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An independent coalition of businesspeople is recommending that the new home of the Tampa Bay Rays likely not be in Pinellas County.
The reasons: Population and location. Sites in Tampa's Westshore district, in downtown Tampa and near the Florida Fairgrounds are more centrally located and would help the team draw more fans.
For example, by the year 2035, a site in Tampa's Westshore district, such as Raymond James Stadium, would be within a 30-minute drive for 2.8 million people, the best place to draw the most people to a baseball stadium. Ironically
in the late 1980s, a group of local business people led an unsuccessful effort to put a baseball stadium on that site. St. Petersburg's City Council voted to use public money to build Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.
Besides that, the ABC Coalition, A Baseball Community, thought that a new stadium should have a retractable roof, like Miller Park in Milwaukee or SkyDome in Toronto., and should be in an area with dining and entertainment nearby.
The coalition also suggested the Gateway area of Pinellas County and downtown St. Petersburg, as fourth and fifth choices.
Ironically, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker set up the coalition. He said that the report was only a recommendation and that he was in favor of the downtown St. Petersburg or Gateway sites. The Rays thanked the coalition and said they would study the report and go over it with the community.
The report also noted that the ratio of businesses to individuals in season ticket sales is 2-to-1 in most Major League Baseball markets, but that ratio is reversed in the Tampa Bay area.
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