Tropicana Field redevelopment won’t happen in Welch’s first term | April 1

I am extremely discouraged to read about so much debate on the future of Tropicana Field. I feel this land should be used for the taxpaying citizens of our beloved St. Petersburg and all the people who choose to visit our city. Why not make the Tropicana Field area our “St. Pete Central Park,” where every citizen can walk, relax and ride bikes safely? The city could set up an area for work at home people who need to get out of the house for their mental health, hear the birds sing, meet new friends.

Our population has grown since 1990, and we are plagued by water issues, new homes being built and using the maximum land allowed on their lots. We need a new park. The park will also bring visitors to our city who will spend money on restaurants, hotels, stores and events. It is a win-win for those of us who live here. We are the people who live here day in and day out, therefore we must make the decision. I vote for St. Pete Central Park.

Cynthia Zanella, St. Petersburg

Donald Trump, the real estate mentality and his Triumphal Arch | Column | April 26

I wish to express my pleasure at reading Barry Golson’s guest column in Sunday’s edition. It reflects the Times’s traditional excellent editorial standards. I look forward to further contributions by Mr. Golson.

James C. Brock, Lakeland

Rays still aiming for vote in May | April 25

In a previous Viewpoints article in the Times, Dr. Ken Atwater of Hillsborough College spoke about the proposed mixed-use development around the new stadium and stated that “permanent operations will generate nearly 12,000 jobs.”

However, in the article in the April 25 paper, the Rays said the development is still in the planning process. How can Atwater make a prediction of 12,000 jobs when the development is still in the planning process?

The Rays also say that they are committed to advancing the development “in good faith.” The city of Tampa and Hillsborough County negotiators should get iron-clad contracts and guarantees on the mixed-use development, with heavy penalties on the Rays owners if they don’t meet guarantees on the number of businesses, the number of people employed, and salaries. Otherwise, the taxpayers are footing the bill for the stadium with no assurance that the Rays will follow through on their promises.

Gregory J Kuebler, Dunedin

Tampa Bay could have no Dem US representative with redrawn map | April 28

Democratic plans? |Letters, April 26

One of the letters to the editor in Sunday’s Times wonders what the Democratic Party’s agenda would be if it regains power in the upcoming midterms. I’m not sure, but I recently switched my party registration from Republican to Democrat because I could no longer tolerate the GOP’s tacit embrace of white nationalism.

It’s true the Democrats have failed to distance the party from some of the extreme culture-war views on the far left. But I can get behind some of the issues they do embrace: reproductive freedom, expansion of affordable health care, legalization of marijuana (even though I don’t smoke it), and pursuit of clean and renewable energy. That’s enough of a “platform” for me.

Joseph Brown, Tampa

Congress must ‘hold itself to the same standards it claims to uphold’ | Column, April 24

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s column in a recent edition of the Tampa Bay Times preaching about how sexual harassment should never be tolerated proves nothing but the fact that she is a hypocrite.

How in the world could she have proposed House Bill H.R.792 on Jan. 28, 2025, directing the Secretary of the Interior to arrange for the carving of the figure of President Donald Trump on Mount Rushmore National Memorial when she knows his extensive history of sexually harassing women?

I could fill an entire edition of the Times with examples of sexual harassment and unethical behavior by Trump prior to the time that Luna proposed memorializing Trump on Mount Rushmore. If she doesn’t know about that, she lives in an alternative universe.

Trump was caught on an infamous “Access Hollywood” recording saying that stars like him could grab women’s private parts. He thought it funny to brag, “I just start kissing them, and it’s like a mad man. Just kiss.”

Someone needs to inform Luna that, in 2016, when running for the presidency, Trump orchestrated $130,000 in hush money payments to a porn star, so she wouldn’t reveal their sexual relationship. He also knew and thanked a friend for paying $150,000 in hush money to a Playboy Bunny with whom he had a two-year affair, a period that included when Melania Trump was pregnant with Barron Trump. In 2024, Trump was convicted of 34 criminal offenses because a federal jury found, beyond any reasonable doubt, that Trump fraudulently caused his company’s books and records to falsely disguise $130,000 in secret payments to the porn star.

Let’s also not forget the reality of another proven example of Trump’s repeated sexually abuse of women. In 2023, a federal jury found Trump liable for his sexual abuse of E. Jean Carroll. The jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in damages. That finding was upheld in 2025.

In light of Luna’s column about sexual harassment, she owes her constituents an explanation about why Trump’s sexual harassment earns him the honor of having his likeness carved in a mountain alongside truly great presidents. If she doesn’t, it’s important for her constituents to deliver to her what she has demanded in her article when she wrote, “… Congress needs to change.” Her constituents shouldn’t tolerate hypocrisy.

Robert Mazur, Florida

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