I ran into a friend today who congratulated me on the Rays deal falling through in St. Pete. But this was never about me—it’s about a win for the city.
When I asked her opinion:
“What do you think about about the proposed stadium deal”. She said she didn’t care either way.
But what about the hurricane flooding?
When I asked if she was concerned about hurricane flooding in St. Pete, she said yes.
That’s when I explained that our city has over $5 billion in needed infrastructure improvements to prevent future flooding—yet the proposed Rays deal would have eaten up $1.6 billion in city resources.
Opinions can change once you have the facts.
When I asked her again if she cared about where the city was directing its money, her answer changed: “Yes, I care.”
This was never about baseball.
From my perspective, the stadium deal was never about baseball – who doesn’t like baseball. It was about prioritizing what truly matters for St. Petersburg.
For a full breakdown of why this was the better outcome, check out our complete analysis here: Stadium Deal – A Better Outcome.
