It was a packed house at Friday's Suncoast Tiger Bay forum at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club.
That's because the event featured Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, who offered a "State of the Bay Address" at the tail end of a particularly eventful week.
The two are at odds on a few issues, namely where the Tampa Bay Rays should play, as well as over how to deal with Cuba.
But that didn't stop them from referring multiple times to what they said was a 20-year friendship and shared interest in fostering a strong relationship between the two cities.
“We are at a unique time, I think, here in Tampa Bay, in St Pete and the City of Tampa,” Kriseman said during his opening remarks. “We're at a time when both of our cities are really thriving like they haven't at any time in our history…We recognize that when we are working together we are that much stronger as a region.”
The two exchanged a bit of gentle ribbing, as one might expect at Tiger Bay's ever-congenial events.
“We occasionally have our differences, and sorry to have Mayor Greco move here,” Kriseman said, referring to former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco's recent move to St. Pete's Beach Drive.
When it came his turn to speak, Buckhorn didn't hesitate to have a little josh at Kriseman's expense, either.
“It's good to be here in the second most exciting city in America,” he said.
Given the news out of St. Pete City Hall Friday morning, it was clear the two weren't going to leave the event without addressing the Tampa Bay Rays at least once.
After all, assuming St. Pete City Council approves, the team may soon be able to explore stadium sites in Tampa, potentially leaving before its agreement to play in Tropicana Field ends in 2027.
Kriseman maintained that he's optimistic the team will stay on the Trop site.
"I think that the location that they're currently on provides them the greatest opportunity for long-term sustainable success," he said.
Though he has expressed the desire to bring the team to Tampa, Buckhorn said he didn't wanted to publicly weigh in on the issue until the deal was finalized.
"First of all, tortious interference is a real legal concept," he said, partially directing his comments at Kriseman. “I have stayed away from this. I am respectful of your relationship with the Rays…Until [the agreement is] decided, I'm staying out.”
The two also had a chance to — quite cordially — talk about their different approaches on diplomacy with Cuba. Buckhorn won't visit the country; Kriseman wants to bring a Cuban consulate to St. Pete.
"I have said from day one that I am not interfering with other folks' ability to travel to Cuba," Buckhorn said. "As for me, personally, though, I choose not to go. And I choose not to go out of respect for the history of the people that live in my community and built my city. There are tens of thousands of folks who I represent who lost everything to Castro. They came to this country with nothing but the shirts on their back. Many of them spent in Castro's jails. I cannot be disrespectful of that experience."
Kriseman, meanwhile, said St. Pete's relationship with the country is not as complex, and that he's pursuing a consulate largely out of a desire for cultural exchanges between the St. Pete and Cuba.
"Clearly the challenges that Mayor Buckhorn faces are not the challenges that we face here in St. Petersburg," Kriseman said. "As such, I have been very aggressive and outspoken of my desire to see a consulate here in St. Petersburg."
While the two might never agree on those issues, they both have a desire to work on the area's troublesome transportation issues.
"I think we also have to recognize that we can't build enough roads to get ourselves out of this ditch," Buckhorn said. "We have got to have mobility options. And those options include bus rapid transit, they include HOV lanes and, yes, ladies and gentlemen, they include rail as an option."
The audience applauded loudly, and Buckhorn went on to say he hopes the county will place another referendum on the 2016 ballot that would increase the sales tax by a penny per dollar to fund a transit overhaul, similar to the ones voters rejected in that county in 2010 and in Pinellas in 2014.
Kriseman noted that while both counties rejected the ballot initiatives, voters within city limits generally supported them, and said he'd like to see the state make it legal for Florida cities to have such referenda independent of their respective counties.
He added a nascent cross-bay ferry proposal that has swiftly moved forward this week could also help the region's traffic woes..
"We can't build more roads, but we certainly have a lot of water," he said. "And so we can definitely connect our cities together with a ferry service."
More than once, the conversation turned to the ongoing struggle between diversity and bigotry. Both mayors said they strive for policies that embrace everyone, regardless of ethnicity, income, sexual orientation or anything else.
“You cannot let any politician divide you in any of those categories, and if they try to, put them out of office,” Buckhorn said, addressing a question about local human rights ordinances.
Kriseman, meanwhile, said he aims to make diversity his message at the 30th Annual MLK Day Leadership Awards Breakfast, given organizers' inclusion of a controversial speaker known for making inflammatory, homophobic remarks, Baltimore area pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant.
“I will go, and I will talk, and hopefully educate him about our community and who we are in St. Petersburg and why this is a great place to live because of our diversity, because of our tolerance, because of the fact that no matter what color you are, what your race is, your sexual orientation, your religion, you are welcome here in St. Petersburg,” he said, to more applause.
The event ended with Buckhorn, whom many believe will run for governor in 2018, remaining mum on the question of whether such an announcement is imminent. Kriseman had earlier joked that he hoped Buckhorn would choose him as his running mate.
“We'll see,” he said.
This article appears in Jan 7-13, 2016.