Part 1 of 2.<\/p>\n
The annual State of the Bay forum kicked off Tuesday evening with two topics dominating local and national discourse: A new home for the Tampa Bay Rays and increasingly deadly immigration operations.<\/p>\n
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch and Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector discussed those and several other issues at the event, organized by the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club<\/a> and held at the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art. Moderator Joe Hamilton, publisher of the Catalyst, began by asking for their thoughts on the latest chapter<\/a> in a decades-old Rays stadium saga.<\/p>\n Welch called plans to open the 2029 season<\/a> in a ballpark across the bay \u201cextremely aggressive,\u201d particularly in light of a reportedly $2.3 billion initial cost estimate. Castor said negotiations between her city, Hillsborough County, the Tampa Sports Authority and the team are \u201cprogressing,\u201d and she is \u201cvery hopeful that it\u2019s going to work out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have always said that we wanted to keep the Rays in the Tampa Bay area, and we will do everything in our power to ensure that happens,\u201d Castor added. \u201cBut there is definitely a line of what that means, financially. So, more to come on that.\u201d<\/p>\n Castor then credited Welch for being an \u201cincredible partner.\u201d She said no other mayor has \u201ccome as close to getting that deal done<\/a>,\u201d and \u201che can\u2019t control a hurricane.\u201d<\/p>\n Welch noted the team would return to Tropicana Field \u2013 thanks to his administration\u2019s storm-repair<\/a> efforts \u2013 in April and spend at least three more years in St. Petersburg. He also reprised his \u201cmarriage\u201d analogy and said the new ownership group \u201chas been very straightforward\u201d in their desire to build a new ballpark in Tampa.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a way to end this relationship in a way that builds relationships going forward,\u201d Welch said. \u201cThe Rays know they still need a million folks on this side of the bay to come over to where the new stadium is. I do think this community is owed something for the promises that were made.\u201d<\/p>\n Welch added that he has conveyed that sentiment in conversations with the Rays. In addition, a potential Major League Baseball player lockout looms in December<\/a> that could extend the team\u2019s lease at the Trop.<\/p>\n Either way, Welch remains open to a \u201creasonable extension<\/a> that makes sense\u201d for St. Petersburg and Pinellas County residents. However, his focus is on \u201cturning those 86 acres into jobs, housing and economic opportunities, and honoring the promises that were made when I was much younger at Lakewood High School in the 1980s.\u201d<\/p>\n Rector, foreshadowing a later topic, said the issue underscores the importance of regional collaboration. The Rays do not belong to any of the three cities; they are \u201cTampa Bay\u2019s team.\u201d<\/p>\n Clearwater Beach is the area\u2019s largest tourism development tax generator, and Rector endorsed a previous proposal that would have contributed $700 million to a new stadium. While that ultimately failed, he supports a move to Tampa \u201cbecause it\u2019s very important to the region for us to have that team.\u201d<\/p>\n ICE<\/p>\n