ST. PETERSBURG -- At a news conference held outside Tropicana Field, the head of the St. Petersburg City Council and the chair of the Pinellas County Commission had this message: Rick
Kriseman doesn't speak for us.
"The city administration's comments last week about (Rays) ownership do not reflect my position on the future of the Rays or my willingness to engage with them," council chair Ed Montanari said.
He says the mayor of St. Petersburg shouldn't go ahead with redevelopment before the Rays situation is settled.
Montanari and Pinellas County commission chair Dave Eggers say both sides should make a "focused" effort to negotiate a deal for the team beyond 2027, when the lease at Tropicana Field expires. Both insist that as St Pete figured out how to get the Rays in the 90s, it can figure out how to keep them. Both insist that the team has been a strong contributor to the booming downtown of St. Petersburg and to Pinellas charities.
Montanari insists the lawsuit over Rays ownership filed last week in Pinellas County won't affect negotiations with them. Minority owners sued claiming that principal owner Stuart Sternberg secretly negotiated a deal with Montreal and worked to "squeeze" them out of their stakes in the franchise.
The council chair deferred on the proposal to split the season with Montreal, saying he wants to know more about it.
Photo: Canva