St. Petersburg City Council: rushing the RFP; breaking a promise

On Thursday, the St. Petersburg City Council will meet to hold its first -- and only -- discussion of the request that the city will send out to developers about the future of the Tropicana Field site.

The city's "request for proposals," called an RFP, is already drawn up and ready to go. The city intends to send it out on Friday.

It is not clear to me exactly why we need a City Council at all, actually.

Remember, this is the other half of the deal for a new waterfront stadium. The existing Tropicana Field would be sold and redeveloped. The sale proceeds, and future property taxes, would be used to help pay for the new stadium.

The council will hold an informal workshop on the RFP in the morning, and then formally approve the document in its afternoon meeting that starts at 3 p.m. There is no public comment during the workshop, and no public comment listed on the afternoon agenda. Isn't that a heck of a sentence?

* * * * *

Also, please take note of this important story in this morning's Neighborhood Times by my colleague Cristina Silva.

The story says that the City Council is breaking its repeated commitment that it made to the citizens last year to re-designate the old Al Lang waterfront site for a park, when it re-mapped the city.

The City Council promised to re-designate Al Lang in August, when it approved the new citywide rules. It repeated that pledge in December. Some of the council members repeated the statement to me, to my face.

But it was not the case. Now the city will leave Al Lang available for whatever purposes that City Hall chooses down the road.

It is true that if the plan for a baseball stadium did go through, then park designation wouldn't matter anyway. But it matters NOW. And it matters if the new stadium is not built after all.

The City Council said it was going to do it. It made that promise to the citizens. How can the citizens believe anything the council says about a new stadium or anything else, if it can so easily break its word?

* * * * *

Please do not misunderstand these criticisms. Unlike some of my friends who have made up their minds for other reasons, I am not opposed to the idea of the waterfront baseball stadium. This is entirely about the process leading up to it -- for the voters to approve any deal in November, this has to be 100 percent public, and handled well by the city.

So far it hasn't been on either count.

Comments

[Bland]

Howard,

Once again the St. Petersburg City Commission and Mayor are exhibiting tremendous arrogance and hypocrisy towards its citizens.

Given the way this process has been handed and its conflict to previous recent discussions and promises to their constituency, I have no interest in seeing any development of either the Trop Site or Al Lang Field.

While no laws have probably been broken, this sure does not appear to be open government in the sunshine. This is not the way to handle this process. Before this is all done I predict someone or group of commissioners will be accused by the media or citizens of lack of independence in appearance if not in fact.

Based on the aforementioned, I pledge to vote against the Al Lang site should, and it probably will, come up for a vote in November.

Howard, we are depending on you to stay on top this mess……

[Lawrence]

Howard, this entire process and deal stinks to high heaven, and is typical of the irreverence and contempt this administration and city staff have for the citizenry they are supposed to serve. I'm hoping that with two new city councel members who have the courage to buck the system will short-circuit this whole process and cut this deal off at the pass. Mussett and his gang of insider thieves should be run out of town. Please Howard, keep after those jerks at City Hall and their secret shenanigans.

[20/20]

Ok, here’s how I see this playing out.

The City “will” designate the site as a “Park”… only; they will spin it from building a new baseball “Stadium”, to building a new baseball “Park”. That way, the property can be designated as publicly-owned “Park” property and the Rays will be exempt from paying any property taxes.

Aka: Corporate Welfare at taxpayer’s expense.

Sound Familiar?

It should, because that’s exactly what happened with the Trop site. In an effort to give the “then named” Devil Rays some corporate welfare, the site was transferred to the County and designated as public property, letting the City and the D-Rays off the hook for property taxes.

[Mary]

They City hosted a public forum last week where nearly 400 people attended and contributed ideas to the Trop redevelopment. Sounds very inclusive to me. Also, it is unprecedented to have City council approve RFP releases, so this again is another layer of oversight. The council will approve the developer selection, and the voters will decide in November. This is perhaps the most inclusive and democratic redevelopment project the state has seen.

"The council will hold an informal workshop on the RFP in the morning, and then formally approve the document in its afternoon meeting that starts at 3 p.m. There is no public comment during the workshop, and no public comment listed on the afternoon agenda."

That’s funny? At the Public Forum staged at the Trop last week, I could have sworn I heard Jamie Bennett state no less than four times that the public’s input was vital, and that the public would be involved throughout the “entire” process.

This is beginning to look like the politicians have been lying all along!

Why; I never heard of such a thing!

BTW, Mary, does Rick know you're blogging on City time... or was it a directive?

Well folks, looks like we’re getting a blue car!

[Don in St. Pete]

Now that we've seen the respect level the average citizen is given by this City Administration and Council, vote everyone who says "Aye" out of office at the first opportunity. The referendum will be crushed at the polls and the blowhard stuffed shirts will have wasted untold taxpayer dollars developing the RFP and awarding a winner, and then lobbying for it with our own money. The City has been forced to cut funding for services and the arts, but see's no problem in giving away a half a bilion dollars to the Rays. Vote no on the referendum and getting the shaft from the Mayor and City Council!

[Bland]

Mary,

I beg to differ with you regarding how “inclusive” the citizens have been regarding this process.

To begin with the City knew just how contemptuous the discussion of replacing the Trop Stadium was going to be with the voters. Therefore, they had this public meeting to discuss what to do with the Trop Site “if” they decide to use the Al Lang site for the new stadium. As so many others have put it, they got the cart before horse.

The City is doing everything in its power to put off from addressing the central point in this entire process. Should we build a new stadium at this time at any location? The City Commission and Mayor do not want to go there because they are fully aware of how controversial public opinion will be over this issue.

They can spend all the money on RFP’s they want, but at the end of the day they are still going to have to address, should the City build another stadium at Al Lang Field? At this point, with all the secrecy and the relative age of the existing stadium, the Commission and Mayor have limited creditability with me and I suspect the majority of the citizens that this proposed development would be good for the city. After all, so many other developments downtown have not met the estimates of previous approved proposals.

Yes we are cynical, the City leaders, past, and present, have made us that way. We are not interested in being ignored by their tactics. The public is going to be heard on the key issue, should we build a new stadium at Al Lang?

And some folks question whether or not this stadium deal was done a long time ago?…

From today's paper...

Utility makes unannounced hiring decision
Crist's open-government expert questions water board's action.

By CRAIG PITTMAN and JANET ZINK, Times Staff Writers
Published January 16, 2008

Meeting without the public or reporters looking on, the board of Tampa Bay Water voted Tuesday to offer its top job to a former city manager of New Port Richey.

“The vote occurred in a meeting with little notice to the public, and it happened 10 days before the scheduled meeting to select the new general manager.”

"I've never seen anything like it," said Pat Gleason, who serves as Gov. Charlie Crist's special counsel for open government.

The board's chairwoman, Pinellas County Commissioner Susan Latvala, was taken aback by questions regarding whether the meeting at the utility's Clearwater offices had been held without notifying the public. She said she assumed the staff had handled everything properly.

"It wasn't a secret meeting," Latvala said. When asked what would happen if Tuesday's vote violated the law, she said, "I don't know. I think what it means is we get knocked around."

Government of, by, and for the people; Pinellas County style!

[LittleBro]

Did you say the council made a commitment and dishonored it? Public servants elected by the people who are not doing what they said they would do? Elected officials breaking a promise?

It's shocking - just shocking. And in St Pete. Shocked - I'm just shocked.

But the good news is, somebody will benefit. Someone will be happy and will see the silver lining in the cloud over Mudville. Someone will get richer while everyone else just puts tails between legs and trudges on. Complaining and saying, "that's the way it is. oh well ..."

[Lawrence]

Good grief. What has Mary been smoking?

[guy]

Howard, Times are bad in the newspaper business.
Your paper is missing the greatest opportunity it ever had, to jump into the fray on this story.
A corrupt deal being pushed by elected officials.
This scenerio is incredible, Rich Moguls pushing local wannabees, into using dictator like tactics, and total confusing and lying to the taxpayers.
Why this thing could go international and everyone, I mean everyone would buy the St. Pete Times.
So why don't you get them to use a couple of those high priced Attorney's and get behind the people for a change.
I figure there is enough already for a class action lawsuit.

Ditto to guy's post! In fact, don't just stop there, this whole county is prime for a 1983 Hillsborough County clean out!

It could just put the Times in the upper tier of "The Top 10"

[20/20]

The question still beckons to be asked: Where is Pinellas County?

Why hasn’t the County Commission authorized the interim County Attorney to file an injunction to stop the City of St. Pete from proceeding with an RFP, for the redevelopment of property (presumed to still be) owned by the county?

This deal has more dirt and stink in it than the old Toytown landfill… which by the way, is another (hidden from the public) and questionable land deal that has been in the works for nearly a year.

Come on Times, I smell that Pulitzer from here!

When will the Rays pay back the $ 1,373,747.00 they owe the city of St. Petersburg for traffic control for the past 4 years? Property taxes in St. petersburg should go too $ 1.00 a year for 99 years or all property should be ginen to the county so we do not have too pay taxes. When will Goliath Davis and Chuck Harmon be fired for violating the city charter and rules and regulations of St. Petersburg? Goliath Davis is still driving his police car. It is racial discrimination against the white vice mayor. They do not get a police car.

The Grand Prix is an other loser the city of St. Petersburg pays $ 160,000.00 for subsidies. Baker of the Baker Crime family is one big crook stealing our money.

[ed]

with all the above comments, just remember in the last st. pete election only 9% of the electorate voted-so the politicians think they can do as they please BECAUSE THE CITIZENS REALLY DON'T CARE-THE BLOGGERS ARE NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC-SAD BUT TRUE!!!!

[Howard Troxler]

Thanks for the comments. About that last one: I would point out that there was low turnout, in part, because the city was keeping this stadium idea a secret until immediately after the election!

Howard

[Don in St. Pete]

Somebody will come out smelling like a rose on this deal and it's not the citizens of St. Pete. This deal stinks to high heaven and everyone around it knows it. The closest correlation to the RFP process I can recollect is when FP&L tried to scam the citizens of Glades County by a secret unaanounced vote for a Coal fired power plant in Glades County. I am confident the informed citizens of St. Petersburg will deliver the Rays and City Admin a dose of the same medecine that Gov. Christ and the PSC delivered to FP&L, HELL NO!

Mayor Baker was keeping it a secret. Mayor Rick Baker. And then leaked it to the press when they didn't re-name the team the "St. Pete Rays."

To be fair, the council did NOT know about this. If was - after all - the Mayors office that leaked it to the Times, right? The Mayors Office.

Where's the story behind that?

[peter]

Didn't Bill Foster promise Howard last month on his way out of city hall that council would stick to the promise and zone AL Lang as park or Bill would shave his head. I guess it's time to see Bill's new look.

As to our other Bill (Dudley) on council...I was at the workshop last week when council talked about Al Lang and it wasn't pretty. Based on his performance and letting Rick Mussett role all over him the Bill Dudley bobble head doll should be in stores soon. Let me know when anybody sees one so I can add it to the rest of the council bobble head collection.

By the way, I guess there is always one in the crowd... Jeff Danner did tell staff at the workshop that the public has spoken and said way back during vision 2020 that the waterfront was to be a park. Unfortunately, Jeff seemed to be the only one in the crowd making sense and the rest of Council ignored his pleadings to make Al Lang park property NOW.

[David McKalip]

I will attempt to present this letter to City Council tomorrow at their meeting on the RFP. We shall see if they want to hear a thing.
-----------------------------------

To: St. Petersburg City Council, Mayor Rick Baker
From: David McKalip, M.D.
1-17-2008

Dear City Council and Mayor,

The Devil Rays are seeking property tax support from St. Petersburg to fund construction of a new baseball stadium on the current site of Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg. The estimated taxes are described as coming from “redevelopment” of the current Tropicana Field Site and surrounding land. The Devil Rays claim “no new taxes” will be required, but clearly current taxes from property tax payers will be required at least to the amount of $250 -$300 million. Likely the team will ask the city to issue a bond (take out a loan) that will be underwritten by the taxpayers of St. Petersburg, even though the loan on the current stadium is still not paid off.

The taxpayers of St. Petersburg can no longer afford to finance the Devil Rays venue that has made them a very profitable team in major league baseball. Further the taxpayers cannot afford the cost of maintaining and supporting the dome such as through property insurance payments ($2 million last year) and police coordination of traffic ($300-$400,000/ year which does not include the cost of retirement and health benefits for the police department and their supporting staff).

As a registered voter in St. Petersburg (ID #107203656), St. Petersburg native and businessman, I formally request that the City Council and Mayor amend our city ordinances to reflect that any development at the Al Lang site will be financed entirely with private funds. This is the first step in determining whether an initiative will be required pursuant to Article VII of city code. If the Council officially rejects such an ordinance, I will have little difficulty in securing the five names required to initiate a referendum to ensure that the Devil Rays do not profit off the back of the St. Petersburg taxpayer.

I would suggest adding the following line to article III, §21-85(2):

c) Any facility built after 2007 at the Al Lang site that provides a profit to a private corporation shall be financed entirely with private funds and shall not require any subsidy from the city of St. Petersburg.

There is surely other alternative language that will serve the same goal: The Rays Pay. If the Rays want a new stadium, then they should pay for it just as any business does when it expands. Public financing of stadiums has not been shown to serve the goal of economic development and has been shown to lead to local job loss and redistribution of revenues from other local businesses in addition to being an undue and excessive burden on taxpayers.

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to your written response in a timely fashion.

Sincerely,

David McKalip, M.D.

On behalf of St. Petersburg Residents: Kipp Wall, David Simpson, Jemie Russel, Sara Lopez

[Jake]

David is flat wrong when he states above that "clearly current taxes from property tax payers will be required at least to the amount of $250 -$300 million." The $250-$300 million would come from the Trop redevelopment, revenue which would not exist if the Rays stay put. In fact, the Trop redevelopment will generate benefits in excess of $300 million due to job creation, new public open space, and stimulating surrounding development downtown. I know people are cynical, but please, lets see the big picture here and appreciate what over $1B in new investment will do for our community's economy and quality of life!!

[Reality]

Jake,

Can I get a job with the Devil Rays? Where do I send my applcation to your attention?

Jake is right!… just look at how the Trop lived up to those same promises…. Oh wait… and let us not forget how Bay Walk has lived up to those same promis… oh wait… What about Carrillon, and what a tremendous success… oh wait… well how about Pridgon’s dump-front property and how well it has progr… oh wait… well how about the sold-out condo’s along the beach… oh wait… how about all the small business that are popping up all over the… oh wait… well… THIS TIME, it’s gonna work!

... putz

[Jessica]

This issue might be considered a breach of public trust:

http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/16/Neighborhoodtimes/Idea_of_Al_Lang_as_pa.shtml

and can lend itself to break the Sunshine law that the public should be able to speak on the issue:

http://blogs.tampabay.com/troxler/its_a_great_day_in_st_petersburg_say_it/index.html

They are wasting the peoples money buy placing the cart before the horse – the people do not even get to vote on the issue until Nov 28, so why are they spending money and precious tax payers time on issues that do not hold water?

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2008/1/10/316021.html

If it is true that the city was meeting behind closed doors to discuss the stadium, then they violated the Florida Constitution:

Article I Section 24 b) All meetings of any collegial public body of the executive branch of state government or of any collegial public body of a county, municipality, school district, or special district, at which official acts are to be taken or at which public business of such body is to be transacted or discussed, shall be open and noticed to the public and meetings of the legislature shall be open and noticed as provided in Article III, Section 4(e), except with respect to meetings exempted pursuant to this section or specifically closed by this Constitution.

City officials swore an oath in coming into office to uphold this section of the Florida Constitution:
Article II SECTION 7. Natural resources and scenic beauty.-- (a) It shall be the policy of the state to conserve and protect its natural resources and scenic beauty. Adequate provision shall be made by law for the abatement of air and water pollution and of excessive and unnecessary noise and for the conservation and protection of natural resources.

The elected officials are following protocol for the Public Intent notice, getting a bid, and holding a meeting; however, they could be in violation for not letting the public speak during the whole process 2007 Florida Statute: 286.011 Public meetings and records; public inspection; criminal and civil penalties.--

(1) All meetings of any board or commission of any state agency or authority or of any agency or authority of any county, municipal corporation, or political subdivision, except as otherwise provided in the Constitution, at which official acts are to be taken are declared to be public meetings open to the public at all times, and no resolution, rule, or formal action shall be considered binding except as taken or made at such meeting. The board or commission must provide reasonable notice of all such meetings.

(2) The minutes of a meeting of any such board or commission of any such state agency or authority shall be promptly recorded, and such records shall be open to public inspection. The circuit courts of this state shall have jurisdiction to issue injunctions to enforce the purposes of this section upon application by any citizen of this state.

(3)(a) Any public officer who violates any provision of this section is guilty of a noncriminal infraction, punishable by fine not exceeding $500.

(b) Any person who is a member of a board or commission or of any state agency or authority of any county, municipal corporation, or political subdivision who knowingly violates the provisions of this section by attending a meeting not held in accordance with the provisions hereof is guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

In addition, how can this not be considered a historic site? http://www.stpete.org/allang.htm

Further more, for a process and expense of this nature, are they not supposed to publish notice 30 days in advance: http://www.stpete.org/raysproposal/redevtropsite.shtm 255.0525 Advertising for competitive bids or proposals.—

[Brian E Roche]

If the pure Hubris displayed by Baker, Bennett, Foster, The Devil Rays Owners, et al, not to mention the absurdity of the arguments/comments of Mary and Jake, if the charade being perpetrated on the citizens, not only of St Pete but the County as well, if the silence of the Pinellas County Board of Commissioners wasn’t truly indicative of their own attitudes towards their constituents, if all of this wasn’t so ridiculous on it’s face, one could find these ministrations fairly comical.

What I cannot fathom in my wildest cynical dreams, is how, in the middle of an election year, in the middle of this particular election year, when tax reform has been a dismal failure, when property insurance reform has become something of a joke, when the mood of the people finally seems to be catching up to reality in the sense that these fine folks have been bending all of us over a chair and laughing all the while, I can honestly say that apparently, we the voters deserve EXACTLY what we are getting.

It is the voters who continuously do not care enough to vote, and the voters who do take the time to go to the polls, re-electing these charlatans year in and year out who need to look inward.

The only possible explanation for this charade, the hiring of a new Swiftmud head, the Jim Smith Money giveaway, is that our elected officials must be sensing the end of public assent by way of voter ignorance and apathy might just come to a screeching halt in a few months and that they must get everything they possibly can past us before we actually do wake up.

Screw em…Throw em out…Make em pay…

Just how outrageous do their actions have to become before we stand at the gates of the various City Halls, Commission Offices, etc with pitchfork raised and torches lit.

If not now, when…

[Howard Troxler]

On the point made by Jake, we do get into some semantics here.

Jake is right -- the NEW tax revenues that would be paid on the NEW development built on the Trop site -- in theory -- be used for the stadium. And that new stuff on the property rolls wouldn't have existed otherwise.

On the other hand, it's all still public resources -- the Al Lang site, the Trop site, the investment the taxpayers made in the Trop, the remaining debt, etc. -- this is a public-sector deal and it certainly involves considerable resources of the public sector.

Cheers,
Howard