Mayor issues RFP for Tropicana Field site, requires acreage set aside for new Rays stadium

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch has issued a much-anticipated new request for proposal for the redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site and is asking prospective developers to keep 17.3 acres available for a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays.

The new RFP follows Welch’s decision in late June to discard the nearly two-year-long process to choose a developer for the 86-acre property on the eve of an anticipated announcement. At the time, Welch said he wanted a clean slate in order to emphasize the needs of the community and to address issues he deemed critical to the city’s future — and past.

The new request does just that.