Thrive
Is one month enough for Trop site proposals?
“We’ve got a responsibility to move both intentionally and quickly.”
A prominent development firm has asked St. Petersburg to extend its window for submitting Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment proposals. Some people are tired of waiting.
Mayor Ken Welch announced Tuesday that, starting in mid-November, he would officially welcome proposals to reimagine the area around Tropicana Field, for 30 days. Troy Simpson, president of Delray Beach-based Kolter’s mixed-use division, emailed council members and the city’s procurement department Wednesday to request 90 days.
The receipt of two recent unsolicited proposals did not trigger the process, despite conflicting reports. State law requires local governments to provide at least 30 days’ notice before entering into “any contract to sell, lease, or otherwise transfer real property” within a Community Redevelopment Area.
Providing a much shorter window, compared to the previous two Trop site requests for proposals (RFP), sparked online discourse. Simpson echoed some of those sentiments in his brief email.
“A proposal for a project of this significance warrants more than 30 days to evaluate and prepare,” Simpson wrote. “As a consideration for St. Pete to attract a development team prepared to deliver a world-class project, we ask that (the) invitation window be extended.”
Kolter has built three luxury condo towers downtown: ONE St. Petersburg, Saltaire and Art House. City council members unanimously approved a land use change Oct. 16 that allows the firm to build up to 776 housing units at St. Petersburg College’s Allstate campus.
‘Let’s move the needle’
Former Mayor Rick Kriseman opened a six-month RFP process in July 2020, eventually selecting Midtown Development. Welch provided a 90-day window when starting anew in September 2022.
The Tampa Bay Rays and global development firm Hines walked away from that $6.5 billion redevelopment deal in March after over two years of negotiations. ARK Investment Management, Ellison Development and Horus Construction submitted a $6.8 billion vision for a new, similarly-termed “world-class” project Oct. 3.
“From my standpoint, this land has been sitting and continues to sit,” Council Chair Copley Gerdes told the Catalyst. “Every day counts for the people who are counting on us to fulfill the promises on that piece of land.”
Tuesday’s announcement stated that the city is acting pursuant to Florida Statute 163.380, which regulates the disposal of property in a community redevelopment area acquired through eminent domain. An unsolicited proposal received in March did not trigger the same – or any – response.
“Public notice allowing an opportunity for competing or alternative proposals from private developers or other interested parties for the lease, purchase or development of all or a portion of the Historic Gas Plant District property” is not an RFP or a solicitation. It is a state requirement before selling the land.
“I understand that’s a hard timeline – thirty days is a short period of time in the development world,” Gerdes said. “But we’ve got a responsibility to move both intentionally and quickly.”
Welch has repeatedly pledged to do just that since the Rays walked away from the previous agreement. The self-described “child of the Gas Plant” witnessed the displacement of his and thousands of other Black families in the name of economic progress over 40 years ago.
“Honoring the promises made to our community, including the residents of the Historic Gas Plant District, has been a top priority of my administration, and we continue to explore ways to pursue impactful outcomes that reflect the needs and aspirations of our residents,” he said in the announcement.
The public notice period should, and seemingly has, put pressure on developers who have sat on the sidelines since the first RFP in July 2020 or in the seven months since the previous deal died.
They also have over 30 days to prepare a proposal. The mayoral administration provided a nearly month-long heads up that it planned to issue the 30-day notice.
Gerdes reiterated his belief that the administration wants to ensure “there’s movement for some of the things that, I think, the community expects and has been promised.”
“Even if we can deliver on some of those sooner rather than later, let’s move the needle,” Gerdes added. “Because the needle hasn’t been moved in 40 years.”
Negotiations with a selected developer should move expeditiously, as there are no stadium agreements or associated funding sources to consider. Pinellas County and Major League Baseball are no longer involved.
“My expectation is that the city is able to move through negotiations faster, and the development is able to start sooner,” Gerdes said.
Rose Smith-Hayes
October 28, 2025at5:24 pm
Apparently Mayor Welch has made a choice. 30 days planning time is ridiculous for a project this huge. I hope he changes and gives the other bidders a chance. Mayor Welch’s family did not live in the GasPlant area. His grandfather owned a Woodward on 16th St near 5th Ave So. Mayor Welch’s father, David was on City Council.
S. Rose Smith-Hayes
October 28, 2025at5:19 pm
Apparently Mayor Welch has made a choice. 30 days planning time is ridiculous for a project this huge. I hope he changes and gives the other bidders a chance.
Jeffrey Conway
October 27, 2025at4:47 pm
Dee – you are so dead wrong. You have been drinking the Stu cool-aid. This deal was never going to happen as Stu never had the funds to cover it. The hurricane is an excuse and why MLB forced Stu to sell the team. That was a sweetheart of a deal and let’s not blame Latvala for this. They had until March 31st to approve it and it was still done several months in advance. I first thought too, that Latvala was to blame, but after listening to him on the JP Peterson show and WDAE I have the outmost respect for the guy. He’s looking out for the public.
I agree, 30 days is not enough. But I really do like that first plan that came out and I have a feeling the city does too. Last week, Tampa councilman Charlie Miranda said getting a stadium in Tampa might be hard and that they would likely be moving back to where they came from (the Trop area). But this might not be an option because that decision will drag on for months and I don’t see St. Pete waiting much longer.
Orlando Rays?
Bill Herrmann
October 27, 2025at5:04 am
This is a historic opportunity. Let’s not rush into it. Some critics have said this administration is so eager for a win, after issuing and rescinding bonuses for the Ray’s deal that they are willing to push almost anything through for an easy win.
Let’s have 30-45 day window to set out standards for the RFP responses. These standards should include RFP ranking criteria.
Then give bidders 90 days to raise questions and respond.
Finally, a committee of stakeholders who live in the CRA should be part of ranking process. Taking 6-8 months to avoid yet another debacle is just prudent.
Hugh Hazeltine
October 26, 2025at1:21 pm
90 days is better than thirty. You can have done right or you can have it fast but you cannot have both.
James Marcus
October 25, 2025at3:13 pm
Seems to be a rush to make up for past failures from this administration. I’ve lost all confidence in the Mayor and City team given their past play calls.Debacle after debacle, from the Depity Mayor to the Rays horrendous deal. Why rush this and ruin the City for a lifetime? Makes zero sense.
Page Obenshain
October 25, 2025at9:54 am
In comparison, the marina project is miniscule compared to the Trop and we have been talking about a redo since 2017! The marina is in very bad and very outdated condition. Now the city has chosen a path but very little or no progress is being made. Please give the marina the attention it deserves.
Peter Kent
October 24, 2025at4:16 pm
Before Developers Can Compete, the Public Deserves to Know the Rules
Mayor Welch’s 30-day window for Tropicana Field redevelopment proposals may sound decisive, but it risks rushing the process before anyone knows what the city is actually offering—or expecting. Before proposals can be fairly evaluated, the public and prospective developers need clear, written criteria for what success looks like.
Is the city offering all 86 acres outright, or is it asking developers to fund public infrastructure in exchange? Will St. Petersburg taxpayers still be responsible for the $300 million in roads, parks, and stadium removal, or must bidders absorb those costs? Are additional obligations—such as $10 million for a museum, $40 million for off-budget projects, and $600 million in subsidized housing—part of the deal? If so, the city should disclose those terms up front and explain how it will evaluate cash offers versus long-term commitments.
Under Florida law, any major transfer of public land deserves transparent terms and, arguably, a citywide vote. Until those questions are settled, a 30-day timeline only ensures confusion and discourages serious competition.
If the goal is to deliver a world-class redevelopment that honors the Gas Plant community’s history and future, the process must start with clarity and fairness—not speed. Give the public the facts, then give qualified developers six months to respond with proposals worthy of St. Petersburg.
Joseph Mingione
October 24, 2025at4:16 pm
The fix is in if the deadline isn’t extended to allow for other serious bids. 30 days is absurd if you really want quality proposals.
Alan DeLisle
October 24, 2025at5:57 am
Gerdes: what a ridiculous comment. Do it right, not like the last time. St Pete: this is the shallow leadership you have right now. Painful to watch. This is the guy who supported the last atrocious deal because of his little league baseball experience. St Pete, dig deeper for quality leadership.
St Pete has waited so long to deliver on the Trop because of Welch and Gerdes. The Trop would have been done by now if Welch had gone with Midtown, which was based on a thorough community planning process. Sad that here we go again with an absurd 30 day selection process.
35 years of doing and seeing quality economic development across the country, this is the worst management of one of the best sites there is the the country.
Dee Dubs
October 24, 2025at9:39 am
The plan fell through because of pinellas county commissioners Latvala and friends.. get your facts straight.
HAL FREEDMAN
October 24, 2025at3:19 pm
Dee, the Commission was under no contractural obligation to jump into a bad deal immediately after 2 hurricanes. A 21 day delay on approving bonds had nothing to do with the deal falling apart. After the damage caused by the Hurricanes, the Rays realized they would be responsible for insurance and maintenance and repairs going forward…so they wanted more money from the public sector. Welch said no, one of his few good decisions, and the Rays bailed!
Now, we come to today. To limit the potential developers to 30 days is just dumb. This is a multi-billion dollar project, and we’d better get it right this time. Given the City’s cast of characters, I’m not optimistic.