April 03, 2025

St. Pete approves $22.5 million to repair Tropicana Field roof

April 03, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

The City of St. Petersburg is moving forward with extensive renovations and repairs to make Tropicana Field playable for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2026.

In October 2024, Hurricane Milton's powerful winds shredded the stadium's fabric roof, allowing rain to pour into the venue. As a result, the stadium sustained significant water and wind damage, rendering it unusable.

In addition to damaging the roof, the storm also compromised critical infrastructure, audiovisual equipment, and the turf field.

Due to the extent of the damage, the Tampa Bay Rays will play their 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

City officials are hoping to have Tropicana Field ready for baseball in time for the 2026 season. In the meantime, due to the extent of the damage to the Trop, the Tampa Bay Rays will play their 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

March 19, 2025

Inside Blake Investment Group's $260 million cash offer for the Tropicana Field site

March 19, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

After decades of debate and negotiations for the redevelopment of the Gas Plant District and securing the future home of the Rays, the deal with the team is no longer on the table, but one local developer is ready to sign a big check to make the long-awaited grand vision a reality.

Investor Thompson Whitney Blake, CEO of private equity firm Blake Investment Partners, is offering the City of St. Petersburg $260 million in an all-cash deal to buy the Gas Plant District following the Tampa Bay Rays' abrupt announcement of abandoning the $1.3 billion stadium agreement.

"My entire strategy is to get public support for a sale of the property and let the private market fix this 86-acre parking lot problem. I don't want to wait any longer," Blake said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.

March 14, 2025

St. Pete investor offers $260 million to buy 86-acre Tropicana Field site

March 14, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

Prominent Tampa Bay investor Thompson Whitney Blake is offering the City of St. Petersburg $260 million in an all-cash deal to buy the Gas Plant District following the Tampa Bay Rays' abrupt announcement of abandoning the stadium agreement.

"We, along with all of the other residents in town, have listened to a decade of dialogues, debates, pundits, and prognosticators, lawyers, and talking heads... In our opinion, this project needs someone to do what my mom has always said, 'put your money where your mouth is.' So, here we go," Blake, CEO of private equity firm Blake Investment Partners, wrote in a letter to Mayor Ken Welch and the St. Petersburg City Council.

The offer letter was sent on Thursday, March 13, shortly after the Tampa Bay Rays announced on social media that they were withdrawing from the $1.37 billion deal to build a new stadium in downtown St. Petersburg. The team cited unforeseen challenges from back-to-back hurricanes and prolonged negotiations as reasons for their decision.

March 07, 2025

Trails Crossing, a new linear park under I-275 in downtown St. Pete, moves forward after City Council vote

March 07, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

Four blocks of underutilized space beneath Interstate 275 in downtown St. Pete could be transformed into a new linear park featuring public art and event spaces, creating a destination for pedestrians and cyclists.

In a 7-to-1 vote, City Council approved an agreement on Thursday to contribute $150,000 toward hiring Colorado-based LandDesign, Inc. to kick off the master planning process for Trails Crossing, a walkable, activated park under I-275 that will embrace micro-transit and connect urban neighborhoods—an idea that has been in discussion for years.

“For too long, our community has been physically, socially, and economically divided by infrastructure that was never designed with connectivity in mind,” said John Barkett, a local developer and co-founder of the nonprofit group Friends of Trails Crossing, during Thursday’s meeting.

December 18, 2024

Pinellas County Commission approves $312.5M in bonds for new Rays stadium in St. Petersburg

December 18, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

After a two-month delay, the Pinellas County Commission has voted to honor its commitment to financially support the development of a new $1.3 billion Tampa Bay Rays stadium.

At a Tuesday meeting, county commissioners voted 5-2 to allocate $312.5 million toward the construction of the 30,000-seat ballpark. The county’s share will be funded through existing tourist taxes collected on hotel stays and short-term rentals.

Newly elected commissioners Vince Nowicki and Chris Scherer voted against the proposal, while Commissioners Chris Latvala, Kathleen Peters, Dave Eggers, Rene Flowers, and Brian Scott voted in favor of approving the bonds.