One thing St. Petersburg Democrats, GOP agree on: No to Rays stadium deal

Is there anything Republicans and Democrats can agree on these days?

Turns out, in St. Petersburg, there is.

Both local political clubs have now signaled their opposition to the city’s plan to spend millions of public dollars and sell discounted public land to the Tampa Bay Rays and their development partner, Hines, to redevelop Tropicana Field. In both cases, participation was limited to small groups.

“That must be a once-in-a-million-year occurrence,” said Jim Donelon, Democratic Club of St. Petersburg treasurer and past president.

Donelon last October proposed asking the St. Petersburg City Council to reject the sale of valuable downtown land and instead explore a 99-year lease with the Rays and Hines with upfront payments. Only 15 or so members showed up for that hybrid in-person and online meeting. But while some spoke in favor of the deal, the club ultimately agreed to a resolution opposing the project, which they sent to St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, the City Council and the Pinellas County Commission.

“I don’t understand why they’re willing to sell the land when they could very easily lease it. And I don’t understand why they’re going to spend all this county money and city money for a private enterprise,” Donelon said. “And I love the Rays.”

The City Council and County Commission are both expected to hold votes on whether to approve the deal in the next several weeks, months away from a presidential election.

Then, earlier this month, the St. Petersburg Republican Club held a town hall meeting on the stadium and redevelopment deal featuring County Commissioner Brian Scott and City Council member Ed Montanari. They are both Republicans who lean in favor of the deal. Montanari defended it to skeptical speakers.

They took questions from the audience of about 90, not all of whom were Republicans, before the club held a vote counted through raised hands: 17 said they supported the deal, 26 said they opposed it, and 19 were undecided, including Donald Bowens, a candidate running for John Muhammad’s soon-to-be vacant seat on the City Council.

“The opposition was the largest number,” declared St. Petersburg Republican Club President Barb Haselden.

Haselden said she wasn’t surprised by that outcome. She said some approached her after the vote and said they didn’t think they could participate because they weren’t members, but they would’ve voted no.

“I think we’re being out-negotiated,” she said. “As a resident of St. Pete, I think we’re giving too much away.”

As for how her club aligns with their Democratic counterpart, Haselden joked that the undecided votes show “we’re more thoughtful.”

“As residents of this community, it’s very interesting because issues take away the partisanship, the party lines,” she said. “It strips away the politics.”

Montanari said he also expected that outcome.

“I think a lot of people might not have wanted to share exactly how they’d vote,” he said. “I worked the room before. I talked to a lot of people who were very supportive on a one-on-one basis.”

“I think there’s going to be opposition to this deal,” he continued, but “I think there’s a lot of people who are for the deal. When I go to neighborhood association meetings, there’s a lot of support for this.”

The Rays declined to comment through a spokesperson.

Much of the business community has come out in favor of the deal. Members of the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik have sent endorsement letters to the City Council, as has the St. Petersburg branch of the NAACP and U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, whose district includes Tropicana Field. Those against the deal include former Mayor Rick Baker, former City Administrator Alan DeLisle, Koch brothers-backed think tank Americans for Prosperity and social justice nonprofit Faith in Florida.

St. Petersburg spokesperson Erica Riggins pointed out that support in a statement.

“We are incredibly proud to have bipartisan support from elected leaders across our county and the region, along with overwhelming support from dozens of local businesses, non-profit groups, community leaders and established organizations — most recently the St. Petersburg branch of the NAACP and the Tampa Bay Partnership, which represents numerous regional businesses,” she wrote in an email. “This transformational project will enhance the quality of life for our community for generations to come.”

Democrats are driving this deal. Montanari is the lone Republican on an eight-member City Council and Welch, a Democrat, is the deal’s architect. The Rays and Hines may have the five votes on the council needed to get it done.

“We keep electing these pretend Democrats,” said Democratic Club of St. Petersburg Vice President John Schreiner, who is aligned with opposition group No Home Run.

“I think it’s wonderful,” he said of the shared opposition expressed by both local parties. ”I think it’s one of the few cases where Republicans are actually doing something that benefits the people. On the other hand, I just don’t think they want the sweetheart deal for one company … I think they want some for their cronies.”

The County Commission is more closely split politically, with four Republicans and three Democrats. But their decision is simpler than the city’s. They will consider committing $312.5 million toward the stadium from taxes they collect from people who book hotels and short-term rentals in Pinellas County, most of them tourists.

The city must decide whether to pay a total $417.5 million subsidy toward the stadium and for roads and sewers around it, paid for with land sale proceeds, sales taxes and taxes raised off of new development around the stadium. They would also sell the 65 city-owned acres around the stadium for significantly less than it was appraised to make all that proposed construction happen, though the agreed-upon price was the highest amount offered by any group vying to redevelop the land.

That both parties have expressed concerns about the proposal shows a shared interest in how their community grows, said past Democratic Club of St. Petersburg president Julia Meadows.

“I’d say that that speaks to the nature of our community being one that cares about our future collectively (rather) than partisan politics,” said Meadows, who was president when the resolution passed in October. “Residents care about our neighbors here in St. Petersburg.”

The City Council is scheduled to publicly discuss the stadium and redevelopment on May 9 and May 23, respectively, to prepare for a vote that is not yet scheduled. If there is a delay, it could run up against an election, with four seats on the council and four seats on the commission on the ballot.

At the very least, it could become a campaign issue.

“Apparently the only thing we can agree on in St. Pete is we’re against this sweetheart deal,” Donelon said. “No matter who’s against it, the people who have the votes are the ones for it, so I guess it’s going to happen.”

“Let the pieces fall where they may come election time.”

Times staff writer Jack Evans contributed to this report.