For the third time in five years, St. Petersburg is seeking a developer for its most prized tract of land: Tropicana Field, also known as the Historic Gas Plant District.

But this latest run at landing a makeover for some or all of the 86 acres breaks from past norms.

The city has not put out a written list of criteria to guide prospective bidders. And instead of giving months to sharpen pitches, the city is opening a 30-day window to applyin mid-November, right before Thanksgiving.

At least one major developer out of South Florida wants more time. Mayor Ken Welch has not announced the formal starting and ending dates.

Welch told a reporter Monday that his administration does not plan to extend the deadline for proposals. Developers, he said, got a heads-up when the city announced its intentions last week. Asked if the notice next month will include criteria, guidelines or benchmarksthe city is setting for offers, Welch said his staff would have to get back with a detailed answer but didn’t by a reporter’s deadline.

“In that development community, I think folks who are serious about it have been thinking about this for a long time and have an opportunity to start putting a proposal together,” Welch said. “So it’s effectively 60 days or more, and we think that’s appropriate.”

Welch has repeatedlysaid that any redevelopment of the Trop site must include elements that redress the displacement of Black-owned residences and businesses that once occupied the property. He staked much of his first term to building a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays and redeveloping the land around it, only to see the team withdraw its offer at the 11th hour.

He’s now staring at a 2026 reelection campaign with a line of prospective challengers already forming.

Experts say Welch’s latest request for proposals doesn’t follow best practices. They said it doesn’t give developers enough time to find architects, engineers and planners, or to line up preliminary financing.

“If it’s been how many years now they’ve been trying to do this, why shortchange the time for the proposers to submit their proposals?” said Warren Geltch, founder of the Tampa Bay chapter of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing.

Six out of eight City Council members told the Tampa Bay Times they have concerns with the turnaround time. Some said it gives the appearance that a fix is in for an unsolicited proposal submitted earlier this month.

“A 30-day notice suggests that the cake is already baked and this is just a formality,” said council member Gina Driscoll, whose district includes Tropicana Field.

The city received that unsolicited proposal Oct. 3 from a team made up of investor Cathie Wood, developer Casey Ellison and Horus Constructionto reimagine the Trop site with or without baseball. Welch called it a “very strong proposal” that “meets a lot of the criteria that we laid out in the previous RFP (request for proposals).” He said it would create jobs and senior and affordable housing.

That’s why council member Deborah Figgs-Sanders says she’s OK with the 30-day timeframe.

“The conversation around what would be done moving forward with the Gas Plant Development has been circulating for a while, so I’m looking forward to other proposals,” she said.

The city received another unsolicited proposal from the Pinellas County Housing Authority to develop a half-block for a senior apartment tower. Shortly after, the city announced it would open a 30-day window for other proposals starting in mid-November.

So far, the latest solicitation has none of the hallmarks from the process that began nearly five years ago.

Former Mayor Rick Kriseman selected a developer for the Trop site on his way out of office in 2021 after seeking offers the previous year.

Welch announced he was scrapping that effort in the summer of 2022 and then waited two months before releasing a 33-page request for proposals with 23 guidelines that emphasized the need for affordable housing and opportunities for minority-owned contracting companies.

He set a deadline two months out and scheduled a public meeting for developers to ask questions. At the Rays’ request, the city quietly extended the deadline for proposals following Hurricane Ian.

When the Rays announced in March that they would not move forward, local investor Thompson Whitney Blake offered $260 million in cash to purchase the entire Gas Plant site. Blake told the Times that city officials told him they couldn’t proceed until they had an understanding of what was happening with the Rays.

“Even if they don’t pick us, they have to pick somebody who can put the cash on the table for the first day,” said Blake, who will submit a proposal next month to pay more than his original offer. “Not pictures, cash.”

After the Rays were sold to Jacksonville home developer Patrick Zalupski last month, Welch said he had a productive introductory meeting with the new owners.

“Overall, we know that there’s a lot of interest in the City of St. Petersburg and especially the Historic Gas Plant District right now,” Welch said in a statement the following day.

A spokesperson for the team, which isseeking at least 100 acres for a stadium, declined to comment for this story. Marisa Monte, a spokesperson for the Rays’ partner in its original proposal, Hines, did not respond to an email, calls and a text message seeking comment.

Troy Simpson, president of the mixed-use division of Delray Beach-based Kolter Group, asked the city Wednesday to extend its timeline to 90 days.

“A proposal for a project of this significance warrants more than 30 days to evaluate and prepare,” Simpson wrote in an email. “As a consideration for St. Pete to attract a development team prepared to deliver a world-class project, we ask that that invitation window be extended.”

Simpson’s email sent off alarm bells to council members.

“This is a massive project,” said council member Mike Harting. “I can understand 30 days for a single structure, but for something this big, we need to offer the community of developers more time.”

Dick Cummings, the former purchasing director for Broward County, said it may be hard to attract the best pitches in such a short timeframe.

“If you’re going into Thanksgiving or into Christmas, contractors don’t work at that time or cut back,” he said.

Council chairperson Copley Gerdes said the city has waited long enough.

“Every day that we push back, it’s one day that we continue to not fulfill the promises of the community on the site,” he said.

But council member Corey Givens said he didn’t want to be “cornered” into approving the first proposal that came the city’s way.

“I don’t want the process to be rushed just because of an election timeline,”Givens said.

Council member Brandi Gabbard, who recently announced she is challenging Welch for mayor, agreed that the city should move forward with greater deliberation and community input on such an important project.

“I caution against rushing this quick ‘win,’” Gabbard said. “We shouldn’t act hasty or desperate; we need to walk into the future with our eyes wide open and the community as our guiding force.”

Times staff writer Shauna Muckle contributed to this report.