Let’s assume the Rays asked about Montreal. Here’s what St. Pete should ask in return.

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https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2019/07/27/lets-assume-the-rays-asked-about-montreal-heres-what-st-pete-should-ask-in-return/

Let’s assume the Rays asked about Montreal. Here’s what St. Pete should ask in return.

John Romano: If the Rays are serious about this split plan, they should be willing to offer the city something of value in return for altering Tropicana Field’s use agreement.

St. Petersburg mayor Rick Kriseman faces some risks consider the Rays request to pursue splitting seasons between Tampa Bay and Montreal. This fan made it clear where he stands at a recent Rays game.

ST. PETERSBURG — Let’s see, on June 20 there was the announcement...

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https://www.wtsp.com/article/sports/mlb/rays/stadium-saga/rays-owner-on-st-petersburg-meeting-we-had-a-nice-conversation/67-5dc0504e-1e7c-4f0d-9ccd-a4ed043753bf

Rays owner on St. Petersburg meeting: 'We had a nice conversation'

Tuesday's meeting between Rays management and St. Petersburg city leaders lasted a little more than 90 minutes.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg said he did not ask for St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman's permission to explore splitting the team’s home games between two cities during their Tuesday afternoon meeting.

The private meeting at the old St. Petersburg police headquarters also included St. Petersburg Deputy Mayor Kanika Tomalin and Rays President Brian Auld. It lasted a little more than 90 minutes.

“It was good to talk. It was nice to see the mayor and his crew, and we had a nice conversation,” Sternberg said after the meeting.

A reporter asked Sternberg if the two sides accomplished anything.

“Yeah, the first thing is sitting down and talking,” Sternberg said. “That was an accomplishment.”

Sternberg said Rays management and St. Petersburg leaders plan to sit and talk again “in the near future.”

Tuesday marked the first time the two sides had a formal conversation since the announcement the Major League Baseball team was considering splitting time between the Tampa Bay area and Montreal.

The Rays are committed to their lease at Tropicana Field through the 2027 season. The team would need the city of St. Petersburg’s permission to explore playing games in other cities.

The split-city concept also has several other challenges, which includes paying for at least one new stadium and getting the MLB Players Association to agree.

Kriseman’s staff said the mayor left the building Tuesday afternoon and managed to avoid media members. His staff called it a “cordial meeting.”

If the split-city concept happened, Sternberg previously said the team would play the first half of a season somewhere in Tampa Bay, have a "summer sendoff" and then have a second Opening Day in Montreal midseason.

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http://www.aroundosceola.com/sports/tampa-rays-two-city-plan-doesn-t-make-sense/article_04ba9998-ae1b-11e9-8b0c-f3eff3cfc3f2.html

Tampa Rays two-city plan doesn’t make sense

Long frustrated by his inability to get a new baseball stadium built in the bay area, Tampa Rays owner Stuart Sternberg floated an idea that the team was exploring a two-city plan, where the Rays would call Tampa home for the first half of the season and play the second half in Montreal.

Montreal is supposedly a hot bed topic for baseball expansion, although it’s hard to see why since the city’s former major league team high-tailed it out of city in 2004 after years of low attendance to become the Washington Nationals in 2004.

In Sternberg’s plan, the Rays would play April, May and June in Tampa and the rest of the season in Montreal – preferably in new stadiums at both cities.

Sternberg noted this plan was not simply a good idea, it was a great idea and the only one option he has left.

There is a little precedent in a dual city franchise. Back in 2003, the Expos (suffering from low attendance, sound familiar?) received permission and played 22 home games in Puerto Rico.

The Rays announced this plan after Major League Baseball gave them permission to pursue this option.

“I’m confident it’s an amazing idea,” Sternberg said publicly. “Every turn, every what-if, what-if, only leads to more opportunity, more fandom, more joy.” He went on to down-play that this “plan” was simply a ploy to get a new stadium built in Tampa or help clear the public relations path for a permanent move out of Tampa.

There are incredible problems and obstacles standing in the way. Give the Rays credit for creative thinking, but the idea of a split season falls apart before you even start any deep thinking on how this two-city plan could work.

First, and perhaps most important, the Rays would have to break a lease that binds them to St. Petersburg and Tropicana Field through the 2027 season.

The city of St. Petersburg, which owns the facility, has no intention of letting the Rays remove 41 home games from their building.

“I want to be crystal clear. The Rays cannot explore playing major league baseball games in Montreal, or anywhere else for that matter, prior to 2028 without reaching a formal memorandum of understanding with the city of St. Petersburg,” Mayor Rick Kriseman said. He flat out stated he has no intention of even taking the Rays plan before city council, which effectively could nix the idea for eight more seasons.

On a practical matter, splitting the season between two countries would be tough on the front office employees, players and coaches.

The red tape for obtaining part-time resident status for players and employees would be mind boggling and asking the players and employees to find and maintain two different residences during a sixth month period would be cumbersome at best. Not to mention players and front office staff with young children at home.

Go to school in Tampa through the academic year, move to Montreal, start school in Canada for the next year and then transfer back to the Bay area in March would create incredible stains on the families.

While some may counter that the majority of Tampa’s roster is usually made up of young players who do not have school age children, those same players are playing on rookie contracts that would create a financial burden if you ask them to maintain two residences. In short, it is doubtful that the players’ association would approve of this plan without major financial considerations to the players.

And then there’s this scenario. Rays have a great season and make the playoffs. Who gets to host the post-season home games? That would make for an interesting discussion.

Of course at the heart of the matter is Sternberg’s desire to play in a new government-funded stadium (or stadiums). The reality is the Tampa/St. Pete governments have balked at building a half a billion dollar playhouse for a rich owner and talk of a new stadium in Montreal is just that – talk. For years, franchises have always threatened to move in order to extract new stadiums at public expense. As the Rays have found out, cities have started calling out that bluff and are becoming less likely to commit public tax dollars towards a private enterprise.

The fact that the Rays are trying to get two new stadiums built to share a team is laughable.

That said, what was this announcement really about? Although Sternberg scoffed at the notion that this is simply a public relations ploy to allow the Rays to eventually leave and be able to blame city (We gave them the only viable option to keep the team – even though it was only for half a season), it appears that this plan is exactly that – a ploy to blame others when the team does decide to move.

The plan of a two-city franchise in two different countries in unwieldy, unworkable and perhaps a little insane.

 Ideally, during the next few years, Tampa and/or St. Petersburg will sit down with Sternberg and try to come to an agreement on a new stadium and how much each side would be willing to contribute to the project.

 If no agreement is eminent, the Rays will most likely continue to search for a city willing to build them a new home and the team will relocate permanently.

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https://stpetecatalyst.com/major-changes-ahead-for-st-petes-commerce-park/

Major changes ahead for St. Pete’s Commerce Park

Deputy Mayor Kanika Tomalin speaking about housing in Commerce Park at Wednesday's press conference.

Two influential players in the global marina industry are poised to make a big investment in Commerce Park, an economically challenged area of south St. Petersburg.

Their investment depends in part on changes in the existing lease and development agreement for Commerce Park. The amended agreement would extend the development deadline in return for immediate job creation — at least 62 new jobs no later than Oct. 15. It also mandates the creation of up to 300 residential units with workforce and affordable housing components, as one part of the 10-year affordable housing proposal Mayor Rick Kriseman unveiled Wednesday.

The St. Petersburg City Council will consider the changes to the development agreement on Aug. 1.

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https://www.motorsportweek.com/news/id/23795

St.Pete poised to remain as IndyCar opener until 2024

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http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/the-firestone-grand-prix-to-stay-in-st-pete-for-years-to-come

The Firestone Grand Prix to stay in St. Pete for years to come

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https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2019/07/24/the-firestone-grand-pix-approved-for-a-4-year-extension-

Firestone Grand Prix Approved for 4-Year St. Pete Extension

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https://www.indycar.com/News/2019/07/07-24-St-Petersburg-announce

ST. PETE RACE PROMOTER SECURES DEAL WITH CITY THROUGH 2024

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https://www.businessobserverfl.com/article/edge-district-stpete-wifi-digital-divide-todd-myers

On the edge: Neighborhood gets connected thanks to collaboration

A tech entrepreneur gets creative in his quest to bridge a digital divide.

Free, open-access public Wi-Fi is now available throughout the EDGE District, one of downtown St. Petersburg’s fastest-growing neighborhoods. The upgrade stems from a collaboration among GoZone WiFi, hardware supplier Cambium Networks and the EDGE Business District Association, along with support from sponsors UPC Insurance and Goldman Wetzel Law Firm.

GoZone, headquartered in the EDGE District, is run by serial tech entrepreneur Todd Myers, who says he’s long been vexed by the “digital divide” that limits the availability of fast, free, easily accessible wireless internet service in public areas. "There’s a huge demand for good public Wi-Fi hotspots," Myers says. "But it can be very difficult to use those hotspots.”

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https://www.aviationpros.com/aoa/runway-management/news/21090214/albert-whitted-airport-plan-for-the-future-to-look-at-extending-runway

Albert Whitted Airport Plan for the Future to Look at Extending Runway

ST. PETERSBURG — Historically, a lot of conversations about the future of Albert Whitted Airport have jumped off from the idea of closing the airport and building something else on its prime waterfront property.

"Same old story: It's an ideal location," says Jack Tunstill, a longtime Albert Whitted pilot, flight instructor and chairman of the airport's advisory committee. He hears this less than he used to, thanks to a 2003 referendum in which St. Petersburg voters affirmed the airport's future as, well, an airport. Still, the idea comes up once in a while. Mayor Rick Kriseman himself floated it in 2014.

Soon, however, the talk will be less about what else could be developed at Albert Whitted and more about what might be developed nearby. The city-owned and -operated airport is putting together its first master plan since 2005. Two topics are expected to get a lot of attention: extending and shifting the main runway and finding space for more hangars.

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https://www.tampabay.com/business/albert-whitted-airport-plan-for-the-future-to-look-at-extending-runway-20190725/

Albert Whitted Airport plan for the future to look at extending runway

And officials say shifting the runway east could create development opportunities for the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. Also expected to get a look: adding hangar space.

A small airplane takes off from Albert Whitted Airport recently. The city of St. Petersburg is updating its master plan for the airport. The plan will look at extending the main runway and building new hangers.

ST. PETERSBURG — Historically, a lot of conversations about the...

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https://stpetecatalyst.com/in-conversation-amy-harriett-miller-president-of-the-bill-edwards-foundation-for-the-arts/

In conversation: Amy Harriett Miller, president of the Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts