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Today, I wrote to the Pinellas County Commissioners (my entire email is published below). If you are in agreement, call or email them asap.
Here is a list of the commissioners.
- Brian Scott – brscott@pinellas.gov 727 464 3360
- Dave Eggers – deggers@pinellas.gov 727 464 3276
- Chris Latvala – clatvala@pinellas.gov 727 464 3278
- Kathleen Peters – kpeters@pinellasl.gov 727 464 3568
- Rene Flowers – rflowers@pinellas.gov 727 464 4614
Also, our two new commissioners :
- Chris Scherer – chris@schererforpinellas.com
- Vince Nowicki – vince@vincenowicki.com
Here is a copy of my letter:
Dear County Commissioners
On Tuesday, you will be making a vote of historic significance to Pinellas County and St. Petersburg – the vote to approve or reject the sale of bonds to provide funds for a new baseball stadium.
I strongly urge you to vote No – do not authorize Pinellas County to issue bonds to build a stadium. I don’t think it is too strong to say that the future of our economy, our homes, our beaches, our infrastructures, and our jobs depend on it. I know you agree we need to focus on what matters to make life better for all the citizens of Pinellas County. We are counting on you to not be blinded by a shiny object. – a pretty picture of a stadium – but to do what is right.
My recommendation is based on:
1. The significant impact of two hurricanes on our beaches and our homes and our economy and as a result where we need to refocus our resources.
2. The more likely risk of future storms.
3. The uncertain sources of funds to repair the beaches now and to repair them when future storms are sure to come.
4. The risks to our tourism industry and the impact of that risk on more than 90,000 people’s jobs – jobs that depend on tourism.
5. The undeniable facts that baseball does not drive economic growth and is not a significant source of tourism.
6. The Gas Plant site is ready for development and a stadium will not enhance that development. In some respects, the stadium will actually hurt development – traffic congestion, and a detraction from office and residential development. Thus, the property will generate the county’s share of real estate taxes from its development more quickly without a stadium. (Why is it reported that Rays/Hines are still in interested in developing the property even without a stadium? They must also agree – contrary to what they said when they competed for the deal when they, the city and the chambers of commerce said that the stadium is an anchor for other development. The development of the rest of the property would be an anchor for a stadium.)
7. The development of the land that would have been set aside for a stadium, will now be developed for commercial purposes, generating additional Pinellas County property taxes.
In July, when the Pinellas County Commission voted to authorize the use of Tourist Development Tax revenue to fund the Rays baseball stadium in St. Petersburg, it seems that those who voted in favor based their decision on:
1. Current Tourist Development Tax (TDT) reserves were sufficient for the current needs to re-nourish the beaches and future TDT funds would be sufficient in the event of any emergencies – like a hurricane, should one ever hit our coast.
2. Spending $312.5 million of TDT ($600 including interest) on a stadium was consistent with the goals for the use of TDT. There were no higher priorities.
Fast forward to today, and those assumptions are being sorely tested. Who would have thought we could hit by not one but two hurricanes and the impact on our community. And now I hope you would agree, we are all worried that we can get hit by future storms.
Regarding the beaches, the beaches lost 30 years worth of beach re-nourishment from hurricanes Helene and Milton – and the cost of repairs – as much as $130 million.
To make the repairs, not only does it appear that the county will need to dig into the emergency funds and more (no one could anticipate the damage TWO hurricanes would bring), there is no guarantee that either the federal government or the state will help pay the cost of repairs. And what about the $130 million we will need after the next storm?
Immediately after the storms, there had been some hopeful signs from the Biden administration about funding. However, we’ve been in a holding pattern since November’s election, and who knows if Trump will be as favorable to giving us support.
Can we afford to wait much longer? The longer we wait, the more the homes and infrastructure along the coast are exposed to further erosion.
Can the county still afford to fund a baseball stadium based on where things stand?
Pinellas County has been gut punched by two storms in two weeks – something we never thought would happen. But now, with all of us worrying about when the next storm will hit our homes, trying to decide if we should rebuild or not, don’t we have to worry about the next time our beaches will be torn about? And the impact on our homes? And the possibility that it might happen more often?
No matter the reason, the waters of the Gulf of Mexico are warmer and warmer water breeds hurricanes. Never before now have we ever seen a hurricane form in the western part of the Gulf and move directly east at us. But now that it has is happened, everyone worries it can happen again.
With these real worries in mind, we need to have the funds for regular beach repairs. The beaches are the number one reason tourists come to Pinellas County, and tourism supports more than 90,000 jobs in the county, contributing over $2.9 billion in wages. (The Visit St. Pete/Clearwater’s own report shows that, when queried, 40% of visitors come to our area for the beaches, the pier, the restaurants and the museums. Only 4% said they visit here for sporting events.)
Regarding the economic and real state tax benefit of a stadium, more than 100 economic studies show that professional sports stadiums do not generate economic benefits. In the case of the Rays, they generate very limited tourism.
Owners of baseball teams want to locate their teams in areas with fast growth in the hopes it will increase attendance – not the other way around.
I have attached here: Last chance to avoid a major mistake , what I wrote to each of you who were commissioners in July. I stand by everything I wrote then. And profoundly, what I wrote about the need to focus on our infrastructure and our beaches has now come true.
I have also attached the Full Facts and Analysis which we published on www.homerunsmatter.com.
I hope you will read both documents.
My other thoughts are on www.homerunsmatter.com.
In conclusion:
1. Two hurricanes have changed everything.
2. We don’t need a stadium to see the economic, tourist and real estate tax benefits from the development of the Gras Plant property.
3. Everyone knew then and they know now that the approval of the deal with Rays/Hines to build a stadium and for them to develop the rest of the property was a two step process of approval by the county and the city. That the deal was not a done deal until both steps happened. In no way should you feel pressured by recent articles in the press.
We need to do what is right for the citizens of Pinellas County.
If I am can be helpful in anyway, please contact me.
