ST. PETERSBURG, FL (WFLA) – Mayor Rick Kriseman of St. Petersburg sent a memo to city leaders outlining his plan for the future of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Part of it includes a proposed agreement with the Rays, which gives the team permission to explore other stadium sites while giving St. Petersburg a chance to try to keep the team.
The agreement must be approved by the city council. It would include the following:
- The team must provide the city with a description of the process team leaders will use to evalute potential sites. It must keep the city in the know.
- The team will have six months to search, which gives the city enough time to make the case that Tropicana Field is the best location for the team.
- It asks the team to pay for half of a master plan for the Trop and the area around it–whether the team stays or leaves.
If the Rays leave the city, the team would have to pay as much as $24 million.
The proposed agreement is expected to be discussed by city leaders within a couple of weeks.