ST PETERSBURG -- City officials plan to release seven proposals for eventual development of the Tropicana Field site this afternoon.
Mayor Rick Kriseman says he has been in talks with the Rays over the past few months about their desires for the site....but he says the team's increased demands for control and their insistence on the split-season plan with Montreal leaves everyone at a standstill.
Kriseman told reporters the Rays wanted control of about 40 percent of the Tropicana site,
"The redevelopment... must not occur to the sole benefit of a developer or a baseball team or anyone else. The focus must be on the people of St. Petersburg," Kriseman said.
Rays owner Stu Sternberg showed up at the event unannounced and reporters say he disagreed with the mayor's interpretation of their talks.
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