ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — The stadium deal for the Tampa Bay Rays has received an important endorsement.
The St. Petersburg Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) said they now support the deal worked out with the team, Pinellas County and the City of St. Petersburg.
Esther Matthews, the President of the St. Petersburg NAACP says the Executive Committee of the NAACP concluded after meeting with team officials and asking tough questions about what that deal would mean to the community.
“We were very intentional in ensuring that, when the questions were asked, they were not light questions, they weren’t cookie cutter questions,” said Matthews.
She said the committee came away with the understanding it’s not a perfect deal, but it’s the best deal for the community.
“We were comfortable with the fact that we were going to be represented with the fact that it was going to be true economic development,” said Matthews. “We were comfortable with the fact that there were going to be opportunities for small businesses to build their wealth building opportunity.”
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said he believes the deal will be passed by the city council, despite some opposition.
“I am really optimistic because this partnership with Pinellas County and with the Hines Rays group really addresses those promises of economic inclusion going forward,” said Welch.
Rays Co-President Brian Auld said having the support of the NAACP and the community is important to the team.
“For us to be successful, we need everyone to have our backs on this, but the NAACP in particular, given the history of the site, given all we are trying to do to honor the history of the Gas Plant District, is a particularly special one,” said Auld.
Auld said the vote on the issue by St. Petersburg’s City Council will be very important for the future of the franchise.
“We will need a place to play in 2028 and obviously we’ve had an entire campaign about wanting to be here to stay, this is where we want to be. We certainly hope that the county and the city agree with that and I think the future is very bright in the event we get that done.”
