The Final 4, City Of St. Pete Narrows Down Trop Developer Firms

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Four out of seven firms that submitted Tropicana redevelopment plans last summer have been chosen by the city of St. Petersburg as prospective partners.

The four respondents on the shortlist are:

• JMA Ventures/Sugar Hill Community Partners
• Midtown Development
• Portman-Third Lake
• Unicorp National Development

According to the city, the four shortlisted firms best represented the criteria contained within the RFP (request for proposals), which represented years of community feedback, ideas, and input. The four firms have a proven track record of executing large, mixed-use developments and will have an opportunity to showcase their vision for the site in the months ahead.

“We received many quality submissions to redevelop the Tropicana Field site, and I am thankful for the time, money, and energy that each team expended," Mayor Rick Kriseman said. "Four submissions clearly stood out as truly exceptional, and I am excited for our residents to learn more about each one. The future of that site, with or without baseball, has never been brighter. As I’ve said time and again, this is our chance to get it right, and to right wrongs. I encourage everyone to remain engaged in this process as we move forward.”

The plans focus on redeveloping 86 acres at the Tropicana Field site. The outlines submitted include what each firm would like to build, which include, businesses, parks, family activities and other community ideas. To view the full list of plans in detail, click here. Plans were asked by the city to be submitted with and without the stadium. The community and the city have no idea if the Rays are staying when their contract expires.

In January, Kriseman said the Rays wanted control of 36 acres at the site. "But of even greater concern, the moment the city turns complete and total control of the 36 acres over to the Rays, the city loses all ability and authority to ensure that the community's voice is heard, that the history of the site, the unkempt promises are fulfilled."

If you would like to give your feedback to the city, you can do so by:

• Attend a public meeting. There will be a virtual meeting and two in-person meetings. Social distancing guidelines will be in place and masks will be required for in-person meetings.
• Meeting dates are as follows, details to come: Virtual Meeting: April 5, 2021; In-person Meeting: April 7, 2021; In-person Meeting: April 8, 2021

• Visit a showroom. There will be immersive showrooms located throughout the city that are equipped with executive summaries of the proposals, renderings, and the ability to leave your input. Details to come.
• Submit a comment online.

Community feedback will be open until the final ribbon is cut on the Tropicana Field redevelopment, according to the city's website. Input collected during this shortlist period will be provided to Mayor Rick Kriseman to inform a final development partner selection later in 2021. For public meeting dates and project updates, visit stpete.org/trop.

Related Story:

• Rays And City Of St. Pete Can't Reach Tropicana Site Compromise