Whether it's the fate of the Tampa Bay Rays, the Pier or the city's decrepit wastewater infrastructure, in St. Pete, it's hard to find a major local issue issue on which nearly everyone agrees. Thursday was a little different.
'“This referendum is going to pass, and I think you should award St. Petersburg a franchise. That would be one of the smartest things that MLS ever did,” Councilmember Charlie Gerdes said into the news cameras in the hope Major League Soccer’s commissioner Don Garber was watching. “It’s going to pass.”
Gerdes' comments were emblematic the atmosphere and confidence shown by council minutes before they voted to unanimously pass an ordinance allowing a special referendum to take place where citizens will have the chance to vote on whether the Rowdies can take a 25-year lease on Al Lang and renovate it to meet MLS standards, renovations that would take place at no cost to taxpayers. Councilman Jim Kennedy even got up to get a Rowdies scarf to wear during the public comments. The referendum vote will be held on May 2.
Council quickly voted to pass the ordinance after listening to a slew of residents, business owners, and soccer fans heaping praise on the project. Representatives of some of the city’s largest employers, smallest employers, and public organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, all gathered Thursday morning to voice their support.
“I want to underline the community support you are receiving from throughout the Tampa Bay region and underline the economic development potential this brings to the tri-county area,” Zack Thorn of the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce said. "The market is there … and I am in full support of moving forward.”
Former St. Petersburg mayor and current president of the Edwards Group Rick Baker described the stadium project as a plan that does not overwhelm the current site and is consistent with the current waterfront plan. He also detailed a 35-foot wide sidewalk that will run along the stadium, connecting the area with Bayshore Drive, and will also make room for sidewalk cafes.
“It’s a special day for our city and community,” Baker said “Looking at our downtown, what a special place our downtown came to be. I call it a 30-year overnight success.”
But the Rowdies still have work to before breaking ground on a potential stadium. First, the referendum has to pass the voters on May 2, which it is expected to do. But the referendum itself does not allow a stadium to be built. According to Mayor Rick Kriseman, the referendum will simply allow the city to discuss potential plans with Al Lang Stadium.
“I want to remind all the voters that by approving this referendum, they are simply allowing the city to negotiate an agreement,” Kriseman said. “This referendum does not approve an agreement, it allows the ability to negotiate an agreement. That agreement still needs to come before council and council needs to approve that agreement with a supermajority. But I strongly encourage the public to be supportive of this referendum.”
All costs of the stadium and referendum are provided by Bill Edwards of the Edwards Group, and city has already received the $200,000 from Edwards needed to pay for such a referendum.
“This is a big project. It’s not just a stadium, it’s a franchise,” Edwards said after council passed the measure. “It’s a $300 million-dollar project and it’s up to the voters to decide if they want me to spend $300 million of my own money. It’s up to the voters to decide if this is something they want or don’t want and we hope they want it.”
Edwards says he’s beginning a campaign to get voters out on May 2 to support the referendum.
“I want everyone to be happy with this. You can’t please everyone, but we’re going to try our best," he said.
This article appears in Mar 2-9, 2017.