This past week has been littered with news about the Tampa Bay Rays and possible sites for a new stadium for the St. Petersburg based team in Hillsborough County.
Today both local dailies again headline their front pages with the story. Michael Van Sickler’s piece in the St. Petersburg Times includes a warning from St. Pete City Attorney John Wolfe to Tampa and Hillsborough officials to watch what they say and do when it comes to contacting the Rays.
Mayor Bill Foster who gave space for Hillsborough County to enter the picture when he dissed the ABC Coalition’s report on possible sites for a new stadium by refusing to grant them time in front of the City Council, now appears to (pardon the expression) be ready to play ball with Stuart Sternberg, Michael Kalt & the rest of the Rays executive staff, as Van Sickler reports Foster saying,
“If anyone in Hillsborough or Tampa is speculating on stadium development for 2028, that’s fine,” he said. “But if anyone is doing that for a stadium that opens before that date, then that’s tortious interference and I will look at that very closely.”
Am I worried about people assembling land in Hillsborough and Tampa?” he said. “No. I’ve seen their budgets. It’s not leaving St. Petersburg, I can assure you.”
On that point, the Mayor across Tampa Bay, Pam Iorio, agrees.
This article appears in Feb 17-23, 2010.
