DRaysBay - DRaysBay Stadium Proposal: Finding the Rays a new homeA Tampa Bay Rays Blog: Ball on a Budgethttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48753/drb-logo-fv.png2016-10-28T15:55:49-04:00http://www.draysbay.com/rss/stream/31936672016-10-28T15:55:49-04:002016-10-28T15:55:49-04:00Rays Stadium Search: Oldsmar
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<figcaption>Proposed Rays Stadium in Oldsmar | FSA Architecture</figcaption>
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<p id="oqlrM4">The leadership of Oldsmar has been seeking ways to revitalize their city of 14,000 for a number of years. Recently they have come to the conclusion this largely residential community could make an ideal home for the Tampa Bay Rays. The city is already known for its recreational opportunities, as home to the Tampa Bay Downs racetrack, and most recently of a new <a href="http://www.zipontampabay.com/">zipline</a> and<a href="https://www.usabmx.com/tracks/1645"> BMX track</a>. </p>
<p id="kThEsl">Where exactly is Oldsmar? The city is in north Pinellas county, and sits at the very northern tip of Tampa Bay, the land bridge connecting Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. It is bordered by the Westchase neighborhood of Hillsborough to the east, Safety Harbor and Palm Harbor to the west, and unincorporated areas of both counties to the north, much of which is part of the protected Brooker Creek Wildlife Preserve.</p>
<h3 id="axjGPq">History</h3>
<p id="6X0DUP">The city has an interesting history (see <a href="http://www.oldsmarlibrary.org/history.htm">http://www.oldsmarlibrary.org/history.htm</a>). Ransom Eli Olds, creator of Oldsmobile, purchased land in 1916 with the goal of creating a thriving new city, which was originally called R.E. Olds on the Bay. Olds advertised in northern and especially Detroit newspapers to attract businesses and residents, with the slogan "Oldsmar for Health, Wealth and Happiness." </p>
<p id="a4QiBY">Plans for a luxury hotel and golf course on the bay never materialized, but a factory producing something called the "Olds Chair" -- similar to the Adirondack chair -- was built, and during the 1920s there was a popular casino on the bay. The community was hit hard by the 1921 hurricane; with the opening of the Gandy Bridge and Courtney Campbell Causeway Oldsmar lost its role as a key connection across the bay. For these reasons development stalled (Olds had imagined a community of 100,000 but in the late 1920s there were just 200 residents) and R.E. Olds sold off his holdings and left. Much of the city’s current population and built environment can be traced to a significant growth spurt in the 1980s and 1990s.</p>
<h3 id="aIYqCA">Redevelopment Efforts</h3>
<p id="QAvlMu">Current Mayor Doug Bevis has been active in seeking to redevelop Oldsmar, hoping for more commercial activity, more density and a great sense of place. The city spent several years trying and failing to develop a new commercial center, dubbed Market Square, near the current city hall, but final decisions were never made about its ultimate use (hotel vs. office vs. residential), and a holdout property owner made land acquisition ultimately problematic.</p>
<p id="Dkrb0N">As that project stalled, the city contracted with USF’s School of Architecture and Community Design to come up with ideas for a revitalized city center. Looking more broadly at the city’s historic core, <a href="http://www.tbnweekly.com/pubs/palm_harbor_beacon/content_articles/050816_phb-01.txt.">student teams came up with proposals</a> to increase density and walkability, revitalize a historic “fan pattern” street grid first conceived by R.E. Olds, and connect the core to the nearby Tampa Bay waterfront.</p>
<h3 id="Xj9cTI">Stadium Site</h3>
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<cite>http://oldsmarconnect.com/could-the-tampa-bay-rays-move-to-oldsmar/</cite>
<figcaption>Tampa Bay Downs (proposed stadium site is across the street).</figcaption>
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<p id="Qo5Tmo">The site considered for a stadium is not, however, on the bay nor is it connected to the Market Square or USF SACD planning areas. It is across the street from the Tampa Bay Downs racetrack, which puts it next to one of Oldsmar’s best known sites (although one that doesn’t seem to be touted by those promoting the city) – a 20 acre flea market whose website boasts it is so big that the National Guard needs to be called to find lost shoppers. </p>
<p id="tUS4Bd">The proposed stadium site is privately owned by an individual who, according to Mayor Bevis, is interested in selling. A stadium rendering was distributed at the city’s press conference (see above), but I’d urge readers not to spend too much time fretting about the design – this is just a generic stadium image that has been used as a sort of place holder to indicate how a structure might fit on the site. It’s not meant to represent the intended design for this stadium.</p>
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<cite>FSA Architecture</cite>
<figcaption>Proposal for Racetrack Rd. stadium development</figcaption>
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<p id="gVDTY2"><strong>What are the advantages of this site?</strong></p>
<p id="SYwtBD">It’s big (120 acres), certainly big enough to accommodate a stadium, parking, and other potential development that would be needed to support a professional baseball venue such as hotels or restaurants. Dealing with a single owner, rather than trying to acquire parcels from multiple owners, streamlines the development process. And the enthusiasm of the mayor makes it more likely that a Rays stadium proposal would get necessary zoning and building approvals.</p>
<p id="oB8aTP">But that, really, is all I can think of.</p>
<p id="v3iIbA">Oldsmar boosters have argued that the location straddling the Pinellas-Hillsborough County line will facilitate public funding contributions from both counties. But county support is not assured: both counties would need to make the decision to allocate existing resources or leverage new funding sources for this purpose, and there’s no indication that Hillsborough County would have any interest in putting money into this project.</p>
<p id="LRxwqE"><strong>What are the disadvantages of this site?</strong></p>
<p id="qOOgfx">Where to start?</p>
<p id="2r0vio">While Oldsmar officials claim the site is widely accessible, it’s probably more accurate to say it is equally inaccessible to most major population and business centers. Access to the site is via one state road. There are no connections to limited access highways; no transit connections and no indication that, should pigs fly and transit come to Tampa Bay, Oldsmar would be considered a priority area. </p>
<p id="h6JsAT"><a href="http://web.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/oldsmar-unveils-its-plan-for-a-new-rays-stadium/2300298">Oldsmar officials claim that 1.1 million residents live within a 30 minute drive</a> of the stadium, considered the prime market for stadium attendance. This compares unfavorably with the comparable population figures for downtown Tampa, Westshore, and mid-Pinellas, as calculated by the ABC coalition in 2009, which were in the 1.5 – 1.6 million range (and would certainly be higher using current population figures). It’s also hard to assess the reliability of that 1.1 million figure. The analysis conducted for the city focused on 20 and 60 minute drive time analyses (see figure below). The 20 minute drive time population is a modest 440,000. </p>
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<cite>City of Oldsmar</cite>
<figcaption>20 and 60 minute drive times</figcaption>
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<p id="7VoscB">Moreover there is nothing – and I say this with all due respect for the good people of Oldsmar – compelling about this site. There is no iconic landmark or natural feature; no vibrant urban neighborhood. The stadium’s neighbors would be a racetrack and a flea market. A huge flea market. </p>
<p id="kFP8Cz">The Rays have been consistent in describing the principles guiding their site selection process. They seek a site that has existing dining and retail amenities; local flavor and an authentic local fabric; that maximizes connections to key population and business centers; and has few obstacles to development. As far as I can tell, the Oldsmar site meets just the last of these criteria. And that’s not enough.</p>
<p id="eMSYyF">I admire Mayor Bevis for this gutsy move. Perhaps the fact that we are all talking about Oldsmar for a couple of days means he’s accomplished something. Hopefully no one spent a lot of time or money on this proposal (the architect, Francisco Semsch, President of FSA Architecture/Construction., reportedly created the rendering pro bono.)</p>
<p id="3T75nX"> </p>
<p id="jRuKMy">But I’m going out on a limb here and predicting: The Rays will not be playing in Oldsmar.</p>
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https://www.draysbay.com/2016/10/28/13460370/rays-stadium-search-oldsmarElizabeth Strom2015-02-04T20:35:31-05:002015-02-04T20:35:31-05:00St. Pete Mayor, Rays hopeful for new agreement
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<figcaption>The Rays will bid farewell to the Trop any decade now. | Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Rays may be able to start exploring new stadium opportunities as soon as Opening Day.</p> <p>After an hour-long meeting, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Rays</a> president Brian Auld and St. Pete mayor Rick Kriseman emerged with V-for-victory gestures and self-clasping handshakes. <a href="http://shadowofthestadium.blogspot.com/2015/02/krisemans-post-meeting-commentsand.html">Shadow of the Stadium</a> gives us the mayor's statement:</p>
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<p>The Rays have always been collaborative partners in this process and this morning was a continuation of those good faith discussions.</p>
The Mayor and Mr. Auld discussed the development rights issue and the spirit of the discussion, as it has always been, was positive. We look forward to having an agreement that Council can approve before Opening Day.</blockquote>
<p>This news does not send thundershocks through the beams of the Howard Frankland Bridge, but it suggests further progress towards a much-needed new stadium and new location. According to the <i>Times</i>, the talks centered around the <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/kriseman-hoping-to-have-rays-agreement-by-opening-day/2216415">50-50 split of development rights</a>.</p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>See Also:</strong> <a href="http://www.draysbay.com/2015/2/4/7979909/the-half-hour-population-problem-for-the-rays">The Half Hour Population Problem</a></p>
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<p>It's a complicated part of the negotiations, and, if I may venture an analogous description of the situation, I believe it breaks down thusly: The Rays are renting a property. If the landlord makes improvements to the property while the Rays are still there, the Rays can reap 50% of the profit from that improvement. That ends, however, when they leave the property.</p>
<p>But this situation is so complicated, I'm not even sure that analogy is correct. Nonetheless, this is the final sticking point in the <a href="http://www.draysbay.com/2014/12/18/7417857/rays-stadium-search-deny-St-petersburg-city-council">recently-failed negotiations</a>, and setting a deadline may help keep the gears turning. Hopefully this is a key step forward towards keeping the Rays local and getting their attendance to acceptable levels.</p>
https://www.draysbay.com/2015/2/4/7982493/st-pete-mayor-rays-hopeful-for-new-stadium-agreementBradley Woodrum2015-02-04T16:00:05-05:002015-02-04T16:00:05-05:00The Half Hour Population Problem for the Rays
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<p>A new look at a central Rays attendance problem: the travel time to the Trop.</p> <p>We all know that the Trop isn't the easiest location to go and watch the Rays play. For many of us, it is easier to stay in the comfort of our own homes and watch the game.</p>
<p>Mike Lortz of <a href="http://tampabaybaseballmarket.com/">TampaBayBaseballMarket.com</a> made an interesting point on this topic yesterday, as posted over <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/community/the-importance-of-the-30-minute-population-radius-on-mlb-attendance/">on FanGraphs</a>, regarding the population within 30 minutes of MLB stadiums and how it relates to attendance throughout the week. He takes the point further by dividing his look into weekday and weekend games.</p>
<p>It's important to note the drastic difference between the Rays' 30 minute population and the rest of the MLB. The second lowest city, Pittsburgh, has almost double the Rays' population within 30 minutes.</p>
<blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">
<p>...the Rays averaged only 14,297 fans per game Monday through Thursday. This was the lowest average weekday attendance in Major League Baseball. On the weekends, however, the Rays averaged 21,692 fans per game. While still the lowest weekend average in Major League Baseball, the Rays saw a 51.7% average increase in attendance on the weekends.</p>
<p>There are many reasons why the Rays struggle with attendance. Many fans and residents point to the condition of the stadium, the demographics, and lack of mass transit as reason for not going. But one of the biggest and least-discussed reasons is that few people actually live near Tropicana Field.</p>
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<p>Mike's article also references Maury Brown and his research <a href="http://bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5459:mlb-ballpark-location-and-the-population-around-it-can-greatly-influence-attendance&catid=26:editorials&Itemid=39">at Biz of Baseball in 2011</a>. In Maury's article, he has a chart that compares the Trop's 30 minute population to other potential cities' such as Raleigh, Nashville, Las Vegas, and Portland.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.fangraphs.com/community/the-importance-of-the-30-minute-population-radius-on-mlb-attendance/">Take a look at both Mike's write up on the topic</a>, and for more on the topic, we invite you to visit the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.draysbay.com/2011/6/24/2242433/draysbays-stadium-proposal-part-1" style="background-color: #ffffff;">in-depth work done at this site back in 2011</a> as part of the DRaysBay Stadium Proposal, which proposed a new Rays ballpark at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park in downtown Tampa.</p>
https://www.draysbay.com/2015/2/4/7979909/the-half-hour-population-problem-for-the-raysJared Ward2014-12-22T09:00:07-05:002014-12-22T09:00:07-05:00What's next in the Rays Stadium Saga?
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<figcaption>Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Rays negotiated for a year with new St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman to find a compromise to the untenable stadium situation. The two parties <a href="http://www.draysbay.com/2014/12/9/7359619/rays-stadium-deal-tampa-bay-st-pete" target="_blank">settled on a new deal</a> that would give the Rays permission to look outside the city limits, in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, and provided a buyout from the agreement leasing Tropicana Field, somewhere in the $20-32 million range.</p>
<p>Brought before a City Council that previously struck down a payment plan to allow a Stadium search without a buyout, there was incredible skepticism the Rays could win enough votes for a majority from the eight person Council. Particularly because the Rays were refusing to negotiate the deal any further.</p>
<p>And it nearly happened.</p>
<p>Among the questions levied at the Rays during the Council meeting was regarding redevelopment of the land beneath Tropicana Field, and incredibly valuable <span>85 acre swath of stadium and parking lots in close proximity to the expanding downtown St. Petersburg. </span></p>
<p>Currently, if any redevelopment occurs on the 85 acres while the Rays occupy the stadium, the team and the city split revenues evenly. Members of the Council felt this was unfair, given the perception that the Rays would like to leave St. Petersburg all together.</p>
<p>It should be noted this is only a perception, as the Rays have been rather vocal in saying all opportunities around Tampa Bay will be considered for the next stadium site, and that a re-build within the City limits was a real possibility.</p>
<p>The Council ruled that it would launch a workshop to investigate building a new stadium within the City limits in January, something that was bound to happen either way, and the Council will spin that as them taking steps toward middle ground. The Rays need to do the same, even if it's just in perception.</p>
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<strong>More</strong>: <a target="new" href="http://www.draysbay.com/2014/12/9/7359619/rays-stadium-deal-tampa-bay-st-pete">Details of new deal</a> <a target="new" href="http://www.draysbay.com/2014/12/19/7418735/reactions-to-the-city-council-vote">Reactions to City Council vote</a> <br><a target="new" href="http://www.draysbay.com/2014/12/9/7361181/rays-owner-says-team-will-be-sold-moved-without-new-stadium">Sternberg: No stadium? Rays move</a>
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<p><span>A common theme that has crept up in the fall out from the 5 - No, 3 - Yes vote is that the Rays need to provide better incentives for the City Council to let the Rays walk away, even at the currently negotiated costs. </span></p>
<p><span>The Council holds the leverage in negotiations, which is why the Rays refuse to negotiate with anyone other than the Mayor, but the team does have the advantage of keeping the City from re-development in the same way the City is keeping the Rays from new development.</span></p>
<p>As the <a target="_blank" href="http://tbo.com/pinellas-county/to-st-pete-land-under-trop-more-valuable-than-rays-20141220/">Tampa Tribune</a> published on Sunday, the redeveloped land at Tropicana Field could bring in $1.2 billion of construction work to the city, and generate $858 million in tax revenue over the following 35 years. That cash amount is already 27 times more than the regular season ticket revenues generated by the Rays on an annual basis.</p>
<p>The Rays also have an economic impact on the region, however, bringing in out of season travelers and levying something like a $250 million economic benefit for the City every year. <span>The challenge for St. Petersburg would be to replace that impact through re-developing the 85 acres, which is entirely possible.</span></p>
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<p>Development of housing and long term jobs, as opposed to the temporary and part-time positions currently at the Field (or as Councilman Newt called it, "selling popcorn"), could make up the difference.</p>
<p>Owner Stu Sternberg says the Rays were done talking deals, or "re- re- re-negotiating," but as Noah Pransky notes, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10153018282462518&saved" target="_blank">cooler heads</a> might prevail once the holidays are over, because the gap between the Council and the Rays "really may not even be a big deal."</p>
<p>Again, the compromise to be made is focused on that window of 1-2 years as the Rays prepare to leave Tropicana Field, and revenues begin to be generated by re-development plans at the site. Rays GM Matt Silverman is optimistic that the Rays can bridge that gap, telling <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/a-day-after-rays-deal-fall-apart-council-member-urges-cooling-off-period/2210855" target="_blank">Marc Topkin</a> the Rays had "good momentum" and noted he expected talks to continue, "as we work toward an agreeable outcome."</p>
<p>That's a different tone than the hard stance taken preceding the vote, and it's for the best. <span>In an interview with Councilman Karl Nurse, the </span><a style="font-size: 12px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/a-day-after-rays-deal-fall-apart-council-member-urges-cooling-off-period/2210855" target="_blank">Tampa Bay Times</a><span> asked what else the Rays needed to do differently to finalize the deal. </span></p>
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<p>If talks do start up again, should the Rays show more humility?</p>
<p>"More humility? Any humility," Nurse said after Thursday's vote. "Less arrogance."</p>
<p>"They are in a business where they want people to emotionally own the team. That's the nature of the business they're in," Nurse said. "Any time you communicate your disdain for the community, it's bad for business. I don't want to fall in love with a girl that's going to leave me."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Nurse said that when he questions the Rays on that short window of redevelopment profits, he meant to "crack the door open" for the Rays to show they were willing to be partners in finding a new site, to give an air of reasonableness to the Council's perceptions. Instead, Rays president Brian Auld balked at the question.</p>
<p>Now the Rays need to come back to the table. Time is on the Rays side, as the City loses leverage against the contract and gathers opportunity cost in revenues generated from the site with each year that passes. There's hurt pride, possibly two years of shared re-development revenue, a decade of frustration keeping the Rays and the Council apart.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, the Rays may need to give just a little more to gain a lot.</p>
https://www.draysbay.com/2014/12/22/7433411/whats-next-in-the-rays-stadium-sagaDaniel Russell2014-12-18T18:23:19-05:002014-12-18T18:23:19-05:00St. Pete City Council votes to DENY Rays Stadium Search
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<figcaption>Scott Halleran/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The City Council of St. Petersburg has denied a deal that would allow the Rays to look outside the city of St. Petersburg for a new stadium location.</p>
<p>Leading the Rays proposal was Mayor Rick Kriseman, who negotiated the deal, and it's sliding scale of $32 million in payments for the Rays to vacate the lease, should the team want to leave St. Pete.</p>
<p>Addressing the Council, Kriseman said flat out that the dollar amount agreed upon was the most the Rays were willing to pay. Rays president Brian Auld followed by promising the goal of the deal was to "preserve baseball in Tampa Bay... for generations to come."</p>
<p>"I do not want to minimize in any way the obstacles ahead of us," Auld would urge the Council in his closing comments, but said the Rays are not building a new stadium unless the team is "very sure it will solve the problems" they currently face in Tampa Bay.</p>
<p>In the end, this would not persuade the Council.</p>
<h4>The Premise</h4>
<p><span>After the Rays and Kriseman formally announced the agreement reached to allow the Rays to look in Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties, the City Council initially had three days to consider before voting on the deal.</span></p>
<p>In fairness to the Council, Mayor Kriseman then requested <a target="_blank" href="http://www.draysbay.com/2014/12/10/7373221/rays-stadium-vote-delayed-one-week">an extra week be granted</a> for further consideration, and more opportunity for the public to submit comments to the Council and for members to prepare speeches. That culminated in today's meeting, lasting several hours.</p>
<p>As the Council debated, Councilman Gerdes was the first to speak during the debate, and indicated the city had gathered 6x a return on investment from the team's presence, and would make a return on investment in building a new stadium within three years. For that reason, he concluded the city of St. Pete should welcome a new Rays stadium with open arms, and as soon as possible.</p>
<p>However, Gerdes's perspective was a need for a healthy relationship with the team if the Rays were to stay in St. Pete past 2027. He posited that<span> the Rays must be free to explore all opportunities before they would be willing to return to St. Pete. </span></p>
<p><span></span><span>Gerdes also cautioned from his experience as an attorney that the "use agreement" the Rays have (instead of a lease) is not tandard enough to be held up in a court of law, should the city take action against the team at a later date. </span><span>"We get 72 cents per ticket," Gerdes reminded the Council, up to $1.4 million in a year the Rays reach the World Series. He urged that would be all the city could sue the Rays for if the team left.</span></p>
<p>Councilman Wengay Newton countered with a simple argument: "A contract is a contract, and a contract is a contract." He believes there was solid reasoning in making "an ironclad contract" and that it is Rays owner Stu Sternberg's duty to honor that deal. He also cited the recently built stadium in Miami as a great reason for the region to not build a new stadium in either scenario.</p>
<h4>The Sticking Point</h4>
<p>Councilman Nurse was somewhere in between. He remarked that the earnings from the Rays were incidental to the city itself, but also noted a baseball season runs contrary to the tourism industry. He also noted how, <span>"The administration and the Rays formed [the deal] as being the City Council's final involvement in the Stadium," and did not appear appreciative.</span></p>
<p>Nurse's closed by questioning President Auld about why the team left out redevelopment rights for the Trop site from the new deal, and asked whether it was fair for the Rays to possibly receive a benefit if the city moved forward with redevelopment.</p>
<p>"If you're going to leave the site," Nurse concluded, then you should "not then get the economic benefit of redevelopment." In response, Auld urged that the Rays would work with the city for the best redevelopment scenario, that it would be an open discussion at a later time.</p>
<p>Councilwoman Rice remarked how the deal was an opportunity to work with the Rays today to prevent the inevitable: the team using all avenues to explore the best future stadium site. "I want the Rays to stay," Rice claimed, but noted, "the window of opportunity to work with the Rays is now."</p>
<p>"I'm not sure I've heard confidence in municipal funding for a new stadium" in Tampa Bay, Rice then admitted, but claimed that if the city thinks the Rays would return to St. Pete, the city "should be the best business partner" possible.</p>
<p>Councilman Jim Kennedy, on the other hand, called the "stalemate" or "impass" for a new stadium the complete fault of the Rays, and their attempts to "fundamentally attack the use agreement." He then called the new deal proposed, "an exit strategy" for the Rays to simply leave.</p>
<p>Kennedy also questioned why the Rays should maintain 50% of redevelopment rights for Tropicana Field if they chose to leave. Rays President Auld echoed that was a separate aspect of the use agreement that could be re-negotiated at a later time.</p>
<p>The concerns of Nurse and Kennedy would lead the central issue for the Council, given their inability to renegotiate with the team on the proposed to deal. The Rays had an appearance of wanting their cake and eating it too. Asking to explore stadium locations outside St. Petersburg, while reserving the right to profit from Tropicana Field's redevelopment, appeared insulting.</p>
<h4>A Way Forward?</h4>
<p>In good faith, Kennedy then made a motion for the Council to schedule a workshop to discuss building a new stadium within the city of St. Petersburg.</p>
<p>The Council voted on and approved the matter immediately and unanimously, led by Kennedy with the hope to put, "real numbers on the table... that will allow the Rays to realize it's worthwhile to spend some time evaluating what they can do in the City of St. Petersburg," echoing Auld's intent for "the next generation."</p>
<p>The workshop is expected to be scheduled for January of 2015, though it is not likely the Rays will take kindly to the too-little-too-late approach.</p>
<h4>An Uncertain Future</h4>
<p>Councilman Gerdes closed the comments with 28 second of time he saved for the end. He noted the Rays must be confident they can be successful in Tropicana Field to stay, that a tenant must want to live where the rent. <span>Mayor Rick Kriseman agreed, and noted any business person would reasonably want to explore all options before returning to St. Petersburg, but to shut the team out now would cause them to never want to return.</span></p>
<p>Neither argument appeared to be persuasive, and the future of baseball in Tampa Bay is now uncertain.</p>
<p><span>Rays owner Stu Sternberg previously indicated he </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.draysbay.com/2014/12/9/7361181/rays-owner-says-team-will-be-sold-moved-without-new-stadium" style="font-size: 12.222222328186px; background-color: #ffffff;">intends to sell the Rays</a><span>, most likely to someone who would move the team to another city, if a new stadium agreement could not be reached. He also indicated the Rays had negotiated a fair deal in what would be presented to the Council, and that there was no need to re-negotiate what had already been proposed.</span></p>
<p>This marks the second time the Council has denied a Rays stadium search in two years.</p>
https://www.draysbay.com/2014/12/18/7417857/rays-stadium-search-deny-St-petersburg-city-councilDaniel Russell2014-12-10T16:41:40-05:002014-12-10T16:41:40-05:00Rays Stadium vote delayed one week
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<figcaption>Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Rays</a> and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman announced Tuesday morning they had resolved a full year of negotiations, arriving at a possible agreement for the Rays to explore new Stadium locations outside the city limits, something strictly prohibited by the current lease.</p>
<p>The new deal would allow a Stadium location search without any compensation to the City, and goes even further to lay out costs for terminating the lease agreement at a remarkably low amount, likely $20 million.</p>
<p>Permission to look in Pinellas and Hillsborough County at Stadium locations would, in and of itself, have been an accomplishment, but the addition of a termination agreement is a complicated and critical matter.</p>
<p>The deal must be approved by the City Council, and their next meeting was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, less than three days after the deal was announced.</p>
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<link rel="stylesheet" href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/3603867/mustreads-compact-only.css">
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<p>For that reason, Mayor Rick Kriseman has requested the <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/vote-on-rays-stadium-deal-is-delayed-a-week/2209717" target="_blank">vote be delayed by one week</a> to allow a more thorough review of the agreement. This request comes after three representatives from the Rays, including President Brian Auld, <a href="https://twitter.com/KendraWTSP/status/542748064080228352" target="_blank">met with members of the Council</a> to discuss the deal.</p>
<p>"We don't mind waiting another week," Auld told the Tampa Bay Times. "We've been working on this for a very long time. We hope to get to yes when the time comes."</p>
<p> </p>
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<p>A previous amendment that would have allowed the Rays to investigate new stadium locations for a monetary fee of $1.42 million failed to find Council approval in 2013. The vote on the new deal, including the termination parameters, is scheduled for December 18th.</p>
<p>Rays owner Stu Sternberg recently indicated that if a new stadium deal was not passed, he would sell the franchise, and the Rays would be <a href="http://www.draysbay.com/2014/12/9/7361181/rays-owner-says-team-will-be-sold-moved-without-new-stadium" target="_blank">moving to a new city</a>.</p>
https://www.draysbay.com/2014/12/10/7373221/rays-stadium-vote-delayed-one-weekDaniel Russell2014-12-10T12:00:05-05:002014-12-10T12:00:05-05:00Should Tampa Bay keep the Rays? - Part 1
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<figcaption>Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Should Tampa Bay keep the Rays? Let's start an economics article club!</p> <p>Yesterday, <a href="https://www.draysbay.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Rays</a> owner Stuart Sternberg stated that if he is not able to secure a new stadium, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.draysbay.com/2014/12/9/7361181/rays-owner-says-team-will-be-sold-moved-without-new-stadium">he will sell the team</a> to investors who will likely <a target="_blank" href="http://www.draysbay.com/stadium-saga/2014/11/11/7193111/rays-montreal-relocation-investors">move it out of the area</a>. There is <a target="_blank" href="http://www.draysbay.com/2014/12/9/7359619/rays-stadium-deal-tampa-bay-st-pete">currently a proposal</a> up for approval by the St. Petersburg City Council that would set terms to allow the Rays to investigate stadium options in both Hillsborough and Pinellas county, and provide a buy out to terminate the current lease.</p>
<p>As they vote on this proposal, and during the subsequent stadium search if it is approved, local lawmakers will need to put a monetary value on how important it is that they keep the Rays in Tampa Bay, and in their city.</p>
<p>The arguments for assigning public money, land, or tax breaks to aid in the build of sports stadiums often revolve around the question of whether and how much having a sports team in a city contributes to the local economy, either through direct job creation, sales and property tax dollars, hotel and restaurant patronage, and other means. As participants in a democracy, it is our responsibility to be informed about these arguments.</p>
<p>I am not an economist, but I asked Philp Porter, economics professor at the University of South Florida, for some reading recommendations on this topic, and he graciously obliged. I'm going to slowly step through it here, and we'll all become better citizens together. Note that Dr. Porter has zero responsibility for any errors I may make. They are my own.</p>
<p>..........................</p>
<p>In Volume Eight, Number Three of the <i>Journal of Sports Economics</i> (June 2007), Kaveephong Lertwacharra and James J. Cochran published "An Event Study on the Economic Impact of Professional Sport Franchises on Local U.S. Economies."</p>
<p>Because of an isolationist copyright system that ensures that most discussion is dominated by think tanks with monied backers and an agenda to push rather than by peer-reviewed academic journals, I cannot legally reproduce this study in it's entirety or in part without paying what for this site would be a silly amount. Instead I will describe Lertwacharra's and Cochran's work, and urge you, if you value the details, to <a target="_blank" href="http://jse.sagepub.com/content/8/3.toc">read it for yourself</a> (at a cost of $30).</p>
<h4>What is an event study?</h4>
<p>An event study is a tool used by economists to determine the effect of an "extraordinary event." It is commonly used to evaluate the effect of a merger on a company, or in a larger scale, the effect of a change in tax codes on an economy.</p>
<p>Essentially, the event study involves making a projection of how the entity being studied would have been expected to perform in the time after the event, were that event not to have occurred, and then comparing that projection to the actual performance of the entity. This projection is made by looking at entity performance pre-event and regressing that with the performance of the entire market.</p>
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<p>To put that in baseball terms, say I wanted to study the effect of the birth of first children on the offensive output of major league baseball players like <span>Evan Longoria</span>.</p>
<p>I would find all the relevant players and use their pre-fatherhood hitting statistics, regress them using what I know about performance and aging curves (yes, this is what projection systems like ZiPS and Steamer do) and what I know about the declining offense in the league overall. This would tell me what I think these first-time fathers <i>should</i> have hit had they remained celibate. I would then compare that to what they actually hit.</p>
<p>The next, and very important step would then be to determine the significance of the difference between the expected and the actual post-event performance. I haven't got the foggiest clue if Longo's dropoff has to do with being a father, and I don't especially care, but if you want to do an event study, that's a perfect example, and I'd love to read it.</p>
<h4>What does <i>this </i>event study examine?</h4>
<p>This particular event study looks at metropolitan areas with new sports teams in either Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL). It includes both expansion teams and teams that relocated from one area to another between 1969 and 2000. That means four baseball teams, seven basketball teams, nine football teams, and 13 hockey teams.</p>
<p>It examines per capita income growth in each metropolitan area, and uses two methods to take inflation into account.</p>
<h4>Do sports franchises benefit their local economy?</h4>
<p>The results of this retrospective study are in line with basically every other retrospective study on the topic: There is no evidence that the arrival of a major sports team helps grow the local economy.</p>
<p>In fact, the study found that per capita income declined, relative to expected growth rate, in metropolitan areas that acquired a franchise.</p>
<p>The decline was different for each of the two methodologies, and showed different rates of decline for each of the different sports.</p>
<p>For instance, one methodology showed baseball cities to have insignificant gains in the short term and insignificant losses in the long term, while a football team coincided with more significant losses in both the short and the long term -- but the overall conclusion is clear.</p>
<p>Economic arguments for the positive effect of a sports team on are at best anecdotal and unfounded in reality, and at best willfully misleading.</p>
<p>Here are a few questions the study raises:</p>
<ul>
<li> <b>Did economies strengthen or falter if a region lost a team? </b>The Tampa Bay area is not looking to acquire a new team. It's facing the question of whether or not to keep its existing one, and that may not actually be the same thing. I would like to see an identical study that looks at areas that lost sports team to either contraction or relocation. </li>
<li> <b>If so, why? </b>If you accept that the addition of a major sports franchise does not cause economic growth (as defined by per capita income), and may actually hurt the local economy, the next question is why? Is it merely the presence of the team, diverting dollars that would otherwise be spent elsewhere in the community to pockets with a smaller Keynesian multiplier (the Keynesian multiplier is a measure of how much an influx of cash to an individual or sector reverberates around the entire economy, getting spent over and over)? Or is it specifically related to the opportunity costs of stadium construction itself? Are state and local governments without new teams spending their budgets in more effective ways? There's more to be investigated.</li>
<li> <b>Does the economic impact of moving the Rays change fan perception? </b>Does your desire to have the Rays in your community have anything to do with the alleged economic impact?</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span>There are many more academic studies on this topic concentrating on different aspects of the economic impact of sports franchises. Let's try and answer these questions together -- because the Rays stadium saga isn't going away, and if we're going to use economic principles to answer baseball questions, we should also use economic principles to answer economics questions.</span></div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Happy winter stadium meetings, y'all.</div>
https://www.draysbay.com/2014/12/10/7365261/tampa-bay-rays-economic-impact-stadiumIan Malinowski2011-07-01T07:00:41-04:002011-07-01T07:00:41-04:00DRaysBay Stadium Proposal, Part 3: Funding
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<figcaption>Mike Ehrmann - Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>This is a collaborative, three-part series by the writing team here at DRaysBay, looking at the Rays stadium debate in-depth. Part one addresses a possible stadium location, part two addresses a potential facility, and part three addresses possible funding avenues.</p> <p>Up until now, it is all been fun and games while we have looked location and stadium ideas but in the end, these ideas have a price tag. Given the fact that in the past sixty years, just two baseball stadium have been 100 percent financed with private funds (Dodger Stadium and AT&T Park), it is safe to assume that if a new facility for the Rays is to happen, public dollars are going to have to be involved.</p>
<p>Just the mention of public dollars going toward multi-millionaire and billionaire's teams creates angst quicker that <span>David Price</span>'s fastball gets to home plate. <a href="http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/product/Field-of-Schemes,673388.aspx" target="_blank">Field of Schemes</a> by Neil deMause speaks to that angst and the <a href="http://www.fieldofschemes.com/" target="_blank">weblog</a> that allows the book to take on a new form as it continually documents this issue across all major sports and with rather impassioned commentary.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I really can't imagine why Sternberg thinks this is a wise strategy. With the Bucs' home sitting vacant across the bay due to the same greedy squabbles, myself and most of the people in this area are sick and tired of hearing more of this non-drama that only translates into more theft from the public. The Rays can stay or go - I could care less at this point. And I'm most likely never going to attend a game even with free tickets, since any concession or parking I pay supports those greedy pricks.</p>
<p>If we swapped out the topic with any other occupation than pro sports, we'd be laughing at these greedy deluded idiots. Extreme Frisbee, star trek fan geeks, yoga enthusiasts - everyone would understand what an absurd argument is being made to preserve the slim class of fanboys who value watching a game over money or free time.</p>
Unfortunately I don't think the rest of the sporting public is going to learn their lesson. Instead of learning from the strikes/threats they'll go right back to sitting around and paying insane prices to watch mediocre talent.</blockquote>
<p>That is one view of the current situation on a reputable national site, but the tone from the local communities is quite similar. Consider some of the comments from <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/article1177969.ece" target="_blank">a recent story</a> from TampaBay.com related to Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn throwing out a ceremonial first pitch during the series against the <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Reds</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>oh please tell me this moron isnt going to want to spend millions of tax dollars on a baseball team,, theres only so many peices of pie, or in other words expendable dollars for citezens to spend on games of any type,, HELLO bad economy high ticket prices, 10.00 beers, what are you thinking,,</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>What makes you think that people will not drive to St Pete, but they will fight the rush hour traffic to get to downtown Tampa. I love the rays, but if they think the problem will be soved with a new stadium let them pay for it.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Jesus Christ this team is only 13 years old!!! The Rays ownership expects the attendence of an 80+ year old franchise in 13 years? The only idiots are the folks that buy into Stu's argument that the Trop is the problem....fan bases take several generations to build, regardless of their record on the field. You are being played like a violin.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Bob is exactly right, all this is about is padding league owners' pockets at taxpayer expense. What Stu wants is what the Selig family got from the taxpayers of southeastern Wisconsin... a new venue that doubles the market value of the franchise, which is then sold. This is just a siphon of taxpayer money to the owners.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Bingo... regardless of where the best location for the stadium is, it's still corporate welfare. if we can't afford to pay teachers a decent wage, or afford to build a proper regional expressway network or public transit, then we sure as heck can't afford to give 8 figure annual handouts to billionaires. They're wealthy beyond imagination, let them build their own stadium. and if they can't figure out how to pay for it, sell the team to an owner who can.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Many of you are absolutely right. A new stadium would end up being corporate welfare. But what you don't get is that this corporate welfare is necessary because TAMPA BAY IS A BAD INVESTMENT FOR BASEBALL. Fans don't pay anywhere near enough to support even an average-priced major league baseball team, even with a big welfare check from the rest of baseball. It's questionable whether that's possible with a new stadium mostly paid for by the taxpayer while the Rays get most of the benefits. That's how bad the financial situation is with the Rays. But if you want a free-market solution, there's only one solution, the Rays leave. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Locations can be found, builders can be contracted, but dirt cannot be moved without funding and the comments above, while coming across as a bit extreme, represent the vocal majority in print and electronic media in this market. A bigger roadblock to attitude in the market would be the glaring spotlight on any stadium funding in the area after the <a href="http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/marlins/2010/10/25/florida-marlins-ballpark-controversy-will-be-featured-tuesday-on-hbo-real-sports/" target="_blank">suspicious ways</a> the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/florida-marlins" class="sbn-auto-link">Marlins</a> got funding before it was learned how much profit they were making each year and potentially none of this can happen without a public vote if <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/despite-stalled-rays-stadium-discussion-baseball-talk-heats-up-at-st/1177971" target="_blank">a measure</a> is passed requiring any expenditures over $100M in St. Petersburg be put to a public referendum.</p>
<p>In any stadium funding discussion, the trenches will be dug in WWI fashion between the public and private financing armies and the discussions between the two parties often resemble the stalemate battles that comprised most of that war. The public financing side would point to studies showing how much of an economic impact sports teams have on an area while the private financing crowd will hold up similar studies debunking those numbers in one hand and balance sheets with red ink in the other hand.</p>
<p>Residents saw this story play out somewhat in 2009 with mayoral candidate Larry Williams who <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/kyc/is-tampa-bay-rays-financial-impact-as-good-as-candidate-says/1029764" target="_blank">quoted a study</a> that stated the <a href="https://www.draysbay.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Tampa Bay Rays</a> had an economic impact of $298M in 2008 while opponents such as the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce commissioned a study that found the Rays' economic impact to be $200M less in that same year. Further, a commissioned <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/new-stadium-for-rays-what-the-lease-has-to-say/1037488" target="_blank">study</a> for the initial new stadium proposal found an economic impact anywhere from $137M to $213M a year as yet another broad range that points to the inexact data in measuring a new stadium's impact.</p>
<p>At best, studying the economic impact of a sports team is an inaccurate if not biased science but at some point, parties must agree on a number because the amount of public financing on any project is directly tied to how scared the market is of the team taking that impact and those jobs to another market.</p>
<p>Since 1991, 21 different baseball stadiums have open in the United States, excluding Turner Field given its unique status as an Olympics-funded effort. Each of them were funded in a different way from the completely publicly-funded U.S. Cellular Field to the completely privately-financed AT&T Park. The table below shows how the money broke down for each of the stadiums.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/650576/fundtable.png" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/650902/newtable.png" target="_blank"><img class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/650902/newtable_medium.png" alt="Newtable_medium"></a></p>
<p align="right" style="text-align: center;"><i>*thanks for the correction, Cardinals nation*</i></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">In all, 54 percent of the funding for these projects came from public financing while 46 percent came from private sources. Those figures are influenced heavily by the massive cost to the new Yankee Stadium and its private funding bill as well as the entirely privately-funded AT&T park. If we remove those two projects from this group, nearly two-thirds of the dollars spent on stadium construction have come from public funds with just over one-third coming from private sources.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The chart below shows the parks in chronological order as well as by breakdown of public and private funding:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/650568/pubpriv.png" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/650906/newgraph.png" target="_blank"><img class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/650906/newgraph_medium.png" alt="Newgraph_medium"></a> <br id="1309529069821"></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Petco Park and Citizens Bank Pallpark represent the best examples of financial compromise of the stadiums with the first two and last stadiums on the chart represent the worst as the ownership groups of those three teams, one of which was Major League Baseball itself, spent a total of $24.4M toward the final bill. You might recall that the original new stadium proposal on the site of Al Lang Field was for $450M with Rays' ownership paying one-third of that costs plus taking on the responsibility for cost overruns which would put that old proposal right in line with the current 67/33 split that we see after taking out Yankee Stadium and AT&T Park.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">In this current economic client, it would be a near-impossible sell to the public to ask them to foot 67 percent of the costs of a new stadium on the heels of cuts in education and an unemployment rate for the bay area that is still above the national average. That said, these other cities utilized many different funding streams to find the dollars necessary to build these stadiums anywhere from naming rights to tax increases. Examples include:</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Phoenix: Implemented a quarter-cent increase in the county sales tax and allowed the <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Diamondbacks</a> organization to keep all baseball revenue as well as a percentage of non-baseball event revenue. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Detroit: Sold naming rights for 30 years as well as taxed all rental car agreements two percent and hotel stays one percent. Additionally, revenue from Indian Casinos was utilized.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">St. Louis: Long-term loan from St. Louis County was used as well as private bond sales, tax breaks, and bank loans.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Denver: Increased the local sales tax 0.1 percent in six of the Denver-area counties.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Cincinnati: Voters approved a half-cent sales tax increase to fund both a new baseball and a new football stadium and sold the naming rights to the baseball stadium for $45M.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Milwaukee: Passed a tax increase to five Milwaukee-area counties.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Houston: Taxed hotel stays and rental cars and received a $33M no-interest loan from local business leaders.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">San Diego: Received $21M from the Port of San Diego and another $76M from the Centre City Development Corporation.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Pittsburgh: Implemented a county hotel tax, a surcharge on <a href="https://www.bucsdugout.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Pirates</a> and Steelers tickets while both were still at Three Rivers Stadium, as well as a one percent performance tax on all visiting players that did not live in Pittsburgh.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Cleveland: Imposed a 15-year sin tax on cigarettes and alcohol within Cuyahoga County.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Seattle: Imposed a food tax and rental car tax in King County to foot $340M of the bill.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">New York: Pulled money from parking facility revenues</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Minneapolis: Passed a 0.15 percent sales tax increase in Hennepin County.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Arlington: Passed a 0.5 cent sales tax for a period of 12-15 years.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Miami: Imposed taxes on tourists on rental cars and hotels.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>As it stands now, we have an owner who has said he is willing to pay $150M and cost overruns as part of an old proposal and wants the ability to explore sites in the entire Tampa Bay area and a mayor who said he is open to discuss the Rays moving within Pinellas County but nowhere else. That is where the trenches where dug in 2008 and that is essentially where they stay today. As WTSP's Noah Pransky <a href="http://shadowofthestadium.blogspot.com/2011/06/times-writer-richard-danielson-details.html" target="_blank">pointed out</a> yesterday, what current mayor Bob Buckhorn <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/article1177969.ece" target="_blank">said</a> about the Rays' stadium situation is essentially what current St. Petersburg mayor Bill Foster <a href="http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=110625" target="_blank">said</a> before he was elected with the two disagreeing on where that new home should be built. <br>
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<div>The good news is that business leaders from both sides of the bay are finally coming to the table <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/local/tampa-and-st-petersburg-join-forces-to-explore-new-stadium-for-tampa-bay/1176986" target="_blank">to discuss</a> the economic impact of the Rays as well as possible sources of public and private funding. Additionally, Hillsborough County is kicking around <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/commissioner-pitches-way-to-help-new-rays-stadium-in-hillsborough/1174347" target="_blank">some ideas</a> to help generate funding for a new stadium that would also help encourage private investment into the project and we hope that they are able to find creative ways to generate funding revenues as other cities have done. Stuart Sternberg's wealth is not easily discovered but given the shady experience in Miami, a doubting public may be more willing to participate in the process should the Rays open up their books. We know from <a href="http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4654:detailed-financial-info-from-pirates-rays-marlins-angels-and-mariners-released&catid=26:editorials&Itemid=39" target="_blank">leaked reports</a> in 2010 the Rays are not exactly hiding profit and the 2008 post-season run is what saved them from being in a less-fortunate situation as they are today.</div>
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<p>If a new stadium is to happen in downtown Tampa, it will take the communities in the area working together for the common good of the area. The St. Pete Times had a wonderful <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2010/graphics/rays-timeline/" target="_blank">timeline </a>back in 2010 that outlined what type of schedule needed to happen as well as how the financials in the discussion changed the longer this process was delayed. We highly recommend you click on the link for the full explanation of the process but a peek at the timeline itself shows you where this process is now and why it is time for action.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/650620/timeline.png" target="_blank"><img class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/650620/timeline_medium.png" alt="Timeline_medium"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Enough bickering, enough postering, enough silence. If baseball has a viable and successful long-term future in the Tampa Bay area, a new facility is a necessity. One that will help generate the type of public and corporate support that has allowed other markets to shed their small-market labels and lessen the margin of error those clubs had to tolerate as they were hamstrung by limited revenue streams against aging stadiums that grew more out-dated season after season. Other markets have provided examples of creative public and private funding sources and now it is up to our local leadership to find the best mix of those examples as well as any new ideas they discover to find the magic recipe for a new solution.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Our goal in proposing a location for a new stadium, a model for a new stadium, and presenting funding histories for other stadiums was to generate discussion and interest to fill the void left by both team ownership and city leadership that seem to comment once or twice a season on the matter with little compromise between the two parties. It is our hope that this information can reinvigorate the local discussion on what is a third-rail topic and to better inform interested fans as they engage their local politicians as well as participate in the public part of the process.</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><i>Data for these figured pulled from sources such as Wikipedia, ballparks.com, ballparksofbaseball.com, and shadowofthestadium.blogspot.com.</i></p>
https://www.draysbay.com/2011/7/1/2252406/stadium-proposal-part-3-funding-solutionsCasonJollette