CITIZEN LETTERS TO THEIR REPRESENTATIVES
We ask people to tell us what they think and here are their comments which I have sent on to the St. Petersburg City Council Members and the Pinellas County Board of Commissioners:
-Citizen Submission-
Dear Pinellas County Commissioners
I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the proposed allocation of city funds for the construction of a new stadium in Saint Petersburg. While the potential for community benefits and economic growth through such a project is clear, I strongly believe that approving funds for this endeavor at this time would be an irresponsible financial decision, particularly in light of the recent hurricanes and the ongoing need for critical infrastructure investments, such as beach renourishment.
As you are aware, our area beaches are a vital part of both our local economy and the quality of life for residents and visitors alike. The impact of coastal erosion, exacerbated by increasingly frequent storms, poses a long-term threat to our community’s infrastructure, tourism revenue, and environmental health. The need for ongoing beach renourishment is urgent. Without it, we risk losing our beaches and the economic benefits they bring, not to mention the damage to homes, businesses, and public spaces along our waterfront.
Given these pressing needs, I believe that funding for beach renourishment and stormwater management should take precedence over a large-scale project like the stadium. Rather than committing millions of taxpayer dollars to a stadium that will require ongoing maintenance, insurance, and possibly further storm repairs, we should be investing in the protection and restoration of our coastal environment, which supports a broader range of residents, businesses, and wildlife.
In addition, recent hurricanes have shown us how vulnerable our infrastructure is to the effects of climate change. We must be proactive in ensuring that our county is resilient, and this includes not only maintaining our beaches but also strengthening our stormwater systems and flood protection measures. The proposed stadium would create long-term fiscal obligations that could potentially strain city and county resources, leaving us less prepared to deal with future storms and their aftermath.
I urge you to reconsider approving funds for the stadium at this time and instead direct our resources toward critical infrastructure needs, including beach renourishment, storm preparedness, and the rebuilding of vulnerable areas. Protecting our beaches and ensuring the resilience of our county should be our top priority—these efforts will pay dividends in the long run for both our residents and the economy.
Thank you for your attention to these concerns. I trust you will carefully weigh the long-term benefits of prioritizing our county’s environmental and infrastructure needs before committing to this costly stadium project.
-Citizen Submission-
The Stadium and Historic Gas Plant deal documents vouched for the sufficiency of St. Petersburg’s utility systems. In April 2024 the City issued a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for the city’s water, sewer, and stormwater systems.
In late September and early October these systems failed us during Hurricanes Helene and Milton. We all now know that these systems were neither reliable nor resilient. A 2022 report by the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies at Florida State University depicted an anticipated hurricane return period for the Tampa Bay area of 8-11 years. These facts strongly suggest that there are important questions that should be answered and issues considered by City Council before it votes to authorize issuance of $287.5 million TIF bonds to fund a contribution in like amount to the Tampa Bay Rays.
- Will the $5 billion allocated to the city’s water, sewer and stormwater systems under the 2024 (CIP) improve these utility systems sufficiently to avoid future losses such as those our city’s residents and businesses are trying to recover from today? Does
the 2024 CIP itself need an upgrade to incorporate what was learned from the subsequent system failures? - Is the $5 billion allocation from the 2024 utility CIP just another in a series of well documented underestimates by city administration of the cost of providing these
systems with sufficient capacity and resilience? Some of these prior estimates were $326 million in 2017, $1 billion in 2019, and $3 billion in 2021. - Will the 2024 CIP’s 25-year implementation period for improvement of these utility
systems provide too little too late – in other words, with a likely return period of about 10 years, does this implementation period need to be shortened to 10 years to, hopefully, avoid another major utility system failure?
The city’s 2025 operating budget is about $910 million. The combined FY 2025 water, sewer, and stormwater CIP appropriation is about $155 million. A $5 billion 25-year CIP nominally requires, on average, $200 million each year. A 10-year program nominally would require $500 million each year – a sum which could not be practically carved out of a 910 million city annual operating budget. Do not approve the expenditure of hundreds of millions of public funds to retain an amenity the city can no longer afford. Adopt a resolution or policy that would require a new utilities CIP and a budget review that identifies every source of funds that would enable the city to achieve a reliable and resilient utility system in the shortest possible time. If you divert significant funds to baseball, you stretch the implementation period for fixing these essential utility systems and increase the likelihood of hurricane loss.
In short, reduce risk to the extent you can as soon as you can. Because of financial constraints, the city likely cannot avoid at least one more significant loss attributable to the utility systems, but you may have mitigated the loss. That would be a win.
-Citizen Submission-
I am a new resident of St Petersburg and I have just voted here for the first time. After seeing the devastation from the two hurricanes, and reading about the costs required for the recovery of our city, I am very disturbed to hear about a bond issue for a new stadium and the costs to repair of Tropicana Field. In the meantime, people have been made homeless, adding to the homeless population we already have. If we have to go into debt, it should be for real needs for the city and its residents. We need to shore up our infrastructure for the next storm (and they’re going to keep coming). We need affordable housing. There are many needs more important than baseball. Please do not waste our tax money. Vote NO on the bond issue.
-Citizen Submission-
-Citizen Submission-
What a difference six weeks makes! The deal to finance the Rays stadium was bad to begin with, but after hurricanes Helene and Milton exposed the vulnerability of the city to wind and water damage, it is now clear that this investment is a grave error. Visitors come to St. Petersburg for its beaches, not Rays baseball games, so the stadium funds ought to go toward keeping them in peak condition. Moreover, our infrastructure is crumbling. During hurricane Helene, two of our sewage treatment plants were shut down, preventing people from flushing toilets. Boil water notices were in effect for days, just when people were reeling from the devastating effects of both hurricanes. It’s obvious that our spending priorities should be on maximizing our resilience to storm damage and flooding. I urge all council members to vote against approval of the bond issues for a new ballpark and work to create a plan to deal with the real, existential issues facing our city.
-Citizen Submission-
I am adamantly opposed to any new spending or debt in order to build a new baseball stadium in downtown St. Petersburg UNLESS it is approved by the voters in a referendum. The fact that the City Council has refused to send this question to a referendum makes it clear they don’t think it would pass and that their real constituents are the billionaire owner of the team and the millionaire developers who will benefit from this massive boondoggle at the expense of the taxpayers. Stop wasting our money without our approval. There are much more urgent priorities than a new stadium that will be attended no better than the current one is.
-Citizen Submission-
After what we just experienced with hurricanes, and aware we will be having more intense hurricanes through the coming years, why is the City insistent on spending money on a stadium instead of putting all our effort and funds into adapting to the climate-caused changes? Can the City of St. Petersburg, with $5 billion of needed sewer and storm water improvements, afford to spend $672 million on a stadium? And what about affordable housing?
-Citizen Submission-
After what we just experienced with hurricanes, and aware we will be having more intense hurricanes through the coming years, why is the County considering spending millions on a stadium instead of putting all our effort and funds into adapting to the climate-caused changes? Can Pinellas County, with 30 miles of beaches now torn apart, afford to allocate $600 million of its tourist development taxes to a stadium? Where will it get the funds to re-nourish the beaches now and after the next storm – so important to our economy.
-Citizen Submission-
PLEASE prioritize improving our drainage and sewer infrastructure, repairing our sea walls, sidewalks, beaches and tree canopy before funding the Rays Stadium or even funding the repair of the roof of Tropicana Field. The Rays can play their 2026 season elsewhere (and it would be a good experiment to see how attendance is affected). This is our tax money and we need to be prepared for more and bigger storms. Plus our neighbors need help.
-Citizen Submission-
Before the city allocates any money for stadiums you should upgrade our abysmal infrastructure first. Recent storms have exposed that the city is totally unprepared. Storm sweet, roads, treatment plants, and cleanup are 100 percent inadequate, and the city’s response incompetent
-Citizen Submission-
I am writing to voice my concerns regarding the money being spent on a baseball stadium. We have so many residents suffering right now and as a whole the city leaders in the past two administrations have totally ignored our vulnerabilities. They keep spending our tax dollars frivolously and have no regard for basic human rights such as affordable housing, safe water and working basic infrastructure. Quit catering to the developers and start caring about the citizens of this city.
You are literally running out generational families who have made this city such a great place to live Due to your negligence we are watching our property values plummet. The only ones who are benefiting are the vultures and developers !
-Citizen Submission-
With the damage to our city from the recent hurricanes it is essential St. Petersburg reevaluate its engagement with the re-development of Tropicana Field. Our city needs vast infrastructure modernization to bring resiliency to our systems to prevent this level of damage in the future.
The damage Helene and Milton brought upon our city is evidence of our failing infrastructure and urgent need for updating our drainage and sewage systems.
-Citizen Submission-
St Petersburg Council Members and Pinellas County Commissioners please read the Citizen’s letters. The stadium deal was not right before the hurricanes and is wrong now.
-Citizen Submission-
Please place your efforts on improving our infrastructure and not on the stadium.
-Citizen Submission-
I love baseball but we need to upgrade infrastructure since you have approved everything that brings more and more people .to our once beautiful city. It won’t be long until toilets are going to flush into roads and lawns. Ripped up sewer lines on every street are so attractive.
-Citizen Submission-
Help our city get healthy again.
People over stadium.
Would prefer our tax dollars be used to help improve our aging infrastructure
Stop building, building, building our infrastructure can’t handle the densit and congestion.
-Citizen Submission-
With the devastation from two hurricanes figuring prominently in our city, it is time to reconsider spending any monies for a new baseball stadium.
With the devastation of two hurricanes figuring prominently along our thirty miles of beaches in Pinellas County, it is time to reconsider spending any monies for a new baseball stadium in St. Petersburg.
-Citizen Submission-
Even before the recent near miss hurricanes. I was concerned that the city could ill afford spending 600 million dollars on pro baseball while 5 billion dollars in sewer and storm water projects remain unfunded. Now it’s clear, we mustn’t burden the city with debt while infrastructure needs have not been attended to. Vote NO on the bond issue, for the sake of our city
Where will the tourist tax dollars come from to pay for the bonds when the beaches are destroyed and we face a housing and insurance crisis? Vote NO while we still have a chance to get out of this financial predicament. The next hurricane may not be a near miss like these two were, and the consequences will be disastrous.
-Citizen Submission-
Take off the roof frame and make it an outdoor stadium. Use the money to bring back the city from the storms. I don’t think the Rays have enough following to justify that much money.
-Citizen Submission-
Take off the roof frame and make it an outdoor stadium. Use the money to bring back the city from the storms. I don’t think the Rays have enough following to justify that much money.
-Citizen Submission-
Do not use Saint Petersburg taxpayer dollars in any form to fund a replacement for Tropicana Field. Three decades of economic research proved unequivocally that taxpayers and municipalities do not benefit in any way from giving taxpayer dollars to wealthy sports owners to build lavish stadiums. This is the worst sort of kleptocracy. Mayor Ken Welch tried to go behind our backs to drive a sweetheart deal with those wealthy sports owners. Stop this. This is not the will of the people.
-Citizen Submission-
Do not use Saint Petersburg taxpayer dollars in any form to fund a replacement for Tropicana Field. Three decades of economic research proved unequivocally that taxpayers and municipalities do not benefit in any way from giving taxpayer dollars to wealthy sports owners to build lavish stadiums. This is the worst sort of kleptocracy. Mayor Ken Welch tried to go behind our backs to drive a sweetheart deal with those wealthy sports owners. Stop this. This is not the will of the people.
-Citizen Submission-
Please don’t borrow money nor waste a penny on a new stadium. We don’t need it and we don’t want it. Take care of our infrastructure.
-Citizen Submission-
I think that this is not the time for us to spend money on anticipated baseball tourist dollars, but rather on the tourist dollars that will support beach businesses recovery and the local economy.
-Citizen Submission-
I strongly object to borrowing the $1.2 billion to build a new stadium. The taxes for downtown homeowners are already too high. There is too much development already, causing more traffic and straining the already taxed infrastructure. If the Rays organization and developers want a new stadium, let them figure out how to finance it privately. That money could be better used to repair storm damage to the city/county, as well as the beaches and aging infrastructure. If the Rays think the grass is greener on the other side of the bay, they certainly have the right when their contract expires here to move elsewhere. The support for the team has been pretty dismal, even when they were doing well. I’d say make that piece of property a huge greens space/park. Vote no on this, please.
I do not think the county should bet involved with borrowing, along with the city, $1.2 billion for a new stadium. If the Rays and developers want a new stadium, let them figure out how to fund it privately, and not saddle county and city residents with even higher taxes. That kind of money would be better served fixing up the damage from recent hurricanes, repairing our beaches, and fixing the ancient infrastructure, especially in the city. We have enough building going on that is causing more traffic and pollution, as well as causing all kinds of inconvenience to county and city residents. Please vote no on this borrowing.
-Citizen Submission-
No government money should go to this project. Let the owners build it . The city is in desperate need of sewer, stormwater, and seawall repairs. Shouldn’t this be our top priority?
-Citizen Submission-
We cannot afford to build a stadium right now and the Rays should be paying for half. They have collected all proceeds of the stadium for years. It’s time to back their city.
-Citizen Submission-
I am writing this letter because the city needs to focus on real issues at hand.
Rebuilding a stadium that will ultimately be torn down is such a waste of money! There are other options as to where the team can play.
We have major sewage issues, flooding issues and a seawall that is crumbling downtown. The homeless issue is a whole other issue that needs to be addressed. I work all damn day to and look forward to heading downtown to relax on a bench by the water. Unfortunately, the benches are filled with sleeping drug addicts and homeless people.
The irresponsible builders and city need to be accountable for continuing to build the unneeded high rises, sloppily on porous limestone downtown.
No wonder there are flooding issues.
I live in the Avanti, directly behind where the top T part of the crane fell into the Times building. I saw the fireball crash into the building from my living room! Terrifying to say the least!
I had my elderly mother with me. We were frantically trying to get down 6 flights of stairs, in fear that the rest of the crane was going to fall or the building was going to catch on fire.
We were only informed THE DAY before the storm leaving should be an option. I should not have to leave my home! That crane should have been lowered after the first hurricane or don’t approve to build during hurricane season! I watched the workers take down the rest of that crane in TWO days. It did not take a long time to get down like Welch said on the news.
By the time we were informed falling cranes could be an issue all nearby hotels had been booked up, stations were out of gas and we had no where to go with our animals.
I have a full time job taking care of pregnant women and was not strolling downtown before a hurricane. That is where the city decided to post “flyers” from what I heard. So irresponsible of the city! No one should have to be put in that situation, especially paying the exorbitant amount of rent I pay to live downtown. Priorities need to change.
Please do the right thing and the right thing for our community.
Your decisions will affect the children in the future to come. Let’s work together for once instead of focusing on corporate greed.
-Citizen Submission-
St. Petersburg City Council, as a new resident of 4 years in St. Pete we have seen 6 high rises go up in that short amount of time. The infrastructure of the city is the absolute priority in order to have a well functioning, healthy city. Priority needs to be given to the sewers and water system. With the recent hurricanes the beach areas are in desperate need of funds. The money being spent for the new baseball field needs to be reevaluated. Funds need to be better prioritized. Please take this into strong consideration.
-Citizen Submission-
The new stadium is not a help to the city if we continue to allow sewage/fecal matter to overflow into the streets or the bay. Fix what is basic for the health and growth of St, Petersburg. and it’s not a new stadium.
-Citizen Submission-
I am writing to you to let you know that I am opposed to the City of St. Petersburg borrowing money to help pay for a new baseball stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays.
With all of the damage the city incurred from hurricanes Helene and Milton, in addition to the many pressing needs the city had even before the hurricanes hit, borrowing a large amount of money to help pay for a new baseball stadium would be a poor fiscal decision.
Please vote against borrowing money to help pay for a new baseball stadium.
-Citizen Submission-
Please reconsider the “whole stadium deal” and consider the possibility of letting the Rays move permanently to another city. St. Petersburg, and the Tampa Bay area with the bridges needed to connect to the freeways to go to the stadium” will never fully support a baseball team. It’s too difficult to get to games. It’s too expensive for families. There is no large corporate community to buy large quantities of season tickets year after year. The Rays will continue to struggle financially — and the debt the City of St. Petersburg is being asked to take on will damage the City for generations. There are many more useful ways to spend that money. Please consider the ways that money could help residents of St. Petersburg for generations.
-Citizen Submission-
We love this city, Saint Petersburg has been my home for over 20 years. I came for a visit and never wanted to leave; so I moved, and still proudly call Saint Petersburg’s my home. My husband, who’s a Tampa Florida native; knew how much I loved this city and willing agreed to call Saint Petersburg his home as well.
I finished my college degree in Saint Petersburg’s; got my first real job at Bayfront Medical Center; and had my son right here at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital all here in beautiful Saint Petersburg, Florida. We purchased our first home in Saint Petersburg, Florida. We’ve had a lot of first in the city and I truly believe; if the council comes together and thinks about all of the Citizens they can do a better job allocating those taxes, so our generation of children can have amazing first in this beautiful city of Saint Petersburg, Florida.
Please consider all the families that have worked so hard and how those tax dollars could really go towards better sewer systems, nourishing our beaches and the zillions of other repairs our beautiful city needs.
-Citizen Submission-
Please do not spend or allocate ANY FUNDS toward the new stadium.
-Citizen Submission-
Please, we cannot afford to waste valuable tax dollars on a team that doesn’t care and an absentee owner with no concern for this community. Hasn’t the two recent hurricanes taught all of us a lesson? Don’t flood-prone neighborhoods, failing seawalls, aging sanitation plants and inadequate sewer/storm water condition take precedence over the relative unimportant demands of a professional baseball team.?
Please, is it that important to waste tourist tax dollars on a baseball team than the tourist who generate these dollars come here for the beaches?
-Citizen Submission-
St Pete City Council, Please do not incur the debt for the new stadium. Our community is under much duress and there are many short and longer-term higher priorities that need to be addressed to keep our City desirable. Our infrastructure is not strong. We need better planning to address our water, sewage and roads. It appears that we have massively overbuilt our city and need to make major investments to support it. Our current property taxes are extremely high, and after the storms, it is highly likely that property values will decline. Where will the funds come from? Currently, St Petersburg is not a well-managed city, it is facing significant environmental threats, and it appears to have poor leadership that cannot handle basics such as permitting, road maintenance, trash collection, homelessness and other services. Do not put us into even more debt. Where is the upside?
Pinellas County Commissioners, Please do not approve the funding for the new stadium. This venture is not well thought out and, particularly in light of the challenges faced by St Petersburg after the storms, it is clearly not a high priority relative to the other issues that we face. We need to invest in our infrastructure and address issues related to permitting, road maintenance , trash collection, homelessness and other services. A baseball stadium brings very little upside to our community, particularly in the current environment. Please be the responsible party at the table.
-Citizen Submission-
I had supported the team by buying tickets every year.
But.
We need to construct thousands of new affordable homes. We need to upgrade our storm water infrastructure.
We need a new city service building.
We need to improve bus service.
The wealth being given to the billionaire owner of the Rays is enough to pay for these needs without raising taxes and fees.
Please vote no on the Rays deal and demand a fair deal for Saint Petersburg residents and please get an accurate appraisal of the Gas Plant property.
Pinellas county made a decision to pay for a new stadium based on assumptions but conditions have dramatically changed since July.
We had hoped that the federal government would change their mind and pay to fix the beaches. The election brought new national leadership with new priorities like tax cuts, a balanced budget, less regulation of oil drilling; and a trade war with Europe and Asia, where many visitors come from. Can we pay the entire cost of fixing beaches without federal help?
Our new president says “Drill Baby Drill”, so we should plan to deal with more oil spills interfering with tourism while waiting for clean ups.
We had hoped that the cost of beach nourishment would be like our experience in recent decades. Two destructive storms within a few weeks tells us we need to prepare for much worse destruction.
What is the potential cost of annual beach restoration with more storm damage? Is it even possible?
Commissioner Scott wants a positive ROI on public spending for a new stadium. One thing economists agree on is that stadiums do not pay for themselves, they merely transfer money to the team owner from other local businesses. We face new challenges in bringing visitors and need to focus tourist tax spending on what works the best
My Council representative proposed changing the team name as part of a deal. Did the city make a serious effort to make that happen? What is the promotional value of putting “St. Pete” in the team name? Did the city or county make a serious effort to make that happen?
-Citizen Submission-
Vote NO on funding a stadium. We have a lot of expensive, necessary projects that are much higher priority than baseball.
-Citizen Submission-
Would prefer our tax dollars be used to help improve our aging infrastructure
Stop building, building, building our infrastructure can’t handle the congestion
Every new build and development should at least have solar abilities
-Citizen Submission-
I am adamantly opposed to any new spending or debt in order to build a new baseball stadium in downtown St. Petersburg UNLESS it is approved by the voters in a referendum. The fact that the City Council has refused to send this question to a referendum makes it clear they don’t think it would pass and that their real constituents are the billionaire owner of the team and the millionaire developers who will benefit from this massive boondoggle at the expense of the taxpayers. Stop wasting our money without our approval. There are much more urgent priorities than a new stadium that will be attended no better than the current one is.
-Citizen Submission-
After what we just experienced with hurricanes, and aware we will be having more intense hurricanes through the coming years, why is the City insistent on spending money on a stadium instead of putting all our effort and funds into adapting to the climate-caused changes? Can the City of St. Petersburg, with $5 billion of needed sewer and storm water improvements, afford to spend $672 million on a stadium? And what about affordable housing?
After what we just experienced with hurricanes, and aware we will be having more intense hurricanes through the coming years, why is the County considering spending millions on a stadium instead of putting all our effort and funds into adapting to the climate-caused changes? Can Pinellas County, with 30 miles of beaches now torn apart, afford to allocate $600 million of its tourist development taxes to a stadium? Where will it get the funds to re-nourish the beaches now and after the next storm – so important to our economy?
-Citizen Submission-
PLEASE prioritize improving our drainage and sewer infrastructure, repairing our sea walls, sidewalks, beaches and tree canopy before funding the Rays Stadium or even funding the repair of the roof of Tropicana Field. The Rays can play their 2026 season elsewhere (and it would be a good experiment to see how attendance is affected). This is our tax money and we need to be prepared for more and bigger storms. Plus our neighbors need help!
-Citizen Submission-
Before the city allocates any money for stadiums you should upgrade our abysmal infrastructure first. Recent storms have exposed that the city is totally unprepared. Storm sweet, roads, treatment plants, and cleanup are 100 percent inadequate, and the city’s response incompetent
-Citizen Submission-
I am writing to voice my concerns regarding the money being spent on a baseball stadium. We have so many residents suffering right now and as a whole the city leaders in the past two administrations have totally ignored our vulnerabilities. They keep spending our tax dollars frivolously and have no regard for basic human rights such as affordable housing, safe water and working basic infrastructure. Quit catering to the developers and start caring about the citizens of this city.
You are literally running out generational families who have made this city such a great place to live Due to your negligence we are watching our property values plummet. The only ones who are benefiting are the vultures and developers !
-Citizen Submission-
I love baseball but we need to upgrade infrastructure since you have approved everything that brings more and more people .to our once beautiful city. It won’t be long until toilets are going to flush into roads and lawns. Ripped up sewer lines on every street are so attractive.
-Citizen Submission-
Please kill the stadium deal. St. Pete needs to spend its money on other things. We knew this before Helene & Milton. It should be obvious now. Thank you!
-Citizen Submission-
The city of St. Petersburg needs to take a realistic look at the new realities of our budget in wake of the hurricanes. Also, what will the bond ratings be now that we’ve suffered back to back hurricanes? And how will that potentially impact the price to borrow the money to fund a new stadium?
-Citizen Submission-
Pinellas County needs to take a realistic look at the new realities of our budget in wake of the hurricanes. How much bed tax revenue will be missing for the months ahead? Also, what will the bond ratings be now that we’ve suffered back to back hurricanes? And how will that potentially impact the price to borrow the money to fund a new stadium? We need new projections based on our new reality as a storm-torn area.
The city of St. Petersburg needs to take a realistic look at the new realities of our budget in wake of the hurricanes. Also, what will the bond ratings be now that we’ve suffered back to back hurricanes? And how will that potentially impact the price to borrow the money to fund a new stadium?
Pinellas County needs to take a realistic look at the new realities of our budget in wake of the hurricanes. How much bed tax revenue will be missing for the months ahead? Also, what will the bond ratings be now that we’ve suffered back to back hurricanes? And how will that potentially impact the price to borrow the money to fund a new stadium? We need new projections based on our new reality as a storm-torn area.
-Citizen Submission-
Please do not spend public money on the Rays stadium. St Petersburg sustained massive damage during Helene and Milton. Piles of debris still line the streets. Just in North Shore Park I can see an uprooted palm tree leaning precariously on a different tree over a sidewalk. Paths at the beach have been undermined and collapsed. There has been a shipwreck on the beach for over a month. If we cannot afford to fix these problems, we cannot possibly afford a new stadium.
Please do not spend public money on the Rays stadium. St Petersburg sustained massive damage during Helene and Milton. Piles of debris still line the streets. Just in North Shore Park I can see an uprooted palm tree leaning precariously on a different tree over a sidewalk. Paths at the beach have been undermined and collapsed. There has been a shipwreck on the beach for over a month. If we cannot afford to fix these problems, we cannot possibly afford a new stadium.
-Citizen Submission-
I urge you to reconsider the deal with the Rays stadium. We need to focus on infrastructure and preparing for the effects of climate change.
-Citizen Submission-
Please vote NO on borrowing millions towards funding a stadium that benefits so few and hurts so many, Those funds could instead be used to help secure St. Petersburg’s infrastructure against future catastrophic storms.
-Citizen Submission-
As a Pinellas County resident and tax payer, I am writing to urge you to vote no on the multimillion dollar giveaway to the Rays for their new stadium.
-Citizen Submission-
Dear St. Petersburg City Council Members,
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to express my concerns regarding the recent decision to fund a luxury stadium complex for a private corporation, especially in light of the recent storms that have severely impacted our community.
The plan to allocate over $1.6 billion for a stadium has raised significant concerns among residents. Many of us are troubled by the potential neglect of critical city infrastructure, the unsustainable levels of new debt, and the lack of adequate disaster preparedness. I recent storms have highlighted the urgent need for robust infrastructure to protect our community from future disasters.
On September 26, 2024, our city was hit by a devastating storm, followed by another just 13 days later. These events have caused extensive damage to our water, sewage, and road systems. The cost of repairs is expected to be substantial, and many residents are struggling with the loss of their homes and belongings. The long-term effects on our community could be severe.
Given these circumstances, it is crucial that we prioritize investments in essential infrastructure over funding a new stadium. Upgrading our water systems, sewer systems, stormwater systems, seawalls, and drainage systems is vital to safeguarding our community. Additionally, we need to ensure that our beaches are regularly re-nourished to protect our economy and tourism industry.
While the idea of a new stadium may have seemed reasonable in the past, the current situation demands a reevaluation of our priorities. There is no evidence that funding a stadium will provide significant benefits to the community. In contrast, investing in hurricane preparedness and infrastructure improvements will protect our future and ensure the well-being of St. Pete residents.
Furthermore, recent storms have exposed vulnerabilities in our hospitals, putting them at risk of losing essential services. We must upgrade wastewater plants to withstand storm surges and develop comprehensive plans to prevent flooding in vulnerable areas.
Before moving forward with the stadium project, I urge the City Council to conduct a thorough analysis of our infrastructure needs and gather concrete data and recommendations. This will allow us to develop a comprehensive plan for waste management and stormwater systems. It is essential that we prioritize the safety and welfare of our community above all else.
I also encourage the county to conduct a detailed analysis of the funds needed for our beaches, both now and in the event of future storms. We cannot afford another round of catastrophic flooding or the loss of our beaches.
The time for debate is over. The St. Pete City Council and the Pinellas County Commission must take decisive action to protect our community from the increasing threat of hurricanes. Our future depends on it.
Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.
Letter to Pinellas County Commissioners
Dear County Commission Members,
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to express my concerns regarding the recent decision to fund a luxury stadium complex for a private corporation, especially in light of the recent storms that have severely impacted our community.
The plan to allocate over $1.6 billion for a stadium has raised significant concerns among residents. Many of us are troubled by the potential neglect of critical city infrastructure, the unsustainable levels of new debt, and the lack of adequate disaster preparedness. I recent storms have highlighted the urgent need for robust infrastructure to protect our community from future disasters.
On September 26, 2024, our city was hit by a devastating storm, followed by another just 13 days later. These events have caused extensive damage to our water, sewage, and road systems. The cost of repairs is expected to be substantial, and many residents are struggling with the loss of their homes and belongings. The long-term effects on our community could be severe.
Given these circumstances, it is crucial that we prioritize investments in essential infrastructure over funding a new stadium. Upgrading our water systems, sewer systems, stormwater systems, seawalls, and drainage systems is vital to safeguarding our community. Additionally, we need to ensure that our beaches are regularly re-nourished to protect our economy and tourism industry.
While the idea of a new stadium may have seemed reasonable in the past, the current situation demands a reevaluation of our priorities. There is no evidence that funding a stadium will provide significant benefits to the community. In contrast, investing in hurricane preparedness and infrastructure improvements will protect our future and ensure the well-being of St. Pete residents.
Furthermore, recent storms have exposed vulnerabilities in our hospitals, putting them at risk of losing essential services. We must upgrade wastewater plants to withstand storm surges and develop comprehensive plans to prevent flooding in vulnerable areas.
Before moving forward with the stadium project, I urge the City Council to conduct a thorough analysis of our infrastructure needs and gather concrete data and recommendations. This will allow us to develop a comprehensive plan for waste management and stormwater systems. It is essential that we prioritize the safety and welfare of our community above all else.
I also encourage the county to conduct a detailed analysis of the funds needed for our beaches, both now and in the event of future storms. We cannot afford another round of catastrophic flooding or the loss of our beaches.
The time for debate is over. The St. Pete City Council and the Pinellas County Commission must take decisive action to protect our community from the increasing threat of hurricanes. Our future depends on it.
Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.
-Citizen Submission-
Honorable Councilmembers,
We the taxpayers are facing a terrible future. Utility rates just increased 25%. We need to spend $5 billion on water, sewer and stormwater upgrades. Insurance costs will likely increase substantially. The stadium bonds are 30 years of public debt. Over $700 million. And that will leave a big hole which we will have to fill. Stadium bonds will cost your constituents 1.4 billion.
Could the Rays pay more if the stadium cost? You don’t know the answer. Can the Rays share revenue like every other team? Yes.
Taxpayers have spoken. No to public money for a private use stadium. No to City Council members who supported this bad deal.
Stand up for your. Constituents not billionaires. Vote NO on bonds.
Honorable Commissioners,
We the taxpayers are facing a terrible future. Utility rates just increased 25%. We need to spend $5 billion on water, sewer and stormwater upgrades. Insurance costs will likely increase substantially. The stadium bonds are 40 years of public debt. Over $700 million. And that will leave a big hole which we will have to fill. Stadium bonds will cost your constituents 1.4 billion.
Could the Rays pay more if the stadium cost? You don’t know the answer. Can the Rays share revenue like every other team? Yes.
Taxpayers have spoken. No to public money for a private use stadium. No to County Commission members who supported this bad deal.
Stand up for your constituents , not billionaires. Vote NO on bonds.
-Citizen Submission-
Please vote NO on funding a new stadium. Our city was just DEVASTATED by recent storms! Please invest in our infrastructure, clean-up, and protection from future catastrophic events.
-Citizen Submission-
City priorities should be (1) infrastructure – water, sewer, storm control measures, sanitation , (2) affordable housing., and (3) more permeable land. These should be your focus, not a stadium that needs repair or a stadium that does not need to be built. These last two hurricanes have certainly brought home to you that your attention and our tax dollars should be spent for the unglamorous but essential needs of our City that have for so long been underfunded and therefore, neglected.. Please read City Councilwoman Lisset Hanewicz’s analysis of the contract for the new stadium.. She found, in essence, team owners got the profit and we, the community, got the debt. The hurricane damage has shown we need our tax dollars for the basics, not a luxury like the stadium., which will be a long term revenue drain.
Letter to Pinellas County Commissioners
County priorities, like those of the City of St. Petersburg should be construction, repair and maintenance of infrastructure, affordable housing and more open, permeable land (individual lots and parks). It is some kind of political insanity to enrich the few at the expense of the many. For too long projects to make us safe and healthy have long been delayed. Our tax dollars should be used for all of us, not a few team owners and affiliates . A stadium is a luxury that we cannot afford. Most economist have found it to be a tax burden to communities, not a revenue benefit. The last two hurricanes have shown very clearly how much we need to fund primary functions of government. City Councilwoman Lisset Hanewicz’s analysis of the stadium contract shows clearly that this is not a good deal for the City of St. Petersburg or Pinellas County. We need our tax dollars more than ever for the basics, no matter how unglamorous that is.
-Citizen Submission-
We do not want or need a new stadium. The city would lose money on the deal. Cities always end up loosing money on deals like this to finance stadiums. Obviously, the citizens in Pinellas County have much more important needs than an unprofitable stadium. We are opposed to the city financing a new stadium.
-Citizen Submission-
I do not support borrowing money or ANY financial support to develop a new stadium for professional baseball in St Petersburg. The money should be used for infrastructure projects.
-Citizen Submission-
Please don’t borrow billions of dollars for a new stadium if there is not sufficient money in the City budget to support infrastructure upgrades for the current citizens. There has been a huge focus on cleaning up the beach for tourists, but the areas that are families’ primary (and only) homes are not being supported to the same degree. It’s maddening to be a city resident / taxpayer and know that the infrastructure is underfunded while watching another high-rise condo approved (for people’s second, third, fourth home or rental), or a single family home razed and replaced with a 10 condo unit building, or a brand new stadium that will further strain the overtaxed infrastructure. I was here when the Trop was the SunCoast dome – called the SunGhost Dome because it had no team. It’s not the worst thing that can happen. Sewage plant spillage, storm drains that don’t drain, 40,000 homes damaged and people with nowhere to go – that is much, much worse. Please make these developers help build out the infrastructure in support of all these additional units of overpriced housing. Please do what’s best for everyone living in St Pete today, and then build for the future, after the current citizens are safely housed. Thank you.
-Citizen Submission-
We cannot afford this stadium as our city is falling apart before our eyes. We need to get our priorities straight and get our infrastructure repaired.
-Citizen Submission-
Years of over development is straining our critical infrastructure and resources. Combine that with preservation and storm damage restoration of natural resources puts too much on Our Plate to deal with right now. That’s the ONLY HOME PLATE we shuuld be focusing our funding on right now.
Let the Rays become a travelling team without home games until we can get back “On Trop”of all this…Please!!!
And consider hefty Developer Fees going forward to temper Growth and Consequences to that which we can manage financially FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL!
We should attract light industry with better paying jobs & benefits with better careers than Tip Jars and stealing bases has to offer. That will allow employees to afford homes to raise families and improve our aging neighborhoods from the 1920s. Ya think? Hope so.
