St. Petersburg business leaders are “blasting a proposed city charter amendment that would require voter approval for public projects of more than $100 million -- including professional sports facilities,” according to Michael Van Sickler of the ST. PETERSBURG TIMES. The business leaders said that the amendment “goes too far, partly because it unfairly targets the Rays.” The Charter Review Commission, which "reviews the master plan for the city every 10 years and proposes changes," on Tuesday “voted 5-3 to reject the amendment.” The amendment “identified a sports facility, convention center, museum, theater and performing arts center as the types of projects that would require voter approval.” Hal Freedman, the founder of a “political action committee that rallied against” the Rays proposed waterfront stadium in '09, said, “With this amendment in place, you couldn't do another Tropicana Field. That's still the project that has caused all this bitterness." The amendment “would have had a chilling effect on efforts by the St. Petersburg and Tampa chambers to explore financing options for a stadium, as well as luring other types of private investment” (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 6/30).
ACROSS THE BAY: Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn on Tuesday said that if the Rays leave St. Petersburg, he "thinks the best place for them to land would be downtown Tampa." But when asked whether he thinks the Rays will move to Tampa, Buckhorn said, "No. It's my belief that at some point the Rays will leave St. Petersburg … and I absolutely want to be ready when that happens." Buckhorn yesterday said that it is “clear that playing at Tropicana Field doesn’t work for the team.” Buckhorn said that he met Rays Owner Stuart Sternberg “for the first time before” throwing out the first pitch prior to Monday's Reds-Rays game. Buckhorn: “We had a great chat, but it was nothing specific” (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 6/30).
