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<\/p>\nFor 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.<\/p>\n
But this latest run at landing a makeover for some or all of the 86 acres breaks from past norms.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
At least one major developer out of South Florida wants more time. Mayor Ken Welch has not announced the formal starting and ending dates.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t by a reporter\u2019s deadline.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 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,\u201d Welch said. \u201cSo it\u2019s effectively 60 days or more, and we think that\u2019s appropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s now staring at a 2026 reelection campaign with a line of prospective challengers already forming.<\/p>\n
Experts say Welch\u2019s latest request for proposals doesn\u2019t follow best practices. They said it doesn\u2019t give developers enough time to find architects, engineers and planners, or to line up preliminary financing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s been how many years now they\u2019ve been trying to do this, why shortchange the time for the proposers to submit their proposals?\u201d said Warren Geltch, founder of the Tampa Bay chapter of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cA 30-day notice suggests that the cake is already baked and this is just a formality,\u201d said council member Gina Driscoll, whose district includes Tropicana Field.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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 \u201cvery strong proposal\u201d that \u201cmeets a lot of the criteria that we laid out in the previous RFP (request for proposals).\u201d He said it would create jobs and senior and affordable housing.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why council member Deborah Figgs-Sanders says she\u2019s OK with the 30-day timeframe.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe conversation around what would be done moving forward with the Gas Plant Development has been circulating for a while, so I\u2019m looking forward to other proposals,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
So far, the latest solicitation has none of the hallmarks from the process that began nearly five years ago.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Welch announced he was scrapping that effort in the summer of 2022 and then waited two months before releasing a 33-page request<\/a> for proposals with 23 guidelines that emphasized the need for affordable housing and opportunities for minority-owned contracting companies.<\/p>\n He set a deadline two months out and scheduled a public meeting for developers to ask questions<\/a>. At the Rays\u2019 request, the city quietly extended the deadline for proposals<\/a> following Hurricane Ian.<\/p>\n