Here’s what they’re saying about Mayor Ken Welch’s pick to redevelop the Trop

Across Tampa Bay, political, community and business leaders watched closely as St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch announced Monday that he’d be backing a proposal by the Tampa Bay Rays and global real estate firm Hines to redevelop the city’s 86-acre Tropicana Field site. Here’s what a few of them had to say.

“Our main goal is keeping the Rays in Tampa Bay and Mayor Welch’s announcement brings us an important step closer to that goal. There is a lot of work still to do. Tampa remains a great option for the team and we’re keeping our door open and pencil sharpened for the due diligence on any potential Rays stadium proposal in Tampa.”

— Tampa Mayor Jane Castor

“This is the first step in making sure we keep baseball in St. Petersburg, and baseball in the region. I think we have a long way to go. We’ve still got a term sheet to work out, and City Council to bless it, and then the stadium is a separate negotiation. So we’ve still got a lot of work to do, but this certainly puts us on a great path and gives us a good solid foundation to begin those negotiations and those conversations.”

— J.P. Dubuque, president and CEO of the St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corp.

“I was honored to be involved with the process. We look forward to helping out in any way we can. I’m glad it worked out for St. Pete.”

— Monti Valrie, principal and managing partner of Cape Coral-based 50 Plus 1 Sports, one of the other bidders

“Congratulations to the Rays and Hines. I hope they find the money to do a new stadium.”

— E. William Henry, principal in charge of RGA Design, a member of the Restoration Associates bid team

“In my opinion, this is the right decision. It’s the right decision for the community, for the citizens, for the government, for baseball. I think it’s the right decision for all parties involved.”

— Ken Jones, chairperson and CEO of Third Lake Partners, which submitted a redevelopment proposal under former Mayor Rick Kriseman, and which owns property around Tropicana Field

“This seems rooted in a reality that is going to take hold. The others were good runs at it, but as I’ve learned a lot in communities over the last 30 years, it takes a while to get everything right. And this time, it just feels a little like the city knew what they were looking for.”

— Chris Steinocher, president and CEO of the Greater St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce

“It’s the only clear chance St. Pete has to keep the team. I’m pleased it gets our community one step closer to securing a long-term home for the team. I guess we’re on the clock. We will be prepared to negotiate (with the Rays) when the time is right.”

— Hillsborough County Commission Chairperson Ken Hagan

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“I think it’s a great day for St. Petersburg in general. If you think of all the history in the Gas Plant District, as many have said, including the Rays, this is not about the Rays. It’s about the bigger picture about the history of the area, about economic development, about affordable housing, about the Rays. So I think it’s a great day, and am very happy.”

— John Moore, president of BayFront Health St. Petersburg

“We can start getting to the nuts and bolts of the proposal to make sure everybody wins. We don’t want to repeat the mistakes of the past.”

— St. Petersburg City Council member Brother John Muhammad, a longtime activist in the city’s Black communities

“I have a lot of confidence in this team in being (able) to honor the commitments that they have made and create a really great development. I looked at all the proposals, and these guys really seem to have the capacity to deliver on what they were promising. That’s not a reflection on the other teams. That’s just to say that these guys really nailed that.”

— Jason Mathis, president and CEO of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership

“Brian Auld and the Rays team have been consistent supporters and friends to those who seek social justice and equity. This partnership between the city and Rays will ensure that our city continues to be successful, and that more residents are involved in its success.”

— The Rev. J.C. Pritchett II, president of the International Ministerial Alliance

“This is one step closer to keeping the Rays in Tampa Bay, which has been the Chamber’s position for quite some time now. Our goal is to keep the Rays in Tampa Bay. The location decision is their call. They’re the experts on where they should be located. So we think this is good news for the Rays, good news for Tampa Bay, good news for the mayor’s leadership in St. Pete, and we look forward to the next step to get us to that final decision for the Rays and Tampa Bay.”

— Bob Rohrlack, president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Chamber

“Everything up to this point has been to prepare for the marathon. The tape just dropped. Now we’ve got to run the race.”

— St. Petersburg City Council member Copley Gerdes