In a recent interview, Welch said the two parties have discussed extending the team\u2019s lease \u201conly in passing.\u201d The Rays have not formally requested additional time at the Trop, which is now sporting a roof for the first time in over a year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a stadium that can be their home for five, seven years, whatever makes sense,\u201d Welch told the\u00a0Catalyst. \u201cAnd then long term, it\u2019ll have to be a different conversation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Welch called a short-term lease extension practical and the \u201cfirst, best option\u201d for\u00a0the Rays<\/a>. \u201cI think it will probably have to happen,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, any agreement must also \u201cmake sense for the city.\u201d An extension cannot impede\u00a0long-awaited plans<\/a>\u00a0to redevelop roughly 60 acres of prime real estate surrounding the stadium.\u00a0<\/p>\n The city began displacing thousands of Black residents and business owners, including the Mayor\u2019s grandfather, from the Historic Gas Plant District in the 1980s. Welch noted that the land has featured a sea of surface parking lots for over 40 years<\/a>, rather than previously promised jobs, housing and economic opportunities.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSo, we\u2019re going to move forward with that,\u201d he said. The Rays, under former owner Stuart Sternberg, exited an arduously negotiated redevelopment deal in March.\u00a0<\/p>\n A spokesperson said the Rays would not comment on a potential lease extension \u201cright now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Zalupski previously said a new fixed-roof stadium would anchor a \u201cbest-in-class\u201d development, likely encompassing at least 100 acres, with hotels, office space, shops, restaurants, bars and a music venue. Welch subsequently said the acreage target would seemingly eliminate the Gas Plant from contention.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSo, there are a lot more conversations that need to happen if it came to a point where they decided this was a spot, and they wanted to resurrect the old deal,\u201d he added. \u201cAt least for the stadium piece, it\u2019ll have to be a whole different funding model.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Welch no longer supports using community redevelopment area (CRA) coffers to help fund a new stadium. However, the financing mechanism could offset site infrastructure costs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Administrators are currently considering a $6.8 billion unsolicited\u00a0redevelopment proposal<\/a>. The project, led by ARK Investment Management and Ellison Development, would encompass 94.5 acres.<\/p>\n The proposal checks several boxes on Zalupski\u2019s wishlist \u2013 without the Rays spending a dime. It also includes a\u00a0stadium option<\/a>.<\/p>\n Team leadership is studying several potential stadium sites throughout Tampa Bay. Rays co-owner and CEO Ken Babby has said that the team is watching the Gas Plant\u00a0process unfold<\/a>\u00a0\u201clike everybody else,\u201d and \u201cwe\u2019ll see what the future brings.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Babby has also noted that the \u201chome of the Tampa Bay Rays\u00a0is right here<\/a>\u00a0at Tropicana Field,\u201d and credited the city for ensuring the storm-damaged ballpark is ready for the 2026 baseball season.\u00a0<\/p>\n Welch, in his first meeting with the new owners, emphasized the importance of a \u201csincere effort\u201d to repair relationships with the community, the city, and\u00a0Pinellas County\u00a0after the Rays reneged on signed deals and dissolved once-substantial support for a new stadium. \u201cThey understood that,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cKen Babby, in particular, said, \u2018We need to rebuild those relationships,\u2019\u201d Welch continued. \u201cI think they\u2019ve said and done all the right things so far to do that. And I give them credit for that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n For now, both sides are celebrating a\u00a0significant\u00a0milestone at the Trop. The city announced Nov. 21 that crews had installed the domed stadium\u2019s final roof panel ahead of schedule.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Rays, in a social media post, called it a \u201cmassive step forward\u201d for the team, city and fans. Babby, on his personal account, said he was \u201cbeyond thankful.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n St. Petersburg must provide the Rays with a suitable home for Major League Baseball under the current use agreement. City Council members have approved nearly $60 million in remediation and repair expenses, and the final cost could continue climbing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Babby previously pledged that the ballpark would \u201clook better than it ever has\u201d when fans return in April 2026. Welch subsequently said the Trop\u2019s \u201cbones\u201d are in \u201cvery good\u00a0shape,\u201d according to city engineers.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Mayor would not support a \u201cbig new investment\u201d in the stadium. He also realizes that \u201chaving the Trop open again is good for our economy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTo me, if we did not go this route, I don\u2019t think the Rays would ever be back in St. Pete or Tampa Bay,\u201d Welch said of repairing the Trop. \u201cBecause I don\u2019t think playing outdoors in the Summer is something they want to do for more than one year, in an emergency situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI really saw that as the only route to bring the Rays back here, and then have the potential for them staying long-term.\u201d<\/p>\n Welch reiterated that the Rays know he is open to discussing a lease extension at the Trop, and that his focus remains on the surrounding land. He also noted that a termination agreement with previous ownership allows the city to redevelop two parcels \u2013 one for affordable housing and one for a new Woodson African American Museum of Florida \u2013 \u201calmost immediately.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Mark Parker<\/a> reports via St. Pete Catalyst<\/a>; republished with permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch believes the Tampa Bay Rays will need to extend their lease at Tropicana…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":60721,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[31740,30124,2346,36699,3813,18224,202,204,203,199,201,200,36700,3815,8125],"class_list":["post-60720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-gas-plant-district","tag-ken-babby","tag-ken-welch","tag-lease-extension","tag-patrick-zalupski","tag-redevelopment","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news","tag-stadium-plans","tag-tampa-bay-rays","tag-tropicana-field"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60720\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/PinpointAd_728x90.jpeg\")
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<\/a>Mayor Ken Welch at a Nov. 20 City Hall on Tour event. Image via Mark Parker\/St. Pete Catalyst.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Steinocher_Ken-Babby_Ferg-1024x745.jpg\")
<\/a>Tampa Bay Rays CEO Ken Babby (center) talks with Chris Steinocher (left), CEO of the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, and Mark Ferguson, owner of Ferg\u2019s Sports Bar and Grill, at a Nov. 12 event. Image via Mark Parker\/St. Pete Catalyst.<\/p>\n