide June 5 whether to authorize a November referendum on a new downtown stadium at the site of Progress Energy Park, home of Al Lang Field. The council already has given the go-ahead for the administration to begin negotiations with two of three developers who offered bids to redevelop the 86-acre Tropicana site into a massive mixed-use project.
It's not clear what public money the Rays are seeking. But one funding source that's been floated is renewing a county 1-cent bed tax on hotel stays that helps pay the debt on Tropicana Field.
The bed tax expires on Sept. 30, 2015, but could be extended and the money raised could be applied to pay debt on bonds issued for the new downtown ballpark.
"We wouldn't expect the city to be solely responsible for the public contribution," Kalt said. "We realize we need to engage the county on what they think is an appropriate level of participation for them. But we expect it to be a joint effort of us and the city and the county to get this done."
Several county commissioners already have said they would not support the Rays' proposal if it involves using future property tax revenue generated by the redevelopment of the Tropicana site.
"I think the message from the commission has been no new property taxes," county Commissioner Ken Welch said. "I think they have that message. My assumption is they will ask us to extend that 1-cent bed tax."
However, Bennett said the Rays also may have to kick in more than the $150 million they plan to contribute toward the project.
"If there's a lot of borrowing involved, I'm not sure the taxpayers are going to want that, either," Bennett said.
Reporter Carlos Moncada can be reached at (727) 451-2333 or cmoncada@tampatrib.com.
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Reader Comments
Posted by ( 1voice ) on May 14, 2008 at 3:59 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Take notice Rays..I and several others I go to the Trop with will not sit in the hot, humid, weather of an outdoor stadium to watch the games. Now I don't know what your research is telling you but those I associate with, and we are rabid fans, say the same. I think you are taking a fine facility for granted and that you'd be making a mistake to move outdoors. This aint Boston.
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Posted by ( jviars ) on May 14, 2008 at 4:12 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
1voice,
You are an idiot! Baseball needs to be played outside. I already go to all of the games but I would be happy to pay more to be able to watch it outside. Could you imaine playoffs or a world series at Tropicana Field? I cant wait for the new stadium
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Posted by ( RangerDave ) on May 14, 2008 at 4:19 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
I only hope it does not involve one red cent of taxpayer money.
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Posted by ( 1voice ) on May 14, 2008 at 4:35 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
jviars,
Uh yeah... credible opinion if not for the personal attack which discredits your position totally. Care to take another stab at it?
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Posted by ( Smitty8591 ) on May 14, 2008 at 4:51 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Rays in first place and a new stadium on the way. Sweet.
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Posted by ( 1madvet ) on May 14, 2008 at 6:16 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
In politics always remember to include two words. No new taxes and schools. That was five words but you get my drift.
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Posted by ( 3rd_POV ) on May 14, 2008 at 6:16 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Would be much more interested if the Rays revealed their plan for actually winning a few games...
Brand new stadium, same crappy team...
On the bright side, as lousy as they play, at least we know they aren't using performance enhancing substances.
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Posted by ( moneymike1218 ) on May 14, 2008 at 6:17 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
baseball needs to be played outside, all of the great stadiums and teams play outside, Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium, Fenway and others... i dont care hot hot it is, that crap is for whiners, plus, that adds to our home field advantage, we are used to this, teams in NY Boston, Toronto, etc, arent used to this, thats why teams from up north struggle with the heat when they play the Bucs
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Posted by ( Ray_dar ) on May 14, 2008 at 7:46 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Outside? Are you guy's nuts? Dome is Home!! Let the vagrants play outside! Only a fool would give up a dome to play outdoors around here. The heat is one reason, storms are the other..Give me a break
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Posted by ( Ray_dar ) on May 14, 2008 at 7:53 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
3rd Pov- Read a sports page lately??
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Posted by ( 3rd_POV ) on May 14, 2008 at 9:23 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Yes, have read the sports pages...
Big F'in deal...
A partial season, a great team doth not make...
Talk to me in September....
when once again the Rays will be watching the series on television...
like the rest of us..
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Posted by ( JFS414 ) on May 14, 2008 at 10:18 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
So 3rd_POS,
Every team that doesn't make the series is crappy? Is that your argument? Please crawl back under your rock and stay there.
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Posted by ( Jabarten ) on May 14, 2008 at 11:35 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
I agree with some previous posts.....
Baseball nowadays has to played outside and Downtown.....
Looking forward to voting for this project....just my views.....Jason
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Posted by ( masterzvoice ) on May 15, 2008 at 1:26 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
1voice, you are obviously and employee of the Ray's owners or someone who stands to make some windfall from this incredibily stupid and criminal idea.
You can't play baseball or go to and from one during thunderstorms.
They will occur between 6pm and 11pm for more than 50 % of the home games from Jun 15 - Sep 15th.
So after you are soaked getting into the game, you are saying you will be delighted to sit there in the stands while getting attacked by killer mosquitos as you drink your warm beer (That's right ... the beers will stay cold only 1/2 as long at 84F with 98% humidity as they do at 72F with 45% humidty.
A new stadium will be the end of professional baseball in Tampa Bay (other than Spring training).
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Posted by ( masterzvoice ) on May 15, 2008 at 1:29 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
if baseball needs to be played outside than so does football and basketball and hockey.
Miami can't play ball or get people to games because of the major mistake they made to play in that open football stadium.
I won't go see them after May 1st or until October 1st either in a open air stadium ... and I won't walk more than 1/4 mile to get into the park either.
Stupid ... stupid ... stupid!
Criminal ... criminal ... criminal!
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Posted by ( masterzvoice ) on May 15, 2008 at 1:34 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Home field advantage because of the heat? ROFLMAO!
We went 15 years without the BUCS winning ... didn't matter at home or abroad. Same is true now.
I won't go to BUCS games as it is until October ...
Do you want to go to HELL? Go sit at a BUCS preseason game in August at 1PM with the temp 94 degress.
You PRAY FOR RAIN and then you pick a fight hoping someone will throw their cold beer at you. It is misery squared.
Shoot even the so called FANS at the BUCS games in August and early September spend most of the games inside buying and drinking beers in the air conditioned concourses. They poke their heads out and sit a few times during the game so they can say they went.
That is the problem with alcoholics ... they do stupid things and they do not even know why they do them.
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Posted by ( masterzvoice ) on May 15, 2008 at 1:40 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Remember the playoffs in Cleveland with the Yankees and INdians and fans getting attacked by billions of midge flies?
ROFLMAO!
When it happens in an open air stadium in Saint Pete during a homestand in August you will see grown baseball players crying to God to take away the plague.
They will need more than OFF to keep those flying fortress mosquitos, which are the size of pelicans, from carrying them off like in the Wizard of Oz!
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