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There is no reason for an unfair deal and after two hurricanes we can't afford one.

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There is no reason for St. Petersburg to sell valuable land at less than fair value. We need these funds to protect our homes.

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There is no reason to provide stadium subsidies without a fair share of the profits. We need the funds to improve our infrastructure.  

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Subsidies and discounts that will cost every person in St. Petersburg $6,000 - that we can't afford.

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We can't afford the deal. 

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• The 86 acres are much more valuable than the deal negotiated.  We all know it and the Rays know it. 

• Baseball does not drive economic growth or create good paying jobs - it's not needed for the property to be successfully developed. We all know it and the Rays know it.

• Hines is an excellent developer, but the city can find other equally qualified developers to work with - at a fair price.  Rays and Hines and the city know it.  ​

• Baseball is not going to leave Tampa Bay, the 11th-largest TV market in the U.S. The Rays know it and Major League Baseball knows it.  ​

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Why it matters

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With a fair deal (or no deal) St. Petersburg will have $1.6 billion more resources to spend on important priorities - Save our homes from the next hurricane.  

 

• Flooding problems: the city needs to spend more than $5 billion for sewer and stormwater improvements and $1 billion to rebuild our sea walls to prevent flooding in many neighborhoods - and it does not have the money it needs.  Now with two hurricanes in two weeks we need to set this as our top priority to protect our homes, our businesses, and our community.

•  Affordable/Workforce housing: the city is becoming unaffordable.  Where will we get the workers for our stores and restaurants if the cost of housing is too high?  Where will companies that want to move here find employees?   The city could establish a $250 million Citywide Affordable/Workforce Housing Trust to underwrite new construction, and also help residents buy and fix up homes – providing jobs to local contractors. 

• Education: we have too many kids who don't get any degrees or certifications after high school.  Who is going to pay for their health care and to keep them out of trouble - the taxpayers.   The city could create a $50 million College Opportunity Fund, providing college scholarships leading to good jobs for 2,500 students who would not be able to go to college otherwise.

• Intentional Equity: the city could make a more significant commitment to the Black community than the $50 million in the Rays/Hines proposal (which proposal sets out no dates certain to fund their commitment.) 

• Daycare and Pre-school Funds: the city could underwrite these costs for parents of young children so that they can hold down jobs or go to school.  

• Primary Health Care Facilities: the city could provide better primary health care options rather than people without health insurance having to go to emergency rooms.  

• Fresh Food Markets: The city could provide underwriting for fresh food markets in areas that are currently food deserts.  

• A $75 million new municipal services building.  

• Tax relief.   

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With a fair deal (or no deal) Pinellas county will have $800 million more resources to spend on more important priorities - save our beaches from the next hurricane.

 

• 30 miles of beaches that will need constant renourishment from future storms.  

• Real estate taxes to spend on education and other county needs. 

• Tourist Development Tax that should be spent on promoting the activities that are most in demand – restaurants, the beaches, museums. (Not baseball – mentioned by only 3% of visitors.)​​​

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And so many more considerations to be discussed and addressed:

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• Under the current deal, the city receives no  rent from the Rays nor any other revenue from the stadium, including stadium naming rights and TV revenue, etc. The Rays ownership keeps all revenue.  (The county receives an insignificant $1 million per year licensing payment.)   

• Bond risk – St. Petersburg is borrowing almost $70 million – jeopardizing its credit rating and its ability to borrow in the future in the event of another hurricane. 

• Traffic and parking congestion in the Gas Plant area from baseball will be a negative influence on development of the rest of the Gas Plant site and will be a headache to the residents and businesses in the surrounding area.   

• 80% of nearly 800 St. Petersburg respondents to the recent League of Women Voters of St. Petersburg poll agree that the proposed Rays/Hines deal needs to be renegotiated.      

• The risk if the Rays cease operations. The property will be encumbered with a massive unusable building in the heart of the 86-acre development.